# What's a "coda" to a song called?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-coda-to-a-song-called/323418>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [September 26, 2005, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-coda-to-a-song-called/323418 "2005-09-26T01:35:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\
**Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-coda-to-a-song-called/323418/1 "2005-09-26T01:35:16Z")

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What’s it called when a song goes on for most of its length in a single style or beat, then changes slightly either in pace, or entirely in style totally, for a stanza or even less?

Instances I can think of off the top of my head:  
**Time/Home** Pink Floyd, even those are technically two separate songs they always run together.  
\*_Hands Down_ Dashboard Confessional, altho it’s hard to tell the change in style.

There are countless other examples, a lot of which slow down and accentuate the beat to the point where it seems like they are doing sort of a “kick line” effect if you know what I mean.

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**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\
**Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-coda-to-a-song-called/323418/2 "2005-09-26T02:01:24Z")

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An outro?

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**Author:** ![Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Side_of_the_Floyd)\
**Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-coda-to-a-song-called/323418/3 "2005-09-26T02:06:28Z")

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Segue?

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**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\
**Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-coda-to-a-song-called/323418/4 "2005-09-26T02:09:08Z")

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That’s not a coda.  
Many songs repeat sections. There are repeat signs that can be used instead of writing out the entire thing. Now sometimes, after repeating a section, the music may jump in the middle of the repeated section and ‘go to the coda’. The coda may only be slightly different or completly different in style. Usually it is just a way to end the song. So it may be a little ‘grander’ or bigger or maybe the original part was a bit like the song that doesn’t end and this is now an ending.

That’s a coda.

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**Author:** ![Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Side_of_the_Floyd)\
**Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-coda-to-a-song-called/323418/5 "2005-09-26T02:13:11Z")

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Yep. Segue. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Segue](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Segue)