Ah, the power of the pause. The earth-shaking energy compacted into the seemingly simple lull of a tune. But is there more to a pause then this? Of course there is. As demonstrated in chapter 12, "Great Rock and Roll Pauses" in A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan, pauses contain a tremendous, and practically unparalleled power. The character of Sasha Blake sums it up perfectly: "The pause makes you think the song will end. And then the song isn't really over, so you're relieved. But then the song does actually end, because every song ends...". What she's telling us is that the pause is preparing us for the inevitable. The pauses allows us to brace ourselves for the end, while providing temporary relief because it hasn't happened yet. The pause is where we wait with baited breath to see if things continue, where our nails dig into our palms hoping that more will follow. Yes, this may all seem a bit melodramatic, so in simpler terms, the pause is where everything happens. It's where all the suspense is; it's the most important moment. After doing some of my own investigating of song pauses in modern music, I've compiled a list of them and the significances of their pauses:

1. "Shake it Off" by Taylor Swift- (Pause: 2:43-2:45) This is a power song about not letting what others say or do to you bring you down, and so when she's saying "shake, shake shake" followed by a pause, the pause is signifying the breather you need to give yourself before pulling yourself back up with full force and just continuing to live your own life
2. "Skinny Love" by Birdy- (Pause: 2:39-2:41) This song is about being in love and longing for it, and then being devastated from heartbreak. There are many pauses in this song, but the one indicated is one of the most powerful. Each pause represents those moments where you feel like you just can't carry on any longer and need to stop. The pauses represent grief. 
3. "Story of My Life" by One Direction- (Pause: 2:24-2:27) This song is about the importance of memories, so the pause in this song is meant as a brief moment to simply stop and cherish the memories you have.