middle eight

British  

noun

1. the third contrasting eight-bar section of a 32-bar pop song

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Example Sentences

She was blissfully unaware drummer Kevin Godley felt the "middle eight" section was lacking a certain something in Eric Stewart's song about his wife not being happy with him for hardly ever saying he loved her.

From BBC

A masterclass in pop storytelling, Good Luck Babe has a proper three-act structure, with a killer pay-off in the middle eight and a chorus you just can't shake.

From BBC

The middle eight bars should do something that relieves the tension — gives the listener a break for a minute and then takes you right back in.

From Los Angeles Times

That late-first-half execution contributed to Cincinnati’s strong performance in the “middle eight,” the last four minutes of the first half and first four minutes of the second half.

From Los Angeles Times

“I’m the writer, so I need to know how every aspect of the song goes. I can hear the bass and the drums and the keyboards. That’s how I go into the studio. It has a verse, a chorus, a middle eight, a solo, an end. If it’s going to fade, if it’s going to end, whatever — I need to know exactly what that is.”

From New York Times