Song: Happy Artist Pharrell Williams (Originally published March 12, 2014)
This song just does the job. It makes me happy. I think it reminds me of the vocals in those 70’s R&B songs, the same way the vocals in Get Lucky do. I’m a sucker for the 70’s.
There is nothing pretentious about this song, the production is somewhat simple, there’s no instrumental or middle-eight, it’s just straight up, happy pop.
Instead of trying to pick it apart, if you haven’t heard it, here you go:
Get happy 🙂
IJ
Song: King Of Anything Artist: Sara Bareilles (Originally published Sept.3, 2013)
It was a Japanese guitar student who brought this song to my attention recently. Although “King of Anything” was released in 2010, this was the first time I’d heard it, and I loved it.
Sara Bareilles first came to my attention with her song “Bottle It Up”, released on the album “Little Voice” in 2007. Bottle It Up is a very clever pop song with some interesting chord progressions and rhyme schemes. In fact, I should do another article on that song!
But today we’re looking at King of Anything, a wonderful “who asked you for your advice anyway?” song that another student of mine, a therapist, said she should play for one of her patients. I suppose I can relate to it lyrically because many times I’ve experienced someone deciding to impart some unsolicited advice, especially guys on the golf course!
Musically, it’s just poppy-licious. The arpeggio piano (obviously her instrument) and vocal stabs just give you the desire to bop around the room. I recognized her style of singing and writing after knowing Bottle It Up fairly well (and teaching it to some of my guitar students!), so Sara has obviously created a sound for herself.
Lyrically, it’s simple, in-your-face, but with visual elements added. I like the whole idea of “show me, don’t tell me” in lyrics. Sometimes she reverts to the “tell me” part, but in this case it’s effective.
Keep drinking coffee, stare me down across the table
While I look outside
So many things I’d say if only I were able
But I just keep quiet and count the cars that pass by
You’ve got opinions man
We’re all entitled to ’em
But I never asked
So let me thank you for your time
And try not to waste any more of mine
Get out of here fast
PRE-CHORUS:
I hate to break it to you babe
But I’m not drowning
There’s no one here to save
CHORUS:
Who cares if you disagree
You are not me
Who made you king of anything
So you dare tell me who to be
Who died and made you king of anything
You sound so innocent
All full of good intent
Swear you know best
But you expect me to
Jump up on board with you
And ride off into your delusional sunset
I’m not the one who’s lost
With no direction, oh
But you’ll never see
You’re so busy making maps
With my name on them in all caps
You got the talking down
Just not the listening
[repeat CHORUS]
BRIDGE:
All my life I’ve tried
To make everybody happy while I
Just hurt and hide
Waiting for someone to tell me it’s my turn to decide
[repeat CHORUS twice]
Lemme hold your crown, babe
Oh, oh
I love the “who cares” and “you dare” lines in the chorus; Sara uses high notes to emphasize them just as you would if you were saying them in conversation. Who cares?
The great songwriting and distinctive performance of King Of Anything makes this a hit to my ears. You can view the video below.
IJ
Song: Get Lucky Artist: Daft Punk (Originally published August 12, 2013)
The first couple of times I heard this song, it was just the chorus and it didn’t strike me in any particular way. But at some point later, I heard the pre-chorus, which is what piqued my interest. It sounded familiar in some way, but I couldn’t really figure out why.
Then, hearing it in the car on another occasion with my daughter present I realized what it was; she said “it’s got that disco sound, doesn’t it?” Ah yes, the “familiar” I was experiencing was in the vocal harmonies in the pre-chorus and the guitar playing throughout. It wasn’t until I researched the song that I found out the guitar player that I heard was Nile Rodgers, a member of the 70’s disco band “Chic”. Ah hah!
“Get Lucky” is, admittedly, not all that lyrically inspired as is often true with pop songs. And, as is also often the case with pop, there is a repeated pattern of chords throughout. In this case it’s Bm7, D, F#m7 and E. When Nile was recording his tracks, he basically just asked for the drums to be up front and the rest of the mix to be lowered, and he came up with his strumming pattern from there.
From a songwriting standpoint, the challenge of writing a song that has the same chord pattern repeated through a whole song is to find some way to create contrast. Of course, that is often created in the production, which is used here, but the real contrast is created in the melody and meter, taking a different turn when it gets to the pre-chorus and then, even more when it gets to the chorus.
Have a listen to the song in the YouTube video below. Here are the lyrics:
Like the legend of the phoenix
All ends with beginnings
What keeps the planet spinning
The force of love beginning
PRE-CHORUS:
We’ve come too far to give up who we are
So let’s raise the bar and our cups to the stars
CHORUS:
She’s up all night ’til the sun
I’m up all night to get some
She’s up all night for good fun
I’m up all night to get lucky
We’re up all night ’til the sun
We’re up all night to get some
We’re up all night for good fun
We’re up all night to get lucky
We’re up all night to get lucky
We’re up all night to get lucky
We’re up all night to get lucky
We’re up all night to get lucky
The present has no ribbon
Your gift keeps on giving,
What is this I’m feeling?
If you wanna leave I’m ready
[repeat PRE-CHORUS and CHORUS]
…and you pretty much get the idea 🙂
So just as a comparison, here is that great 70’s hit, “Freak Out” by Chic, and featuring Nile Rodgers on guitar:
…see what I mean about that distinctive guitar sound? Below is the video for Get Lucky if you want to compare.
IJ
Song: Set The Prairie On Fire Artist: Shawn Colvin (Originally published Nov.4, 2012)
I discovered Shawn Colvin in the early 90’s when I myself was out performing quite a bit. I remember listening to her CD “Fat City” at first because a friend of mine thought we had similar voices, and I played it in my car as I was travelling around. The fact that my friend thought our voices were alike was a compliment, of course, because Shawn is a far better vocalist than I’ll ever be. But beyond that, I fell in love with her songs long before “Sunny Came Home” was a hit.
I was in my 40’s then, and you know what they say about ladies in the 40’s. Okay, if you don’t, then look it up 🙂 And when I first really listened to “Set The Prairie On Fire”, it pretty much blew me away. It was not the first or second listen, I’m sure, but as I heard it again and again, the lyrics found their way into my psyche and it became like a slow, seductive reveal.
Shawn is a great guitar player and I love her percussive flatpicking, and this song and its accompanying recording really demonstrates her playing ability. The chords jump from what I think is an Am to G, back and forth in the verses, but the way she plays them keeps the repeated chord progression hard driving and never boring! It’s a slow song, with a wailing organ snaking its way all throughout, giving it a lonely, longing feeling which compliments the lyrics perfectly. It feels like a prairie, it feels wide open and wanting.
Full full moon and that same sad nature
I wanna cover every inch of you
Like ink on paper
Like the blind parade of souls
Consumed by religion
I can’t wait ’til I get youÂ
In that defenseless position
CHORUS:
When we set the prairie on fire
Oh we go down to the water
Naked and slow
You and me
And the heart of desire
We set the prairie on fire
How hard will the wind blow
How far will it go
When the feeling burns down
To one solitary colour
The velocity of longing
Melting into each other
It’s a song our fingers play
All at once and together
You can bet we never learned it
But we’ve known it forever
Oh I dreamed that we were flying
Carried up from the ashes
Black silhouettes of velvet
Against the crimson of passion
We can almost hear the echoes
From the smouldering meadow
It’s the rapture of the angels
And the rage of the devil
[REPEAT CHORUS]
BRIDGE:
In the cool dusk of horses
Through the rusted wires of sleep
With our arms around midnight
We’re headed for release
We go riding in the wind
We go riding in the dark
Go riding, riding
[REPEAT CHORUS]
Read along with the lyrics as you listen to one of my favourite songs by Shawn Colvin available in the video below.
Sigh…
~ IJ
Song: Blackbird Artist: The Beatles (Paul McCartney) (Originally published Nov.28, 2012)
On Sunday, Nov.25th, I finally saw a Beatle. Now, for me, this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience because I have been listening to the music of the Beatles since I was six years old, when the Beatles first arrived in North America, physically and musically. Paul McCartney returned to Vancouver BC for the first time in 48 years, and I and my family knew that this might be our last chance to see him here, since he’d only been here once before in 1964! Who knows if he’ll ever make it this way again?
His concert was fantastic; for a 70-year-old to be able to play 3 straight hours with only taking a moment to have a sip of water here and there was amazing enough, but he had twice the talent and charm of many of his younger counterparts and his performance was impeccable. And all done with no autotune, all live and completely real! Try to do that for three hours you young bucks!
I’ll never forget that evening. Thanks Paul.
So I’ve decided to talk about one of his songs, one that I’ve been playing for years (incorrectly, by the way!) and one that he says he gets nervous playing because so many others play it and would know if he made a mistake! That song is Blackbird.
One of the things I didn’t know about the song was the story behind it, which he told on Sunday night. It was written during the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S., and McCartney’s intention in writing it was to encourage the black population in their quest for freedom, equality and tolerance. It gave the lyrics a whole new meaning for me and I will be sure to tell that story every time I teach it in future. I always get requests from my students to learn Blackbird, which proves its continual appeal and popularity. In fact, the other day I sat with a student as she showed me how she had taught herself most of it, not having any idea where it came from or who wrote it, but simply having heard a friend of hers playing it. I was happy to tell her all about it, and how I’d just heard the writer perform the song himself 🙂
It is a simple song, comprised of three verses and a bridge which is repeated and often considered as a chorus. I really don’t think it’s a chorus…somehow, musically it just feels more like it plays the part of a bridge in the song. If I had a chance to ask Paul how he thinks of it, I would!
Now, onto the lyrics:
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free
BRIDGE:
Blackbird fly, blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black nightÂ
[instrumental verse]
BRIDGE:
Blackbird fly, blackbird flyÂ
Into the light of the dark black nightÂ
Blackbird singing in the dead of nightÂ
Take these broken wings and learn to flyÂ
All your lifeÂ
You were only waiting for this moment to ariseÂ
You were only waiting for this moment to ariseÂ
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
Do you see what I mean? Very, very simple lyrically, but when you couple it with its meaning and its purpose, it is very powerful.
The guitar in it is equally as sweet, sounding simple, but it’s not a beginner’s song by any means because it means travelling up the neck to the 10th and 12th frets and back down again. In fact, it uses almost the entire fret range of an acoustic guitar. The beauty of it, though, is that you could play it by itself and it would still be a great instrumental, and as soon as you start playing it, people know what it is. I’ve always finger picked it, but Paul actually does a bass note pick with a little strum instead. The arrangement consists only of the guitar, his vocal (occasionally doubled) and one simple beat in the background. The true sign of a great song is when it needs nothing more than that!
Paul has written many, many wonderful songs over the years and performed a lot of them on Sunday night. It was a beautiful experience for me to hear them live for the first time and to see this master songwriter in the flesh, just as charming and wonderful as ever.
Have a listen to the song below. It doesn’t get any better than that!
~ IJ