Title: I'm Sorry
Artist: Brenda Lee
Year: 1960
Album: N/A - single release
Happy New Year! Today, I begin a one-year walk through 52 years of pop music history. When you realize that's only 365 songs, it makes 9999 seem impossible! But at least it gets me through a year and allows me to listen to some music that I haven't listened to for a LONG time or have completely forgotten.
For no significant reason, other than I'm in the mood for this song, I decided to start with "I'm Sorry" by Brenda Lee. It's funny how we still seem to marvel at teenage pop sensations like Justin Bieber and LeAnn Rimes, but this has been going on since the concept of the teenager was born in the 1950s. Brenda Lee was just fifteen when this song was released and it instantly propelled her to stardom in the genres of pop and country, which weren't so segregated fifty years ago.
I love the chord progression in this song, which I may have to steal for a song of my own! With the exception of the dominant (V), the chords slither around the tonic (I), wandering only as far as a whole step away:
Bb A Bb Bm(b5) Cm F Cm F Bb
I VII I vii°/ii ii V ii V I
Listening to the song critically, I feel like it needs a bridge or a key change or something but it's still pretty satisfying as is. The spoken word confession is typical of the time and I love the morose strings and backing vocals in the arrangement, especially the soprano solo that sounds almost like a theremin. Hope this song brought back good memories or, better yet, that you've never heard it before. Welcome to 1960!
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