"He has a special quality that makes me want to punch him."
My wife, Diana said this after listening to “Say You, Say Me” by Lionel Richie. Much to her dismay, I recently put Lionel Richie: The Definitive Collection on my iPod and we’ve been listening to it in the car.
Now, I understand what Diana is talking about. Lionel Richie is one of those puzzling figures in pop music. He’s one of the most successful solo artists of all time. If you were alive in the 1980s, you listened to this guys music. He has yet to diminish from our popular culture and his country album, Tuskegee, is one of the best selling albums of 2012.
His incredible success is puzzling because of . . . well . . . have you seen the video to “Hello”?
I spent an entire blog post (click here) mocking this song. I’m not alone in making jokes at Richie’s 1980s styling and music videos.
Mainstream pop music in the 1980s, while directed at youth culture also seemed directed at forty-year olds. People like Huey Lewis and Billy Joel, seemed to dress like people’s parents and Richie with his jackets and sweaters fit right into this more “comfortable” idea of a pop music star. The artists who are around now present themselves as being younger and more hit and often time more overtly sexual.
The other thing about Richie is that he’s not that good looking and he’s not that great a singer. He has very distinctive adlibs and sings with instantly recognizable phrasing. To certain people, like my wife, it’s kind of irritating. I get that.
But I still love this guy. My favorite Lionel Richie song is “Dancing On The Ceiling.”
My parents bought this CD and I used to dance around listening to the title track. I didn’t know that Fred Astaire had previously done before the whole ceiling dancing thing.
So I was blown away by the music video. Yeah, it’s cheesy, all the cameos are really corny but there’s something about this song that’s so much fun.
Pop music audiences in the 1980s were less cynical. Something cheesy like “Dancing On The Ceiling” could be a hit, a song with a silly and fantastical subject, could never be a hit today. If you can peel back your jaded view on what’s “cool” and “in,” you’ll find that there’s a lot of fun to be had with Richie.
Look at Rascal Flatts kicking it with Lionel.
This is awesome . . . and I’m not saying that in an ironic way. “Dancing On The Ceiling” doesn’t speak any great social message, nor does it break any music boundaries, but it captures that carefree moment I had as a child dancing around my living room with abandon.
What a feeling.
Showing posts with label Motown. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Motown. Show all posts
Monday, August 6, 2012
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Top 5 Boy Bands Songs
Before I take some time to consider the new boy band One Direction, let's take a look at my personal 5 favorite boy bands songs:
5. "Shape Of My Heart" by The Backstreet Boys
The Backstreet Boys ushered in a new era in Boy Bands in the early 1990s. While they didn't dance as well as some other groups they had charisma and were able to turn standard pop fair into enormous hits. Oh, and they could actually sing which is demonstrated in the performance above. "Shape Of My Heart" is a later hit that is "I Want It That Way" with lyrics that make a little bit more sense and an amazing bridge.
4. "Motownphilly" by Boyz II Men
This was the lead single off of their first album. Before they scored hits with slow songs and expressions of how they would make love to you (check out this post), these boyz could really rock.
3. "Tearing Up My Heart" by 'N Sync
A beautifully crafted song, this song starts out with a solo calling out an awesome hook. We all knew there was something special about the break-down of this song, little did we know that it was Justin Timberlake and the artist he would become.
2. "Just A Little Misunderstanding" by The Jackson 5
This song was an album cut. AN ALBUM cut! This means they recorded this song and didn't think it was very good so they didn't release it as a single. Seriously. Any boy band that has album cuts this strong is truly amazing.
1. "Twist And Shout" by The Beatles
The Beatles were important for many reasons and one of them was because they were the first boy band in pop music. Yes, the Beatles became so much more than a boy band but watching this performance it becomes clear what every boy band tries to capture. Like so many other things in pop music The Beatles did it first and they did it best.
5. "Shape Of My Heart" by The Backstreet Boys
The Backstreet Boys ushered in a new era in Boy Bands in the early 1990s. While they didn't dance as well as some other groups they had charisma and were able to turn standard pop fair into enormous hits. Oh, and they could actually sing which is demonstrated in the performance above. "Shape Of My Heart" is a later hit that is "I Want It That Way" with lyrics that make a little bit more sense and an amazing bridge.
4. "Motownphilly" by Boyz II Men
This was the lead single off of their first album. Before they scored hits with slow songs and expressions of how they would make love to you (check out this post), these boyz could really rock.
3. "Tearing Up My Heart" by 'N Sync
A beautifully crafted song, this song starts out with a solo calling out an awesome hook. We all knew there was something special about the break-down of this song, little did we know that it was Justin Timberlake and the artist he would become.
2. "Just A Little Misunderstanding" by The Jackson 5
This song was an album cut. AN ALBUM cut! This means they recorded this song and didn't think it was very good so they didn't release it as a single. Seriously. Any boy band that has album cuts this strong is truly amazing.
1. "Twist And Shout" by The Beatles
The Beatles were important for many reasons and one of them was because they were the first boy band in pop music. Yes, the Beatles became so much more than a boy band but watching this performance it becomes clear what every boy band tries to capture. Like so many other things in pop music The Beatles did it first and they did it best.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Northern Soul = Happiness
Long day at work, lots of stuff to do, huge headache. . . bleh. . . the solution a little lesser known but taooly awesome Northern Soul:
oh that's the stuff. . .and forget "December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night)," here's the Four Seasons REALLY rockin'.
Oh and then there's Smokey
Seriously, it doesn't get much better than this.
oh that's the stuff. . .and forget "December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night)," here's the Four Seasons REALLY rockin'.
Oh and then there's Smokey
Seriously, it doesn't get much better than this.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Hello by Lionel Richie
Let's make a list of the things that are wrong with this video (we're going to go in order of appearance):
1. Lionel, maybe if you want to get to work, why don't you just take off the jacket as opposed to rolling up the sleeves.
2. Someone went a little overboard with the decorative indoor scarf.
3. Really, you are going to start fantasizing about your student while she is doing a scene. SIGH, it begins.
4. OK, now he is singing about her passing by his door, but instead he is peeking into her band rehearsal, not cool, she may be blind, but she's not stupid or is she?
5. What Lionel doing in the locker bay? I can understand a teacher walking by a classroom, but what kind of teacher hangs out by the lockers.
6. Speaking of lockers, where are they? Is this set in a college or a high school? I haven't been to a college with lockers like that, maybe it's a 1980s thing, but I'm really hoping that this is set in a college.
7. Now she starts working on a bust of what is clearly going to be Lionel, and everyone around her is seeing her work. Doesn't anyone else find this creepy?
8. She maybe be talented, but how does she know what he looks like. SHE'S BLIND! You can't get an image of someone's face from hearing their voice.
9. Lionel tries to approach her when she is eating lunch and her friends interject. You'd think one of them would notice a teacher walking up to a student or acknowledge the teacher as they walk in front of him.
10. Now he is in dance class. Man, the only way he is getting away with this stalking is the fact that she's blind. Maybe Lionel had bad experiences with stalking before.
11. The phone call, um . . . did he say hello? I mean he puts the phone down but she is listening and smiling as she hangs up.
12. Then the big reveal of the bust . . . yeah, it's not wonderful. Let's just be honest here. Though her source material isn't great.
Dude, I kind of love this song, but I'm kind of, really disturbed by this video. Lionel really should have stuck with singing songs comparing woman to buildings.
There is NOTHING wrong with video. Everything is pure gold.
1. Lionel, maybe if you want to get to work, why don't you just take off the jacket as opposed to rolling up the sleeves.
2. Someone went a little overboard with the decorative indoor scarf.
3. Really, you are going to start fantasizing about your student while she is doing a scene. SIGH, it begins.
4. OK, now he is singing about her passing by his door, but instead he is peeking into her band rehearsal, not cool, she may be blind, but she's not stupid or is she?
5. What Lionel doing in the locker bay? I can understand a teacher walking by a classroom, but what kind of teacher hangs out by the lockers.
6. Speaking of lockers, where are they? Is this set in a college or a high school? I haven't been to a college with lockers like that, maybe it's a 1980s thing, but I'm really hoping that this is set in a college.
7. Now she starts working on a bust of what is clearly going to be Lionel, and everyone around her is seeing her work. Doesn't anyone else find this creepy?
8. She maybe be talented, but how does she know what he looks like. SHE'S BLIND! You can't get an image of someone's face from hearing their voice.
9. Lionel tries to approach her when she is eating lunch and her friends interject. You'd think one of them would notice a teacher walking up to a student or acknowledge the teacher as they walk in front of him.
10. Now he is in dance class. Man, the only way he is getting away with this stalking is the fact that she's blind. Maybe Lionel had bad experiences with stalking before.
11. The phone call, um . . . did he say hello? I mean he puts the phone down but she is listening and smiling as she hangs up.
12. Then the big reveal of the bust . . . yeah, it's not wonderful. Let's just be honest here. Though her source material isn't great.
Dude, I kind of love this song, but I'm kind of, really disturbed by this video. Lionel really should have stuck with singing songs comparing woman to buildings.
There is NOTHING wrong with video. Everything is pure gold.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
"Dancing In The Street" by Mick Jagger & David Bowie
I love bacon, I love peppermint stick ice cream and I love my mom's beef noodle soup. As much as i love those three things separately, they don't quite work together. Kind of like this song:
Mick Jagger, one of the greatest lead singers in rock music + David Bowie, the original pop music chameleon (anything you think that Lady Gaga is doing that is innovative Bowie did it first) +
"Dancing In The Street," one of the greatest pop songs ever that defined a generation
= . . . yeah. . . not such a good time.
I do admire how hard Jagger and Bowie seem to be trying to sell the song during this music video and there is something hypnotic about watching this train wreck of a song. After watching this video you will feel something, maybe not what the artist intended but you will feel something . . . and yes anger at me for wasting three minute of your time is totally understood.
Mick Jagger, one of the greatest lead singers in rock music + David Bowie, the original pop music chameleon (anything you think that Lady Gaga is doing that is innovative Bowie did it first) +
"Dancing In The Street," one of the greatest pop songs ever that defined a generation
= . . . yeah. . . not such a good time.
I do admire how hard Jagger and Bowie seem to be trying to sell the song during this music video and there is something hypnotic about watching this train wreck of a song. After watching this video you will feel something, maybe not what the artist intended but you will feel something . . . and yes anger at me for wasting three minute of your time is totally understood.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Round 7: Stevie Wonder Vs. Coolio
In 1976, Stevie Wonder released Songs In The Key Of Life which featured the song "Pastime Paradise."
This beautifully and subtlety layered song reflects on people who are stuck in the past. These are people who have become compliant with the injustice in society and view the past, however flawed as paradise. Wonder urges them to work towards a "future paradise" and realize the past is not the paradise that it seems.
Versus:
In 1995, Coolio scored a huge crossover hit with "Gangsta's Paradise" featured on the soundtrack of Dangerous Minds.
Coolio passionately raps about what it's like to be raised and live as a modern "gangsta." The picture that Coolio paints isn’t a pretty one. It’s a life that some may idealize as a paradise but in reality is a frustrating and hopeless existence.
The Winner:
NEITHER! A third contender just swooped in and beat both songs out!
Next week: Buffy Vs. Angel!
This beautifully and subtlety layered song reflects on people who are stuck in the past. These are people who have become compliant with the injustice in society and view the past, however flawed as paradise. Wonder urges them to work towards a "future paradise" and realize the past is not the paradise that it seems.
Versus:
In 1995, Coolio scored a huge crossover hit with "Gangsta's Paradise" featured on the soundtrack of Dangerous Minds.
Coolio passionately raps about what it's like to be raised and live as a modern "gangsta." The picture that Coolio paints isn’t a pretty one. It’s a life that some may idealize as a paradise but in reality is a frustrating and hopeless existence.
The Winner:
NEITHER! A third contender just swooped in and beat both songs out!
Next week: Buffy Vs. Angel!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Round 6: Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terell Vs. Amy Winehouse
In 1967, Motown released one of the most beloved duets in popular music, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough."
Marvin Gaye's and Tammi Terrell's voices blended beautifully as two lovers committing their deep love for each other. The Funk Brothers, Motown's session band created a mysteriously haunting opening that blossomed beautifully into the celebratory chorus.
Versus:
Amy Winehouse featured "Tears Dry On Their Own" on her breakout album Back to Back. This song flawlessly rerecorded the insturmental backgrouds of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and added new lyrics and a new melody.
It's like a dream to hear the backgrounds recorded with such reverence and soul. It's a reminder of the power of live musicians and how great the Funk Brothers original arrangements were. Winehouse adds a flowing melody and through her unique almost Tom Waits-like singing tells a passionate and bluesy story.
The Winner:
I love Winehouse but she's no Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terell. The way that they duet is pure joy. You could listen to just the insturmental background of both "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and "Tears Dry On Their Own" and be floored by the power of that music, heck you would feel it with the just bass line. And listening to just the vocal teack of Marvin and Tammi is a relevation. However Winehouses performance on this song is just not on the same level.
Next Week: Coolio Vs. Stevie Wonder
Marvin Gaye's and Tammi Terrell's voices blended beautifully as two lovers committing their deep love for each other. The Funk Brothers, Motown's session band created a mysteriously haunting opening that blossomed beautifully into the celebratory chorus.
Versus:
Amy Winehouse featured "Tears Dry On Their Own" on her breakout album Back to Back. This song flawlessly rerecorded the insturmental backgrouds of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and added new lyrics and a new melody.
It's like a dream to hear the backgrounds recorded with such reverence and soul. It's a reminder of the power of live musicians and how great the Funk Brothers original arrangements were. Winehouse adds a flowing melody and through her unique almost Tom Waits-like singing tells a passionate and bluesy story.
The Winner:
I love Winehouse but she's no Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terell. The way that they duet is pure joy. You could listen to just the insturmental background of both "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and "Tears Dry On Their Own" and be floored by the power of that music, heck you would feel it with the just bass line. And listening to just the vocal teack of Marvin and Tammi is a relevation. However Winehouses performance on this song is just not on the same level.
Next Week: Coolio Vs. Stevie Wonder
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
I’ll Make Love To You by Boyz II Men
Last week when I was at the dentist, I tried to turn my attention away from the oh so pleasurable experience of getting my teeth cleaned and found salvation in the music that was playing over the office speakers.
The music started out was perfectly appropriate: elaxing 1990s, non-offensive love songs “I Swear” by All 4 One. Then as the scrapping part of the cleaning began I heard the unmistakable introduction of “I’ll Make Love To You” by Boyz II Men.
This just felt wrong.
Now this had nothing to do with the hygienist who was cleaning my teeth. She was friendly and professional and didn’t ask me questions when I had no way of answering them (God, I hate it when dentist do that). It was just that getting my teeth cleaned and listening to a song about “making love” was one of the oddest juxtapositions I’ve experienced in a long time.
“I’ll Make Love To You” was huge. This song was everywhere. It topped of the charts for 14 weeks!! The music video was being played all of the time and if you listened to the radio at all when this song was out it seemed to be played on every single station.
I don’t know what was going on when this song was out. Was there simply nothing else for people to listen to? I was in middle school when this song came out and people my age loved this song, what?!? How did this song appeal to us? I guess I can understand how some lonely spinster would play into the fantasy of the song but the rest of the world?
Maybe there’s some answers in the music video.
The video opens with a man (Dwayne) who is finishing up installing a security system. He talks the woman (Ms. Sparks!!), who asks him out, he can’t go out with her so he gives her his personal phone number if she has any questions about the system. Thinking about Ms. Sparks, Dwayne sits down and tries to write her a letter. Not knowing what to say he copies down lyrics of the song in the letter and sends it to her. Reading the letter, Ms. Sparks swoons.
Boyz II Men are singing “I’ll Make Love To You” as if they are doing something for the woman that they would not normally do, something amazing that she asks for and doesn’t get. If this song was about something that would really take effort for a guy to do for a girl it would be more like “I’ll Clean Up The House For You,” “I’ll Do Grocery Shopping And Do All The Cooking For You” or “I’ll Stop Making Moves On You When You’re Clearly Not In The Mood.”
Wait a second, I think I just figured out the appeal of this song. This song isn’t a fantasy for woman, it’s a fantasy for men. Think about it. Can you imagine if telling a girl that you “would make love to them” was enough to make a girl want to be with you? God knows that most woman would be creeped out beyond belief if a guy who they just met told them that.
Boyz II Men created a song that song that sounded like it appealed to woman, so guys bought it to help them be romantic AND the songs appealed to guys misconceptions of romance.
Anyways, I don't know what's going to bother me more, the fact that when I hear "I'll Make Love To You" I'll think about being at the dentist or the fact that next time I have my teeth cleaned I'll be thinking about "I'll Make Love To You." [shudder].
The music started out was perfectly appropriate: elaxing 1990s, non-offensive love songs “I Swear” by All 4 One. Then as the scrapping part of the cleaning began I heard the unmistakable introduction of “I’ll Make Love To You” by Boyz II Men.
This just felt wrong.
Now this had nothing to do with the hygienist who was cleaning my teeth. She was friendly and professional and didn’t ask me questions when I had no way of answering them (God, I hate it when dentist do that). It was just that getting my teeth cleaned and listening to a song about “making love” was one of the oddest juxtapositions I’ve experienced in a long time.
“I’ll Make Love To You” was huge. This song was everywhere. It topped of the charts for 14 weeks!! The music video was being played all of the time and if you listened to the radio at all when this song was out it seemed to be played on every single station.
I don’t know what was going on when this song was out. Was there simply nothing else for people to listen to? I was in middle school when this song came out and people my age loved this song, what?!? How did this song appeal to us? I guess I can understand how some lonely spinster would play into the fantasy of the song but the rest of the world?
Maybe there’s some answers in the music video.
The video opens with a man (Dwayne) who is finishing up installing a security system. He talks the woman (Ms. Sparks!!), who asks him out, he can’t go out with her so he gives her his personal phone number if she has any questions about the system. Thinking about Ms. Sparks, Dwayne sits down and tries to write her a letter. Not knowing what to say he copies down lyrics of the song in the letter and sends it to her. Reading the letter, Ms. Sparks swoons.
Boyz II Men are singing “I’ll Make Love To You” as if they are doing something for the woman that they would not normally do, something amazing that she asks for and doesn’t get. If this song was about something that would really take effort for a guy to do for a girl it would be more like “I’ll Clean Up The House For You,” “I’ll Do Grocery Shopping And Do All The Cooking For You” or “I’ll Stop Making Moves On You When You’re Clearly Not In The Mood.”
Wait a second, I think I just figured out the appeal of this song. This song isn’t a fantasy for woman, it’s a fantasy for men. Think about it. Can you imagine if telling a girl that you “would make love to them” was enough to make a girl want to be with you? God knows that most woman would be creeped out beyond belief if a guy who they just met told them that.
Boyz II Men created a song that song that sounded like it appealed to woman, so guys bought it to help them be romantic AND the songs appealed to guys misconceptions of romance.
Anyways, I don't know what's going to bother me more, the fact that when I hear "I'll Make Love To You" I'll think about being at the dentist or the fact that next time I have my teeth cleaned I'll be thinking about "I'll Make Love To You." [shudder].
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Part Time Lover by Stevie Wonder
One of the reasons that I don't cheat on my wife, Diana, besides the whole "I love you her, I made a commitment to her as my wife and I would even want to be with another woman" is the fact that it would take too much effort. There's all the scheduling, erasing e-mails changing clothes, coming up with lies and having one more person to take care of.
I mean it's a lot of work.
Can you imagine doing this blind? Stevie Wonder, we know that you're a genius, an innovator of popular music and one of the most important and influence American musicians and song-writers. If you weren't blind you still would be admired for everything that you've accomplished but the fact that you did it all without the sense of sight makes me feel that much more inadequate. I mean it's bad enough that you're better at tennis than I am.
Okay, Stevie you really are a wonder, now you going to be all like "I'm such a genius that not only can I create amazing music but I can also successfully pull off an affair and have a 'part-time lover.' AND I can do it BLIND SUCKERS!!!"
"Part Time Lover" was one the biggest songs in 1985. It was the first song to be top four of Billboard charts at the same time: The Hot 100, R&B, Adult Contemporary and Dance. It may seem odd that song about cheating would be embraced so much by American culture. It's not so much a reflection of how much people accept cheating or participate in extra-martial affairs but this fun almost comical look at this subject in "Part Time Lover" is a way that we can deal with one of the most insidious, selfish and hurtful things someone can do.
In the first verse Stevie sings about using a one ring telephone call as a signal to let the other one know they made it safe at home. Then the next verse goes on to explain that he will flash the lights to let her know that this night he is free? So, the other person just happens to live across the way and will stay there and watch to see if the lights happen to flash? Wouldn’t the single ring phone call be a better signal?
Like early 1960s rocks songs about idealized teenage love, “Part Time Lover” is about the idealized situation of cheating on someone romanticizing about the plan and adventure of being undercover rather than the emotional consequences of betraying someone that you love. Now the song does have a twist in the end when someone comes to the door and Stevie realizes that his lover has a “part time lover.” He doesn’t seem overly distressed at this idea, it’s more of a “you get what you give” kind of response.
While many Motown artist floundered in the 1980s, Stevie Wonder transition with great success with the synthesized sounds of the time. Songs like “Part Time Lover” are great examples of the pop sensibility and musical reinvention that is characteristic of Stevie Wonder’s genius.
Stevie Wonder reflected American society. Like the way the songs he recorded in the late 1960s and early 1970s dealt with the Civil Rights movement, "Part Time Lover" is a response to peoples' questions about the dynamics of relationships in the 1980s. The one constant throughout all of his music is the sheer joy that expressed even with an issue like adultery.
Just look how happy he is to be grooving in a trench coat and hat in the video. He makes the idea of one of the most despicable and reprehensible actions seem like fun. Wow, this man really is a wonder.
I mean it's a lot of work.
Can you imagine doing this blind? Stevie Wonder, we know that you're a genius, an innovator of popular music and one of the most important and influence American musicians and song-writers. If you weren't blind you still would be admired for everything that you've accomplished but the fact that you did it all without the sense of sight makes me feel that much more inadequate. I mean it's bad enough that you're better at tennis than I am.
Okay, Stevie you really are a wonder, now you going to be all like "I'm such a genius that not only can I create amazing music but I can also successfully pull off an affair and have a 'part-time lover.' AND I can do it BLIND SUCKERS!!!"
"Part Time Lover" was one the biggest songs in 1985. It was the first song to be top four of Billboard charts at the same time: The Hot 100, R&B, Adult Contemporary and Dance. It may seem odd that song about cheating would be embraced so much by American culture. It's not so much a reflection of how much people accept cheating or participate in extra-martial affairs but this fun almost comical look at this subject in "Part Time Lover" is a way that we can deal with one of the most insidious, selfish and hurtful things someone can do.
In the first verse Stevie sings about using a one ring telephone call as a signal to let the other one know they made it safe at home. Then the next verse goes on to explain that he will flash the lights to let her know that this night he is free? So, the other person just happens to live across the way and will stay there and watch to see if the lights happen to flash? Wouldn’t the single ring phone call be a better signal?
Like early 1960s rocks songs about idealized teenage love, “Part Time Lover” is about the idealized situation of cheating on someone romanticizing about the plan and adventure of being undercover rather than the emotional consequences of betraying someone that you love. Now the song does have a twist in the end when someone comes to the door and Stevie realizes that his lover has a “part time lover.” He doesn’t seem overly distressed at this idea, it’s more of a “you get what you give” kind of response.
While many Motown artist floundered in the 1980s, Stevie Wonder transition with great success with the synthesized sounds of the time. Songs like “Part Time Lover” are great examples of the pop sensibility and musical reinvention that is characteristic of Stevie Wonder’s genius.
Stevie Wonder reflected American society. Like the way the songs he recorded in the late 1960s and early 1970s dealt with the Civil Rights movement, "Part Time Lover" is a response to peoples' questions about the dynamics of relationships in the 1980s. The one constant throughout all of his music is the sheer joy that expressed even with an issue like adultery.
Just look how happy he is to be grooving in a trench coat and hat in the video. He makes the idea of one of the most despicable and reprehensible actions seem like fun. Wow, this man really is a wonder.
Friday, April 16, 2010
You Can’t Hurry Love by The Supremes
If you ask me for advice on how to maintain a healthy relationship with someone you love, I have a couple of words of advice. Now I don’t think my relationship with my wife, Diana is the greatest thing EVER, but I am proud of the our relationship and the role we have play in each other lives. My experiences with Diana give me some perspective on what works and what doesn’t and I’m happy to pass on my thoughts subject.
Now if you ask me what’s the best way to find that special someone, I got nothing for you. Diana and I met her freshmen year (my junior year) at Northwestern University at marching band camp. Now marching band rehearsed Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and most of the time we had football games on Saturdays. We were also in the Alice Millar Chapel Choir which rehearsed on Tuesday and Thursdays and performed every Sunday. So it wasn’t exactly a challenge for me to find time to get to know Diana. I literally saw her every single day.
Diana and I have absolutely no illusions about the sheer luck, happenstance, or fate if you will that brought us together. Most people are not as fortunate as Diana and I and “You Can’t Hurry Love” by Supremes gives the sage advice that I pass on to my friends whenever they ask me for help finding that special someone.
I love “You Can’t Hurry Love.” It’s hopeful, innocent and simply a joy. I get so happy listening and thinking about this song. On a musical level, I totally geek out more over Motown music than many other genres of music. Every time I listen to a song produced in the height of Motown I find something new to be amazed about. If you’ve read this blog for any amount of time you know how excited I get about music, but with Motown I just get me giddy with joy.
It opens with baseline and tambourine. Then the drums come in and when Diana Ross starts singing everything drops out except for a relaxed, and hip guitar line accompanied by the bass drum of the drum set playing the rhythm of the bass line. Building up the instruments you get interested, feel the grove and by dropping out instruments right when Diana enters, it draws you into her voice like she is whispering you a secret.
Then there’s the colors. Motown is all about using bright vibrant musical color combination. Diana’s voice in the chorus is doubled with muted trumpets that are slightly whiny and vibraphone, which gives a little pop the beginning of each note. This arrangement of sounds just adds a layer of light to the sound bringing out the melody in a subtle and beautiful way.
Diana isn’t the greatest singer of all time, but the Motown producers wrote songs that perfectly fit her voice. The way she accentuates the ending consonants of the words works even though outside of the context of this song sounds just weird. She singing about getting advice from her mom and her thin yet bright voice captures that youthful spirit that so many people connect with.
In there anything sweeter than when Diana sings “keeps on waiting, anticipating” and hesitates in the middle of the word “anticipating,” as we wait for the end of the word. It’s a small thing but it’s SO exciting. The creativity and expression, not only having great words but singing in a way that makes you understand the meaning even if you don’t know the language. It’s awesome.
When you’re down and about to give up on love, you can’t forget how great love can be and how wonderful the idea of love is. Hope begets hope. By thinking about how great love can be, it makes you want to believe that it exists even more.
You can’t make love happen, but that’s what makes it so great. Be patient it’ll come. Now when do find that person let me know. We’ll see what we can do to make that hope a reality.
Now if you ask me what’s the best way to find that special someone, I got nothing for you. Diana and I met her freshmen year (my junior year) at Northwestern University at marching band camp. Now marching band rehearsed Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and most of the time we had football games on Saturdays. We were also in the Alice Millar Chapel Choir which rehearsed on Tuesday and Thursdays and performed every Sunday. So it wasn’t exactly a challenge for me to find time to get to know Diana. I literally saw her every single day.
Diana and I have absolutely no illusions about the sheer luck, happenstance, or fate if you will that brought us together. Most people are not as fortunate as Diana and I and “You Can’t Hurry Love” by Supremes gives the sage advice that I pass on to my friends whenever they ask me for help finding that special someone.
I love “You Can’t Hurry Love.” It’s hopeful, innocent and simply a joy. I get so happy listening and thinking about this song. On a musical level, I totally geek out more over Motown music than many other genres of music. Every time I listen to a song produced in the height of Motown I find something new to be amazed about. If you’ve read this blog for any amount of time you know how excited I get about music, but with Motown I just get me giddy with joy.
It opens with baseline and tambourine. Then the drums come in and when Diana Ross starts singing everything drops out except for a relaxed, and hip guitar line accompanied by the bass drum of the drum set playing the rhythm of the bass line. Building up the instruments you get interested, feel the grove and by dropping out instruments right when Diana enters, it draws you into her voice like she is whispering you a secret.
Then there’s the colors. Motown is all about using bright vibrant musical color combination. Diana’s voice in the chorus is doubled with muted trumpets that are slightly whiny and vibraphone, which gives a little pop the beginning of each note. This arrangement of sounds just adds a layer of light to the sound bringing out the melody in a subtle and beautiful way.
Diana isn’t the greatest singer of all time, but the Motown producers wrote songs that perfectly fit her voice. The way she accentuates the ending consonants of the words works even though outside of the context of this song sounds just weird. She singing about getting advice from her mom and her thin yet bright voice captures that youthful spirit that so many people connect with.
In there anything sweeter than when Diana sings “keeps on waiting, anticipating” and hesitates in the middle of the word “anticipating,” as we wait for the end of the word. It’s a small thing but it’s SO exciting. The creativity and expression, not only having great words but singing in a way that makes you understand the meaning even if you don’t know the language. It’s awesome.
When you’re down and about to give up on love, you can’t forget how great love can be and how wonderful the idea of love is. Hope begets hope. By thinking about how great love can be, it makes you want to believe that it exists even more.
You can’t make love happen, but that’s what makes it so great. Be patient it’ll come. Now when do find that person let me know. We’ll see what we can do to make that hope a reality.
Friday, January 15, 2010
I Wish It Would Rain by The Temptations
OMG. Ok people, look, just because someone is from Seattle doesn’t mean that they love rain. I don’t know how many times people and said or implied that I love rain because I grew up in the Seattle area, but it seems to ALWAYS come up.
Livescience.com reported a study by San Francisco-based Weatherbill, Inc. They ranked American cities by the amount of rainfall they got and Seattle didn’t even make the top 10. Heck, the first city from the Pacific Northwest to even make the list was Olympia, Washington (#24).
Even if Seattle was in the fact that wettest city in the United States, how do you make the assumption that people in Seattle like rain so much? That’s like saying that I love political corruption because I live in Chicago or that I someone loves unemployment because they live in Flint, Michigan.
So, for the love of everything that is good and holy on this planet, do not, I repeat DO NOT pull the “wow you’re from Seattle, it rains a lot there you must love rain” line next time you meet someone from Seattle. If you pull that line on me, well, you might feel a rain of fury coming from this disgruntled little Asian man.
Now while I dislike rain, I guess I can understand it’s benefits. We need fresh water to live, I love trees and green lawns and sometimes as The Temptations remind us raindrops can hide teardrops. [okay, don't worry everyone, I've calmed down enough, let's talk about music. . . ]
("I Wish It Would Rain" starts 2 minutes in)
By 1967, Motown had established itself as a force in popular music. Constantly developing their sound, Smokey Robinson who was responsible for The Temptations biggest hit “My Girl” (which I discussed in this earlier post) stepped aside and songwriter Norman Whitfield led the Temptations into new musical avenues.
Working with lyricist Barrett Strong, Whitfield introduced funk and psychedelic sounds utilizing sound effects and experimental production techniques. Many of Whitfield’s most well known songs like “Cloud Nine” are fast-tempo explorations of war, poverty, politics and drugs. Whitfield’s ballads showed a different side, sensitivity and a personal experience with love that no one could express better than “The Temptations.”
If David Ruffin’s soulful and joyous performance on “My Girl” doesn’t blow you away (not really sure how that is possible) then his tear-stained vocals and agony-filled delivery in “I Wish It Would Rain” has got to get to you.
“I Wish It Would Rain” has brilliant lyrics. The internal logic in this song is clever as the protagonist hopes for rain so that when he does outside no one knows he is crying. While Whitflield’s experimental effects using actually recorded sounds was cutting edge at the time the true special effects in this song are the Temptations.
The Temptations do the standard “echo the lead singer” job of the back-up singers but there are other time where they take it a step further. In the second verse when their voice cascade on the word “crying” falling like tears beautifully paints the lyrics. This isn’t something that you necessarily consciously notice when listening but it adds layers of meaning to the listening experience displaying amazing craft and musical expression.
Have I ever wished that it would rain? No, never. Do I like rain? No. Does “I Wish It Would Rain” rock my world? Yes. Listening to this song almost makes me forget how angry I get when people ask me about being from Seattle and loving rain. . .
almost.
Livescience.com reported a study by San Francisco-based Weatherbill, Inc. They ranked American cities by the amount of rainfall they got and Seattle didn’t even make the top 10. Heck, the first city from the Pacific Northwest to even make the list was Olympia, Washington (#24).
Even if Seattle was in the fact that wettest city in the United States, how do you make the assumption that people in Seattle like rain so much? That’s like saying that I love political corruption because I live in Chicago or that I someone loves unemployment because they live in Flint, Michigan.
So, for the love of everything that is good and holy on this planet, do not, I repeat DO NOT pull the “wow you’re from Seattle, it rains a lot there you must love rain” line next time you meet someone from Seattle. If you pull that line on me, well, you might feel a rain of fury coming from this disgruntled little Asian man.
Now while I dislike rain, I guess I can understand it’s benefits. We need fresh water to live, I love trees and green lawns and sometimes as The Temptations remind us raindrops can hide teardrops. [okay, don't worry everyone, I've calmed down enough, let's talk about music. . . ]
("I Wish It Would Rain" starts 2 minutes in)
By 1967, Motown had established itself as a force in popular music. Constantly developing their sound, Smokey Robinson who was responsible for The Temptations biggest hit “My Girl” (which I discussed in this earlier post) stepped aside and songwriter Norman Whitfield led the Temptations into new musical avenues.
Working with lyricist Barrett Strong, Whitfield introduced funk and psychedelic sounds utilizing sound effects and experimental production techniques. Many of Whitfield’s most well known songs like “Cloud Nine” are fast-tempo explorations of war, poverty, politics and drugs. Whitfield’s ballads showed a different side, sensitivity and a personal experience with love that no one could express better than “The Temptations.”
If David Ruffin’s soulful and joyous performance on “My Girl” doesn’t blow you away (not really sure how that is possible) then his tear-stained vocals and agony-filled delivery in “I Wish It Would Rain” has got to get to you.
“I Wish It Would Rain” has brilliant lyrics. The internal logic in this song is clever as the protagonist hopes for rain so that when he does outside no one knows he is crying. While Whitflield’s experimental effects using actually recorded sounds was cutting edge at the time the true special effects in this song are the Temptations.
The Temptations do the standard “echo the lead singer” job of the back-up singers but there are other time where they take it a step further. In the second verse when their voice cascade on the word “crying” falling like tears beautifully paints the lyrics. This isn’t something that you necessarily consciously notice when listening but it adds layers of meaning to the listening experience displaying amazing craft and musical expression.
Have I ever wished that it would rain? No, never. Do I like rain? No. Does “I Wish It Would Rain” rock my world? Yes. Listening to this song almost makes me forget how angry I get when people ask me about being from Seattle and loving rain. . .
almost.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town by The Jackson 5
Now I never believed in Santa Claus.
My parents being immigrants and not Christians did their best with Christmas. They did the gift thing, got a tree decorated the house but that was as far as it went with my family. We visited Santa in the mall and took pictures with the guy but there was never any illusion that anyone but our parents were responsible for getting us gifts. It wasn't so much that my brother and I were motivated to be good because of Santa but rather our parents.
Now perhaps having an outside influence, an omnipresent force like Santa to remind kids to be good is helpful but it kind of seems like a parental cop-out. I mean if your child is acts better when you mention Santa Claus as opposed to behaving well just for you then it seems you may have some behavior and respect issues to deal with.
The one song that most directly addresses the Santa Claus myth is "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town." Originally performed on sung on Eddie Cantor's radio show in 1934, this song became an instant Christmas classic.
Now most recordings of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" come from the perspective of an adult warning a child to be good. The words are a little ominous and foreboding saying telling a child that they should not only be good for Santa sake but "good for goodness sake."
Just think about the lyrics a second. Every line of the verse starts out with "you better." If that's not a veiled threat I don't know what is. I mean the song never explicitly describes what will happen if you are bad but I got to wonder if there isn't something punitive involved with Santa besides not getting gifts. This in addition to the fact that Santa is kind of a stalker is kind of disturbing, I mean this guys knows EVERYTHING!!
Here's the thing, I actually like this song the connotations don't work from me but it’s different hearing the words come from a child. This is one reason that my favorite version of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" is by The Jackson 5.
Not that it was enough for The Jackson 5 to break out with "I Want You Back" (which was one of the first posts I wrote), but the Jackson 5 and the geniuses at Motown continued to revolutionize popular music.
The Jackson 5 reved up the "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town," adding a classic up tempo Motown beat. They also changed the melody on the line "Santa Claus is coming to town." Instead of starting low and rising up and down using broken thirds, it starts on high note out of nowhere falling down before jumping up for another high note. I mean Michael just gives that high note everything that he's got. You can just picture him closing his eyes, throwing his head back and letting free his voice.
In Michael's hands this song is less about being good or being bad, but just celebrating the fact that Santa is on his way. Michael captures a child like joy and innocence like other children singers but his vocal power and expression adds a layer of soul to his performance that takes this song to a whole different level.
The Jackson 5's version is so influential that many artist like Bruce Springsteen “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” is as the Jackson 5 did modifying the melody and mimicking the Jackson 5's joyous spirit.
Listening to Michael makes you feel that he actually believes that Santa coming to town and his joy makes me want to believe in Santa Claus.
My parents being immigrants and not Christians did their best with Christmas. They did the gift thing, got a tree decorated the house but that was as far as it went with my family. We visited Santa in the mall and took pictures with the guy but there was never any illusion that anyone but our parents were responsible for getting us gifts. It wasn't so much that my brother and I were motivated to be good because of Santa but rather our parents.
Now perhaps having an outside influence, an omnipresent force like Santa to remind kids to be good is helpful but it kind of seems like a parental cop-out. I mean if your child is acts better when you mention Santa Claus as opposed to behaving well just for you then it seems you may have some behavior and respect issues to deal with.
The one song that most directly addresses the Santa Claus myth is "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town." Originally performed on sung on Eddie Cantor's radio show in 1934, this song became an instant Christmas classic.
Now most recordings of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" come from the perspective of an adult warning a child to be good. The words are a little ominous and foreboding saying telling a child that they should not only be good for Santa sake but "good for goodness sake."
Just think about the lyrics a second. Every line of the verse starts out with "you better." If that's not a veiled threat I don't know what is. I mean the song never explicitly describes what will happen if you are bad but I got to wonder if there isn't something punitive involved with Santa besides not getting gifts. This in addition to the fact that Santa is kind of a stalker is kind of disturbing, I mean this guys knows EVERYTHING!!
Here's the thing, I actually like this song the connotations don't work from me but it’s different hearing the words come from a child. This is one reason that my favorite version of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" is by The Jackson 5.
Not that it was enough for The Jackson 5 to break out with "I Want You Back" (which was one of the first posts I wrote), but the Jackson 5 and the geniuses at Motown continued to revolutionize popular music.
The Jackson 5 reved up the "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town," adding a classic up tempo Motown beat. They also changed the melody on the line "Santa Claus is coming to town." Instead of starting low and rising up and down using broken thirds, it starts on high note out of nowhere falling down before jumping up for another high note. I mean Michael just gives that high note everything that he's got. You can just picture him closing his eyes, throwing his head back and letting free his voice.
In Michael's hands this song is less about being good or being bad, but just celebrating the fact that Santa is on his way. Michael captures a child like joy and innocence like other children singers but his vocal power and expression adds a layer of soul to his performance that takes this song to a whole different level.
The Jackson 5's version is so influential that many artist like Bruce Springsteen “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” is as the Jackson 5 did modifying the melody and mimicking the Jackson 5's joyous spirit.
Listening to Michael makes you feel that he actually believes that Santa coming to town and his joy makes me want to believe in Santa Claus.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Tracks Of My Tears by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
When people think of hot producers and song writers, names like Timbaland, will.i.am & Rick Rubin come to mind. In the early 1960s at the headquarters of Motown called "Hitsville U.S.A." the hottest and most important song writer and producer was Smokey Robinson.
With over 1000 songs to his credit, Robinson wrote and produced some of the most influential and well known songs in popular music history including "My Girl" by the Temptation. Working with Berry Gordy the founder of Motown, Robinson changed the face of music earning the title, "The Poet Laureate of Soul."
If all Smokey Robinson did was write and produce “My Girl” (which I wrote about in this earlier post about in this earlier post about my brother) he’d be fondly remembered as a significant influence on popular music. Fortunately for us, he did so much more than that.
There are many great Smokey Robinson songs but one that keeps coming up in our culture is “Tracks Of My Tears.” Most recently covered by Adam Lambert in a beautifully crafted and intimate performance on American Idol, “Tracks Of My Tears” like so many of Robinson’s songs has stood the test of time.
Conceptually this song is amazing. The idea of a man crying so much that it leaves tracks, but only if you look closely is original and poignant. Smokey Robinson has such utility with his words. Like Hemingway he uses as few words as possible to get his message across. What he creates is straight forward simple words and rhymes that resonate with depth and meaning.
Check out the second verse:
Since you left me if you see me with another girl,
Seeming like I'm having fun.
Although she may be cute,
She's just a substitute
Because you're the permanent one.
There is extended alliteration with “see me” being soon followed by “seeming.” The rhymes are subtle and smooth in an ABBA pattern, "fun" with "one" and "cute" with "substitute." Listen closely to that “she’s just a substitute” line. It could not fit with the melody any better. This is one of the greatest pop lyrics I’ve ever come across. It’s so great that Pete Townsend of The Who wrote and recorded “Substitute” as an homage to this great line.
Then there’s the vocal. The falsetto of Smokey sounds masculine and is full of soul and blues. This is what every pop singer strives for their falsetto to be like but never quite captures. If we didn’t have Smokey, we wouldn’t have singers like Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake or Adam Lambert.
Take a listen to this a cappella edit of the recording.
Note the shape and the harmony in the Miracles vocal introduction and the way that Smokey effortlessly ends his phrases. My favorite thing about the interaction between the background vocals and Smokey is how the vocal introduction comes back in the last half of the second verse as a background vocal adding emphasis to the words.
Then there’s the chorus and the way that the background instruments continue the vocal line with descending triplets that Smokey starts. The melodic baseline, the snap of the tambourine on the offbeats. . . OMG EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS SONG IS INCREDIBLE!!
‘exhale’ okay. . .
I’m back sorry. This song really gets me excited. I could go on forever about this one. The craft is so artful and beautiful expressing a transcendent feeling of joy.
Yes, this song is about a breakup, heartache and desperation, but it’s also about the how good love feels.
Oliver Stone perfectly captured what this song feels like, what it means in his film Platoon. A whole bunch of young guys trying to deal with the stress of a war that makes no sense to them, finds camaraderie, release and pure joy in Smokey Robinson’s music.
It’s like what Butters once said in an episode of South Park
“Wuh-ell yeah, and I'm sad, but at the same time I'm really happy that somethin'
could make me feel that sad. It's like, it makes me feel alive, you know? It makes me feel human. And the only way I could feel this sad now is if I felt somethin' really good before. So I have to take the bad with the good, so I guess what I'm feelin' is like a, beautiful sadness. . .”
AmenCould not have said it any better myself little man.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Rehab by Amy Winehouse
I’ve never done drugs.
I’ve never smoked marijuana, I’ve never snorted anything or injected anything into my body. I’ve never smoked or cigarette or a hookah. Unbelievably, I was never offered any drugs even though the drug prevention education of my youth convinced me that I would. All that “just say no” practice was kind of a waste of time.
I feel blessed that none of my friends and family has had drugs significantly damage their lives, except for one. I wasn’t in contact in her when she went to rehab; I knew her before things that got that bad. We became friends in high school and I’ll never forget one night sitting outside on her back porch as she smoked a cigarette. She told me about her world, her dreams, her boyfriends and the drugs that were part of her life. I realized then that what I had been taught in elementary school that people who do drugs are “bad” people was a lie.
When I first heard “Rehab” by Amy Winehouse what floored me was the Motown sound that producer Mark Ronson had perfectly replicated. The energetic drum beat, the 1960s style back-up singers, the baritone saxophone used to punctuated the bass line and the overall arrangement of the instruments that allowed every instrument to be heard in the texture while they worked together as a singular groove made me musically “geek-out.”
What is amazing about this song is also what is difficult about this song. In front a musical sound brings us back to the great feelings of 1960s idealized love we have Amy Winehouse singing about how she doesn’t want to go to rehab. Juxtaposing such a serious subject against a lighthearted background reminds us that people in the 1960s had drug problems while expressing such a personal and emotional plea in a way we don't expect.
My wife and I recently watched an episode of Intervention on A&E and let me tell, there is no wink in the eye or playful expression when someone saying that will not go to rehab.
Amy Winehouse almost has us fooled. When she sings “I’m gonna, I’m gonna lose my baby” it’s beautifully bluesy, we feel the pain of losing one’s love but then we are reminded on how unbalanced she is when she says “I always keep a bottle near” immediately after.
This song is surreal, it’s like a dark comedic musical version of Intervention. What is difficult is that this song speaks directly to the desperation of an addict going from “I don’t ever want to drink again” to refusing to go to rehab. The fact that Winehouse who is only 25 years old has had drug and alcohol issues herself and early-stage emphysema which her father claims is a result of her drug use only makes this song more disturbing.
“Rehab” is sometimes how we see drug use as something we can make a light of. Some celebrity checks into rehab, it makes tabloid news, people joke about it and many of us judge. Maybe it’s a defense mechanism, maybe it’s the only way we can deal with this kind of news. Maybe the only way we can really deal with the true darkness of going to rehab is not by watching the reality of it on Intervention but by turning it into a farce.
I don’t know a lot about drugs, rehab or addiction. What I do is that it’s not a problem that relegated "stupid" or "weak" people. Every time I hear someone make that conclusion, I think of my friend, how beautiful her heart is and how much I love her.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
My Girl by The Temptations
"My Girl" music video"My Girl" from The Temptations television movie
Like most boys, my brother had various interests as we were growing up. There was a stage when we were both really into comic books, but my brother lost interest. In college, I got into professionally wrestling and passed that on to my brother and I eventually lost interest in that. However, the one thing that lasted for both of us that we’ve always shared throughout our entire lives is our love of music.
My brother started violin and as the younger brother I was quick to imitate. He started taking piano lessons and I insisted on learning that instrument as well. My parents never planned it this way. They knew music was important and could help both of us develop but they never thought it would become something that we would fall in love with.
I followed Ed to high school, joined jazz band, just like he did, then things seemed to start splitting off. I joined band and learned to play the saxophone as my brother went to New York University to study music technology. The hobby of composing, which we had both engaged in early in our piano lessons, became central to my study of music. I went to Northwestern to pursue a bachelor in music composition as my brother went on to do his master in music technology. With twist and turns of life my brother no longer works in the field of music and I am a music teacher.
I think about the wealth of music experiences I’ve been fortunate enough to experiences and there is something that’s always present. It’s there every time I listen to a song, explain a melody to a friend or write about a piece of art. The focus, the center of it all is the fact that I love music and it’s my brother who showed me what truly meant.
My dad as I’ve mentioned in earlier posts shared the music of his childhood with us. . The enthusiasm and joy that he got out of the music in his life was infectious and my brother got the Motown bug bad. The song that captured his imagination was “My Girl” by the Temptations. How many people do you know that can only name the original members of the Temptations as well as the many different replacements and group permutations from their start as the Elgins in 1960 all the way up until the 1980s? Ed is the only person I’ve ever met who knows this information (the scary part was that he knew this all of this in 8th grade).
He not only listened to the music of the Temptations but also researched their history through books, videotapes and anything he could get his hands on. If there was television performance or appearance, he would tape it and we would watch it repeatedly. I didn’t really understand all of this when I was in younger, and sometimes I would get annoyed that Motown was all he was listening to and talking about, but more often then not, I just wanted to be as excited as he was.
Ed taught me the lyrics to “My Girl” and showed the genius of it all. Smokey Robinson the composer, recognized as one finest lyricist in popular music wrote effortless rhymes.
I've got sunshine
On a cloudy day.
When it's cold outside,
I've got the month of May.
The opening seems so cliché but that is only because it is deep in our culture. Two opposites, sunshine and clouds, followed by feeling cold and instead of saying that something about feeling warm Smoky brings the imagery of the month of May, with a rhyme that seems so organic that it seems it that the words were created to be arranged in this way.
I remember listening to “My Girl” with Ed as he pointed out how the instruments worked together. It starts with solid bass line, the short guitar chords on beats two and four and the other instruments playing different rhythms at the same time to create a groove. I still remember the moment when Ed told me to listen to the stings and I heard it not only reach a euphoric peak in the instrumental bridge but also how the strings paint the rest of the song like a rainbow colors a clear blue sky.
Watching how my brother came to love “My Girl” inspired me to take my own path exploring the world of the Beatles and falling in love with their music. I’m sure Ed was just doing the older brother thing, sharing and playing with his younger brother, but what he did set me on path that has taken me to this very moment expressing how much I love music.
When we love something, we want to know everything about it. We can’t help it. It becomes an obsession. Yes, like being “in love” this obsession passes but if it is truly love something deeper is left. It’s that indescribable feeling of pure joy and comfort. It’s that person that no matter how often you talk to you still want to know more. It’s having something so close to your heart that it feels like part of you, the best part of you, that never leaves you, because it is you.
My dad used to play badminton with a bunch of friends and he would open early so that my brother and I could play. This was a Friday night tradition which my whole family enjoyed. Sometimes my mom wouldn’t come, we’d play a couple games with my dad, and later our mom would come pick us up. While waiting at the entrance of the gym for our mom after we were done playing, my brother would teach me the Temptation’s dance routine for “My Girl.” God knows how many times he must have watched the tape of them performing to learn but he loved it, and I’m so glad he shared that with me.
Every time I hear “My Girl” I think about those moments dancing to the “My Girl” playing in our heads, working through the routine and I smile, think of how much I love my brother and how thankful I am for all that he has taught me.
Isn’t it great how music expresses feelings that words can’t expresses? Well, you know that moment right at the end of instrumental bridge when it builds into David exclaiming, “I don’t need no money,” with sheer joy and bliss?
That’s exactly how I feel about my brother.
Thanks Ed
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Love Child by the Supremes
I took a sociology class my freshmen year at Northwestern University. One of the books I read for this class was Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier. This book documented the life of homeless people in New York City and explained how they handled different aspects in their life like how they made money found food. One aspect that I never thought about was their romantic life. I just assumed that homeless people didn’t have boyfriends or husbands. I didn’t really think that someone who get their food from a trash could have a sex life, but they do.
Duneier discuss where homeless people find places to be romantic, make love and how these relationships in many way are not that different than the relationships of those of us who are fortunate enough to live comfortably. However, like most things for people who are in poverty, romance and sex is more challenging and in some ways is not as enjoyable.
Everything from fancy dinners, sexy underwear and romantic vacations all contribute to people’s enjoyment of each other. One of the less apparent advantages but important ones is birth control. Whether it’s condoms or pills, these things all cost money. If those things fail, people of means have much more resources and options when it comes to abortions and putting children up for adoption. The lack of options of people in poverty and the fear of an unwanted baby drives the narrator in “Love Child.”
I always found “Love Child” to be one of the most intriguing songs that the Supremes recorded. The Supremes set the standard for what it meant to be a girl group. Motown built up the Supremes with an image of high-class elegance singing some of the best crated pop songs in music history. Most of the songs are relatively light in their subject matter, contemplating idealized romantic love through a variety of situations.
After two failed singles, Berry Gordy the owner of Motown records got a group of songwriters called The Clan to work on a new hit single for the Supremes. What they created was not a song about romantic love but a song about a woman trying to explain to her boyfriend why she doesn’t want to have sex with him. Can you imagine pitching this song idea to a pop radio station? The subject doesn’t sound like something that most people would want to listen to but “Love Child” holds as the Supremes best selling single, outselling all of their other 45 releases. It was so successful it knocked off The Beatles’ enormous hit “He Jude” off the number one spot on the pop charts.
Diana Ross, the lead singer of the Supremes takes on the roll of a woman who was born a “love child.” This is another term for a child born to unwed parents. Her mother was poor and Diana’s character grew up in a tenement slum. She describe is the first verse how she never knew her father and that she carries the guilt from her mother about the fact that she has no name. In the second verse Diana, describe starting school in a second hand dress. There is pain in not having the things that her friends had but what is even more painful is the guilt that she carries.
This first hand experience as a “love child” motivates Diana’s character to try to convince her boyfriend to hold off making love because the possibility of creating a “love child” that they will both end up hating this child. Diana’s character asserts that if she has a illegitimate child that it will carry the same shame and guilt that she carries.
There are attitudes in our society about children born out of wedlock, but I wonder if the level of shame and guilt that Diana’s character experiences comes more from her mother than society. Diana’s character herself feels ashamed of her own existence and this is one of the most shocking things about this song. She talks about a “love child” as being “never meant to be” and if there is any doubt that she is referring to herself, she sings in the end of the first chorus “take a look at me.”
“Love Child” ends with a declaration of love. In an earlier section she explains to her boyfriend that she wants to please him and that she needs him which is followed by talking about a the love child they may create. So when Diana starts signing “I’ll always love you,” my initial thought was that she was singing to her boyfriend. In declaring that she loves him, maybe she is attempting to assuage his advances by expressing a level of commitment that would make up for not making love. The more I listen to this song, the more I think that she’s probably not singing to him, but to herself and to her child.
As Diana sings “I will always love you” it sounds more like a desperate cry than a declaration of romantic love. After telling herself and her future child how much she thinks they are both mistakes, she realizes how wrong she is and tries to convince them otherwise. Was she being so negative as a reflection of how she truly feels or in an effort to convince her boyfriend not to force her to have sex? Either way by the end of the song, with the back-up singers reminding us that the being a “love child” is on her mind, she sings about love, apologizing to herself and her future child.
Diana Ross stretches her dramatic abilities as a singer in “Love Child.” In earlier songs written for the Supremes, Diana’s thin, gentle and conversational voice worked in those songs. She doesn’t have a large range, or a great degree of variety in her tone but “Love Child” she approaches a level of rawness, expressing an internal struggle as she pushes her voice creating a level of intensity that drives the song as much as background instruments.
The Andantes, Motown’s session singers sang on this record instead of the Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong, the other two members of the Supremes. The Andantes begin the song singing on “oo” while softly rising. Then right before Diana enters they sing a high tense “ah” that comes across like a woman screaming. This happens a couple times during the song expressing the turmoil in the main character’s mind and makes it clear to the listener that there is a level of pain to be dealt with in this song.
Sometimes I wonder, what is the point of a song like “Love Child.” It’s not especially happy and it doesn’t put me in a great mood to listen to it. I’m sure some people who feel like Diana Ross’ character can relate to it, but I don’t really relate to most of this song. Is this song suppose to make me feel bad about poor people motivating me to go help them? I don’t think so, and that’s one reason why I like this song. It’s not preachy but instead it’s an interesting examination of a human conflict. These kinds of stories come from all different place, sometimes it’s from Green Bow, Alabama with a guy names Forrest and other times it comes from a tenement slum. What great stories do is help us know another person for a moment and in that experience we feel things that we don’t normally do, and get perspective on our lives.
It’s important that we are aware of the struggles of others, not so that we can feel guilty all of the time and spend our lives doing charity work. We all should work to help others but people’s choices about charity are their own prerogative. However, it is essential that we are aware of struggles like the one in “Love Child” because it is through understanding each struggle that we realize that there is no individual experience but only a shared humanity that binds us, challenges us and brings us closer to each other and ourselves.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
What Becomes of the Broken Hearted by Joan Osborne and the Funk Brothers
You never know when you’re going to find a song that you fall in love with. Sometimes it’s when you’re watching television, sometimes it’s over the radio and there even have been times when I’ve been in the mall and heard a song being used as Muzak that caught my attention.
I was thrilled when I first saw the trailer for the documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown. The film is a documentary about the Funk Brothers who were the house band for Motown records during the late 1950s and 1960s. The tag line in the trailer is, “The Funk Brothers were the biggest hit machine in the history of music with more #1 hits than the Beatles, the Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones and Elvis Presley . . . combined.” This remarkable group of musicians created the Motown sounds, catapulted great artists like the Temptations and Stevie Wonder while creating timeless music that is some of the most influential music in American history.
Looking forward to the watching the film, I expected to hear some interesting stories from these musicians, get some musical insights and see some interesting performance footage from their reunion concert. I remember not really thinking too much of the reunion concert that was part of the film because it featured current singers performing old Motown songs instead of the singers who originally sang the songs in the 1960s.
I went to see this film with my dad who had grown up with this music. It wasn’t playing in a multiplex but rather a small art house theater. I remember sitting there as watching the film, loving every minute of it and seeing a scene where Joan Osborne is talking about how much Motown music meant to her.
Wait, Joan Osborne? The curly-haired, nose-ring girl from the 1990s who had that song "One Of Us."
What business did she have being in this film? Wait, she’s talking about “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?” That song is amazing and what is the “What if God was one of us”-girl going to do to this song? I remember thinking all of that and dreading her performance. My expectations were completely wrong and as I watched Joan Osborne sing “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?” I realized I was witnessing something truly remarkable.
Jimmy Ruffin originally recorded and released “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?” in 1966 (check out his awesome collar). The narrator of the song questions what happens to people who have had their heart broken. He is questioning this as much for other people as well as himself. This song combines sad lyrics with a lush and hopeful melody and instrumentation. The melody rises up through the verse arriving at a sense of understanding with the words “What becomes of broken hearted?” Through the pain there is determination, “I know I’ve got to find, some kind of peace of mind” and much as the narrator has experienced grief he is not giving up on his search for love. Their search is difficult, treacherous and opens up the possibility of being hurt again but it is a journey that must be taken.
Jimmy Ruffin is the older brother of David Ruffin, one of the lead singers of the Temptations who sang lead on “My Girl.” They both shared a similar rasp to the voice. David had a melodramatic extroverted passion in his voice while Jimmy’s performance on “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?” reflects an internal torment through a more subtle performance. Though Jimmy’s voice is what most people relate to this song, numerous artists including Rod Stewart, Joe Cocker and Vonda Shepard have covered it.
Joan Osborne’s voice has a slight raspy edge but that doesn’t stop her from flowing through the melody with a effortless elegance. It’s like this song was written just for her and you feel like she is singing it just for you. There is a dramatic flair to her voice but it always seems genuine. It’s not so much that she is singing the song but that she is re-experiencing the feelings behind the song.
The song follows the form of the original recording until the part where Jimmy Ruffin’s song fades out and Osborne takes it to a whole different level (2:50 into the song). The band drops, letting Osborn’s voice carry the line accenting “tell me” bringing forth the desire and desperation in the song. Like a master orator, she repeats herself building up to two more powerful explanations of “tell me.” Then she pulls it down and starts one final time building up to three impassioned repetitions of “tell me” arriving at a raw and soulful held not which soars over the band and back-up singers.
You believe at last section of the song that Joan Osborne is giving all that she has. Everything has seen, everything she has felt and everything that she hopes for comes out as she pushes her voice to its limit. There are few times in my life when I’ve heard a song and was left stunned and speechless. It’s a feeling of being emotionally drained. It’s going through something so powerful and transformative that it demands a moments of reflection. It’s witnessing something that makes you feel an indescribable mix of emotions that can only be experienced through that one unique way.
There are things parts of the human condition that only certain art forms can express. It’s not so much that music is better then other art forms but it can do things that a painting for example can’t and the reverse is true as well. Leaving that theater after watching Standing in the Shadows of Motown, I knew that this was something special. This song has stayed with me over the years as reminder of how wrong are my expectations can be, how amazing it feels to experience something magical for the first time and how amazing music can make us feel.
Look closely at Joan Osborne in the introduction of "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?" You see her just grooving to the music with a look of pure bliss and utter contentment as she experiences all of the magic that is going on behind her?
That's exactly how this song makes me feel and that's why I love this song.
I was thrilled when I first saw the trailer for the documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown. The film is a documentary about the Funk Brothers who were the house band for Motown records during the late 1950s and 1960s. The tag line in the trailer is, “The Funk Brothers were the biggest hit machine in the history of music with more #1 hits than the Beatles, the Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones and Elvis Presley . . . combined.” This remarkable group of musicians created the Motown sounds, catapulted great artists like the Temptations and Stevie Wonder while creating timeless music that is some of the most influential music in American history.
Looking forward to the watching the film, I expected to hear some interesting stories from these musicians, get some musical insights and see some interesting performance footage from their reunion concert. I remember not really thinking too much of the reunion concert that was part of the film because it featured current singers performing old Motown songs instead of the singers who originally sang the songs in the 1960s.
I went to see this film with my dad who had grown up with this music. It wasn’t playing in a multiplex but rather a small art house theater. I remember sitting there as watching the film, loving every minute of it and seeing a scene where Joan Osborne is talking about how much Motown music meant to her.
Wait, Joan Osborne? The curly-haired, nose-ring girl from the 1990s who had that song "One Of Us."
What business did she have being in this film? Wait, she’s talking about “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?” That song is amazing and what is the “What if God was one of us”-girl going to do to this song? I remember thinking all of that and dreading her performance. My expectations were completely wrong and as I watched Joan Osborne sing “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?” I realized I was witnessing something truly remarkable.
Jimmy Ruffin originally recorded and released “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?” in 1966 (check out his awesome collar). The narrator of the song questions what happens to people who have had their heart broken. He is questioning this as much for other people as well as himself. This song combines sad lyrics with a lush and hopeful melody and instrumentation. The melody rises up through the verse arriving at a sense of understanding with the words “What becomes of broken hearted?” Through the pain there is determination, “I know I’ve got to find, some kind of peace of mind” and much as the narrator has experienced grief he is not giving up on his search for love. Their search is difficult, treacherous and opens up the possibility of being hurt again but it is a journey that must be taken.
Jimmy Ruffin is the older brother of David Ruffin, one of the lead singers of the Temptations who sang lead on “My Girl.” They both shared a similar rasp to the voice. David had a melodramatic extroverted passion in his voice while Jimmy’s performance on “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?” reflects an internal torment through a more subtle performance. Though Jimmy’s voice is what most people relate to this song, numerous artists including Rod Stewart, Joe Cocker and Vonda Shepard have covered it.
Joan Osborne’s voice has a slight raspy edge but that doesn’t stop her from flowing through the melody with a effortless elegance. It’s like this song was written just for her and you feel like she is singing it just for you. There is a dramatic flair to her voice but it always seems genuine. It’s not so much that she is singing the song but that she is re-experiencing the feelings behind the song.
The song follows the form of the original recording until the part where Jimmy Ruffin’s song fades out and Osborne takes it to a whole different level (2:50 into the song). The band drops, letting Osborn’s voice carry the line accenting “tell me” bringing forth the desire and desperation in the song. Like a master orator, she repeats herself building up to two more powerful explanations of “tell me.” Then she pulls it down and starts one final time building up to three impassioned repetitions of “tell me” arriving at a raw and soulful held not which soars over the band and back-up singers.
You believe at last section of the song that Joan Osborne is giving all that she has. Everything has seen, everything she has felt and everything that she hopes for comes out as she pushes her voice to its limit. There are few times in my life when I’ve heard a song and was left stunned and speechless. It’s a feeling of being emotionally drained. It’s going through something so powerful and transformative that it demands a moments of reflection. It’s witnessing something that makes you feel an indescribable mix of emotions that can only be experienced through that one unique way.
There are things parts of the human condition that only certain art forms can express. It’s not so much that music is better then other art forms but it can do things that a painting for example can’t and the reverse is true as well. Leaving that theater after watching Standing in the Shadows of Motown, I knew that this was something special. This song has stayed with me over the years as reminder of how wrong are my expectations can be, how amazing it feels to experience something magical for the first time and how amazing music can make us feel.
Look closely at Joan Osborne in the introduction of "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?" You see her just grooving to the music with a look of pure bliss and utter contentment as she experiences all of the magic that is going on behind her?
That's exactly how this song makes me feel and that's why I love this song.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
I Can’t Help Myself (Sugarpie, Honey Bunch) by The Four Tops
My dad is one of the most important musical influences in my life. He never learned how to play musical instruments, he does not have the greatest singing voice and he probably could not understand most concepts in music theory. What he taught me is more important than all of that. He showed me that the love of music is the only thing that is truly relevant in being a musician. He gave an understanding of music’s role in society and showed me the power it has to enrich our lives every day.
My parents drove me to school almost every day until I started driving myself in high school. In middle school, my dad drove to school almost every morning and we would listen to the local oldies radio station. One of my favorite memories of my dad and I rocking out to “I Can’t Help Myself” by The Four Tops on the way to school.
If you listen to this song and you don’t smile or get a little bit of joy out of this song you either got to be dead or have a heart smaller then the Grinch’s. The beginning bass line leads up to the third notes, which accents the offbeat throwing the momentum forward and settles into an irresistible but simple groove. Like most jazz music and many Motown songs of the 1960s the groove lies less in the drum set but in the bass player who drives the beat forward.
Most popular songs have a verse/chorus form alternating between verses and a chorus often with bridge later in the song. This song’s form is simpler. The form is made of a repeated 8-measre phrase that the producers skillfully varied in each repetition. The first three repetitions features Levi Stubbs the lead singer. This is followed by the fourth repetition which is a saxophone solo (or back-up singer feature on the youtube.com clip). The fifth and sixth sections go back to singing and then there is a break down. The instruments thin out and the music builds. This section is only six measures long, building momentum into the final repetitions. The form maintains a level of predictability with just enough variation to keep the listen engaged.
Levis Stubbs is one of the greatest singers in popular music. While most groups utilized a higher tenor voice to sing lead, The Four Tops featured the lower baritone voice of Levi Stubbs. His gravely voice seemed to border the line between singing and shouting without sounding forced. Even through his rough voice, there is clarity and energy like that of a Baptist preacher. He makes the words “Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch” so genuine and heartfelt that we forget how silly those words are. Next time you are around a male friend, see how manly they sound when they call their significant other by their pet name.
Levi Stubbs could make anything sound manly, and I mean anything (if you listen to The Four Tops’ cover of “Macarthur Park” you will cry when Levi sings “Someone left the cake out in the rain. I don’t think that I can take it Cause it took so long to bake it and Ill never have that recipe again!”). And more importantly he made you believe in what he sang about through his unbridled expression, humanity and charm.
The subject of this song is pretty straightforward. A man is infatuated with a woman, he sometimes thinks of leaving her but he can’t help himself. You can always tell when you are falling in love with someone because you think about them all the time and you bring them up in conversation without realizing it. It’s the greatest kind of torture when your heart will not let your mind forget how good it feels to be with that person. Levi gets that from his “Sugarpie Honeybunch” and I get that feeling from my “Boo-Bear.”
Sometimes I try to imagine what it was like for my dad growing up as a teen in the 1960s in Taiwan listening to American pop music. I imagine it represented youth, freedom and the American Dream. The term “American Dream” is not some singular path that all Americans have but rather the individual hopes and ideas that my father had about America.
One of my dad’s dreams was to own a Ford Mustang. In the 1950s and 1960s the Ford Mustang was an incredible machine that epitomized the best in American engineering and freedom of American youth. Unfortunately, by the time my dad got to America in the late 1970s and bought his dream car of a Ford Mustang, the American auto industry had taken a down turn and the Mustang was a shadow of the great car it used to be. That dream may have failed my dad but I like to think that the music did not.
He introduced my brother and I to the music of Motown which represented some of the best music of that my dad’s youth. My dad derives so much infectious joy from that music and Motown music became a cornerstone to how I identified what it meant to be American.
From Motown, came my infatuation with the Beatles, which led to my interest in the music of the 1990s, jazz, classical, show tunes and many other genres of music that solidified my love of the art of music. The more music I listen to the more I come back to the idea that music’s power to connect us with certain times in our lives and dreams in our hearts is central to the musical experience. “I Can’t Help Myself” lyrically has nothing to do with my dad, and was created seventeen years before I was born. It has no innate reason that it connected with me or my dad but it did and I can’t really explain why that happened but I can tell you how wonderful it is to hear this song play and think back at great moments I had with my dad.
If you ever met my dad before then I guarantee you’ve seen him smile. There are many things my dad has taught me but one of the most important things I learned from him is how great life is and how important it is to enjoy life sharing the simple moments with the people you love.
Thanks dad for making the effort to drive me to school all the times you did. I would not have had it any other way. Thanks for introducing the world of Motown into my life, which has brought me more joy then I can describe. And Thanks for teaching me what it means to truly love music and how important it is in shaping our dreams and connecting us people in our lives. I hope you’ve enjoyed the music I’ve shared with you and I can’t wait until the next time we get to rock out in the future.
Oh, and the signature Four Tops dance move (about 1 minutes 12 seconds into the youtube.com clip), my dad totally owns that.
Friday, November 7, 2008
I Want You Back by The Jackson 5
Before Michael Jackson was investigated at the center of celebrity criminal investigations, way before Michael Jackson became a target for tabloids across the world and even before Michael Jackson became one of the best selling solo artists in music history he was a 11-year-old boy from Garry, Indiana.It is easy to forget that Michael Jackson used to be that boy who danced and sang beyond his years with a level of artistry that inspired generations of musicians. But it is impossible to forget the music that this Mozart of popular music produced in his time with The Jackson 5.
"I Want You Back" introduced the world to Michael Jackson and his brothers that made up the group, The Jackson 5. Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown Records, saw the potential of in The Jackson 5 to reach beyond the African-American population to mainstream America. Gordy was a marketing genius who understood how to meld different genres of music to appeal to masses while maintaining a high level of musical artistry. He got together with three other composers to write and produce songs for The Jackson 5 as “The Corporation” to create the music that would catapult these five brothers into an international sensation.
"I Want You Back" is an intricate arrangement of musical colors that inspires child-like wonder in sonic world that it creates. It all begins with the piano glissando that falls like a rock splashing into a lack. Then right at the end of glissando there is cymbal hit that splashes like a bucket of water against a window. Other instruments enter the musical landscape as it comes into focus like water falling off a window clarifying what is seen beyond the glass.
The bass line immediately draws in the listener refusing to simply be a traditional bass line. The first note of the bass starts and is followed by space, then it rushes ahead, then there is more space. It pushes ahead again and finally we get a steady sense of the beat. This baseline almost seems to stutters before it becomes steady playing with our expectations and creates sonic space for us to listen to other instruments as they enter.
The rhythm guitar fills out the harmony while a rhythmic groove with the bongo drums before the drum set enters. Then the first verse begins and drums drop out. The Corporation chose to not use the drum set in the verse so that when it did enter during the choruses it not only provided a refreshing musical color but also kicked the chorus into high gear with a feeling of arrival. Other guitar lines and string orchestra countermelodies add other colors to this song, never overshadowing other instruments.
In this entire song, one can hear each individual instrument in the overall texture. This is because the different instruments are occupying different musical space. For example, the piano and bass play the same notes in the beginning of the song but because piano is playing it in a higher register while the bass in playing in a lower registers they are both audible. One can hear the slower rhythms in the bass line against the faster patterns of the guitar because they are playing at different times. Each instruments has a purpose and space that it occupies that works like an assembly line doing different things all at the same time to create a single amazing product.
The other Jackson brothers are not the typical back-up vocalists. They provide harmony but also countermelody, rhythmic energy and Michael’s inner dialogue. Let me show you what I mean. Here are the lyrics of the chorus. The text in the parentheses is what the back-up singer’s lines.
Oh baby give me one more chance
(show you that I love you)
Won't you please let me
(back in your heart)
Oh darlin' I was blind to let you go
(let you go baby)
But now since I see you in his arms
(I want you back)
Yes I do now
(I want you back)
Ooh ooh baby
(I want you back)
Ya ya ya ya
(I want you back)
Na na na na
It’s like Michael is trying to tell this girl what he means but he can’t quite get it out. The back-up singers are like his friends goading him on to really say what he means. The only time you hear Michael sing the words “I Want You Back” is in the fadeout during the last ten seconds of the song. He never gets across to his girl what he really wants. It’s a charming and almost comical scene to picture reflecting the optimism and naivety of young love.
The most musically inspired sections in this song are the transitions. At about 1 minute and 10 seconds, the section that leads back into the verse is like a musical black hole. None of the instruments play patterns that are on the beat. The feeling of the groups of four beats that the composers organized this song in seems lost and then the verse comes in two beats earlier then we expect. This propels us out of this black hole suddenly and unexpectedly into the second verse with a great sense of motion and arrival. Other transitions also play with our sense of rhythmic stability to draw attention to not only where the music is going but also how it gets there.
Michael Jackson’s voice as an 11-year-old boy is an astounding music artifact. It is a child singing with incredible singing technique and expression emulating the master soul singers in Motown that he grew up listening to and actively worked with. Michael is able to bring forth a level of intensity and sincerity in the verses while during the choruses his voice sails with a sense of pure joy and freedom.
Meaning in music comes from the artists, from our lives and sometimes it is something that changes over time. The high level of musical invention and artistry in "I Want You Back" communicates certain emotions but there is something much deeper in my own life that has made this song hold personal meaning.
There are moments in our lives when we realize we are growing up. For some of us, it’s that moment we see our parents make a mistake, for others it’s a traumatic moment like a family member dying. One of those moments in my life was realizing that Michael Jackson was fallible and that there was a possibility, even a small one in my mind that Michael could be guilty of one of the most insidious crimes in our society. This was all the more powerful because we have a snapshot of that innocence in Michael that we all lose growing up in that 11-year-old boy singing about a lost love.
In young Michael Jackson, I see the things that I would like to remember of my childhood. And in the later life of Michael Jackson, I see the harsh reality of life, how people can hurt each other and themselves. However, Michael Jackson gives me hope. I know the child who sang "I Want You Back" is still in him and I know that myself as a child is still inside me.
Whenever I listen to this song, the sun just seems to shine a little brighter. "I Want You Back" is about the optimism and the innocence that even we have lost never cease to inspire us in our lives to hope as Michael does in "I Want You Back" to fix our mistakes and work for a brighter tomorrow.
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