Major Minor Difference

No, I’m not a musician. I don’t know much about the art form beyond listening and liking, or disliking as the case may be. If anything I’ve written in this post is ill-informed and you know better, I do welcome education.

As a writer, I’m fascinated by lyrics. While writing, I pick music that demonstrates the mood I want to capture on the page. One art form informing another. Circle of life and all that.

In all my years of listening to music, I’ve discovered a fascinating tactic that I like to call “Major in the Minor” or, the flip-side, “Minor in the Major”. This all goes back to scales and chords. And my ignorance is gonna start to show, but what I DO understand is that major chords/scales are the usually bright and cheery sounding tunes while minor chords/scales are (you guessed it) the somber, darker sounds. And you would expect a certain lyrical content with major chords and the same with minor ones. But every now and then an artists flips the…scale on us and gives us lyrics of a “major” nature in a tune that is in a minor key.

Time for a concrete example. So a YouTube troop took “Hey Jude” (a song normally in a major key, with pretty positive, cheery lyrics), and they put in into a minor key. The result is kinda haunting.

So that is the basic concept. Because I’m drawn to contrast (I can’t leave the house wearing dark on dark), this approach to music captivates me. Here are a few songs that are my all-time favorite instances of mix-matching lyrical content and key’s…

1. “Dancing Queen” – Abba
   

   This one is kind of a toss up for me because while it is in key of A major, the lyrics to me are sort of tragic in a way. This song could be a jovial tribute to nightlife, but I just heart a sort of lament for something lost (lost potential; lost youth). I associate this song with the movie Muriel’s Wedding. And if you’ve seen that, you know the mood Muriel is in when she listens to the song: stuck, despondent, but defiant. So I will let others judge this entry.

2. “Lonely Day” – Phantom Planet
   
   Sure, you know “California”. We all do, from that once-hit show The OC. You probably aren’t familiar with “Lonely Day” though, and shame! I’m not sure which key this is in, but the tune is definitely major. Once the lyrics hit there is a shift and the listener begins to hear a song that is not peppy as the sound would suggest. That is what makes this song pretty darn special, in my opinion.

3. “You’re Not Alone (Clue Remix)” – Jose Amnesia & Una
   
   I know, EMD club jam. It’s a good song though. So mood…as the kids say. I’m not sure if electronic-based music has a particular key, but you can hear that it isn’t exactly upbeat and effervescent. Contrast the feel of the music and tone of the voice with the lyrics; those lyrics are deploying a hopeful message in a less-than bubbly tone. And I live for the contrast. Definitely a “Major in a Minor” moment.

Those are my top examples of contrasting music. Does anyone have a favorite? Have you never noticed this phenomena before?

Sweet Sounds of Adoration

There are some songs that have the right melody and lyrics to induce a longing for love. Even in a defensive posture, keeping all potential for love at bay, these songs can make those defenses as resilient as a sandcastle.

1) “Crush’d” by Say Anything

This song has a few lines that paint a smile across my face and make my heart light. But one line I find particularly endearing: “We should make a verbal agreement to only kiss each other.”

2) “The Way That I Am” by Ingrid Michaelson

Clowns. I know. This is a rare moment I’m not creeped out by them. This line really hits home for me and I hope to find a  love that will live up to it (because I know it’s inevitable): “I’ll buy you Rogaine when you start losing all your hair, sew on patches to all you tear.”

3) “Mario Kart Song” by Sam Hart

It’s a cute idea, a song based on a video game, and Mario no less! The song is tender and this line from the chorus melts my heart: “I’ll pause this game so our love will never end.”

4) “Safe and Sound” by Capital Cities

This song doesn’t necessarily sound romantic, but its optimistic beat, coupled with the simple lyrics, make it fit into this collection. I’m sold on the line: “You could be my luck, even in a hurricane of frowns I know that we’ll be safe and sound.” Plus, the video is pretty amusing.

Do you have a list of songs that makes you want to be in love?
More importantly, I hope that you have someone who brings love into your life. If not, then I hope you have hope for one!

Emotional

The effect of music is a reality that most of us can speak to. There is something in the notes and words that tugs at a person and I’m not sure how or why.

That marriage between rhythmic elements in the song and the components of the brain evokes a response: dancing, singing, smiling, thinking, even crying.

Ah, the tears squeezed out by a song are some of the most glossy tears that I’ve ever seen.

Though I’m not one to readily cry, I will say that music has a way of leading a tear or two from my ducts that no other stimulus can. A few key songs that can produce this effect more than others. It’s not always a negative experience either.

As Gandalf told his hobbit friends before departing the world: “I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil.”

Here are seven songs that bring a tear or two to my eye every time I hear them:

• “Bad Dream” Keane
  I first heard this song on an episode of Scrubs. It was at a time when the cast was saying goodbye to one of the characters who had just died. Now this song brings to me a tear of loss.
• “The Greatest” Cat Power
  This song evokes a tear of loneliness. It has the tone of someone who is without someone to love to share life with, as the video demonstrates. But this loneliness isn’t just about death or a breakup. Loneliness is bigger than that. It’s also about being without motivation, not having love for life.
• “Jesus Christ” Brand New
  I often include songs by Brand New in my posts. I am a fan of their music. “Jesus Christ” is probably my favorite song by the band. The tempo and notes are hauntingly beautiful. They evoke a tear of uncertainty, which is particularly true at the outset of song since it’s simply a series of questions about that which we all feel uncertain about: death. These questions are just a representation about the theme of uncertainty in a broader sense too.
• “Use Somebody” Scala & Kolancy Brothers
  
  Scala & Kolancy Brothers ( a Belgium women’s choir) has made a quality rendition of this Kings of Leon hit. I listen to it and find myself shedding a pensive tear. The paced melody and harmony of the ladies voices carry me off to places that are deeper and slower than the day to day themes.
• “Independence Day” Martina McBride
  I felt something at the sound of this song when I heard it the first time in the early 90s. Martina sings with determination in her voice. That has always brought a resolved tear to my eye.
• “Hallelujah” John Cale
  There’s something in this song that brings to mind the word humility. I think it’s the line “Love is not a victory march. It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah.” This song evokes a tear of faith. Why faith? Faith may not be a part of everyone’s life, but it’s a part of mine. It sews together the pieces of my life into a comforting quilt.
• “One Day Like This” Elbow
  
  There are times when tears come to my eyes because I have hope far brighter than my fear or despair. This hope isn’t for any short-term gain. It’s hope for the treasures that cannot be tarnished. You can hear that hope in the lyrics and in the strings playing in the background. You can even see it in the video.

Take time to enjoy the power of music, whatever form that may be. What songs bring a tear to your eye?

Accompaniment

I’m apt to sing in the shower. I’m apt to turn up the volume in the car and sing, unabashed. I will even roll the window down and caper on. I’m going to assume that this is not a phenomenon unique to myself. Aside from the common sing-along (in the shower, or otherwise) there are certain songs that I feel more inclined to whistle along to instead. They have accompaniment that begs me to pipe along to with my personal wind instrument (er, whistling I mean). The songs that include actual whistling never make my list since the whistling has already been done for me.  And now for the list! With accompanying YouTube videos!

1. “Seven Nation Army” The White Stripes – this song makes it onto my blog often. There are several elements which make it a favorite of mine. This time it’s because it’s easy to whistle to, and not just in one particular part. I whistle along to the entire song! All four minutes of it.

2. “Fargo, North Dakota” Carter Burwell – this is the main theme to the Coen Brothers’ Fargo. It’s pretty easy to whistle along to an instrumental song. Because the tune is so prominent, and there are no lyrics to distract the listener, whistling becomes a natural fit. It’s kind of like a personal instrument anyway, whistling is.

3. “La Vida es un Carnaval” Celia Cruz – the flavor of Celia’s music is rich. You can feel your body start to move involuntarily when this song plays.  When a song has as many horns as this one does, getting carried away in a whistle isn’t too tough. Every time the horns blare, I jump in whistling!

4. “Where is my Mind” The Pixies – this crazy number is fun to listen to. It elicits some whistling near the end. I’m sure you’ll hear why when you listen to it. It’s a song you can really get lost in. There’s a rendition of this song on the soundtrack to the motion picture ScukerPunch. I recommend giving that one a chance too.

5. Wake up” Arcade Fire – this is a beautiful song. I heard it for the first time with millions of other people when the film Where the Wild Things Are was released. An acoustic version of this song was featured in the trailer. I’ve been whistling along with ever since!

6. “Black Sheep” Metric – this song became a hit in my book as soon as I saw the film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. And as soon as I started listening to it, I was whistling to it. I normally pipe in near the end, about 2:45 mins into the song.

There you have it. Sometimes it’s better to whistle along in life than sing. Let me know what songs you can’t help but whistle along to!

There’s Death. And then there’s Death

Death is an eventuality. It’s the great equalizer.

This topic populated in my mind while I listened to Brand New on my way to work this morning. This song stirred up the thought of death (not the death of a particular person, just the concept). The song was “At the Bottom.” Take a listen…

Side-bar: I’ve observed an interesting pattern in the music of Brand New, particularly in the past two albums (when I started paying close attention to their music).

The lyrics are packed with references to Christian archetypes and symbols (death being a part of the assort). The structure of their songs is also interesting to note. Several of them seem to start with a focused scene before broadening into the concept.

Back to death.

I’m listening to this song and a few lines struck a chord with me:
“We never are what we intend or invent
‘Cause I made little lies, and then pulled them apart…

A deer that hunter shot in the heart
Some dogs got hit by  cars
All came to spill their guts…”

I heard those lines in between lines about death and dying and I realized that there is death and then there is death.

If you’ve ever looked into Tarot then you know what I’m talking about. If you’ve ever bothered to analyze your dreams then you also have an idea of what I mean. You know, the whole representation of change.

And more than just change in general.

This song, “At the Bottom,” left the impression that death typifies a very specific kind of change. I saw death as a change from dishonesty to truth. When we stop telling lies or living by lies and start being honest or heeding the truth–the truth about who we are and what we want–there is a little death.

When we tune out the “What if’s” and acknowledge what’s really before us then there is a little death.  But death is never about the end.

“We are never what we intend or invent”