Things We Do For Love: TTB Choral Octavo

Greg Gilpin's arrangement captures the emotional sincerity at the heart of this 10cc classic while making it genuinely singable for developing ensembles. The accessible TTB/TTBB voicing options mean you can pull this into a concert without needing perfect voice distribution, and the melody sits naturally enough that your singers will connect with the song's earnest message rather than wrestle with the arrangement.

Warm, reflective, and genuine. The arrangement preserves the tenderness of the original while giving choral voices room to bloom. There's an intimacy here that feels more like a group of people sharing something personal than a polished pop performance.

Any choir confident with pop repertoire and looking for a song with real emotional weight. High school and community groups will find this especially rewarding because it gives singers a chance to interpret meaningful lyrics rather than just execute technical displays.

• Let the lyrical content guide your phrasing. This song means something, and singers who understand they're expressing genuine emotion will bring that authenticity to every phrase.
• Balance the parts so the melody stays prominent without drowning out the harmonic support. Gouldman's chord structures are too good to bury.
• Take time with the softer moments. Restraint here makes the fuller sections land with impact.

This works beautifully as a spring concert closer or as part of a program exploring sophisticated pop songwriting. Pair it with other thoughtful contemporary pieces to show your audience that modern music has substance, or use it as a palate cleanser between larger choral works to remind listeners why melody matters.

• Sustaining pure vowels across sustained notes
• Singing pop idioms with appropriate articulation and phrasing
• Balancing blend in close harmonies
• Interpreting emotional subtext through text and music