When I teach songwriting, typically the first project I assign is to write a song that uses a refrain instead of a chorus. A refrain is kind of like a mini-chorus. It is a single line that typically appears as the last line of every verse. That line is usually the title line of the song, and it serves to frame or contextualize each verse.
The example I use for a song with a refrain is “Please Please Me.” Credited as being by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the song is generally understood to be written primarily by John Lennon. We will be investigating the song in relationship to its lyrics.
At first glance, the lyrics to “Please Please Me” seem pretty lazy. There are only two verses (the first verse is repeated as a third verse). Furthermore, the rhymes seem lazy. It appears that he rhymes girl with girl in the first verse, love with love in the second verse, and you with you in the bridge.
However, the real rhyming in the lyrics are internal rhymes. The first verse rhymes “my girl” with “try girl.” In the second verse Lennon rhymes “way love” with “say love.”
These simple internal rhymes become more involved and playful in the bridge. “Sound complaining” at the end of the first line rhymes with “always rain in” in the second line. Furthermore, Lennon tags the end of the second line with “my heart,” which softens the sing songy quality of the multi-syllable rhymes. The following two lines also use multi-syllable rhymes, ending with “pleasing with you” and “reason with you” respectively. The bridge ends with the single syllable rhyme “blue.”
“Please Please Me” is at its essence a cute, novel teenage rock and roll love / lust song. However, its effectiveness is not by accident. These multi-syllable rhymes lend the tune its playful nature, hiding carnal urges behind flirtatious banter. This, in turn conformed perfectly to the Beatles early fun, clean cut, boy-next-door personas.