*Almost all of these can be adapted for female, male or mixed choirs*
Anytime (Brian McKnight) - TTBB with optional splits and brief tenor solo. Melancholy R&B ballad with rich harmony. Recording
Blackbird (John Lennon & Paul McCartney) - TTBB with optional splits and brief tenor solo. A tender classic featuring vocal "finger-picking" and a reharmonized stretto outro. Recording
Can You Get To That? (George Clinton & Ernie Harris) - SSATB slow, groove-based arrangement of a Parliament/Funkadelic classic. Lots of crunchy chords. Each section gets a moment to shine. Midi | Original tune
Come As You Are (Kurt Cobain) - slightly different SSATB, SATTB and TTTBB versions available. Brief, lush and meditative reharmonization of the Nirvana classic. Originally written for a mixed group with very low female singers. High baritone/tenor often featured on melody. Mostly tutti with a strong pulse a la "Words" by The Real Group. Midi | Original tune
Corcovado ("Quiet Nights..."; Getz/Gilberto) - SSATB with multiple female solos. Bass handles the Latin montuno feel; optional vocal percussion. Midi | Original tune
Enjoy the Silence (Martin Gore/Depeche Mode) - TTTBB. Lush, dark meditation on love and silence from XY Unlimited's second record. Alternating solos for each voice part in the second verse. Recording
Fields of Gold (Sting) - TTBB with splits. Tense and hypnotic, as in a memory. Meditative unison pads requiring extended use of staggered breathing give way to lush, melancholy harmonies. Midi | Rough collegiate recording
Higher Ground (Stevie Wonder) - TTTBBB with solo. Standard 'collegiate' a cappella groove arrangement. Strong feature for a strong rock, pop or R&B soloist. Recording
Mad World (Roland Orzabal/Tears for Fears) - SSATB or TTTBB. Haunting tutti ballad featuring unisons, tight harmonies, and cascades. Midi | Original tune
My Favorite Things (Rodgers & Hammerstein) - SATB. Spirited, uptempo jazz interpretation. Metric modulation between 5/4 and 3/4, and lots of vocal jazz harmony. Midi
The Rainbow Connection (Kermit the Frog/Sarah McLachlan) - SSAAA. Rich, sophisticated arrangement with lots of splits. Lowest part briefly reaches an octave below middle C, so true Alto 2s are needed (or a mixed ensemble). Midi | Live performance
The Sound of Silence (Simon and Garfunkel) - TTTBB or SSATB. A meditative folk ballad with pulsing rhythmic counterpart. Each verse features a different section and differing styles of harmonization, from '60s trio to Take 6-esque reharmonized vocal jazz. Midi | Original tune
Sweet Surrender (Sarah McLachlan) - TTTBB or SSATB. Lush, crunchy, vulnerable, and heart-wrenching love ballad. Midi | Original tune
Thriller (Michael Jackson) - a cappella group with soloists. Contemporary pop treatment of the ghoulish classic, including a tutti intro harmonization based on Vincent Price's poem from the original. Studio recording
What A Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong) - short SSATB rubato ballad with lots of close voicings and reharms. Several short solos for all voice types. Live Swedish high school choir performance | Demo recording | Live university choir performance
You Are My Sunshine - SSATB or TTTBB. Slow, vulnerable, and simple arrangement for bkgs. and baritone soloist, with a tutti climax. Staggered breathing (or long breaths) required. Extra verses optional. Midi
Zombie (The Cranberries) - SATB or TTBB. '90s Irish pop/folk protest song arranged in a tense, lush choral style. Words speak of sorrow, violence, and intergenerational conflict. Available in four- and six-part versions. Midi (TTBB) | Partial iPhone demo (SATB) | Original tune