Song Analysis for Songwriters: "Like I Used To" by Sharon van Etten and Angel Olsen

This post is the first in a series where we will analyze songs from the perspective of songwriting technique and craft.

The goal is not only to better understand how songs work, but to come up with useful songwriting exercises you can try out immediately. These will be described near the end of the post.

We’re going to kick the series off with “Like I Used To”, a 2021 collaboration between Sharon van Etten and Angel Olsen.

Even if you know the song already, I recommend listening to it again before reading the rest of the post. Pay attention to its larger structure and any moments that stand out to you.

On the surface, it’s a song about dealing with the pandemic. Or, as van Etten describes it in an interview↗(opens in a new tab), “trying to stay productive and fight off the darkness… Just the things that everyone’s dealing with”.

If this were the extent of it, it would probably just be one more pandemic song. But it works at another level as well. The central idea (“like I used to”) plays with the fact that many of those new pandemic limitations were things the narrators had once done themselves for other reasons, reasons they’d since grown out of.

At least in my interpretation, these two meanings pervade the song and keep us questioning. And they are supported by some of the lyrical, harmonic, and structural ambiguities in the music.

The structure of “Like I Used To”

Let’s start with a bird’s eye view of the song’s structure. Each of these parts is 8 bars long, except the brief intro and the 9-bar chorus extension:

A very short intro (consisting of some noise and a drum fill) brings us to a relatively full arrangement of the hook section, where a soaring and catchy guitar hook plays over the initial chord progression.

We downshift to the first verse, sung by van Etten, which develops the narrative over the same relatively static progression as the hook.

The pre-chorus then introduces more harmonic movement and deeper emotional expression. It concludes with a rising instrumental line that moves us inevitably toward the chorus.

The chorus itself is melodically more memorable, confident, and repetitive, and harmonically even more dynamic.

The final chord of the chorus creates a strong desire for resolution, which arrives when the hook returns. And this time the hook section contains a new arpeggiated keyboard part providing even more momentum.

The second verse drops this keyboard part and provides only a little more depth in the arrangement than the first verse. But the fact that it’s now sung by Olsen clearly differentiates it.

The second pre-chorus seems to be leading us directly to the chorus again, with the same rising instrumental line as before. But our expectations are thwarted when the pre-chorus repeats instead.

On the repeat, the pre-chorus melody takes a new, more harmonically striking path, which helps maintain interest even though we’re now waiting impatiently for the chorus.

When the chorus arrives, we get it twice. On the repeat, the vocals are even more confident, culminating in the final line: “Taking what’s mine like I used to”.

Finally, the chorus is extended with repetitions of the central line “like I used to” over a new progression. An extra bar of a drum fill then leads us to the last statement of the hook section, which ends the song.

Now that we have an overview, let’s look more closely at the individual sections and how they work.

Section analysis and chord progressions

“Like I Used To” is in the key of E major and the whole song sticks to five of the six common major key chords (the missing one is the iii chord, which would have been G#m here). Note that I’m ignoring ornamentations of these chords and focusing on the simple core of the chord progressions.

Chords used in "Like I Used To"
-------------------------------
    E   F#m   A    B   C#m
    I   ii    IV   V   vi

Roman numerals are used to indicate the position of a chord relative to a key. Each chord position has distinctive characteristics that can impact how a progression affects us.

If you’re not familiar with thinking of chords in terms of Roman numerals, you can read my quick introduction to chord relationships to help you better understand the chords used in this song.

In “Like I Used To”, the hook, verse, and chorus sections all start on the I chord, reinforcing a strong sense of musical home.

The pre-chorus breaks up this repetition by starting on the vi chord, bringing with it more emotional depth.

Finally, the extension to the chorus near the end of the song starts on the ii chord.

I recommend paying attention in general to which chords songwriters choose to start each section of a song. This will give you lots of material for experimentation of your own. And always keep in mind that thwarting the expectations of your listeners can be used to great effect.

Hook and Verse

Ok, enough background. Let’s get back to the song!

We’ll begin by analyzing the chord progression shared by the hook and verse sections:

| I | I | IV | ii |
  E   E   A    F#m

The I chord repeats for two bars, establishing our sense of home. The IV acts as a step away from home and the ii brings us back without creating too much tension.

Since IV and ii can often be substituted for each other (they share 2 out of 3 notes), the effect is fairly static. This sets us up for stronger contrast when the other sections of the song arrive.

In general, the verse vocals are drawn out and easy going, floating over the chords as they develop. This matches the more static harmony of the progression as well as the more free-flowing narrative.

| I | I | IV | ii |
  E   E   A    F#m

The verse section lasts for 16 bars, repeating the 4-bar progression above 4 times. We can interpret it as containing two 8-bar subparts (as represented in the structure diagram above). Here’s the first subpart (lyrics are marking the start of the melody):

| I | I | IV | ii  | I | I | IV | ii |
  E   E   A    F#m   E   E   A    F#m
  Will the...     Now nothing...

Each subpart consists of longer vocal phrases over the first four chords, then a shorter phrase with a pause somewhere over the second four chords. This creates a spotlight effect on that shorter phrase (here starting on “Now nothing…”), meaning that the listener is primed to interpret it as more important.

This structure is then repeated for the second subpart:

| I | I | IV | ii  | I | I | IV | ii |
  E   E   A    F#m   E   E   A    F#m
  Saw a life...        The ceiling...

This time van Etten leaves a noticeable pause before “the ceiling”, heightening the spotlight effect further.

When the verse comes back later in the song, we hear “the ceiling” in this same position (though without the preceding pause). Olsen in that second case sings that “the ceiling must be wrong”, perhaps meaning that this can’t really be the limit of her life.

From a songwriting perspective, this line is signaled as important both by its placement and its clear echo of an earlier verse. These are the kinds of subtle effects that can be consciously (and subconsciously) manipulated by skilled songwriters.

Pre-Chorus

After 24 bars of this same progression (hook and verse), the pre-chorus arrives with a darker and yearning vi chord, an effect reinforced by the lyrics. It starts with “Change address…” at 0:57.

The pre-chorus section plays with more harmonic movement than the verse, including introducing the V chord for the first time:

| vi  | V | ii  | IV |
  C#m   B   F#m   A

Notice that the I is missing from this progression, creating both a stronger sense of distance from home and a desire to return.

The vocal melodies come in shorter phrases than found in the verse. The delivery and phrasing are more longing and emotional, and vocal harmonies deepen the interest.

This 4-bar progression is repeated once. The pre-chorus ends with a rising instrumental line over the final IV chord. This leads us inexorably to the major 3rd of the I chord. This helps ensure that when the missing I returns at the beginning of the chorus, it does so with powerful effect.

Chorus

The chorus progression provides even more harmonic movement than the pre-chrous. It starts with “Sleeping in late…” at 1:14.

| I | I | IV | ii  | vi  | IV | V | V |
  E   E   A    F#m   C#m   A    B   B

Notice that the first half of the progression is just the hook and verse progression. This triggers recognition in the listener, but as we’ll see, this progression is also recontextualized and operates differently than before.

The second half of this progression begins on the vi (echoing the pre-chorus) and moves through the IV to a repeated V. As mentioned above, the V often creates a strong expectation of returning to the I. Repeating it as they do here strengthens the resulting tension.

The chorus melody is based on a repeating phrase with subtle variations. Each time this phrase repeats, the chords change underneath it. Here is the first chorus again as an illustration:

I                       I
Sleeping in late like I used to

IV                        ii
Crossing my fingers like I used to

vi                    IV
Waiting inside like I used to

V                          V       -> I
Avoiding big crowds like I used to    [Hook]

To my ear, a musical high point of the song is the second line of the chorus. It’s worth looking at what makes this line stand out.

We are midway through a repetition of the hook/verse progression (I - I - IV - ii). But the vocals are thicker and more confident. When the IV arrives, we hear the beginning of a repetition of the chorus phrase. However, the first note of this phrase is dissonant against the IV chord (whereas it had been consonant against the initial I chord).

This dissonance throws us slightly off balance and casts the verse progression in a new light. The move to the ii then coincides with van Etten subtly changing the timing of the word “I” and varying the melody for “used to”. All of these small effects add up to a distinctive and powerful moment in the song.

We then hear two more reframings of the chorus phrase, first against the darker vi-IV and then against the tense V.

This last iteration builds a strong anticipation to return to the I through the power of the V. Holding on this chord for the entire line reinforces this anticipation.

When we arrive at the hook section again after the chorus, we feel a sense of relief and resolution. This, plus the fact that we’re hearing it again for the first time with a thicker arrangement (including a new arpeggiated keyboard part) work together to heighten the initial soaring effect of the hook.

Extension of the Last Chorus

As mentioned above, the second verse is sung by Olsen. And the second pre-chorus is noteworthy because it once again uses a rising melodic line to indicate we’re going to the chorus after 8 bars only to thwart our expectation and repeat instead.

This intensifies the effect of the chorus when it finally arrives. And this time, it’s repeated as well (a common device for choruses in verse/chorus songs).

Because of the tense ending on the V each time, this repetition of the chorus creates an even stronger anticipation for a return to the hook section. But instead, we get an extension of the chorus over a new progression as the central line (“like I used to”) is sung repeatedly (starting at 3:32):

| ii  | ii  | I | V |
  F#m   F#m   E   B

This progression creates a kind of swirling effect because of the off-balance placement of the I and the yearning of the V. We are not home yet, but we can see it clearly.

This section gives us time to consider the multiple meanings of “like I used to”. In the past, those things listed earlier (sleeping in, hoping for something better but waiting inside, avoiding crowds) were self-imposed by the narrators.

In the present, they’ve been imposed externally because of a global crisis. Now the narrators are waiting for the freedom to both recapture what was good about the past and also move beyond it. You can hear that in the change in character of the list right before the chorus extension (falling in love, holding hands openly, etc.).

As Olsen said in an interview↗(opens in a new tab), “I’m going to get back out there and I’m going to do something else or I’m going to do the same thing better. I’m awake now. I feel that part of it, beyond the pandemic.”

When the last hook section eventually comes, it arrives with a sense of finality. It seems to represent that hope for a transformed future.

Comparing with the acoustic version

Before we discuss some songwriting exercises based on “Like I Used To”, there’s one more angle that’s worth exploring.

We’re lucky enough to have an acoustic version of the song to compare against the arrangement we’ve been analyzing in this post. There are a number of lessons songwriters can learn from this kind of comparison.

The first thing to consider is that this version of the song, though released later, might be close to the original version van Etten and Olsen co-wrote.

It can be intimidating as a songwriter to compare your work against fully arranged songs, but it’s important to realize that you can create a compelling song with just a single instrument and vocals. Arrangements can come later (or not at all).

Notice that in the acoustic version, there is no instrumental hook. Instead they simply play the verse progression for 8 bars before starting to sing. This is how guitarists often write and play their songs alone, and you don’t always need more.

Another interesting point is that the chorus extension (starting around 3:18) still has 9 bars in the acoustic version, even though there is no drum fill. And it still works to create an effective imbalance before satisfyingly returning to the verse progression and finishing the song.

And all that we hear in that final section now is some simple chord strumming and some light pads in the background.

You’ll find that some listeners actually prefer the acoustic version of a song like this, when the song is compelling enough on its own. And that’s something to strive for in your own work.

Exercises

There is probably a lot more we could say about this song, but this is already enough to develop ideas for your own songwriting. Let’s consider 3 different exercises inspired by “Like I Used To”.

Unless you’re intentionally trying to copy the song, these techniques will help you write many songs that sound nothing like it.

Exercise 1: Hook and Verse

Write a chord progression for your verse, but try writing a simple instrumental hook over that progression before writing the verse melody. This is probably not how “Like I Used To” was written, but it will give you a new context for thinking about the verse.

Try a similar down-shift from the initial hook section to the initial verse. You could do this through the arrangement (for example, by cutting out parts when the verse starts). But you can also do it on a single instrument by playing complete chords during the hook section and arpeggiated chords (e.g. finger-picking) during the verse. Or by just reducing the busyness or intensity of your playing.

Exercise 2: Reframing a Phrase

Write a short melodic phrase to repeat. Each time it repeats, play a different chord or chords, harmonically reframing the melody each time.

You can try any chords you want, but you will find choices that work more quickly if you constrain yourself to the main chords of the major key: I, ii, iii, IV, V, and vi. In the key of C major, these are C, Dm, Em, F, G, and Am:

I  ii  iii  IV  V  vi
C  Dm  Em   F   G  Am

Start by writing the melodic phrase over the I chord. Then try repeating it over different combinations of these chords until you find something that works.

3. Exercise 3: Five Major Key Chords

Pick a key and write one or more songs using just the five major key chord types found in “Like I Used To”: I, ii, IV, V, and vi.

For example, in the key of C major, these would be C, Dm, F, G, and Am:

I  ii  IV  V  vi
C  Dm  F   G  Am

If you want just a verse and chorus for your song, pick a different chord to begin each. For example, you could begin your verse on ii and your chorus on I.

If you also want a pre-chorus, start the verse and chorus on I and pick a different chord to start the pre-chorus.

You can print out my free Chord Progressions Cheat Sheet↗(opens in a new tab) if you want a handy table to look up these chords in any key.

Now try analyzing your favorite songs

Hopefully this analysis and these exercises will help you approach your songwriting in new ways. I also encourage you to analyze your favorite songs and develop your own exercises to integrate into your practice.

You don’t need to go as deep as we did here in order to come up with helpful ideas. Just listen carefully, pay attention to what works, and consider how you can use these ideas in your own songs.

If you feel stuck, try learning the song and playing it for yourself. This will often yield new insights (and help you develop new habits).

And if you’re looking for more song analysis examples, check out my analysis of Nilüfer Yanya’s “Midnight Sun” next.

Some caveats about song analysis

For the most part I’ve stayed away from interpreting the “meaning” of the song in this post. But even analyzing chord progressions, structure, and melodies has a subjective component. Different listeners could (and often do) come to different conclusions about the same song.

Fortunately for songwriters, conflicting interpretations can still be useful as models for your own writing. And when you analyze songs for yourself, you’ll be able to use the ideas you come up with even if they’re “wrong”.

It’s also worth mentioning that I haven’t tried to explain what van Etten and Olsen were actually thinking when writing this song. Instead, we looked at the song itself and evaluated how it produces the effects it does. You can do this with any song just by listening to it (over and over!).

The purpose of this kind of analysis is to help you broaden your practice and better understand your options as a songwriter.