Exam 3 Review: Songs

"Respect"

- by Aretha Franklin - 1967 - exemplifies intense vocal performance & use of call-&-response technique characteristic of soul music (female singing group of sisters provides responses to lead vocal) - biggest R&B hit - example of soul - covered it but was huge hit for composer: going head to head with one of most impressive/powerful soul singers (Otis Redding) - shifts sense of who is in control in relationships - steadily building intensity: listener hears something much more than song with four strophes - fit nicely with women's liberation movement (anthem of civil rights movement too)

"It's Too Late"

- by Carole King - 1971 - adult relationship song: point of view of someone who has long left behind teenage crushes, insecurities, & desperate heartbreak - music reflects maturity in acoustic piano as backbone with complex chords portraying musical world more removed form harmonic simplicity of early rock 'n' roll - saxophone comes in for melody (light jazz more than early rock) - "soft rock"

"Hotel California"

- by Eagles - 1976 - pure tone of 1970 (sense of loss & disillusionment) - referencing country sound & Latin sound (reggae) - introspective kind of song (not partying kind) - describes CA as sinister trap for those who have no place left to go (dystopian, idea of drug included bc of eery guitar, & stuck in routines of life that don't get us anywhere)

"Crocodile Rock"

- by Elton John - 1972 - sense of loss in more lighthearted fashion with happy memories - upbeat teenage dance song, evokes memory of other "animal" dances - kazoo-like sound of organ - representation of his characteristic good humor & way in which he typically linked commercial smarts with musical intelligence

"A Taste of Honey"

- by Herb Alpert & Tijuana Brass - biggest single - sounds Americanized - medium-tempo, swinging groove ("shuffle") - example of mexican music & ameriachi sound - one of most memorable recordings of 1960s: example of how "easy listening" music can be

"Papa's Got a Brand New Bag"

- by James Brown & the Famous Flames - 1965 - exemplifies intense vocal performance & use of call-&-response techniques of soul music (between solo vocal & instrumental accompaniment) - biggest R&B hit of career - example of soul - 12-bar blues - incorporates stop-time - harmony remains fairly static throughout bridge - lyrics recall dance-oriented rock 'n' roll songs as singer praises Papa's ability to do jerk, fly, monkey, etc.

"Thank God I'm a Country Boy"

- by John Denver - 1975 - ones with him singing unaccompanied besides clapping of audience (captures elements of real dance party) - rural flavor of voices adds impression - fiddle-led ensemble (acoustic country string bands) - lyrics reference fiddle as marker of country culture - singing NOT like high lonesome sound of early country/bluegrass

"Stairway to Heaven"

- by Led Zeppelin - 1971 - most famous recording - about 8 minutes long - includes wind instruments giving light feeling - texts references to mythological beings & rural images help create growing mood of mystery & enchantment - anthem of heavy metal music - constructed to create continuous escalation in density, volume, & speed (builds the entire song: dynamics, instrumentation, volume, intensity of voice, etc.)

"Love's Theme"

- by Love Unlimited Orchestra (think Barry White) - 1973 - one of biggest instrumental hits of 1970s - single biggest hit record White's associate with (maybe most influential) - instrumental pop hit with emphasis on danceability & sweet sound of string-dominated melody - lined to "soft soul" in long notes - love ballad for instruments with double-time dance beat (dance groove) - AABA

"A Change is Gonna Come"

- by Sam Cooke - 1964 - generally regarded as greatest (most significant) song, even though it didn't rise as high on charts - inspired by Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" & his experiences on tour - chorus flows seamlessly from verse - use of orchestral instruments makes it serious - easy to understand how song was adopted as anthem of 1960s civil rights movement - written in first person to create testimony in gospel music tradition - example of soul

"Oye Come Va"

- by Santana - 1971 - recognizable around focused on fluid lead guitar style of Santana & churning grooves by drummer, bass player, & 2 Latin percussionists - rhythmic complexity (version of Afro-Cuban dance rhythm) - horns, Latin lyrics, & syncopation - opens with electric bass & organ (one of most characteristic sounds of 1970s rock music) playing interlocking pattern that functions as core of groove throughout recording - uses electric guitar's ability to sustain notes for long periods to create long, flowing melodic lines that gradually rise in intensity - mainstream Latin American music

"Superstition"

- by Stevie Wonder - 1972 - shows control with tight cut: synchronizing performance by overdubbing several tracks (he plays most of the instruments) - blends elements from different AA musical traditions - syncopated riff over unchanging chord - blues inflections (12-bar blues) - modern, sophisticated lyrics - fused something old, something new, something borrowed, & something blue - faster & harder than "Hotel California"

"Be My Baby"

- composed by Phil Spector - performed by Ronettes - 1963 - full orchestral string section, pianos, rhythm instruments, & background chorus behind lead vocal - "teenage symphony" & illustrates "wall of sound" - expresses most basic romantic sentiments in straightforward verse-chorus framework - tambourine - hook: aggressive, distinctive rhythmic patter on solo drum giving record its beat from get-go

"Like a Rolling Stone"

- example of urban folk - by Bob Dylan - 1965 - Newport Folk Festival - put end to existing restrictions on length, subject matter, & poetic diction - overall timbre & sonic destiny unique for its time bc of keyboard & organ - Dylan's vocal cuts aggressively through thick instrumental - song about young woman's fall from state of oblivious privilege into one of desperation - acoustic folk style in strophic pattern - record is simply document of live studio performance, exhibiting minimal editing or obvious "production" effects - ends with guitar solo

"Good Vibrations"

- music by Brian Wilson - performed by Beach Boys with instrumental accompaniment - 1966 - most thoroughly innovative single from 1960s - unusual from vocal arrangement to instrumental & chordal vocabulary to form (freedom, no name for it) - theremin: exotic tough with whirring, siren-like instrument - memorable melodic hooks & wide, colorful palette of chords - unique world of sounds, textures, & feelings - lyrics admire references to beloved's clothes, hair, perfume, smile, & eyes - sound more significant than sense - extremely costly recording in terms of time & money (called "pocket symphony") - landmark hit record of 1960s

"Cross Road"

- performed by Cream (with Eric Clapton) - 1968 - done in homage to bluesman Robert Johnson & his "Cross Road Blues" - conveyed sense of power & passion in guitar playing - gets louder & edgier as song goes on - 12-bar blues - didn't fit into black musician box of R&B & soul (broke out of its shell & may have been punished for this)

"My Girl"

- performed by Temptations - 1965 - sweetly conventional romantic sentiment ins straightforward verse-chorus form - hook: repeating solo bass motive establishing beat over leading guitar with memorable melodic figure (really, low-down, funky bass beat by Funk Brothers) - smooth edges & still unmistakably black - showcases brilliance of Motown's arranging & producing staff

"You Can't Hurry Love"

- performed by the Supremes - 1966 - demonstrates that Motown's writers could come up with clever, innovatively-structured pop songs - plays with form of song - submerges its subtleties beneath irresistible, pop-friendly surface

"Girl from Ipanema"

- sung by Joao Gilberto's wife Astrid, with Stan Getz on tenor sax - biggest hit of bossa nova era - cool emotional tone of song - sounds like palm trees swaying in breeze - delicacy of Gilberto's voice & sensual imagery of lyrics - describes y young women walking along Rio de Janeiro's Ipanema beach - saxophone solo

"Please Please Me"

- written by John Lennon & Paul McCartney - performed by Beatles - 1962 - good example of early Beatles' style - first top 10 hit in Britain (first big song) - straightforward, up-tempo song - AABA (American-influenced) - clever internal rhymes - effective rhymes & wordplay (used in title with word as verb & adverb) became trademarks of Beatles' songwriting

"Yesterday"

- written by John Lennon & Paul McCartney - performed by Beatles - 1965 - remarkable directness & simplicity (completely specific & vague at same time) - embodies many characteristics of Beatles' sound (highly melodic & different instrumentation) - instrumentation: string ensemble accompanied by acoustic guitar - AABA - lyrics pay homage to time-honored theme of broken romance in gentle, general, & straightforward manner (relatable) - expressive harmonies: explore wider range of chords than typical for rock - solo voice throughout (McCartney; similar to TPA crooning)

"Hard Day's Night"

- written by John Lennon & Paul McCartney - performed by Beatles 1964 - title song from Beatles' first movie - AABA (changes in musical sections serve text) - more subtle & elaborate playing with formal characteristics & expectations demonstrates increasing sophistication of songwriting - novel touches reveal increasing attention to details of sound/arrangement (something familiar + new sound) - delights of retiring home to rewarding domestic relationship - begins with bang: loud, isolated guitar chord whose unexpected harsh dissonance is permitted to ring in air before song gets going

"Eleanor Rigby"

- written by John Lennon & Paul McCartney - performed by Beatles with string ensemble (2 violins, viola, & cello) - 1966 - startling song form start as voices enter with high, loud cry of "ah" accompanied by active string ensemble (associated with soothing, but not in this case) - subject: loneliness (lack of human connection between Eleanor & Fr. McKenzie in isolation; emphasized with use of only 2 chords which have nothing to do with each other) - traditional folk ballad form (strophic; develops story) - melody doesn't lead anywhere