Date of Performance: 25/03/2019, 1:15pm – 4:00pm

Chosen Songs: “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley, and “Song 2” by Blur

“Never Gonna Give You Up” – Rick Astley (3:34)

Personnel:
Jordan Watson – Vocals
Callum Morrison – Guitar
Ryan Shearer – Guitar
Connor Craig – Acoustic Guitar
William Kerr – Bass
Mark Pennell – Drums

Notes:
“Never Gonna Give You Up” is arguably Rick Astley’s most recognisable and well-known song, helped massively due to its part in an internet fad from 2008 onwards called “Rickrolling” where people are misled into listening to the song when believing it was something else. Released in 1987, the song was a huge hit in Astley’s home country of the UK where it landed at the top of the charts and remained for several weeks afterwards.

This song was chosen for the performance as it was a good contrast to the other songs being played in the set, and also features a deceptively challenging bassline when transcribed onto the bass guitar (the original bassline is played by a Yamaha DX7 synth). It also proved to be a challenge to using guitars instead of keyboards, so an acoustic guitar was added in to help flesh out the overall sound.

Lyrics:
We’re no strangers to love
You know the rules and so do I
A full commitment’s what I’m thinking of
You wouldn’t get this from any other guy

I just wanna tell you how I’m feeling
Gotta make you understand

Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

We’ve known each other for so long
Your heart’s been aching but you’re too shy to say it
Inside we both know what’s been going on
We know the game and we’re gonna play it

And if you ask me how I’m feeling
Don’t tell me you’re too blind to see

Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

Never gonna give, never gonna give
(Give you up)
(Ooh) Never gonna give, never gonna give
(Give you up)

We’ve known each other for so long
Your heart’s been aching but you’re too shy to say it
Inside we both know what’s been going on
We know the game and we’re gonna play it

I just wanna tell you how I’m feeling
Gotta make you understand

Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry

Songwriters: Mike Stock / Matt Aitken / Peter Waterman

“Song 2” – Blur (2:02)

Personnel:
Jordan Watson – Vocals
Callum Morrison – Guitar
Ryan Shearer – Guitar
William Kerr – Bass
Mark Pennell – Drums

Notes:
“Song 2” is one of Blur’s most iconic songs, most probably because of Damon Albarn’s famous “Woo hoo” vocable throughout the tune. The song’s name of “Song 2” was not originally meant to stick, but it is probably the most fitting name for it: it is the second song on the band’s eponymous 1997 album “Blur”, has a running time of 2 minutes and 2 seconds, features 2 verses and 2 choruses, and peaked on the UK Singles chart at number 2. Many consider the song to be a reaction and a parody of the grunge genre that saw immense popularity throughout the 1990s.

“Song 2” is unusual in the rock genre in that it features a role reversal between the guitar and bass; the guitar is mostly clean throughout, whereas the bass guitar is heavily distorted and is the driving force behind the song. It is very simplistic in nature, featuring no more than three riffs (one of which is the same as the chorus riff, just played an octave higher), none of which are technically challenging. “Song 2” was picked for the performance as, due to its high energy and simple structure, it would be entertaining to play live.

Lyrics:
Woo-hoo
Woo-hoo
Woo-hoo
Woo-hoo

I got my head checked
By a jumbo jet
It wasn’t easy
But nothing is
No

When I feel heavy metal
(Woo-hoo) And I’m pins and I’m needles
(Woo-hoo) Well, I lie and I’m easy
All of the time but I’m never sure why I need you
Pleased to meet you

I got my head done
When I was young
It’s not my problem
It’s not my problem

When I feel heavy metal
(Woo-hoo) And I’m pins and I’m needles
(Woo-hoo) Well, I lie and I’m easy
All of the time but I’m never sure why I need you
Pleased to meet you

Yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah
Oh, yeah

Songwriters: Damon Albarn / David Rowntree / Graham Coxon / Steven Alexander James

In this article I’ll talk about one of songs I performed bass guitar on for the class’s end of year recital, “Killing in the Name” by Rage Against the Machine. “Killing in the Name” is arguably Rage Against the Machine’s most famous and recognisable tracks, most likely helped due to a campaign against the talent show The X Factor that saw the track become Christmas number 1 in the UK in 2009. “Killing in the Name” was released in 1992 on the group’s debut synonymous album and it contains all the hallmarks of a typical Rage Against The Machine song: crunchy and powerful guitar riffs, tight bass and drum playing, strong political messages and an astounding number of expletives from vocalist Zack de la Rocha. The latter of which has caused numerous controversies since the song’s debut; in 1993, the uncensored song in all its expletive-ridden glory was accidentally broadcast on BBC Radio One, prompting outrage and numerous complaints. Regardless, “Killing in the Name” has earned a large amount of phrase and regularly features on people’s “best songs of all time” lists.

Like almost all of Rage Against the Machine’s songs, “Killing in the Name” aims to deliver a powerful political message. The lyrics discuss the links of certain members of the police force in America to racist and white supremacist groups such as the KKK, hence the lyric “Some of those who work forces / Are the same that burn crosses” – the burning cross is a image that is closely related to the KKK. The song can definitely be seen as one to energise and empower the listener, especially during the crescendo where de la Rocha begins to scream “F*** you, I won’t do what you tell me”.

“Killing in the Name” has a curious structure in that the intro riffs bear little resemblance to anything else in the song, excluding the final riff. This section starts off with a brisk guitar and bass riff, which then melds into a triplet-feel section that actually gives the rest of the song its tempo. The song is entirely in the key of D minor, with the guitar and bass guitar each tuned down to drop D (DADGBE from low to high strings) – a benefit of this tuning being that power chords can be played with one finger. The main riff of the song is predominantly based off of the D minor scale with an added major third in there as well, which gives the riff a bluesy rock vibe. This riff continues to be played during the verses, but is instead played quieter and palm muted on the guitar. The song builds in intensity in the next section, but during the “Now ya do what they told ya” section the intensity is dialled back; this section gradually builds up as Tom Morello, the band’s guitarist, adds in muted strings because barrelling into the chorus riff. Morello is acclaimed as one of rock’s most innovative guitar players and regularly uses unusual effects and technique in his lead playing, possibly best displayed during his solo on “Killing in the Name” where a whammy pedal is used extensively. The song again starts to build in intensity immediately after the solo concludes, with de la Rocha quietly muttering the infamous “F*** you, I won’t do what you tell me” line over and over. This continues before the band kicks back into the chorus line, with de la Zocha now screaming the line before ending it off with a final “Motherf*****”; the song then concludes dramatically with a brief reprisal of the opening riff of the song.

Rage Against the Machine’s lineup consists of Zack de la Rocha on vocals, Tom Morello on guitar, Tim “Timmy C” Commerford, and Brad Wilk on drums. The band famously wrote in the liner notes for their debut album that “No samples, keyboards or synthesizers used in the making of this recording”, alluding to the live recorded nature of the album. The vocal style of de la Rocha for the majority of the song is rapping, except the final crescendo where he screams the famous expletive-laden verse. There are no backing vocals on the track except for de la Rocha uttering “Now you’re under control” during the second pre-chorus, which was performed by Commerford during live performances.

For this post, I will have a look at two contrasting songs that fall under the funk style of music: “I Want To Take You Higher” by Sly and the Family Stone, and “Overtime” by Knower. For this discussion, the live session recording of “Overtime” will be used as the original recorded version is far more electronic and synthpop in style.

I Want To Take You Higher – Sly and the Family Stone

The first song in this comparison is “I Want To Take You Higher” by Sly and the Family Stone. The song was first released as part of their 1969 album “Stand!”, which featured a number of the group’s most famous tracks including “Sing a Simple Song”, the title track, and “Everyday People”. The album itself sold incredibly well and is regularly regarded as not only the band’s best work, but also one of the best albums of all time. Notably the album was released not long before the group’s famed performance at the Woodstock festival. As with a vast majority of the group’s songs, the songwriting duties were handled by frontman Sylvester “Sly Stone” Stewart.

The song is a deviation from the band’s lyricism on the rest of the “Stand!” album, and instead deals with music itself and how music makes people feel rather than delivering a specific message. This can be noted from the opening lyrics of the track “Feeling’s getting stronger / Music’s getting longer too / Music is flashing me”. The overall feel from the song, derived from the driving drum beat, prominent bassline and lyrics give the feeling that the song was made to dance to and to energise the listener. The repeated phrase “Higher!” also gives a chance for audience participation, most famously shown at the group’s Woodstock performance where Sly Stone encouraged the audience to join in with the chant.

In terms of composition, the song is not overly complex and follows a general verse-chorus-verse-chorus structure with some instrumental parts in between for solos on different instruments. The song opens with a blues influenced guitar line, which leads into the first verse. The transition between these two sections can feel awkward as if the vocals are offbeat, but the final bar of the guitar line is in 3/4; this can cause the rhythm to feel off if the listener feels the entire section as 4/4, which the song predominantly adheres to. The song sticks to the key of A minor, and never deviates from the tonic chord of A minor either. However, the instruments all seem to play off the A minor pentatonic scale which gives the song a bluesy and funky feel throughout. The intro guitar part occurs several times in the song as well, which helps to break the piece apart and give clear indications of when a new verse is about to start; it also retains its odd timing as well of two bars of 4/4 and a single bar of 3/4. The drums play a groove throughout that has the snare landing on beats 1 and 3, and during the chorus a heavily distorted bass guitar plays on beats 2 and 4; these together give a strong driving feel throughout this part of the song.

“I Want To Take You Higher” features a large array of instrumentation, which are typically found in funk music from the late 1960s. The instruments include guitar; bass guitar; drums; saxophone; trumpet; and harmonica. Each lead instrument has its own moment to shine throughout the song, with mini solos thrown in throughout its duration. The lead vocals are handled by four members of the band, and the verses see them trade off lines before all coming together for the chorus; the rest of the band also contribute backing vocals for this as well. There is a mixture of both syllabic and melismatic singing, with Larry Stone notably going from modal to falsetto voice in the middle of a syllable in each of his vocal parts.

“Overtime” – Knower

The other song featuring in this comparison is “Overtime” by independent electronic group Knower. The group is duo consisting of vocalist Genevieve Artadi and multi-instrumentalist Louis Cole; the latter of whose work includes collaborating with Snarky Puppy and Vulfpeck amongst many others. Knower formed in 2009 after Cole was introduced to Artadi by a mutual friend, and have since seen their popularity skyrocket; so much so that they even supported Red Hot Chili Peppers for some shows in July 2017. While the duo’s studio releases are more electronic sounding than anything else, their full band lineup that features in live performances and their live sessions on YouTube falls under the jazz-inspired funk genre. The song “Overtime” originally features on their 2016 album “Life”, and the live band session was uploaded to YouTube on 27th August 2017; this version of the song went viral not long after its release and, as of April 2019, has nearly reached 3 million views.

In terms of purpose, “Overtime” seems to cover both showcasing the performers’ talents on their respective instruments while also energising the listener as it is quite a fast and upbeat track. The lyrics also portray the message of someone speaking to a potential partner that they need to put in the effort for the relationship to work, and that they will not wait around for them. Lyrics such as “I’m the frosted side of a mini wheat / You know that I’m so sweet” indicates that the person knows their worth, and encourages their potential partner to “not waste this opportunity”. As the song is quite upbeat, it can also be seen as a good song to dance to as well.

The overall structure of “Overtime” follows a general verse – pre-chorus – chorus format, with an instrumental section towards the end which sees the tempo decrease and increase drastically. It starts out in the key of F# minor, with the verses modulating to G# minor. However, the bass descends down a pattern of F#, E, D#, D, C#, B and A# before repeating; the presence of the major thirds (A#) and major sixths (D#) give a strong mixolydian flavour to the song. Adding in the chromatic passing tone of the D means that all the notes from the bass line come from the F# bebop major scale. The song seamlessly modulates from F# minor to G# minor by using two stabs – an F#m11 and a E7sus4 – before then using an inverted C# major chord to lead into the G# minor key change. This works as the next section is also in a mixolydian mode, and C# major is the fourth degree of G# mixolydian. The chords in the song are complex, and very few basic triads make appearances; when they do, they are inverted or embellished with other notes nearby in their respective scales. There is syncopation across the entirety song, with the bassline in the main refrain section having a 3 over 4 polyrhythm for the most part before repeating the rhythm after two bards. This helps to give the song a strong groove, and also gives the song a very jazzy feel. As mentioned before, the song is already quite fast overall until the instrumental section, where during the keyboard solo the song slows down considerably. Afterwards, it speeds up to even faster than the original tempo, with a pause before this happening to add to the dramatic effect of the change. The vocal hook (“You’ve got my heart working overtime”) is repeated throughout the song and appears predominantly in the pre-chorus. Towards the end, this hook is repeated numerous times while also being doubled up on the saxophone for emphasis.

Instrumentally there is a relatively small group of instruments: vocals, keyboards, saxophone, bass guitar and drums. The bass guitarist uses a lot of muted notes throughout, which is extremely common in funk music. Although still mainly a funk song, the addition of keyboards helps give the song a more modern and electronic sound. Artadi’s vocal line uses a fairly narrow ranged syllabic singing style that still sits quite high in her vocal register, and ad-libs some sounds between her lyrics. She also adds in some “oohs” that have had a noticeable amount of reverb added on during the instrumental section to help fill in the space that the keyboardist left while performing his solo. The playing level of each player is extremely high, and to get such a live performance so tight would have required an enormous amount of skill.

Comparison

As with the previous blog post about folk music, it is extremely fascinating to listen to two songs that sound extremely different to one another upon first listening, yet both can easily be labelled as funk music. Both songs have vocal lines that are narrow in range, and both feature the bass guitar prominently throughout. There are a lot more differences however: for example, “I Want To Take You Higher” features a wider brass section and an electric guitar; whereas “Overtime” lacks the guitar and has one saxophone player. “Overtime” heavily features keyboards and synth, which “I Want To Take You Higher” does not have at all as these were not very common in the late 1960s. The saxophone player also features more prominently in “Overtime” with it having its own solo in one section, and the overall playing from every musician in the song is far more advanced than what can be seen in “I Want To Take You Higher”. Finally, “Overtime” is notably much faster than the Sly and the Family Stone track, even when it slows down in the instrumental section.

This week on Will Listens To Music, I listened to “The Well” by Smog and “Mount the Air” by The Unthanks. Here I will discuss each song on its own, and then compare and contrast the songs together.

“The Well” – Smog

“The Well” was released in 2005 as the third track from the American singer-songwriter Smog’s album “A River Ain’t Too Much To Love”. The album was notable for being the last album released under the Smog moniker – subsequent releases saw the artist use his real name, Bill Callahan.

The genre of the song complies mostly with the tropes of alternative country and folk music. The song is simple in its structure and instrumentation, with only the lyrics avoiding any repetition. The composer most probably deliberately went for this approach to give more emphasis on his lyrics and the story being told within them. The song’s purpose would be mostly story-telling, as the song’s overall simplistic style would hardly impress in terms of its technicality.

Stylistically and compositionally the song varies little. The song is in the key of F# major and alternates between the I and IV chords of the key; F# and B respectively. The chords themselves are based on the basic major triads, although the full F# chord is implied as the major third is not used in the harmony. The guitar and harmonica continuously play the same riffs and patterns respectively. The drums do vary slightly, with the passages in B major bringing in the snare to help accentuate the move to another part of the song before returning to the original beat.

Coming in at 7 minutes long exactly, the song uses minimal instrumentation; it features an acoustic guitar, a bass guitar, harmonica and drums alongside Callahan’s vocals. The vocal melodies also do not vary much, forgoing any real vocal athleticism in favour of telling the story that his lyrics portray.

The purpose of the song seems to be to tell a literal story about someone, in a drunken rage, smashes a bottle in the woods and goes out to pick up the bottle shards. They come across a well deep in the woods, which they stare into and shout profanity while also reflecting on themselves. The lyrics do not seem to portray any hidden meaning and are meant to be taken literally.

“Mount the Air – The Unthanks

“Mount the Air” is the title track from English folk group The Unthanks’ 2015 release “Mount the Air”. The song itself is based on a traditional folk song “I’ll Mount The Air on Swallows’ Wings”, with the arrangement and music taken care of by Adrian McNally and Becky Unthank; Adrian McNally also handles managerial duties for the band. Similar to “The Well”, seems to tell a story; albeit in a more grandiose fashion that Smog’s simplistic approach.

This song is the longer of the two tracks discussed here, coming in at a hefty 10 minutes and 34 seconds in total. The song is in the key of D minor, although it does borrow an Eb major 7 chord from the D Phrygian mode for unexpected tension at the end of some verses. Instrumentally the song uses minimal percussion, but has a large string and horns section to carry the song along; these instruments also play the main recurring melodic motif that the lead vocalist sings throughout the verses. The time signature, whilst feeling somewhat free time as the song sometimes slows down and speeds up, is predominantly 3/4. This gives the song a waltz-like feel. It also deviates from a common song structure, instead opting for numerous verses with some repeated lyrics here and there and with a final repetition of the opening verse.

“Mount the Air” features a large array of instrumentation, featuring piano, strings, brass, guitars and even a harp in the discordant opening. The large ensemble of instruments in the composition gives it a large, epic feeling almost similar to that of a movie soundtrack. The vocalists use a narrow range voice – with some vibrato on the longer notes – and use a syllabic vocal style for the majority of the track. Their part somewhat contrasts with the rest of the instrumentation as it is not terribly complex and harmonically interesting (their part entirely sticks diatonically to the key). There are two vocalists featured, and each seems to take turns at handling lead vocals. Towards the end of the track, both vocalists sing together in unison as the song becomes more instrumentally intense. This final section seems to have subtle shift in key in places, sounding more like F major than D minor.

Lyrically the song deals with someone looking for their long lost lover and to what extent they would go to find them.

Comparison

It is fascinating to listen to both of these widely differing songs knowing that both fall under the genre of folk music. Both of the tracks utilise storytelling in their lyrics and the vocal style is not overly complex, most probably to give the listener a chance to listen to what is being said through the lyrics. They both also have an unconventional structure, with both not having a clear chorus in them. The songs are also not too technically challenging on the instruments that are featured in each song.

However there are more differences than similarities. While “The Well” features a stripped down instrumentation with only guitar, bass, drums and harmonica, “Mount the Air” has a large group of instruments from strings to brass to even a harp. This gives the song a much bolder, grander and fuller sound compared to “The Well” and its minimalist approach. “The Well” is also faster and more upbeat than the melancholic and pensive sounding “Mount the Air”, and is much less harmonically diverse; the song only has two chords – F# and B – whereas “Mount the Air” features a vast array of chords and chord progressions. Finally, the overall vocal style is wildly contrasting; Smog’s offering has a more conversational drunken rambling style of vocal delivery, whereas The Unthanks sound more controlled and almost choral in style.