Saturday, September 1, 2012

Song #245 of 9999 - Unexpected Guest by Frankie Big Face

Song #245 of 9999 

Title: Unexpected Guest
Artist: Frankie Big Face
Year: 2012
Album: Nur Ein 7

Click here to listen!

I had been wanting to write a song with the key of the chorus a whole step higher than the verse ever since I discovered the same in Come on Eileen by Dexy's Midnight Runners. Unexpected Guest seemed like the perfect opportunity because I knew I wanted to keep the arrangement relatively simple, knowing I had only a couple of hours to record it with my good friends from Student Band. Even still, there are some nice asymmetrical variations in the verses that keep the song from being too predictable. I'm not sure the additional key change for the final chorus was necessary but no-one ever went broke from ratcheting up the momentum in a song, right? (I have no actual statistical evidence to support this claim.)

The lyrics to this song are absurd, of course, but they tell an interesting story even if it's been told before (and much better) by Ray Davies. One of the things I like about it is there's not a single pure rhyme in any of the verses, which is something I have been working on lately to expand my options. Some people said it was unnecessary to spell out the gag in the bridge but it's worth it for the rhyme of "overreacted" with "Irish Catholic." At the time of its recording, I thought this song was kind of a throwaway but, in retrospect, I rather enjoy it. I am also now remembering that I had injured my back badly right before recording this and it's nice to hear that it is unnoticeable in this energetic performance.

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