She's Out of My Life sung by Michael Jackson

Written by Tom Bahler, this song brought out one of the most emotional performances from the greatest entertainer who ever lived. A few days ago was the one year anniversary of Michael Jackson's passing. He is sorely missed.

Lyrics/Structure

She's out of my life

She's out of my life

and I don't know whether to laugh or cry

How he feels about her being out of his life.

I don't whether to live or die

How he feels about her being out of his life

and it cuts like a knife

How he feels about her being out of his life. The point is that the whole verse is about one thing: how he feels about her being out of his life. He doesn't start telling us the story of what happened just yet.

She's out of my life

It's out of my hands

It's out of my hands

There's nothing that he can do about the fact that she's out of his life.

To think for two years she was here

And I took her for granted I was so cavalier

Now we get some facts about the story that has brought him to this moment, but note that that is what this whole verse is about. She's out of his hands because for two years he took her for granted. Can you put the whole idea of one of your verses into a single sentence?

Now the way that it stands

She's out of my hands

So I've learned

That love's in our possession

And I've learned that love won't wait

Now I've learned that love needs expression

But I learned too late

What he has learned from his experience. The tragedy here is, of course, that he has learned these things too late. Note that he doesn't try to save the relationship in this song. That would expand the song into an epic drama or else compromise the integrity of this song. The single, main idea is that he has lost her and there is nothing to be done about it. This is one moment in time. Maybe there is a whole other song that can be written to follow this one about getting the girl back or starting a new love with somebody.

She's out of my life

She's out of my life

Damn indecision

and cursed pride

I kept my love locked deep inside

We are still in the one moment of this song's regret. This verse expounds on the blame that the singer puts on himself.

and it cuts like a knife

She's out of my life

What's the magic here? Is it the music and how the bridge and each verse so inevitably cadence to the beginning of the next verse? Maybe. Is it the memorable yet sophisticated melody? Maybe. Is it the lyrical idea that tightly knits the whole song together? I think so.

Beginning with a bird's eye view of the song, here's the flow of lyrical ideas:

Verse 1 - How the singer feels

Verse 2 - How it happened

Bridge - The lessoned that was learned too late

Verse 3 - A vulnerable confession of his own faults that led to his loss.

These may seem like very different topics, but note that they are all very much focused on one idea: the idea that "she's out of my life." This should help us think about how much there is to say about one situation.

Each verse ends with the same lyrics it opens with. Think about those essays you were taught to write in school. They were supposed to have an opening statement that is supported with details and then summed up in a concluding sentence, and each paragraph should serve to support the thesis of the whole essay. The same idea can be applied to songwriting with the verses as the paragraphs and the chorus or hook line as the thesis. This song is a perfect example of that kind of tight construction. Apply this way of thought to the rest of the verses and see what insights you can come up with.

Melody

The melody of this song is untypical of most modern pop songs. The melody of each verse in this song is a long line that only gets repeated when the next verse comes around. There is no catchy riff that gets repeated many times within the verse, which is what most modern pop song verses are built on. The sophisticated melody line that carries us on a journey through each new verse is like the great melodies of old that Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and others made famous written by the likes of Harold Arlen, Cole Porter, and Kurt Weil.

Notice that the first line of each verse is sung twice. The same words sung the second time can be heightened emotionally by singing them with a new melody line. In this case, the melody goes higher for the second line, and as a rule of thumb, emotion is heightened when the notes go upwards. Try it!

The rest of the lines of each verse come in pairs as well.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry

I don't know whether to live or die

When you listen to these lines, try to feel how the second line answers the first line in a musical and lyrical sense. It's like they really go together. And also for the last two lines of each verse, listen to how they not only answer each other but complete the whole verse.

and it cuts like a knife

She's out of my life.

Insights from "Jump" by Van Halen

Structure
This song has a very strong structure. In a basic way of describing it, it goes verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus. However, on a smaller level, the verses have a section that precedes the chorus. That section is labeled as Pre-chorus above because it seems to lead to and set up the chorus, and at the same time there is enough melodic and harmonic difference from the lines that precede it to think of it as separate from the verse. Also notice that the lyrics in both pre-choruses are the same when the lyrics in each verse are different. The new lyrics at the beginning of the verses makes the song feel like it is progressing or like the story is continuing.
Also, note again that the verse after the first chorus is half as long as the verse before the chorus. See past entries to see other examples of this.

Lyrics
The lyrics speak very generally. In fact, we don't really know what's going on. "I get up and nothing gets me down. You've got it tough, I've seen the toughest around. And, I know just how you feel. You've got to roll with the punches to get to what's real." (A little bit of advice at the end of the verse).
I can hardly think of what to make of the lyrics of the second verse. A possible reason these or any of the lyrics work at all is just because they come so naturally from David Lee Roth's personality. They are wild, fun, rebellious, and mildly flirtatious. The last line ("...you won't know until you begin") hints at the need for action, which is called for in the chorus ("Might as well jump")

Music
The intro music is the same basic pattern as the chorus and the verse. This allows for a super-smooth transition from pre-chorus to chorus and back to verse. It feels like the most natural thing in the world.
As the song approaches what should be the third verse, we wonder "what will happen now?" Will it be the expected third verse or will it be something different? And, of course, it is something different. The craziest, highly energized guitar solo takes off soaring over bass notes and rhythms that we haven't yet heard in the song. It's a bridge or C section. Finally it returns to the opening riff. We know we're near the end, and we're now ready to indulge in that chorus for a little while. And, without ceasing to be inventive, a new subtle element is added with that chugging eighth note line in the guitar. The chorus could've been repeated multiple times until the fade out, but that little extra something keeps us interested to the last second.

Verse 1

I get up

and nothing gets me down

I'm doing great. I'm stoked on life, and there's nothing getting in my way.

You got it tough

I've seen the toughest around

Things can be difficult, but I've seen it all. So, no worries.

We really don't know what specific situation is happening in these lyrics or any of the lyrics to follow, but somehow it's specific enough and cool sounding enough that we feel like we get it.

And I know

Baby, just how you feel

You got to roll with the punches

and get to what's real

In the hard times you have to just learn to deal with it, and eventually you will cut through the bullcrap of other people's egos and selfishness. Then you will know what's truly important in life.

Pre-chorus 1

Ah can't you see me standing here

I got my back against the record machine

I don't fit in.

I ain't the worst that you've seen

But I'm not as bad as some people are.

Ah can't you see what I mean?

Chorus

Might as well jump. Jump!

Might as well jump.

Just go for it. Grab life by the horns. Carpe Diem. Seize the Day.

Verse 2

Ah oh! Hey you! Who said that?

Baby how you been?

I'm stepping out. I'm being vocal. I'm going for it.

You say you don't know

You won't know until you begin

Nobody knows what to feel until they really start going for something. Until you start moving in a direction, you are directionless.

Pre-chorus 2

Ah can't you see me standing here

I got my back against the record machine

I ain't the worst that you've seen

Ah can't you see what I mean?

Chorus

Oww might as well jump. Jump!

Go ahead and jump. Jump!

Songwriting 101

Found this really helpful post on www.idomusic.com

Songwriting 101

How To Play "Can't Get You Off My Mind"

Here are a couple helpful links for learning to play this song:

http://www.guitaretab.com/k/kravitz-lenny/9989.html

This one is mostly just chord symbols.

http://www.xguitar.com/guitar-tabs/lenny_kravitz/circus/cant_get_you_off_my_mind.txt

This one has more extensive tablature.

"Can't Get You Off My Mind" by Lenny Kravitz

Lyrics

(4 bar intro)

Life is just a lonely highway

I'm out on here on the open road

Very general setting here. It establishes that he's alone. Kinda cliche. Two lines that work off the same metaphor.

I'm old enough to see behind me

but young enough to feel my soul

Continues to establish his situation. He is somewhat young, but young enough to still have passion. Anyone fits that though, but it's a cool line. Also, these first four lines barely rhyme.

I don't want to lose you baby

and I don't want to be alone

Now, we know it's definitely a love song. These first two lines say basically the same thing, just a little differently.

I don't want to live my days without you

but for now I've got to be without you

The third and fourth line here say the same thing as the first and second, but the plot thickens because now we learn that he can't be with her at this time. Also, the rhyme scheme differs here from the first stanza.

I got a pocket full of money

and a pocket full of keys that have no bounds

He has a lot of opportunity in worldly things like money and opportunities. Kinda cliche.

but then I think of lovin

But, love trumps those things.

and I just can't get you off of my mind

He wants her. Very simple. After all that: his situation, alone, his age, he's not with her but there may be some history or maybe he could have had her but has to be on his own for some reason, but in the end, "I just can't get you off of my mind." That last line becomes powerful after everything that precedes it.

(4bars)

Babe can't you see

that this is killing me?

I don't want to push you baby

I don't want you to be told

Gets apologetic right before the most desperate statements of desire in the song.

It's just that I can't breath without you

Feel like I'm gonna lose control

Ok, this verse is all about how much he wants her. It drops any reference to how they can't be together, and that issue gets picked up again in the bridge.

I've got a pocket full of money, oh yes I do

and a pocket full of keys that have no bounds

but when it comes to lovin

I just can't get you off of my mind ya

Am I a fool to think that there's a little hope? ya

So there is definitely some unknown reason for why they are not together.

tell me baby ya

what are the rules, the reasons, and the dos and don'ts? ya

Love, the feeling, is the most important thing, but it gets hampered by fronts and expectations.

tell me baby, tell me baby, ya

what do you feel inside?

The bridge contains the real conundrums. The point of the matter. Is there hope? What am I supposed to do? And, what do you really feel? These questions get us to feel vulnerable. And the emotion carries on into the...

(guitar solo)

I've got a pocket full of money

and a pocket full of keys that have no bounds

but when it comes to money

I just can't get you off of my mind ya

I just can't get you off of my mind ya

Summary of Lyric Structure

Verse 1: I'm going through life alone.

Verse 2: I don't want to be alone, but for now, I have to be

Chorus: I've got some things going for me, but then I think of love and I think of you.

Verse 3: I don't mean to sound overly desperate, but I can't live without you.

Chorus: I've got some things going for me, but then I think of love and I think of you.

Bridge: The desire comes to a point of crisis and questions. But at the heart of the matter is what

do you (the girl) feel?

Chorus: I've got some things going for me, but then I think of love and I think of you.

Melody

First of all it's important to notice that the electric guitar plays a four-bar musical phrase for the intro. So, even though the acoustic guitar only strums two chords during that time, the melody played by the guitar provides a sense of musical direction.

The structure of the verse follows a very balanced, classical format. Each line of lyrics is a one-bar melodic bit, so each verse is made up of four one-bar melodic pieces. Every line follows a pattern of musical question then answer with the first line "answered" by the second line and the third line "answered" by the fourth. But, the "question-answer" scenario doesn't stop there. The first half of the verse (or two lines) is a "question" that gets "answered" by the second half of the verse (or the last two lines). One thing that ties all of those phrases together is their is their rhythm. All four lines of the verse contain the same syllabic rhythm. Try singing the third line with the melody of the first for instance, and you will find that the syllables fit. This helps to make all the lines of the verse sound like they belong in the same verse together.

Then the chorus comes with different pitches and rhythms from the verse. Notice that the pitches are generally higher and therefore more exciting than the verse's pitches. The first three lines all start the same way, and that makes the fourth line, the hook, sound very distinctive. The hook begins lower and the rhythm is different from the three preceding lines.

Then in place of a third verse we get this really cool "Babe can't you see that this is killing me?" line, which takes its time, leaves a lot of space, features the electric guitar part, and is sung in falsetto. Probably no step-by-step songwriting book will tell you to take a liberty like that, but do you like it in this song? I do. Then the actual third verse comes to us in a familiar fashion. However, there's no verse four because of the "Babe can't you see..." bit, and the return of the verses feels half as long as the first part of the song. Like we saw in "Yesterday," this makes for a pleasantly surprising return of the chorus.

Finally the bridge takes us into a whole other world harmonically and melodically. These are the highest pitches in the song. The harmony may be the biggest difference here from the rest of the song, and the music is allowed to be featured by the long breaks between the lyrics. The background vocals get some time to be heard between the singer's desperate questions, instead of filling the bridge with lots of words from end to end. There are only three choice questions over ten bars of music.

The rest of the song doesn't give us much else to talk about here, but it is important to note that the vocal performance continues to be creative all the way to the end. There are little melodic liberties that are taken just to be at least a little fresher with the chorus that we are now hearing for the third time.

Harmony

Just a quick note about the harmony in this song. The verses use very few chords, only two in fact. The changes in the chorus happen a tad bit more rapidly but remain still quite simple. The most interesting part of the instrumentation are the electric guitar lines that are played over these chords and still manage to stay out of the way of the vocals. While the chords in the bridge are more "out" they still don't change very often. Harmonically this song is very different from the many-chorded "Yesterday" by The Beatles.