Posts Tagged arrangement
Bee Gees-Jive Talkin’…
Posted by jgarnerprod in Hit Song Analysis, Song Geek on May 7th, 2013
Masters of arranging, and catchy hooks, Bee Gees “Jive Talkin’” is KILLER, and makes me think NO one currently would take the risks these guys did.
Take note, they choose to start with the chorus, which is always a cool option.
BUT, the big news is the synth solo at 1:07, which is in 7/4! (for all you non-musicians, that means it’s an asymmetrical phrase of 7 beats over 2 measures instead of the traditional 8 beats over 2 measures).
Another cool feature there is the drummer NEVER turns the beat around in those sections. The only thing close to this would be some of Sting’s solo efforts such as “7 days”:
Until next time…
another great mod…
Posted by jgarnerprod in Hit Song Analysis, Song Geek on April 9th, 2013
Continuing in my discovery of great modulations, here’s a gem I had forgotten about.
This modulation (2:00) kicks in after the bridge DOWN a whole step! For a comparison check out Train’s “When I Look to the Sky” for a similar move.
Great way to propel into the solo that follows.
And let’s not forget the fact that it’s possibly the only song known to correctly use the word “moot” in a lyric! 
Until next time…
More great Modulations!
Posted by jgarnerprod in Hit Song Analysis, Song Geek on March 26th, 2013
So sorry to be absent for awhile, but I recently got to play a cover gig (corporate), and was reminded of some GREAT songs that featured modulations creatively.
This first one features the Queen of Soul, Aretha! The modulation in this case comes after the 2nd chorus, as the featured sax solo (King Curtis).
What’s REALLY interesting, is that this was a late addition to Otis Redding’s original. (I’ve included both for contrast).
Arif Mardin was at the helm on this, so maybe it was his idea.
Keep in mind, this is a similar move to Semisonic’s “Closing Time”, except they did a mod PRIOR to the solo.
Just another tool in the tool shed!
Until next time…
yeah, another mod! “After the Love is Gone”…
Posted by jgarnerprod in Hit Song Analysis, Song Geek on September 18th, 2012
This is classic! It wasn’t until I read David Foster’s autobiography that I found he wrote this with Maurice, which really makes sense when you listen to it.
(Ben, were you the one who reminded me of this??)
Foster is a master at the slick mod. Maybe sophisticated is a better way to put it. Either way, here’s how it plays out:
Intro and verse:
In F
Prechorus (“Something happened along the way…”):
B flat to F/A to D min to G min to F
then BAM!
E/F# to E to B/D# to G# min to C# min to B maj 7
(this is NUTS when you consider going a #4 or tritone away in a pop song; jazz, sure, but a big pop hit??)
then BAM AGAIN to the Chorus (we haven’t talked about common-tone modulation, but this is a GREAT example of one…):
C min 7 to
F min 7 to
B flat min 7 to
D flat over E flat
A flat minor (whoa!)
B major over D flat
F # major 7 (hold on…)
walk up:
A flat minor 7, B flat minor 7,
C minor 7!! (starts the sequence again!)
I may cover the last chorus modulation on a later post, but this thing is amazing!
Until next time!
Jason
When does the verse start? And when does the chorus start?
Posted by jgarnerprod in Hit Song Analysis, Song Geek on May 22nd, 2012
In the early days when I tried blogging (no I don’t know if it’s still floating out there or not), this was one of my favorites: Timing the 1st halves of a bunch of songs and seeing when the verse hit, and when the chorus hit.
Okay, this is REALLY geeky stuff, but interesting all the same.
So, pulled from the Billboard COUNTRY charts (I’ll do pop another time), here are the CRITICAL STATS:
josh turner-time is love
0:21 verse 1 hits
0:37 chorus hits
eli young band-even if it breaks your heart
0:09 verse 1 hits
0:30 chorus 1 hits
chris cagle -got my country on
0:19 verse 1 hits
0:49-chorus 1 hits
craig morgan-this ole boy
0:18 verse 1 hits
0:51 chorus 1 hits
luke bryan-drunk on you
0:21 verse 1 hits
0:42 ch 1 hits
brantley gilbert-you don’t know her like I do
0:15-verse 1 hits
0:53-ch 1 hits
eric church-springsteen
0:09-verse 1 hits
0:46-ch 1 hits
zac brown-no hurry
0:13-verse 1 hits
1:16-ch 1 hits
tim mcgraw-better than I used to be
0:11-verse 1 hits
0:46-ch 1 hits
carrie underwood-good girl
0:16-verse 1 hits
0:46-ch 1 hits
jason al dean-fly over states
0:18-verse 1 hits
0:55-ch 1 hits
montgomery gentry-where I come from
0:20-verse 1 hits
0:39-ch 1 hits
miranda lambert-over you
0:37-verse 1 hits
1:19-ch 1 hits
rascal flatts-banjo
0:10-verse 1 hits
0:48-ch 1 hits
taylor swift-ours
0:13-verse 1 hits
1:01-ch 1 hits
lady antebellum-dancin’ away with my heart
0:28-verse 1 hits
0:55-ch 1 hits
blake shelton-drink on it
0:12-verse 1 hits
0:33-ch 1 hits
lee brice-woman like you
0:14-verse 1 hits
0:37-ch 1 hits
jake owen-alone with you (Congrats Catt Gravitt!)
0:18-verse 1 hits
0:46-ch 1 hits
Another mod using the perfect 4th!
Posted by jgarnerprod in Hit Song Analysis on May 15th, 2012
I just recently rediscovered this one-hit wonder from the 90′s, that demonstrates using the modulation of a perfect 4th from the verse to chorus, much like Gary Allan’s “watching airplanes” (see on a previous blog post).
In the case of Spacehog (LOVE that band name!), the verse is in the key of E, then to A for their choruses, and then back to E for the next verse.
Clever guys!
See you next time!
Jason Garner
Of course, I’m not sure the song would’ve ever made any traction on the charts if it wasn’t for the cool little “telephone” sound fx in the intro and verses.
Hit chord progression, part 6…
Posted by jgarnerprod in Hit Song Analysis, Song Geek on April 10th, 2012
Toto’s “Africa” was a surprise to find! The chorus kicks back to our good friend, 6 min, 4, 1, 5.
But it’s not quite so obvious due to all the hipness leading up to the chorus, from the asymmetrical verse phrasing, as well as the key change.
The search continues!
Jason
Song arrangement trick: Chicago’s “You’re the Inspiration”
Posted by jgarnerprod in Hit Song Analysis on January 25th, 2012
Okay, so I didn’t know about Chicago until David Foster got a hold of them with Chicago 16 and 17. That’s when the “real” Chicago fans got REALLY ticked off about their new direction, and selling out. But I, slave to the radio and “Friday Night Videos”, LOVED it all!
So let me first say, if you want 101 arrangement tricks, check out ANY David Foster production. This song is no exception.
So, similar to my previous posts, check out what happens after chorus 2. In this case, they go to a vocal section with strings over the chord changes of the chorus, then kick back into the back half of the what should count as chorus 3.
THEN, new chorus up a step. BUT halfway through, they start a vamp with the lyric “when you love somebody”, alternating with Cetera’s semi-ad lib “end of time, always on my mind”.
No “solo” and no bridge. Now that’s slick!
(Of course, you gotta LOVE videos from the 80s! Great hair, the horn section is all playing synthesizers; just awesome!)
Enjoy!
Song arrangement trick: Counting Crows “Accidentally in Love”
Posted by jgarnerprod in Hit Song Analysis on November 9th, 2011
This week’s trick comes from Counting Crows’s song “Accidentally In Love” from the Shrek 2 soundtrack. The song actually features TWO different arrangement tricks, both of which may not have ANY application at all to what you do. (I.e. it may be that only an artist/band written song can get away with this).
The first trick comes within the 2nd verse where they interrupt the verse with a short 4 bar bridge before proceeding to the chorus. I file this under “whoa, what was that?”.
The second trick is not really a trick at all, but just a matter of placing the hook, or title, in the bridge after the 2nd chorus. Traditionally (as I’m sure you know) the title is placed at the beginning of a chorus, end of chorus, or end of verse (particularly in those A-A-B-A songs forms).
Anyway, there’s a couple more tricks for your arsenal.
Enjoy!
Song arrangement trick: Semisonic’s “Closing Time”
Posted by jgarnerprod in Hit Song Analysis on November 2nd, 2011
So, as a producer/arranger, one of the things that grabs my ear are unique arrangement ideas. A lot of times, at least in pop music, where verse-chorus-verse-chorus RULES as a song form, I’m always curious about what’s being done after the 2nd chorus. Basically:
To have a bridge, or NOT to have a bridge; THAT is the question!
Here’s a great example from one of my favorite all-time pop songs, Semisonic’s “Closing Time”.
Listen to what happens after the 2nd chorus. Basically, there’s a four bar interlude up a minor 3rd, then the intro kicks back in for two bars (in the original key) before the melodic guitar solo starts up.
What they didn’t do was write a bridge before or after the solo. They also didn’t kick right into the solo after the 2nd chorus. Nice work Dan Wilson!
Enjoy!