Ten years after Ricky Nelson's poppy teen idol crooning, the pop music landscape is vastly different. By 1968, psychedelic rock was in full swing and even The Beatles had stepped into the door of perception.
August 3rd, 1968: "Hello, I Love You" by the Doors shoots from no.9 to no.1 where it stays for two weeks!
As an avid fan of classic rock, I was very familiar with this tune. This song even has a hook I find myself singing at the strangest of times, incited by the mere mention of the word "hello." I have never played this song, let alone transcribed any part of it, so this was a fun one!
August 3rd, 1968: "Hello, I Love You" by the Doors shoots from no.9 to no.1 where it stays for two weeks!
As an avid fan of classic rock, I was very familiar with this tune. This song even has a hook I find myself singing at the strangest of times, incited by the mere mention of the word "hello." I have never played this song, let alone transcribed any part of it, so this was a fun one!
This song has an aura. That organ/distortion/harpsichordy sound is so 1960's and a signature of The Doors sound. When looking at the above data, the form strikes me as peculiar. The break in the middle with the two sliding chords to set up a modulation to a 3rd verse that sets up a new vocal melody to end the song!?! I am predicting that will not happen too often.
The rhythm section drives this song forward with the whole band kicking the syncopations and the drums sliding between tom fills to pounding every beat on the snare. This track also features an actual bass, contrary to Manzarek's usual keyboard bass, which he did perform on live versions.
Chord Progression
This is basically a two song chord: A - G. There is a two bar cycle in the chorus, A G / Riff, with the riff being a syncopated thing indicated Amin.
The rhythm section drives this song forward with the whole band kicking the syncopations and the drums sliding between tom fills to pounding every beat on the snare. This track also features an actual bass, contrary to Manzarek's usual keyboard bass, which he did perform on live versions.
Chord Progression
This is basically a two song chord: A - G. There is a two bar cycle in the chorus, A G / Riff, with the riff being a syncopated thing indicated Amin.
 |
| Main Riff |
In the verses and outro section, the two chords power through: I - bVII in the keys of A and Bb. There is a cool battle between major and minor happening between the melody and harmony throughout the song. While the chords are certainly major, the melody indicates minor, as does the noodling distortion guitar throughout the first two verses. This tonality, rooted in blues music, helps create the psychedelic aura surrounding this tune. It does turn decidedly major in the 3rd verse and outro, once it modulates, though there is some funky chromatic movement between the two chords as it gets closer to the fade out.
Melody
The chorus melody sticks with 3 notes, outlining the chord roots A and G, with that minor 3rd over the A, during the riff. The second repeat of the phrases add a harmonized vocal up a 3rd. Chorus phrases start on the upbeat of beat 4.
Melody
The chorus melody sticks with 3 notes, outlining the chord roots A and G, with that minor 3rd over the A, during the riff. The second repeat of the phrases add a harmonized vocal up a 3rd. Chorus phrases start on the upbeat of beat 4.
 |
| Chorus |
The verse melody takes a similar approach, sticking with only a few notes; A, B and C, which serve as Root, 3rd (of G) and minor 3rd (of A) as it moves through the chords, harmonized a 3rd higher, like the chorus. Rhythmically, the melody consistently has 4 quarter notes followed by a syncopation involving the upbeat of beat 2. The second verse melody varies in the final phrase, which foreshadows the outro melody, by jumping up to the 5th (E) and really resonating in Morrison's robust tenor.
 | |
| Verse 2 |
The third verse has a different flavor with a modulation up a half step to Bb. The melody also lands on the major 3rd (D) and moves back and forth to the root (Bb). Rhythmically, he sticks to the same patterns, prompting me to call this section B'. This verse is also more rhythmically disciplined than the others, hitting 1+ (2)+ every second bar.
This verse leads directly to the outro, reinforcing the chorus tagline with repeated "hello's." Here, Morrison hits the highest note and largest interval in the tune (not counting his wails as the song fades out) with a jump up a 4th to a high Bb, belting out "hello!"
 |
| Verse 3/Outro |
Musical Sticking Points
The chorus and outro are fairly unified in melody and harmony, with the melody usually following the chord roots and using of only a few notes. Most phrases resolve to a chord root, or tonal center, either A or Bb. Most phrases also contain descending motion. Look above and see how many downward trending lines appear!
Repetition is featured throughout the tune on many levels, from harmonic progression, riffs, melodic and harmonic rhythm and lyrics. Just enough changes within the repetition before it feels too redundant and the song is short enough so it never gets annoying.
Lyrics
The premise of "hello, I love you, won't you tell me your name?" or love at first sight, is certainly relatable in the romantic ethos. Morrison wrote this song, reportedly, after seeing a beautiful woman walking down the street [1].
There is some language that is less poetically elegant such as describing this beauty's legs as "long" and the poor fool begging like a dog for something sweet. These are not surprising though, as Morrison's visceral and animalistic demeanor was part of his appeal.
Common Threads
What are some common musical elements found in 1958's "Poor Little Fool" and 1968's "Hello, I Love You?"
Final Takeaways
This song, in part, reminds me of riding in the car, as a kid, listening to classic rock radio with my parents. I enjoy both listening to and performing multiple aspects of this tune. After close listening and analyzing the inner workings, this song still has some hidden gems worth uncovering some day. The verse guitar part, a fuzzy droning sound, that almost matches the timbre of the organ, is all over the map. It climbs up and down a minor pentatonic scale throughout the tune, giving it the psychedelic flavor.
The 2 bar break with the descending and ascending guitar slides is a great tool to break up the repetitive chord sequence, as is the modulation that follows, both elements helping to make it memorable.
What are your takeaways from "Hello, I Love You?" I'm slightly surprised there were so many similarities between this and Ricky Nelson's "Poor Little Fool." This is a promising start in finding musical elements that may contribute to a song's no.1 status.
Up next time, flash forward 10 years: August 12, 1978 - "Three Times A Lady" by the Commodores! Another tune to last two weeks in the no.1 position. Will the musical trends found in '58 and '68 continue??
[1] https://web.archive.org/web/20151009083853/http://blog.rifftime.com/2014/11/the-story-behind-the-doors-hello-i-love-you/
The chorus and outro are fairly unified in melody and harmony, with the melody usually following the chord roots and using of only a few notes. Most phrases resolve to a chord root, or tonal center, either A or Bb. Most phrases also contain descending motion. Look above and see how many downward trending lines appear!
Repetition is featured throughout the tune on many levels, from harmonic progression, riffs, melodic and harmonic rhythm and lyrics. Just enough changes within the repetition before it feels too redundant and the song is short enough so it never gets annoying.
Lyrics
The premise of "hello, I love you, won't you tell me your name?" or love at first sight, is certainly relatable in the romantic ethos. Morrison wrote this song, reportedly, after seeing a beautiful woman walking down the street [1].
There is some language that is less poetically elegant such as describing this beauty's legs as "long" and the poor fool begging like a dog for something sweet. These are not surprising though, as Morrison's visceral and animalistic demeanor was part of his appeal.
Common Threads
What are some common musical elements found in 1958's "Poor Little Fool" and 1968's "Hello, I Love You?"
- melodies utilize and resolve to chord roots
- verses employ similar rhythmic themes - starting on or just after beat 4, 4 quarter notes, syncopation near beat 2
- lyrics about love
- repetitive chord sequences
- memorable vocal hook that uses the song title
- background vocals (harmonies) featured throughout
- male vocal (charismatic personas)
Final Takeaways
This song, in part, reminds me of riding in the car, as a kid, listening to classic rock radio with my parents. I enjoy both listening to and performing multiple aspects of this tune. After close listening and analyzing the inner workings, this song still has some hidden gems worth uncovering some day. The verse guitar part, a fuzzy droning sound, that almost matches the timbre of the organ, is all over the map. It climbs up and down a minor pentatonic scale throughout the tune, giving it the psychedelic flavor.
The 2 bar break with the descending and ascending guitar slides is a great tool to break up the repetitive chord sequence, as is the modulation that follows, both elements helping to make it memorable.
What are your takeaways from "Hello, I Love You?" I'm slightly surprised there were so many similarities between this and Ricky Nelson's "Poor Little Fool." This is a promising start in finding musical elements that may contribute to a song's no.1 status.
Up next time, flash forward 10 years: August 12, 1978 - "Three Times A Lady" by the Commodores! Another tune to last two weeks in the no.1 position. Will the musical trends found in '58 and '68 continue??
[1] https://web.archive.org/web/20151009083853/http://blog.rifftime.com/2014/11/the-story-behind-the-doors-hello-i-love-you/
No comments:
Post a Comment