Lyrics

Songs I Like – Constant Craving

Posted on by IJ

Song: Constant Craving Songwriters: k.d. lang/Ben Mink

Was it really 1992 when Constant Craving by k.d. Lang was released? That’s more than 30 years ago! And that’s also a sign that you really love a song when it sticks with you (or, in this case, me) for so long.

For many years brain researchers have studied the phenomenon of music and its effects on the brain. For some people, it can induce more powerful memories than taste or smell, which is saying a lot!

In my opinion, the lyrics for Constant Craving must have been particularly personal:

Even through the darkest phase
Be it thick or thin
Always someone marches brave
Here beneath my skin

I see this as the singer recognizing her own strength in the toughest of times. k.d. lang likely had to struggle a lot with herself growing up, as so many of us do for different reasons.

She was born in Alberta, Canada and came bursting onto the music scene as a young country singer in the 80’s. Her first band was The Reclines and my initial memory is a vision of her in a cowgirl outfit, dancing wildly across the stage. The media referred to her as a Canadian Cowpunk. And…she had — has — a powerful voice.

But let’s get back to the song. It was co-written with Ben Mink, another Canadian songwriter and producer. What gets to me in this song is the music…the chord progression, especially in the verses, married to the vocal melody, is magic. There is so much musical yearning and desire between the notes. Definitely a constant craving.

It is in the key of Fm, but I play it on my guitar in Em with a capo on the 1st fret. The bass is what gives some of the chords an unusual feel…playing a C or a G bass note over a D chord, for instance.

The background harmonies in the production of the song are also powerful. I can recognize lang’s voice there in some of them, but I’m not sure if they are all her.

There must have been something magical about that song, because Mick Jagger and Keith Richards actually gave credit to k.d. lang and Ben Mink on the Rolling Stones song “Anybody Seen My Baby”. Why? Because the three words “seen my baby” in the Stones’ song are exactly the same notes as “constant craving”. When it was pointed out, the Stones decided to share the rights instead of making a fuss.

What a breath of fresh air compared to so many other musical/lyrical rip offs and lawsuits!

Constant Craving has always been. On my playlist, that is. Here is the song followed by the lyrics:

Constant Craving

Even through the darkest phase
Be it thick or thin
Always someone marches brave
Here beneath my skin

And constant craving
Has always been

Maybe a great magnet pulls
All souls towards truth
Or maybe it is life itself
Feeds wisdom
To its youth

Constant craving
Has always been

Craving
Ah-ha
Constant craving
Has always been
Has always been

Constant craving
Has always been
Constant craving
Has always been

Craving
Ah-ha
Constant craving
Has always been
Has always been
Has always been
Has always been
Has always been
Has always been

Songs I Like – Under The Sea

Posted on by IJ

Song: Under The Sea Songwriter: Samuel E. Wright (Originally published October 13, 2014)

Sometime in late December last year my family and I went to see the movie “Saving Mr. Banks” which was basically the true story of how the movie Mary Poppins came to be.  The most memorable scenes for me were when the two songwriters would come up with these brilliant songs for the movie and performed them for author P.L. Travers, the writer of Mary Poppins.  Travers was a reluctant (that’s an understatement) participant in the whole process, with Walt Disney actually having spent 20 years trying to convince her to let him do the movie around her book.  The songs were an integral part of their attempt to persuade her, and she was a tough customer!

Disney movies have always had wonderful songwriting, right out of the old world of the Brill Building in New York where songwriters would go to work every day doing nothing more than write and compose.  And even if most of the time these songs were directed more at children, there is nothing “dumbed down” about them.  A great example of this is the song “Under The Sea” from the animated Disney movie “The Little Mermaid”.  “De seaweed is always greener in somebody else’s lake.”

This song is a wonderful study in creative lyric writing.  For me, the bridge is especially brilliant;  imagine trying to rhyme all kinds of sea creatures with instruments and creating a whole band out of it!  “What do they got, a lot of sand? We got a great crustacean band!”  It’s not often you see the word crustacean in a kid’s song.  That’s what is also great about this song, as I mentioned before, it doesn’t talk down to kids.

Musically, the whole Caribbean feel is perfect.  The character Sebastian has a Jamaican accent, and the song’s main musical phrase is all steel drums.   It’s in the key of C with a pretty straight-forward chord progression, and in the last chorus, it modulates up for two lines, resolving back down to the original key in a splash (pun intended) of brilliance.

If you haven’t heard it, or can’t remember the last time you did, just listen again and enjoy (lyrics below). ~ IJ

The seaweed is always greener in somebody else’s lake 
You dream about going up there 
But that is a big mistake 
Just look at the world around you 
Right here on the ocean floor 
Such wonderful things surround you 
What more is you lookin’ for? 

1st CHORUS:
Under the sea, under the sea 
Darling it’s better down where it’s wetter take it from me 
Up on the shore they work all day 
Out in the sun they slave away 
While we devotin’ full time to floatin’ under the sea 

Down here all the fish is happy 
As off through the waves they roll 
The fish on the land ain’t happy 
They sad ’cause they in their bowl 
But fish in the bowl is lucky 
They in for a worser fate 
One day when the boss get hungry 
Guess who’s gon’ be on the plate 

2nd CHORUS:
Under the sea, under the sea 
Nobody beat us fry us and eat us in fricassee 
We what the land folks loves to cook 
Under the sea we off the hook 
We got no troubles, life is the bubbles, under the sea under the sea 
Since life is sweet here we got the beat here naturally 
Even the sturgeon an’ the ray 
They get the urge ‘n’ start to play 
We got the spirit, you got to hear it, under the sea 

BRIDGE:
The newt play the flute, the carp play the harp 
The plaice play the bass and they soundin’ sharp 
The bass play the brass, the chub play the tub 
The fluke is the duke of soul (Yeah) 
The ray he can play the lings on the strings 
The trout rockin’ out, the blackfish she sings 
The smelt and the sprat they know where it’s at 
An’ oh that blowfish blow 

LAST CHORUS:
Under the sea, under the sea 
When the sardine begin the beguine 
It’s music to me 
What do they got? A lot of sand 
We got a hot crustacean band 
Each little clam here know how to jam here under the sea 
Each little slug here cuttin’ a rug here under the sea 
Each little snail here know how to wail here 
That’s why it’s hotter under the water 
Ya we in luck here down in the muck here 
Under the sea!

Songs I Like – King Of Anything

Posted on by 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

Songs I Like – Set The Prairie On Fire

Posted on by 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 you 
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

Songs I Like – Blackbird

Posted on by 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 night 

[instrumental verse]

BRIDGE:
Blackbird fly, blackbird fly 
Into the light of the dark black night 

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 
You were only waiting for this moment to arise 
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