Chord Progressions in Pop music

Check out this blog article.  It's a great read for all of us songwriters!

I Analyzed The Chords of 1300 Pop Songs and This is What I Found

Wouldn't It Be Nice by the Beach Boys revisited GUEST BLOGGER

Guest blogger, Craig R. Clemens, offers valuable insights into the musical aspects of "Wouldn't It Be Nice" not covered in the first post about the song.

 "...if it weren't for the glorious music on WIBN (Wouldn't It Be Nice), it's not a song.

I think there is a place for lyric analysis, but I also don't think the lyrics should stand alone without mentioning how the rhythmic flow of the words depends on the music to deliver the message.

In the case of WIBN, I've said many times on this board (Smiley Smile) and anywhere else that it is my all-time favorite song, #1 on the list without doubt. I can appreciate the lyrics, but from the first notes of that amazing guitar duet in the intro, it becomes special, it becomes a listening experience, I'd even say the original studio version captured all the magic of that song in one recording which no live or cover version can ever match.

In the case of the music on that song, Brian as a musician in his early 20's used nearly every technique he had perfected over the previous run of Beach Boys hit singles and song to create a classic. Everything from the seemingly disconnected intro theme which surprisingly reoccurs in the bridge, to the stop-on-a-dime pauses and breaks, to the soaring falsetto, to the surprising chord changes that take the song out of the verse and into the next section, and perhaps most surprising to the listener both a ritardando and a revisiting of the main groove as the outro but with brand new melodic material on top of that groove. And the structure itself - is there a chorus in the traditional way? yet the main hook of the song, the title "wouldn't it be nice?" is featured prominently enough for everyone listening to recognize that question as the main theme.

Brian threw everything that "worked" for him on previous songs into this one. His arrangement and production did the same thing - he took what he had done one step further, if not ten. And the melody working with the chords creates both a sophistication through the jazzy minor 7ths and ii-V-I standard jazz resolutions as well as a childlike longing and almost an aching quality by using his higher-range voice in a very masculine and powerful way. It's hard to describe, the way Brian belts out the song with pure grit and power, yet uses a high range, makes it sound like a kid approaching adulthood looking ahead and an adult man looking back at when he was that age at the same time...I can't explain it other than it's one of the most perfect lead vocals which fits exactly into the theme of the song and the story, and it could be any one of us at any age relating to what he's singing about.

Almost any cover, including the hundreds of live versions by the Beach Boys themselves, seems to miss the fact that Brian is going all out on that lead vocal, just sheer power and emotion to the point where even in his higher "sweet" voice you hear the gritty quality that comes from giving an all-out, no-holds-barred performance at the mic. Again, that quality of the voice has never been equaled from the original studio version by anyone, and those covering it seem to key in on the sweeter side of the vocal rather than the grit. 

That's just a few thoughts, I could ramble on for pages but I'll spare everyone. I'll say again that recording is my favorite, and one which I have always felt a deep connection with on a personal level that few recordings or songs can reach. So I tend to ramble about it…"

originally posted on Smiley Smile by Craig R. Clemens.  Reposted here with author's permission.  Thanks, Craig!
Visit Craig's blog here http://www.classicstudiosessions.blogspot.com/

And the Academy Award for best original song goes to...

Call Me Irresponsible

Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 36th Academy Awards held in 1964.

Music by Jimmy Van Heusen and Lyrics by Sammy Cahn for the movie "Papa's Delicate Condition"

Insights based on Bobby Darin's recording

4 bar musical intro

8 Bars

Call me irresponsible

call me unreliable

throw in undependable too

8 bars

Do my foolish alibis bore you?

Well, I'm not too clever

I just adore you

8 bars

Call me unpredictable

tell me I'm impractical

rainbows I'm inclined to pursue

8 bars

Call me irresponsible

Yes, I'm unreliable

but it's undeniably true

2 bars

that I'm irresponsibly mad for you

2 bar musical turnaround  (combines with last hook phrase to make a 4 bar transition)

8 bars

Call me unpredictable

tell me I'm impractical

rainbows I'm inclined to pursue

8 bars

Call me irresponsible

I admit I'm unreliable

but it's undeniably true

2 bars

that I'm irresponsibly mad for you

4 bar outro

Lyrics

Another list song!  The main idea is that despite all of his faults the singer is "irresponsibly mad" for the girl.  He may be a list of negative adjectives that end with "ble" or "al", but at least "it's undeniably true that I'm irresponsibly mad for you."  It's hard to come up with an idea this clever for a song, but let's look at what we can learn from how Sammy Cahn, the lyricist, used this clever idea.

You can think of this song as a couple of big, long wind-ups that end with a big punch line ("I'm irresponsibly made for you").  Read the first 4 verses above.  When does he stop listing the self-deprications?  Not until the very last line of the 4th verse, which is the line right before the punch line.  The singer says, call me "this" and call me "that," for 4 verses until we here the big "but" in the last line of verse 4.  And it is a big "but" because we waited so long to hear it and because the singer is about to say something very important to the girl, "but it's undeniably true that I'm irresponsibly mad for you."

Wuhoo! and, with that, we are launched into a swingin' instrumental section.  We've heard the whole idea of the song, so it's time to bask in it with that amazing saxoli, screamin guitar solo, or tantalizing piano riff.  You are allowed to come up with a clever bridge or C section after the instrumental to put a new twist or depth on the message of the song, but in this song, there isn't one.

We return to the verses, and as is almost always the case, we return to the middle of the verse (often it will be the pre-chorus in more modern pop songs).  There's something about jumping into the middle of what was heard earlier that gets listeners excited about hearing what they've already heard without feeling like the song just started all over again.  And leave it to a great singer like Bobby Darin or Frank Sinatra to pour a generous portion of style all over that reprise of the earlier verses.  And, don't forget the arranger.  He is adding new counter lines, more syncopation, and more hits to the repeat as well.  The final touch of variation for this repeat is the elongated punch line.  Which word gets extended?  Of course, it's "mad."  Why?  Because, it's the key word, it's how the singer feels about the girl, and it's an exciting word on it's own in any context.

Melody

The melody happens in 16 bar arches.  The melody starts low, and it goes upwards a little bit for each line until the end of the first 8 bars.  The second 8 bars start up high and descends a little until we've almost come back to where we started at the first 8 bars but not quite there.  It's great to end a cycle on a note or chord that will lead to the beginning of the next cycle as opposed to ending the first cycle exactly where it started because that tends to stop momentum.  Ending the first cycle on a note that wants to go back to the beginning (such as ti or re) allows the momentum to carry on into the beginning of the next cycle.

It's like starting a chord progression on a I chord and ending on the V chord, and because the V chord always feels inconclusive, starting the chord progression on the I chord keeps the momentum going.

Conclusion

A very clever song idea to be sure!  God grant us such genius!  But until then, we can learn from the finely crafted lyrics and melody.  The lyrics are true to the identity of the song idea, and it gives the listener a big punch line after a long setup.  The melody helps by growing slowly in a classic arch shape and descending to a point that gracefully keeps momentum going for a repeat.  And lastly, vocal performance and arrangement can make a good song great and a great song Oscar worthy.

Happy songwriting!

Do You Love a List? "Wouldn't It Be Nice" by the Beach Boys

Part 1: Do You Love a List?

"Wouldn't it Be Nice" by the Beach Boys is a great example of logical, linear lyric writing.  I think it will be helpful to look at the first half of this song as a sequential list of wants.  It starts with "Wouldn't it be nice to be together…"  and the list of desires continues from there in a sequential manner through the different times of the day.  It's a list of the literal that ends with the poetical.  Here's the list:

Wouldn't it be nice...

1) to be older and not have to wait to be together

2) to live together

3) to sleep together

4) to wake up together

5) to spend the day together

6) and then hold each other at night again

7) to kiss forever.  This is the ultimate poetical idea following the list of literal activities to do together.  The list of literal activities, sleeping, waking, spending the day, and then sleeping again, is trumped or topped off finally by the poetic hyperbole of a kiss that lasts forever.  Of course, you would save this image for a key moment.  You wouldn't put it in the middle of the list above.  It's that final, emotional punch meant to deeply effect the listener.

Imagine coming up with the song title/idea, "Wouldn't it Be Nice."  Now, try to imagine the next step in your songwriting process.  The next step might be to come up with a list of things that would be nice to have happen.  Then, you start brainstorming–"Wouldn't it be nice to…1)…2)…3)…etc…"  There's more than that to coming up with good song lyrics, but at least we can see one useful method that might have led to this classic pop song.

Part 2:  There and Back Again

At the heart of most great art is a story of departure and return.  Songwriting is no exception, and in this second half of the song, the lyrics take us on a couple of small departures which ultimately serve as a clever way to bring us back to the title.

"Maybe if we think and wish and hope and pray it might come true

Baby then there wouldn't be a single thing we couldn't do

We could be married

And then we'd be happy

Wouldn't it be nice"

In the first two lines of the above bridge section, the singer is thinking out loud of a way to attain the above listed desires.  That's a great alternative perspective on the main theme.  Simply listing the wants the way that we examined in Part 1 might get boring for an entire song, so we need to find another source of tension which will still be related to the song idea.  In this case, the new source of tension is to ask, "HOW can I get what I want?"  Thinking about the how question naturally gives way to thinking again about the wants, and therefore, the bridge is finished off with another longing glimpse into the desired future: "We could be married, and then we'd be happy."  Finally, the button to tie it all together is the title of the song which fits perfectly at the end of that bridge.

The last stanza similarly has a departure and return structure.  The songwriter notices another source of tension to start this stanza, which is, the more we talk about it, the more I want it.  Talking about what he wants makes the longing worse, like an itch that gets worse the more it is scratched.  It's illogical to keep talking about something you can't have if it just drives you crazy.  It's a bit masochistic.  It's shortsighted and passion based thinking, but that's also why it's romantic and compelling.

"You know it seems the more we talk about it

It only makes it worse to live without it,

But let's talk about it

Wouldn't it be nice."

And there's that title again.  This time the title is sung as the logical indulgence of the singer.  He has given up on trying to not talk about what he wants even if those things are unattainable.  Finding a clever and compelling way to return to the title is always considered songwriting gold.

Good luck, and may the songwriting gods be with you.

Your Smiling Face by James Taylor: A Refreshing, Simple Song Structure

A really lovely song; short and sweet with a simple structure; but dense with chords and lyrics.  Not an easy song to write I would imagine, but totally do-able and refreshingly different from standard formulas.

Here's the most basic overview of the structure:

-V1

(key change)

-V2

(two quick key changes)

-Breakdown

-Refrain to fade out

So let's call that three formal sections with the first two (V1 and V2) being, musically, a repeat only with different lyrics, and the last section starting with the breakdown but evolving into a continually building repetition of a 4 bar phrase extracted from earlier in the song.

Here's the first verse broken into two sections:

V1

section a

     "Whenever I see your smiling face, I have to smile myself 

     Because I love you, yes, I do. (here's where that awesome guitar riff happens)

     And when you give me that pretty little pout, It turns me inside out.

     There's something about you, baby, (again that guitar riff happens here)

     I don't know.

section b

     Isn't it amazing a man like me     (melody goes higher here, kinda like most pre-

     Can feel this way,                     choruses in most songs, but is this a chorus?)

     Tell me how much longer, 

     It could grow stronger every day. 

     Oh, how much longer?"      (here, there's a smooth transition back into the intro riff that
                                             hurls us forward into a key change and the second verse)

So, the next thing we hear is V2, but usually there is a chorus before V2.  Where is the chorus?  I don't hear a traditional chorus with the song title and main message of the song, do you?  So, look back at V1 and find the spots you find most memorable.  For me, it's the second and fourth line of the first section of the verse (the guitar riff I keep pointing out. Notice that it's also a change of feel).

V2

section a

     "I thought I was in love a couple of times before with the girl next door,

     But that was long before I met you, (guitar riff)

     Now I'm sure that I won't forget you.

     And, I thank my lucky stars that you are who you are,        

     And not just another lovely lady (guitar riff)

     Set out to break my heart.

section b

     Isn't it amazing a man like me (varies the melody slightly here)

     Can feel this way,

     Tell me how much longer, 

     It could grow stronger every day."

Ok, so, section b is exactly the same in V1 and in V2, but for me, it's still not a proper chorus.  It's memorable and we here it at the end of each verse, but we don't hear it again after the upcoming breakdown.  To me, it's just the end or second half of the verse.  The song up to this point is strophic; a lot like "Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel (see past post for insights from that song).  Each verse has a strong, arched structure with the high note in the middle and memorable melodies and chord progressions throughout, but that's it.  That isn't to say it's easy to do; it's actually extremely difficult.  Sometimes a cool, big, or dramatic chorus can be a crutch for a boring verse.  In this song, every line is memorable and cohesive with the line before and after it.

…again with the intro riff, two key changes this time, and we come into the...

Breakdown and Refrain

-The chords are from earlier (this is key for keeping the song cohesive)

-The melody is very similar to a couple parts of the verse but not exactly the same

-The lyrics are new but they also contain the title of the song in some form or variation (in bold below).

     "No one can tell me that I'm doing wrong today, whenever I see you smile at me.

     No one can tell me that I'm doing wrong today (my favorite guitar riff back in)

     Whenever I see your smiling face my way.

     No one can tell me that I'm doing it wrong today.

     No one can tell me that I'm doing it wrong today."

That continues until the fade out.  Once again, look at the basic structure:

-V1

(key change)

-V2

(two quick key changes)

-Breakdown

-Refrain to fade out

The secret is making each verse memorable the whole way through (strong, arched structure with the high note in the middle and memorable melodies and chord progressions throughout).

What are the most hook-like or memorable parts of the verse TO YOU?  The answer to that question will help you write your own songs that you will be proud of and that will sound unique to your own voice and style.

Happy songwriting!

-Jonathan

Green Garden by Laura Mvula

http://www.lauramvula.com/

Let's take a look at these lyrics line by line.

Take me outside, sit in the green garden 

Beseeching someone.  We get a mental image immediately of a lush place where she is with another person.

Nobody out there, but it's okay now, 

There's no one there now, but maybe there used to be.  Also she's ok with there not being anybody there now, but maybe she had to get over her feeling for someone who used to be there.

bathe in the sunlight, don't mind if rain falls,

taking it in, showing us the environment, giving us an idea about her feelings toward the world; she doesn't care if the rain falls. 

take me outside, sit in the green garden, 

Apparently we've heard all we need to hear about the green garden for now.  She simply repeats and reinforces the initial plea to the unknown listener whom we all assume is an ex-lover.

ooh ah, ooh ah oh, 

ooh ah, ooh ah oh

And I'll fly on the wings of a butterfly 

Keeping with the garden environment for this second verse, she is identifying with nature, beautiful things that reside in the garden.

high as a tree top and down again

up and down, has metaphorical implications about moods.

putting my bag down, taking my shoes off 

another mental image of her in the garden, all we know is that she is there, she came from somewhere else, but here, she is relaxed, shoeless, connecting with and reveling in natural beauty.

walk in the carpet of green velvet

Dance in my garden like we used to, 

Finally, we get a strong suggestion that she is longing.  Longing for an experience she used to have with the ex-lover.  This line is given importance and emotional charge by being separated and divided by "ooohhs" etc.

ooh ah, ooh ah oh

Dance in my garden like we used to, 

ooh ah, ooh ah oh

Take me outside, sit in the green garden 

nobody out there, but it's okay now, 

bathe in the sunlight, don't mind if rain falls, 

take me outside in the green garden

At this point we are reveling in the song.  We hear the first verse with some new chords and other musical elements, but still just rehearing her initial plea and description of this green garden

I'll go, wherever you go, wherever you take me, I'll go 

I'll go, wherever you go, wherever you take me, I'll go 

Here's something new right after we have a repeat of the first verse.  We are well established in the idea, lyrics, and vibe of the song.  It's the appropriate place for a "C" section or bridge.  The lyric idea is compelling, but basically generic.  It could fit into any song.  There are a lot of logical weaknesses with this line; we had no idea we were following anyone all over the place literally or metaphorically (in fact we were asking someone to take us into a garden), the only place she has gone within the garden is up the tree and back down again, she wanted to dance in her garden not leave it.  It's basically just saying,"I like you a lot, and would do anything to be with you."  But, that sentiment is not really part of the heart of the rest of the song, which by all evidence is a reminiscence of love gone by.

Take me outside, sit in the green garden. 

Take me outside, sit in the green garden.

And I'll fly on the wings of a butterfly 

highs of tree top and down again 

putting my bag down, taking my shoes off 

walk in the carpet of green velvet 

Dance in my garden like we used to, 

the dance. 

Dance in my garden like we used to.. 

Take me outside, take me outside, 

take me outside, sit in the green garden. 

I'll go, wherever you go, wherever you take me, I'll go 

I'll go, wherever you go, wherever you take me, I'll go 

I'll go, wherever you go, wherever you take me, I'll go 

I'll go, wherever you go, wherever you take me, I'll go 

I'll go, wherever you go, wherever you take me, I'll go.

Interview with Ralph Murphy

I strongly recommend watching this entire interview. I learned a lot from it, and I'm definitely going to buy his book.