5-Song Reviews

As I try to catch back up from that Art Teacher’s Convention, I see that I still need to post some statements about the “Hook” in music. I listened to the two “On Point” radio articles with Robert Kapilow and read the two chapters from Copeland. I also looked at the “dictionary” of Italian terms used in music. Gary Burns listed a ton of songs that represent different forms of “hooks” in music and I could relate to those. I am Copeland’s ideal customer. I have no musical training, but I listen to music all the time. My choices and yours would be completely opposite and you would never guess what I listen to by looking at, or talking with me. I grew up listening to everything from Elvis to Hank Williams Sr. with my dad as we worked on the cars. I grew into my own style, worshiping Kiss and early/mid 70’s rock bands and now I am into absurd/obscure songs like “Happy Boy” by the Beat Farmers and “Peek A Boo” by Devo.

As I listened for the “hook” in the 5 samples given, here is what I heard:

Dixie Chicks – Not Ready To Make Nice

This song is very slow and methodical throughout the first verse. The solo guitar and voice provide a sense of solitude. This is broken in the second verse when additional instruments (guitar & drums) are added. The chorus is a controlled chaotic area, where the vocals and music get louder and faster, stressing their importance in the song. The third and fourth verses drops back to the tempo of the second, but with additional tone via piano, violin and horn section. The chorus is brought back and eventually drops back down to the slow guitar and voice of the first voice return. The final words, the ones that stand out are “They say, time heals everything. I’m still waiting,” show how there is still pain in the soul of the singer and the fast drop off (no fade exit) stresses that fact.

Christina Aguilera – Ain’t No Other Man

This is a very fast tempo song that covers a broad range of music genre and chronology. While the tempo remains constant throughout the song, the styles change flawlessly. A short pause designates a second verse/chorus set. The constant repetition of the song’s title leaves everybody knowing what song it is, although the interpretation can be left to the imagination, until you hear the lyrics. The sudden drop off at the end stresses the fact that there “Ain’t no other man, but you.” I love the musical history lesson given in this song.

John Mayer – Waiting On The Word To Change

As I hear this song, I am thrown back to a variety of different musicians that sang this format throughout the years. It really smacks of Motown, especially Marvin Gaye. The allegro beat is kept constant on the cymbal and there is emphasis on the one guitar keeping a simple chord progression beat. The break of the song has some scatting and ad-libbing by the musicians that is interrupted by the solos of lead guitar and piano. The repetition of the “waiting” stresses the importance of the ideal and the song to the artist.

Justin Timberlake and Timbaland – SexyBack

This is a very choppy, techno-based song. It reminds me of the early 80’s break-dancing craze music. Timberlake’s voice is electronically altered with the last word of each line held for emphasis. The bridge and chorus are introduced outright and has a lot of overlapping, with the low/high interchange between voice tones. The second verse repeats the tempo of the first. The bridge and second coming of the chorus are introduced and I love the music theory lesson. Even after listening to the song many times, I still cannot hear what they are saying. There is a portion that sounds like Prince wrote it for part of his Purple Rain album. The ending kind of sounds like a back-masking version of circus music and is faded out, but how else would you close out this song?

Carrie Underwood – Jesus Take The Wheel

Hee-Haw! This song sounds just like so many country songs, written by so many storytellers before Underwood. The rhythm, beat, tempo, held notes all sound like something I have heard before; I cannot place it right now. The tempo is upbeat and constant throughout the first two verses, and then the chorus picks up the pitch. A medium length break separates the next verse and the chorus is reintroduced. It repeats the flow of the first verse/chorus combination. The song slow flows itself through a set of choruses and exits with a slow fade. I have been close to remembering where else I have heard this style; I will have to get back to you on it when it pops into my head.