INTRO
(Soft synth pad fades in — warm analog keys)
(Finger snaps + light swing hi-hats)
(Background vocals oooh softly, staggered)
BGVs (All – breathy):
(“Ooooh… once upon a time…”)
⸻
VERSE 1 (Lead Solo – tender, intimate)
(Lead voice front and center — minimal instrumentation)
Once upon a time
I was madly in love
It was a love so sweet
It meant everything to me
Once upon a time
I was your love
Your love was so sweet
Your love was everything to me
(Brief pause — music breathes)
How do I survive
Feeling so empty
⸻
PRE-CHORUS (Harmony Build – 2 parts → 4 parts)
(Bass enters, Rhodes chords thicken)
Tenor (Lead):
(It was…)
Tenor + Alto (Call):
(The way she walk…)
Baritone (Answer):
(The way she talk…)
Bass (Low support):
(The way she smile…)
All (Smooth blend):
Always worth while
⸻
CHORUS (FULL 4-PART HARMONY – emotional lift)
(Drums fully in — classic New Jack swing groove)
Lead (Tenor):
I’d walk the ocean floor
BGVs (Sustained chords):
(Ooooh…)
Lead:
I’d swim the mighty seas
BGVs (Rhythmic hits):
(Yeah… yeah…)
Lead:
I’d do anything
All (Power harmony):
To have her back next to me
(Hold “me” — harmonies cascade downward)
⸻
VERSE 2 (Lead + Light Harmony Ad-libs)
(Groove continues, slightly fuller than Verse 1)
Once upon a time
I was madly in love
It was a love so sweet
A love that meant everything to me
Once upon a time
I was your love
Your love was so sweet
You meant everything to me
⸻
BRIDGE (Breakdown – Emotional Turn)
(Drums drop out — only bass, pad, and snaps)
(Lead more vulnerable)
Lead:
Now every night feels longer
Without you here beside me
BGVs (Soft echoes):
(Beside me…)
Lead:
Tell me how love fades away
When it once meant life to me
All (Swelling harmony):
(Life to me…)
⸻
FINAL CHORUS (DOUBLE CHORUS – BIG)
(Drums return with extra swing — crash on downbeat)
Lead:
I’d walk the ocean floor
BGVs:
(Walk it… walk it…)
Lead:
I’d swim the mighty seas
BGVs:
(Swim it… swim it…)
Lead:
I’d do anything
All (Strong harmony, stacked):
To have her back next to me
⸻
OUTRO (Fade – Classic 90s Ending)
(Instruments slowly strip away)
BGVs (Repeated, fading):
(Once upon a time…)
(Once upon a time…)
Lead (Ad-lib, soft):
Girl, once upon a time…
(Fade out)
1TooManyMusic
