Song #297 of 9999 - Positively 4th Street by Bob Dylan

Song #297 of 9999 

Title: Positively 4th Street
Artist: Bob Dylan
Year: 1965
Album: N/A - single release only

Didn't want to leave 1965 without including one of Bob Dylan's masterpieces. Bob Dylan was my father's favorite artist when I was growing up and, when asked, my father cited "Positively 4th Street" as his favorite Dylan song. I personally don't know how one makes such a choice, but his answer stuck with me and, in retrospect, it was a good one!

"Positively 4th Street" reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, yet I can hardly imagine the song being released as a single in today's music market. The song structure is strophic—verses only—like many of the folk songs Dylan wrote. With no chorus or even an instrumental break to provide some variation, the song can seem repetitive and long, clocking in at nearly four minutes.

But the repetition doesn't really matter, because the song is not about the music or the melody or the harmony or the beat—it's about the words. And they are vicious. No one expresses anger as concisely and directly as Dylan and this is one of his most scathing efforts. Thankfully, Dylan has remained extraordinarily vague about the meaning of his songs so no single person has ever had to be sure these words were written for him/her:

I wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes

And just for that one moment, I could be you

Yes, I wish that for just one time, you could stand inside my shoes

You'd know what a drag it is to see you

Damn. 

Song #296 of 9999 - Help! by The Beatles

Song #296 of 9999 

Title: Help!
Artist: The Beatles
Year: 1965
Album: Help!

It's hard to look at 1965 and not write about The Beatles. Consider this: 1) The Beatles released two albums in 1965, Help! and Rubber Soul; 2) these records included the songs "Help!," "Ticket to Ride," "You're Going to Lose That Girl," "Yesterday," "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away," "Drive My Car," "Norwegian Wood," "Michelle," "Nowhere Man," and "In My Life"; 3) they released their second successful film; and 4) they completed a sold-out 10-city U.S. stadium tour infamous for the noise levels created by hysterical fans. By any standard, this is probably the most prolific year in the life of any pop band ever.

Which makes it really difficult to choose a song to write about unless I want my blog to be monopolized by The Beatles (I don't). "Help!" has always intrigued me because it's a song that seems to turn standard pop song structure on its head a little bit. The song opens with what sounds like the chorus ("Help! I need somebody!"). We get the title and the hook, but it turns out to be little more than an intro because the section never returns. The chorus that's inserted between the verses later in the song is longer and doesn't include the rousing "Help!" shout.

A closer analysis reveals that these two sections have more in common than is obvious just by listening. As it turns out, the intro and the chorus have the exact same chord progression with a different harmonic rhythm (the rate at which the chord changes). The intro gives one full measure to each chord:

Bm (Help! I need some body)

G (Help! Not just anybody)

E7 (Help! You know I need someone)

A (Help!)

 while the chorus gives two:

Bm (Help me if you can I'm feeling...) | Bm (...down/And I...) 

G (...do appreciate you being...) | G (...round) 

E7 (Help me get my feet back on the...) |E7 (...ground/Won't you...)

A (...please please help...) | A (...me)

The vocal melody helps to mask this common progression as Lennon emphasizes notes that fall outside the chords for the first two lines of the chorus ("Help me if you can" is sung on E over B Minor, while "do appreciate you" is sung on an E over G Major). During the intro, the melody and vocal harmonies strictly adhere to the notes contained in the chords. 

And of course, these deep-rooted observations ignore some of the really cool surface details of the song, particularly the wonderful descant melody sung by Paul and George during the verses and the descending bass/guitar line that connects the chords in both the intro and chorus. Structurally and harmonically, "Help!" turns out to be much more complex than meets the ear.

Song #295 of 9999 - Tell Her No by The Zombies

Song #295 of 9999 

Title: Tell Her No
Artist: The Zombies
Year: 1965
Album: N/A - single release only

The Zombies are an interesting anomaly in the British Invasion because (you may need to fact-check me here) they may be the only successful band to emerge from that movement led by a keyboard player. Rod Argent (who delivers a wicked solo on The Zombies' first hit "She's Not There") is the chief songwriter for the group, whose sound is distinguished by his overdriven electric piano.

On the surface, the instrumentation of the group may seem to be solely responsible for the unique sound The Zombies create. But I think there is a deeper reason. The piano and guitar (the instrumental choice of all the other British Invasion bands) are very different instruments and, when played at a rudimentary level*, will lead you in somewhat disparate harmonic directions. The guitar favors basic major and minor chords, 7th chords, diminished chords and The Beatles' beloved 6th chords (think the last chord of "She Loves You"). Even a novice can create chords of much greater complexity on the keyboard by adding major sevenths or ninths and/or pairing an alternate bass note with a major or minor triad.

And this is what makes Argent's classic "Tell Her No" so unique. The song is dominated by major 7th (and minor 7th) chords which would probably sound too dense or flowery on the electric guitar of this time, but seem to work fine on Argent's slightly distorted electric piano. You can hear this sound at the beginning of each verse and at that great moment following the syncopation of the chorus when he sings "Don't hurt me now...", the melody of which is a descending Emaj7 arpeggio in and of itself. Even the song's brief intro benefits from idiomatic keyboard harmony with Argent alternating F#m9 and F#m/B.

And that's how music works! :D

(*which is well enough to be in a British Invasion band and that's not a slam—many great musicians emerged from these groups but they weren't going to be sitting in with Miles Davis any time soon)

Song #294 of 9999 - Downtown by Petula Clark

Song #294 of 9999 

Title: Downtown
Artist: Petula Clark
Year: 1965
Album: Downtown

I haven't talked about music theory in one of these posts for a while so I figured I'd give it a go tonight. First, I love these female Brit singers from the 1960s. Petula Clark, Lulu, Dusty Springfield—this is the British Invasion so easily set aside or forgotten while the spotlight favors The Beatles, The Stones, The Who, The Kinks and so on. But here were these women solo artists quietly hitting the top of the charts in both the US and UK while in competition with the likes of The Supremes, The Ronettes, and The Shirelles. They all have an interesting dramatic flair about them even if they're just singing about, you know, getting out of the apartment and taking a stroll to the city center.

Oh yeah, the music theory lesson. This tune has a very interesting way of creating drama through the use of pedal tones. You'll notice when the song opens there are three chords (Emaj-Amaj-Bmaj), but the bass line stays the same until Clark reaches the hook ("Downtown!"). The effect is one that kind of keeps the song bottled up a little bit. The bass behaves normally during the bridge ("just listen to the music..."), providing the root during the two-chord progression (Emaj-C#m). A short-lived pedal point returns during "The lights are much brighter there..." with the chords Amaj & Bmaj syncopating over an A bass and then Emaj and F#maj doing the same over an F#. The fancy little rhythmic play sets up the chorus perfectly, but what happens next is the most harmonically astounding moment of the piece. The chorus should begin with a resounding tonic chord (Emaj) and it does, but the chord is inverted, with a B in the bass! This B remains as a pedal tone throughout the chorus and the result is not only a bit of a surprise initially but it creates a grand moment of tension that culminates with a return to the verse. It's the kind of clever harmonic choice that just makes the songwriter in me so jealous.

Oh, and by the way, that's Jimmy Page on rhythm guitar. Just sayin'.

Songs #292 & 293 - It's TWOsday!

Song #292 of 9999                                                  Song #293 of 9999

Title: Go Now                                                           Title: Oh Well
Artist: The Moody Blues                                           Artist: Fleetwood Mac

Year: 1965                                                               Year: 1969
Album: The Magnificent Moodies                             Album: Then Play On

Tonight's post is about bands whose sounds change radically with the departure of one or more members. The starting point is "Go Now" by the Moody Blues. Those of you expecting the London Symphony Orchestra and bad poetry may be shocked by what you hear from this pre-Justin Hayward lineup. Fronting the band is Denny Laine, who would later co-found Wings with Paul McCartney! The song itself is a cover of a(n arguably better) version performed by Bessie Banks and produced by Leiber and Stoller. A top ten hit in the United States (and a #1 in the UK), the song was the last hit for The Moody Blues with this lineup, who scored big a couple of years later with "Night in White Satin."

Listening to "Go Now" made me think of another band that started with a lesser-known original lineup and a completely different sound. Fleetwood Mac seemed to move in the opposite direction of The Moody Blues. Originators Peter Green, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood were all members of John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers when they decided to form their own band in 1967. Playing to their strengths, the band was essentially a blues band when it started, but evolved into something of a progressive rock band by 1969 with the release of the single "Oh Well." The song, broken into two parts to fit on a 45RPM record, includes an extended instrumental section featuring classical guitar, recorder and cello. Who could have predicted that just six years later this band (albeit with new members Lindsey Buckinghan and Stevie Nicks) emerge as the most successul pop bands of the 1970s?

Song #291 of 9999 - My Generation by The Who

Song #291 of 9999 

Title: My Generation
Artist: The Who
Year: 1965
Album: My Generation

"My Generation" is one of those songs I outgrew a long time ago, but I would be remiss if I didn't spend some time talking about it because it seems so ahead of its time for 1965. Don't get me wrong—there were a lot of progressive things happening in music at the time. But in the race to be the brattiest kids with a band, I think The Who trumped The Kinks, The Zombies, Herman's Hermits, even Van Morrison's Them with this track.

In the face of the (mostly) peaceful civil rights-inspired folk music movement in America, "My Generation" comes off as a call to arms for fed up teens. Pete Townshend was barely out of his teens when he wrote it, finding inspiration in the societal oppression he felt while growing up in England.

There are several elements of the song that defy convention for the time, one of which is the famous electric bass solo by John Entwistle. As a young bass player growing up in the 1980s, I was simultaneously blown away and inspired by this solo, so I can only imagine its impact in 1965 and how unusual it must have seemed. The drum frenzy and feedback that occupies the final minute of the track must have been equally stirring.

But the most unusual aspect, and the most ingenious in my opinion, is the stutter in Roger Daltrey's vocal delivery. There are several theories/stories about what prompted Daltrey to sing the song in this fashion, but frankly, it doesn't really matter why he did it, only that he did. This simple affectation has a remarkable effect on the way we perceive the song. The stutter adds a layer of realism to the song that transforms Daltrey from a pop singer singing about injustice to an actual guy who has experienced some actual injustice. It's a fascinating and effective approach. Keith Moon takes the whole thing a step further by adding a layer of impatience as he begins to cut Daltrey off with his increasingly busy drum fills.

Songs #289 & 290 - Smith and Stevens

Song #289 of 9999                                                Song #290 of 9999

Title: Twilight                                                          Title: The Dress Looks Nice on You
Artist: Elliott Smith                                                  Artist: Sufjan Stevens

Year: 2004                                                             Year: 2004
Album: From a Basement on a Hill                        Album: Seven Swans

While researching this post, I read a Spin Magazine quote that said Sufjan Stevens' 2004 album Seven Swans sounds "like Elliott Smith after ten years of Sunday school." So it seemed appropriate to pair the two in my final day of posting about songs from 2004.

While Stevens's career was just taking off, Smith was releasing his own swan song following his untimely and somewhat mysterious death. Like a lot of posthumous releases, From a Basement on the Hill isn't quite right and seems like a step backward from the crisp songwriting and complex arrangements of Smith's previous major label releases. Producers insist they added nothing to the recordings, but that's the problem—Smith likely would have filled in the holes in the arrangements even as he was trimming the songs of their excesses. Where the album does shine is in its lyrical content, which reads like a cry for help from the perpetually troubled artist.

I chose Smith's "Twilight" because of how sparse it is, especially where his lead vocal is concerned. Typically, he would double or even triple his lead vocal in unison to thicken it and I like the simple purity of this recording. It is perhaps the most complimentary track to Sufjan Stevens's single "The Dress Looks Nice on You," which exemplifies his low fidelity method of writing and arranging. Stevens's approach to harmony is more "Medieval" than "McCartney" but the delicate wispiness is a trait he shares with Smith. Stevens doesn't have the lyrical skill of Smith and his stories derive from the Bible rather than heroin. Yet, it seems plausible that he could have inherited the lo-fi acoustic crown even if Smith hadn't died, given the increasing complexity of Smith's recordings. But recent forays into electronic music would suggest Stevens is no longer interested in delivering his message in a whisper. If nothing else, we can probably thank Stevens for re-popularizing the banjo which seems to have found a home in the modern indie folk movement.

See you tomorrow in 1965.