The summer of 1988 was a good one for Steve Winwood. He released his 5th studio album, "Roll With It" in June of '88 and by late July, he would top the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 4 weeks in a row. Winwood is one of those names I have heard through the years, mostly due to his time in Traffic, the Spencer Davis Group and his own band. When I first discovered what song I would be analyzing for 1988, I certainly recognized the title of this song, and was even able to sing a few bars, albeit with the wrong words (more on that later). In any case, this songs brings a new flavor to the "Decades of Hits" and I'm excited to talk about it.
July 30th, 1988: "Roll With It" by Steve Windwood starts its 4 week reign at no.1!
July 30th, 1988: "Roll With It" by Steve Windwood starts its 4 week reign at no.1!
Breaking through the dance pop, soft rock and hair metal that permeated the charts at the time, Steve Winwood offers up this bluesy, soulful number that still manages to rock out and force the cutting of a few rugs. Unlike "Three Times A Lady," this one has "fun radio song" written all over it.
This song has a very standard form: Verse, Chorus, Verse Chorus, Bridge, Verse, Chorus and fade out, with each section having a mostly predictable number of measures.
The length of this song is a curious note. The single version runs 4:30. The album version runs 5:20 and there is even a B side cut that runs over 9:00! The difference between the album and single versions comes in the length of the ending jam section. The 9 minute version has an extended intro and extended solos where Steve "testifies."
Chord Progressions
The verse of this song is a modified blues form in G. It almost wants to be a 24 bar blues (double the length of each chord in a 12 bar blues) but never gets back to the I chord.
This song has a very standard form: Verse, Chorus, Verse Chorus, Bridge, Verse, Chorus and fade out, with each section having a mostly predictable number of measures.
The length of this song is a curious note. The single version runs 4:30. The album version runs 5:20 and there is even a B side cut that runs over 9:00! The difference between the album and single versions comes in the length of the ending jam section. The 9 minute version has an extended intro and extended solos where Steve "testifies."
Chord Progressions
The verse of this song is a modified blues form in G. It almost wants to be a 24 bar blues (double the length of each chord in a 12 bar blues) but never gets back to the I chord.
The chorus hammers home the tonal center of G, venturing to the IV chord (C) every other 4th beat, for one beat. It also goes to V on a classic 8th note build up to transition to the following sections. Harmonically, this tune stays pretty standard but adds a little spice with the bVII to I, going from verse to chorus.
Then we get to bridge. So far, this is the first real bridge we've encountered in the 4 decades we've analyzed: "Poor Little Fool" (1958) had no bridge; "Hello, I Love You" (1968) had a bridge which was really only 2 chords leading to a key change; "Three Times A Lady" (1978) had a bridge, but it didn't feel like a bridge, using similar harmony and melody from other places in the song.
This bridge visits some brand new territory and bridges the first sets of verse and chorus to a final statement of those sections. Check it out:
vi / vi / bIII/ bIII/ v / v / bII / bVII
Emin / Emin / Bb / Bb / Dmin / Dmin / Ab / F
There is also a great saxophone solo that navigates those chords by focusing on a chord tone and then resolving to the closest note in the next chord to make it sound cohesive and not too far out, despite the varied changes.
Melody
The vocal melody throughout this tune is a great example of "less is more." Steve sticks to notes in the G Dorian Blues scales (G minor pentatonic plus a major 2nd and maj 6th):
G A Bb (C) D E F. Most phrases start on the b7 and resolve to the root, further fortifying the tonal center of G. He alternates between a Gmin lick (G, F and Bb) and a C pentatonic lick (E G A D), never actually singing the C. The chord over the phrase is undoubtedly G, but the piano moves to a C chord in a syncopated pattern that plays over the G chord in the verse. He sings a lot of 2nds and minor 3rds throughout, keeping things in that small, familiar range. The largest leap comes on the hook of "roll with it baby," jumping down a 4th, a staple of the verse melody.
Then we get to bridge. So far, this is the first real bridge we've encountered in the 4 decades we've analyzed: "Poor Little Fool" (1958) had no bridge; "Hello, I Love You" (1968) had a bridge which was really only 2 chords leading to a key change; "Three Times A Lady" (1978) had a bridge, but it didn't feel like a bridge, using similar harmony and melody from other places in the song.
This bridge visits some brand new territory and bridges the first sets of verse and chorus to a final statement of those sections. Check it out:
vi / vi / bIII/ bIII/ v / v / bII / bVII
Emin / Emin / Bb / Bb / Dmin / Dmin / Ab / F
There is also a great saxophone solo that navigates those chords by focusing on a chord tone and then resolving to the closest note in the next chord to make it sound cohesive and not too far out, despite the varied changes.
Melody
The vocal melody throughout this tune is a great example of "less is more." Steve sticks to notes in the G Dorian Blues scales (G minor pentatonic plus a major 2nd and maj 6th):
G A Bb (C) D E F. Most phrases start on the b7 and resolve to the root, further fortifying the tonal center of G. He alternates between a Gmin lick (G, F and Bb) and a C pentatonic lick (E G A D), never actually singing the C. The chord over the phrase is undoubtedly G, but the piano moves to a C chord in a syncopated pattern that plays over the G chord in the verse. He sings a lot of 2nds and minor 3rds throughout, keeping things in that small, familiar range. The largest leap comes on the hook of "roll with it baby," jumping down a 4th, a staple of the verse melody.
The verse melody features several rhythmic motives that recur throughout the verse. There's this call and answer thing happening, with variations of "roll with it baby" functioning as the answer. Phrases start on b4 twice, then b3, revealing this short long short motif we we will see many times throughout the verse. Then the phrases start on b2, several beats after they had been starting. This is one of the first times we have seen phrases with such varied rhythms evolving throughout a verse....
The chorus combines elements of the verse melody, utilizing the G minor and C pentatonic licks he established and squishing them together. The call and answer thing reappears too, this time with harmony on the calls and Steve answering solo.
The chorus combines elements of the verse melody, utilizing the G minor and C pentatonic licks he established and squishing them together. The call and answer thing reappears too, this time with harmony on the calls and Steve answering solo.
The tagline of "roll with it baby" rhythmically and melodically transforms between the verse and chorus. Both versions act as a catchy hook, exploiting the bluesy/pentatonic nature of the song. Steve's voice also helps this cause, growling its way to the b3, and lower 6ths, in a quasi sing/speak/shout tone. His voice is unique in terms of today's pop music environment and something I wish we would see more of.
The other noteworthy characteristic of the vocal is frequent the vocal harmony. On its own, the harmony uses the same pentatonic sensibility as the lead, but starts a 3rd lower. There are a few places in the chorus where the timbres of the singers blend so tightly, it's hard to tell who is singing what. It's just another feather in the cap of the bluesy rock awesomeness in this tune!
Musical Sticking Points:
This song thrives on taking a few key ingredients and mixing them around to create some magic. A fairly stock chord progression lays the foundation for the verse and gets simplified even further for the chorus. Small groupings of notes, all derived from the same scale, keep the vocal melody varied yet predictable. The form, also repetitive and simple (AB), is broken up with a bridge that moves away from home, but not for too long. This song is predictable, but not without a few surprises along the way.
I would imagine part of this song's appeal was the strong and danceable rhythm. The instrumentation evokes this feeling that forces you on your feet. Even as I was listening at home, my wife would wander into the room wildly dancing. Even if she was trying to be funny, I'm not sure she had a choice. This song grooves hard.
Another interesting element that flavors the tune throughout is the horn arrangement. We get the horns sustaining chord tones in the intro to set up the groove. In the first chorus, they sprinkle in a little syncopation with some high trumpet notes. They then sneak in halfway through the 2nd verse, laying down the chords and offering chordal syncopations not matched by the rhythm section. They lead us into the sax solo and then kick up the intensity with a 16th note syncopation in the 3rd chorus. In the 3rd verse we finally get the full treatment of melodic backgrounds and all those horny-things (things horns are good at/known for). They finish the song with a subtler approach over the keyboard and sax solos. Great arranging!
Lyrics
Lyrically, the message of the song can be summed up by this line from the 2nd verse:
When this world turns its back on you
Hang in and do that sweet thing you do
There is nothing too spectacular about the lyrics, aside from the fact that they speak in general times and are easy to relate with it. The tagline of "roll with it baby" is also highly singable and rolls of the tongue, an underrated quality of musical hooks.
Speaking of rolling off the tongue, Steve Winwood's voice is very difficult to decipher. Upon a first reading of the lyrics, I believed every lyric website had a typo. There was no way I was hearing "hard times knocking on your door." His gruff delivery doesn't help his annunciation. This plagues him with most iterations of "roll with it," as well. Even when I read the title, I was inclined to hear "work with it" within my musical memory. This marks the first analyzed song where the lyrics are not easily understood , a common complaint of any music post 1980? Sorry grandma.
Common Threads
Looking back at the previous songs, what are some shared elements found in "Roll With It?"
I plan to summarize these common threads in a chart after a few more songs. Seeing these elements graphically laid out and tallied will paint a clearer picture, but I'm very interested in how these points are uncovered throughout the decades!
Final Takeaways
So far, this might be the closest thing to a "standard pop song" analyzed. When I say standard pop tune, I think of a common structure of verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus and I think of chords that exploit I, IV and V. "Roll With It" checks all those boxes quite easily.
It's also worth mentioning the music video to this song, linked at the beginning of the article, was directed by David Fincher, a monster director behind such films as "Fight Club," "Se7en," "Alien 3" and "he Social Network," among others.
What are your thoughts on "Roll With It?" I can see this one flying under the radar of many. If you have never heard it, what do you think? Does it hold up to the other songs? Does it make you want to move in a dance-like fashion? Leave me a comment!
Up next time: The summer of 1998 was DOMINATED by a 13 week run at the no.1 spot, all the way from a no.23 debut to no.1 on June 6th 1998, staying there until September 5th, where it was dethroned by Aerosmith!?!?! That's right:
"The Boy is Mine" by Brandy & Monica
Bring on the pop music!
The other noteworthy characteristic of the vocal is frequent the vocal harmony. On its own, the harmony uses the same pentatonic sensibility as the lead, but starts a 3rd lower. There are a few places in the chorus where the timbres of the singers blend so tightly, it's hard to tell who is singing what. It's just another feather in the cap of the bluesy rock awesomeness in this tune!
Musical Sticking Points:
This song thrives on taking a few key ingredients and mixing them around to create some magic. A fairly stock chord progression lays the foundation for the verse and gets simplified even further for the chorus. Small groupings of notes, all derived from the same scale, keep the vocal melody varied yet predictable. The form, also repetitive and simple (AB), is broken up with a bridge that moves away from home, but not for too long. This song is predictable, but not without a few surprises along the way.
I would imagine part of this song's appeal was the strong and danceable rhythm. The instrumentation evokes this feeling that forces you on your feet. Even as I was listening at home, my wife would wander into the room wildly dancing. Even if she was trying to be funny, I'm not sure she had a choice. This song grooves hard.
Another interesting element that flavors the tune throughout is the horn arrangement. We get the horns sustaining chord tones in the intro to set up the groove. In the first chorus, they sprinkle in a little syncopation with some high trumpet notes. They then sneak in halfway through the 2nd verse, laying down the chords and offering chordal syncopations not matched by the rhythm section. They lead us into the sax solo and then kick up the intensity with a 16th note syncopation in the 3rd chorus. In the 3rd verse we finally get the full treatment of melodic backgrounds and all those horny-things (things horns are good at/known for). They finish the song with a subtler approach over the keyboard and sax solos. Great arranging!
Lyrics
Lyrically, the message of the song can be summed up by this line from the 2nd verse:
When this world turns its back on you
Hang in and do that sweet thing you do
There is nothing too spectacular about the lyrics, aside from the fact that they speak in general times and are easy to relate with it. The tagline of "roll with it baby" is also highly singable and rolls of the tongue, an underrated quality of musical hooks.
Speaking of rolling off the tongue, Steve Winwood's voice is very difficult to decipher. Upon a first reading of the lyrics, I believed every lyric website had a typo. There was no way I was hearing "hard times knocking on your door." His gruff delivery doesn't help his annunciation. This plagues him with most iterations of "roll with it," as well. Even when I read the title, I was inclined to hear "work with it" within my musical memory. This marks the first analyzed song where the lyrics are not easily understood , a common complaint of any music post 1980? Sorry grandma.
Common Threads
Looking back at the previous songs, what are some shared elements found in "Roll With It?"
- melodies utilize and resolve to chord roots - check
- verses employ similar rhythmic themes - ?? This is a tricky one. The verses themselves use the same rhythmic themes, but as mentioned before, the rhythm evolves, and continues to evolve within the same lyrics in the chorus. Maybe this common thread could be amended to: Vocal melodies repeat rhythmic and melodic themes
- lyrics about love - Not so much! This one deals more with overcoming adversity.
- repetitive chord sequences - check
- memorable vocal hook that uses the song title - check
- background vocals (harmonies) featured throughout - check
- male vocal - check
I plan to summarize these common threads in a chart after a few more songs. Seeing these elements graphically laid out and tallied will paint a clearer picture, but I'm very interested in how these points are uncovered throughout the decades!
Final Takeaways
So far, this might be the closest thing to a "standard pop song" analyzed. When I say standard pop tune, I think of a common structure of verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus and I think of chords that exploit I, IV and V. "Roll With It" checks all those boxes quite easily.
It's also worth mentioning the music video to this song, linked at the beginning of the article, was directed by David Fincher, a monster director behind such films as "Fight Club," "Se7en," "Alien 3" and "he Social Network," among others.
What are your thoughts on "Roll With It?" I can see this one flying under the radar of many. If you have never heard it, what do you think? Does it hold up to the other songs? Does it make you want to move in a dance-like fashion? Leave me a comment!
Up next time: The summer of 1998 was DOMINATED by a 13 week run at the no.1 spot, all the way from a no.23 debut to no.1 on June 6th 1998, staying there until September 5th, where it was dethroned by Aerosmith!?!?! That's right:
"The Boy is Mine" by Brandy & Monica
Bring on the pop music!
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