Country Exam 2 Listening
Love in the First Degree
Alabama, 1980s Lyrics: Uses the metaphor of prison, breaking the law in someway for a relationship Used to be a rambler, but this person has changed him He thought having a long term relationship would hinder his independence, but he met someone who changed his mind He's now willing to be "locked up" Sounds: Some elec guitar that's picked, but it's not thrown at you at front Vocals are what mark the song as country He takes one syllable and puts multiple notes on it (called a run), expresses vocal virtuosity The beat is a rock beat Uses strings, they come in during the chorus, where we're supposed to feel the most emotion
Gone Country
Alan Jackson, 1990s Lyrics: Advertisement for the style of country music Not one long narrative: 3 short narratives about 3 different people and how they went outside country music and came back Each of them has some other reason besides money for coming back to country Chorus is a celebration that this person has come back Sounds: From the beginning, it gives us a rock sound: electric guitar Pedal steel comes in, fiddle (gives the song an obvious country marker) Uses stop-time at the chorus Piano comes in at verse 3, probably to show us the person this verse is about writes his songs at the piano, which is a pop thing Big accent, twangy
Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)
Alan Jackson, 2000s Sounds: The music makes the song gentle Acoustic guitar picking The first lyric of the song is very intense, but he delivers it gently by singing softly Mandolin comes in Fiddle plays low notes and sounds intimate Orchestral swell in the chorus Does some vocal fry, scoops up to a lot of things Repeats "the greatest is love" softly so people will take that message away Lyrics: Validates any reaction that someone might have to 9/11, almost like a therapy session in this way The ends of the verses either have something to do with faith or with family He shares his own reaction in the chorus (he isn't very political, but from his faith he knows the most important thing is love) Outsiders would react to this song by saying country people can't just turn to religion, it won't help their ignorance
Whiskey Lullaby
Alison Krauss and Brad Paisley, 2000s Sounds: Very slow, the entire recording has an airyness or breathyness feel Nothing that's going to punch out: very gentle Not a lot of accent or twang Soft harmony vocals At the end of the chorus, they sing the lullaby (what the angels sound like) There's some fiddle, but it's low, just to give a lonely sound Lyrics: Lyrics at face value: Two people who drink themselves to death Women has kicked a man out, he responds by drinking We find out he has drunk himself to death, he was found dead in his room with a note that said he'd love her till he dies Sung from the perspective of an entire community For a long time after he dies she feels guilty and deals with the pain by also drinking She ends up dying by the same means and when they find her she was holding onto a picture of him
Islands in the Stream
Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, 1980s Lyrics: Love song, two people that are so in love with each other and no one can get in the way They will be in love and together until they die Sounds: At the beginning there is electric guitar that sounds very clear and clean (disco sound) Kenny Rogers starts the song and it is smooth (nothing really stands out) When we get to the chorus, there's backing vocals, more instruments Dolly Parton comes in and has a heavier accent and compliments his voice Strings, horns Has a key change to adjust to Dolly Parton's vocal range
9 to 5
Dolly Parton, 1980s Lyrics: Complaint and critique of 9 to 5 work You give and give, but don't get the career advancement that you want A lot of people could relate to these lyrics One day you'll have a change of luck, but until then there's nothing you can do Supposed to be maybe a little bit funny Sounds: Her vocal is the only thing that really sounds country Clear singer Pop gospel style Horns are used as interjections Backing vocals sound like a gospel choir Verse-chorus form Clicking typewriter sound (actually her nails clicking)
Kiss an Angel Good Morning
Charley Pride, 1970s Lyrics: Not a story, it's an advice song A heterosexual male is talking about his wife and saying people ask me why I'm so happy, I'm happy because I give my wife attention, so we have a good relationship Everything is positive Sounds: Easygoing and positive Drums, piano, and acoustic guitar in the background His vocals and the pedal steel guitar stand out Pedal steel gives it a honky tonk sound, but not as twangy He has an accent, but doesn't make it stand out a lot
Midnight Train to Memphis
Chris Stapleton, 2010s Sounds: What they do with the electric guitar is borrowed from the blues Vocals are based in blues as well His vocal is very rough and growly, he throws in a few melismas (improvised) Elec guitar, acoustic guitar, drums, tambourine The fact that he's suing the blues and the way he's using it makes this song country Twelve Bar Blues Lyrics: He's in court: abjection The judge tells him to behave in prison and he'll be out in 40 days He can't move in prison, hears everything moving on the outside More abjection: "eat your breakfast on the ground" We don't know if he gets out, we just know how feels to be in there
Cruise
Florida Georgia Line, 2010s Sounds: Ends with a rock aesthetic Loud, the way that the guitar sounds, the way the banjo is played has a rock sound too Harmony vocal, especially in the chorus Electric guitar solo that sounds dirty and rough Extreme country accent, super twangy Lyrics: Telling the listener what it was like when he first saw this girl, she was coming out of the water, probably at the lake, without even thinking he goes up to her and gives her a dramatic pick up line They're spending time together and she likes the same activities: cruising in the car They drive somewhere and he plays guitar for her
Friends in Low Places
Garth Brooks, 1990s Sounds: Fiddle responds to him in the chorus as a way to indicate some kind of drunkenness Pedal steel, piano, acoustic guitar Singing has lots of tiny yodels and little melismas Roughness style in terms of sound Lyrics: The subject has crashed a wedding of his ex-lover The chorus doesn't tells us anything about the story: it tells us how he is proud of being lower class Point of the song is to talk about class difference (audiences who are educated and don't listen to country vs audience who do) He understands his position of abjection
Two of a Kind (Workin' On a Full House)
Garth Brooks, 1990s Sounds: Fiddle, pedal steel, electric guitar played in a roadhouse texas blues style, acoustic guitar, piano Vocal is really twangy AABA form (verse-bridge) Tension is built at the very ends of the bridges and resolved at the next verse Lyrics: Saying we are two people who are married and trying to have 3 more kids A lot of cards, poker metaphors Overall: working class themes and country themes
The Dance
Garth Brooks, 1990s Sounds: Slow in tempo → gives us feeling of interiority Starts and ends with piano First verse: just him and the acoustic guitar (intimate) Strings in the chorus, brings us to a high point of emotion Ending instrumental portion messes up the resolution that we had felt Lyrics: Doesn't have a lot of markers of any country General enough that they could apply to anyone About someone who was loved and lost her He says he would still do it the exact same way Moral end of the story is that he went through some kind of personal growth
He Stopped Loving Her Today
George Jones, 1980s Lyrics: Narrative within a snapshot of a relationship He can't get over her The person singing the song is not the one who is sad He says the day his friend dies is the day he stops loving her Romantic abjection: failure in a romantic sense because he could never get over her Sounds: His voice has us on the edge, we think he might not hit a note, but he always does The emotion comes in the middle of the lines Piano, acoustic guitar, pedal steel (doesn't come in until the key change), harmonica (tends to note nostalgia) There's a moment where it's just him: the instruments drop out and you can hear the sadness Some group backing vocals come in very gently During the second verse, there is one woman's backing vocals: could be the ghost of the woman that the guy could never get over
All My Ex's Live in Texas
George Strait, 1980s Sounds: Pedal steel is used often in response to his voice Fiddle is played really smoothly Electric guitar gives it a bluesy sound Piano comes in during the chorus in a honky-tonk style He shows a high level of vocal virtuosity Sounds really laid back, but in complete control Not very loud Mixes some vocal fry with his regular voice Uses vibrato at the ends of many phrases Backing vocals don't sound like him (sounds like a live band) Lyrics: Sung from perspective of a person who is kind of clueless First person confessional about broken relationships Supposed to be funny It's not really the fault of all of his ex-lovers, it's probably his fault that none of his relationships work, he's got some sort of an ego problem Mentions places that are famous in country music: Texas and Tennessee
Coal Miner's Daughter
Loretta Lynn, 1970s Lyrics: Strophic Talking about what it was like to grow up in her family Point is to show that she's proud of where she comes from She outlines all the reasons why She's saying don't feel sorry for me, my family took care of me and loved me, and that's all that matters Sounds: Virtuosity comes in how clearly she sings At the ends of each line she does a little bit of vibrato Background of acoustic guitar, some drums What comes out of that is the pedal steel and banjo Upbeat sound even though she's talking about these that might seem sad The key changes raise the excitement of the song
Country Girl (Shake It For Me)
Luke Bryan, 2010s Sounds: Sounds very serious Very noisy (almost chaotic): the way they play the fiddle and elec guitar (they get this from rock) He sings lower in the chorus, which contributes to the serious sound Four on the floor He has a really clear and clean tambor, doesn't do loads of melismas Fiddle, banjo comes in at the pre-chorus Lyrics: He's got really great bass in the truck, wearing boots, they're in Georgia Rural location The girl is supposed to dance for him for his pleasure, when we get to the chorus we learn she is supposed to dance for all young men in the honky tonks Later, he says she is to shake it for all of God's creation She is the farmer's daughter (like the girl next door) but can get wild with her dancing
Girl in a Country Song
Maddie & Tae, 2010s Sounds: Relying on musical signifiers of bro: banjo, electric guitar They do some of the vocal things that are in bro: the way she sings "song" and "wrong", a lot of scooping Some melismas Sings it with a little bit of a sneer and with an R&B effect Big build up to chorus Right before the bridge, there's a bluesy fiddle style Lyrics: From a woman's perspective, talking about what it would be like if you were that "girl" in a country song Wearing a bikini top all day that chafes, the man doesn't call her by her name: describing the experience The chorus is the moral condemnation of it: we're there for decoration The bridge mentions George Strait and Conway, how they were successful in country without objectifying women
Tin Man
Miranda Lambert, 2010s Sounds: Synthesizer and acoustic guitar: main instruments Some drums in last verse, some pedal steel There is no musically resolution at the end, shows that she will still have a heart at the end of this conversation Singing is very quiet and close to the microphone, shows that this is an imaginary conversation The way she uses vibrato and melismas shows intimacy Lyrics: Conversation between a woman and the tin man of Wizard of Oz Like a 1st person confessional We never actually hear the tin man talk She is saying you want this thing that you really don't want (a heart), because bad things happen Abjection: the whole point of the song is that she has experienced so much pain that she wishes she didn't have a heart at all
Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the Good Old Days)
The Judds, 1980s Sounds: Acoustic guitars, some pedal steel, some piano Slow tempo Sounds like a front porch jam type of song Fades out at the end with a lot of instrumental playing She sings pretty softly throughout the song, loudest part is at the end of the chorus She uses some melismas Lyrics: About nostalgia The experience of not understanding the past and needing people in your family to explain it to you Modern times don't make sense She asks her grandpa a series of questions at the chorus: about the anxieties of a child Set up to be heartbreaking because it's implied the child hasn't experienced these good things
How Blue
Reba McEntire, 1980s Sounds: Fiddle, acoustic guitar, electric bass guitar, drums, pedal steel Pedal steel and fiddle make it sound more traditional Twangy accent Her sense of pitch is right on Very controlled and trained vocal Lyrics: First person confessional We know there has been a break up and she's singing about what it's like The theme of "blue" meaning sadness: less pop and more country
Any Man of Mine
Shania Twain, 1990s Lyrics: She wants a man who will totally accept her He has to be loyal and they have to have a good physical relationship Talks about line dancing About strength: in some sense standing up for herself Sounds: Acoustic guitar, fiddle (style can be called cajun): indicates dancing Doesn't have a big accent She sings low at the verse and higher at the chorus Some vibrato at the end of the lines (makes it intimate but strong) Pedal steel comes out in the chorus to contrast the rock sound
My List
Toby Keith, 2000s Sounds: He sings pretty softly Goes from low in the verse to singing a little higher in the chorus Accordion in the background Adds a little melisma when he sings the lyric "my list" Vulnerability with the way he does vibrato Acoustic guitar picking No big sounds because it would take away from his thoughts Lyrics: About priorities Saying a lot of the things we have on our to-do lists maybe aren't actually that important Lyrics would have a large effect on people at the time because this kind of an event makes people think of what's important in their lives His priorities on his list are about family, focusing on relationships instead of being "productive"
No Depression
Uncle Tupelo, 1990s Sounds: Acoustic instruments Sounds almost like a good home recording Very plain vocal: no yodeling or vibrato to show vocal virtuosity Acoustic punk style Harmony vocal at the chorus Lyrics: Verse-chorus About an economic depression Contrast of the ideas that life is hard on earth, but it will be better in heaven
Boot Scootin' Boogie
Brooks & Dunn, 1990s Lyrics: About the experience of being at a country bar Not a narrative, just a scene that's set Setting is rural, it's a contrast of wherever he's come from Chorus encourages people to go dance and celebrates what being there is like Title: the word scootin' indicates a rough form of dancing Sounds: Really big accent A little bit of yodeling when he sings boogie, growling: gives it a rough, country sound Fiddle Within country, it can be classified as blues-rock Electric guitar gives a rock sound Uses a modified blues chords
You Never Even Called Me By My Name
David Allen Coe, 1970s Lyrics: Talking from the perspective of someone who isn't respected a lot in the relationship Supposed to be funny Starts in the middle of a story, we know that he has a broken heart He brings up people that are also familiar with abjection (Merle Haggard, Charley Pride, Waylon Jennings) He knows the only time he will be called by his proper name is at judgement day He does a voice over and says he told his friend that wrote the song it wasn't country enough, so they added this last verse about his mom getting out of jail and getting run over by a train We're supposed to see the abjection as funny and taken to an extreme degree Sounds: Strong accent Dobro guitar, drums, acoustic guitar, pedal steel, piano Big backing vocals at the chorus (supposed to sound like a big production, as a joke)
The Devil Went Down to Georgia
The Charlie Daniels Band, 1970s Sounds: It starts with a cross between talking and singing Fiddle Johnny and his people sing, but the devil doesn't Uses chords to add to the drama Lyrics: Narrative: about an epic fiddle contest between a young man (Johnny) and the devil The devil says lets make a bet, if i win the contest i get your soul and if you win, you get a gold fiddle Johnny says yes At the end, it's decided that Johnny has won (he wins because he uses singing) Themes: religion, the South, music itself (fiddles, fiddle contest, choice of material), gambling (rambler?), Saturday night vs. Sunday morning, nature, masculine competition/showdown
Man of Constant Sorrow
The Soggy Bottom Boys, 2000 Sounds: Starts with all acoustic instruments, bluegrass setting Hardly any vibrato, but uses many melismas His vocal makes it sound harsh His ability to build tension with his trained and professional plain vocal shows vocal virtuosity Lyrics: Abjection: "I am a man of constant sorrow" He's from the south and leaving, he's a rambler and saying goodbye to his lover, he says when all of this is over they'll meet again in heaven and it will all be great
Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)
Waylon Jennings w/ Willie Nelson, 1970s Lyrics: He's independant and these are the couple of things that he cares about (music and his wife) How about we slow life down and get back to the basics The stress and pace of modern society is making him want to move to a small town (Luckenbach) Sounds: Sparse at the beginning Drums, elec guitar, acoustic guitar, pedal steel Large contrast between their voices Intimate vocals, vibrato (Jennings); laid back vocals, not very loud (Nelson) The combo of voices shows what outlaw is about