"Genie In A Bottle" - Christina Aguilera, 1999

I would imagine it's a vindicating feeling to have your lead single from your debut record rise to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in a little more than a month.  Christina Aguilera, the former Mickey Mouseketeer, was feeling that vindication in 1999 when "Genie In A Bottle" climbs the charts to no.1.  To date, this probably goes down as Christina Aguilera's most recognizable tune.  Musically, does the genie in the bottle have the power to hold up to other no.1 hits?

July 31st - August 28th, 1999 - "Genie In A Bottle" by Christina Aguilera stays at no.1 for 5 weeks straight!

This song was written by David Frank, Steve Kipner and Pamela Sheyne, whom collaborated together before even meeting Christina.  I read an fascinating article that described, in great detail, Frank's process and gear used during the initial demo recording. [1]  There's a lot of great stuff about sounds, recording techniques and mixing strategies that are well beyond the scope of this analysis.

The form in this one could go several ways.  I landed on a contentious label, if you have been keeping track of the past two analyses "on the 9's."  The chorus is definitely "If you want to be with me..."  If that is true, the "oh's" and spoken dialogue preceding that would naturally be the prechorus.  What then to make of "I'm a genie in the bottle baby" part?  It could be a post-chorus or part of the standard chorus, but it does not always follow the chorus and repeats towards the end of the song, in-lieu of a bridge.  So what's left?  It does repeat the title line of the song and ties one section of the song in with the next...how bout a refrain?

I had an in-depth conversation about this with the illustrious Chris Knott, the man behind Phish Riffs (@phishriffs on Instagram) and co-host of the podcasts "We'z Talin' Weez 2 Thee" and "Blue Album Battle" (@weztalkinweez on Twitter).  We concluded that the terms "chorus" and "refrain" are more or less interchangeable.  Refrain could additionally be reserved for a repeated line in a song, such as in Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changing."  It could also be used for a larger section that repeats several times.  Positioning could make a difference, but other than that, any argument is really fair game.

The only eye-catcher here is the intro, clocking in at 5 bars.  The odd bar is the first, a piano solo, which is a brilliant foreshadow to the rest of the song, offering clues to both melodic and harmonic content to come....

Chord Progressions 

Speaking of the intro, this fragment truncates chords and melody for the whole song in only one bar!

Opening Piano Measure

Harmonically, we get a taste of the full progression: Fmin - Eb - Db - C7, or i - bVII - bVI - V7 in the key of F minor.  Melodically, we get a preview of the rhythmic pacing we will see in many sections....more on that later.

After this opening measure, we get the full groove and harmonic sequence that repeats for the entire tune.

Base Chord Progression 

   The chords move a little slower than the opening bar and we get some FUNKY syncopation.  The bass line is doubled by the (electronic) bass drum.  The 32nd note patterns, in isolation, seem like they would bog down the tune with a blast of noise every two bars.  They are mixed in expertly though and the give the tune a great sense of forward momentum.  Once the vocals enter, I generally forget it's even there.

The line on top is sort of a synthy guitar inspired layer.  David Frank expounds upon this in the previously cited article.  This line arpeggiates the chord progression with some syncopation, another clue to the vocal melodies to come.

Harmonically, the tune does not wander too much from this template, simply adding and subtracting instrumental layers.  Check out these layers from the prechorus.  We see an extended version of the piano arpeggio moving through the chords.  Cmin7 is implied in this part, but the with bass playing E natural, it still functions as the V7 chord, moving back to Fmin. 

PreChorus Variations

We also see another synth "stab" that pushes the Fmin agenda and lays heavy on the G, implying an Fmin9 flavor that we will see periodically throughout as well.

In the chorus, we get the "stabby" synth from the pre-chorus, only expanded.  This part forces F minor for the first half and then sticks to the 3rd-4th and 5th of the Eb chord. 

Chorus Variations

We also hear some new synth sounds, including a warm pad and high strings.  They mostly stick to chord tones.  There is also a sustained F and Ab, giving a Eb9/Eb11 feel, tonalities which are also implied, at times, in the vocal melody.

Melody

Christina Aguilera is a great singer.  She comes into the recording session and wows the composers, landing her the song, which was considered for other artists.  The first time we hear her is in the intro, where she teases melodic content to come.

Opening vocal melody

She enters on the + of beat 4, a rhythmic preview of the verse, and effortlessly melismas her way down the scale to Ab, the 5th of Db and the minor 3rd of the home key, another hallmark of the melody by in large.  Then we're off to the races in the verse.

Verse 1

The verse, structured into 2 bar phrases, includes lots of syncopation.  We hear a sixteenth-eighth-sixteenth figure which nestles in with all of the other 16th note figures in the bass and synth parts.
The first phrase starts on the minor 3rd (Ab) and goes all the way down to Bb, functioning as the minor 7th of C7.  The second phrase picks up from that note and works up to the C and then down to low F or Ab, all chord tones of Fmin.

This melody works really well in keeping the tonal center relevant among the moving chords and active syncopation.  Even looking at this part, it seems like it might not sound so smooth, but it floats over the groove and has an approachable contour.

Up next is the pre-chorus, which features the least rhythmic singing and the widest intervals in the vocal melody.

Pre-Chorus

 The "ohs" outline the Fmin, Eb and Db chords at a similar pace to the intro.  They are a nice contrast to the spoken parts to following, which are paced closer to the verse.  The "ohs" are harmonized with several voices, including a 3rd higher and a lower sustained Bb on the end of the line.

This prechorus part is a perfect illustration of tying the verse to the chorus with combined musical elements of both.  Notice the switch to eighth notes, instead of sixteenths, as we move to the chorus.

Chorus

This part stands out with phrases entering on beat 2, instead of just before beat 4, as we saw in the verse.  She plays with the first three notes of the Fminor scale and then descends, passing through F, Db and C before returning to F.  We also hear the natural 7th of the C7 chord at the end of the phrase, voice leading "naturally" to the F minor.  The end of the chorus features overlapping vocal work from Christina, another preview of flash to come.

Directly following the chorus is the refrain.  Here, she goes way low in her register and gets down to the root note, F, to finish off the phrases.  There is a nice balance of 16 notes, from the verse and prechorus, as well as slower eighth notes taken from the chorus.  Again, her note choice hammers home F minor, this time with C, Bb and Ab as the primary targets.

Refrain

Like the prechorus, this refrain part successfully ties the sections of the song together, helping them to feel different over the static chord progression.

Female fronted 90's pop/R&B would not be complete without strings of countermelodies.  We get a healthy dose in the second half of the double chorus.  Check this out:

last Chorus countermelody

She hangs out on the G, echoing "I'm a genie in a bottle," giving the line a totally different feel.  She then goes into full falsetto, echoing "if you want to be with me."  This continues through the end of the song in typical diva fashion, introducing Christina as a serious player.

Musical Sticking Points

"Genie In A Bottle" has a lot in common with "Old Town Road" and "I Gotta Feeling."  There is a static chord progression that runs throughout the entire tune, slightly altered with the addition or subtraction of musical elements.  For me, the complexity of those elements makes "Genie" much more interesting than the other songs.

"Genie" is filled with syncopation, featuring numerous variations on sixteenth-eight note combinations.  Surprisingly, the layers of busy syncopation stay out of each others way.  The rhythm section has the bass drum part, pounding out 32nd notes the whole time with choppy 16th notes on top, coupled with choppy 16th note vocals in the middle.  Somehow, it all fits together nicely.  There are a few pauses in the rhythm section, which offer a moment to breathe, as well as the significantly slower vocal rhythm in the chorus, causing the hook to sink in.

Christina's range is very impressive.  While most of the time is spent in her strong middle range, she gets down into the seductive lower talking voice.  The high croons in the double chorus also showcase her ability, which by all accounts, impressed everyone in the studio enough to award her the song.

In terms of arrangement, the songwriters sneakily make it seem like there is more happening than there actually is.  Elements are subtracted and added with a little more grace than in "I Gotta Feeling."  For example, the piano part in the pre-chorus doesn't become audible until 2 beats in.  When you hear the missing two beats on the repeat, it sounds less predictable than if you had heard it in full.  There are also numerous noises that add a layer of ambiance layered in with all of the other notes.  It also stands apart from "I Gotta Feeling" and "Old Town Road" in the complexity and development of the added parts.

Lyrics
This song caused a little bit of controversy when it first hit the airwaves.  The lyrics are very suggestive and it doesn't sit too well knowing Aguilera was only 18 years old, at the time.  Despite the adult nature of the tune, Aguilera would later reveal the true message of self respect, an opposite notion to many naysayers. [2]

I will say this is one of those random songs that gets stuck in my head for no reason at all.  I find myself blurting out the hook way more than I care to admit.  Maybe it has something to do with the act of rubbing, a verb that can be interpreted in a few ways;)  That is a little less obvious than a suspect line in the 2nd verse:

Hormones racing at the speed of light

But that don't mean it's gotta be tonight

Baby, baby, baby (baby, baby, baby)

 How many no.1 pop tunes use the word "hormones?"

Common Threads 
Here, I will try to find common ground between the songs analyzed "on the 9's" so far: "Old Town Road" (2019) and "I Gotta Feeling" (2009).  Here's the list after analyzing "Genie In A Bottle."

• Hook that  uses the title of the song
• Repeated melodic themes
• Singular repeated chord progression
• Texture changes through instrumental addition and subtraction
• Chorus and Refrain sections

Several elements, ripped directly from my last analysis, are shining stars of "Genie In A Bottle."  The only point I had to remove was "male lead vocal."  I also added "chorus and refrain" sections.  All three of the songs this round have had more than 1 catchy section that repeats, warranting not only a chorus, but also a hook.  I am looking forward to seeing if this trend continues as we move to 1989.

A common element between this and "Old Town Road" is a vocal melody that suggests a singular key, despite chord changes.  "Genie's" vocal melody infers F minor and "Old Town Road" infers G#min, despite the chord progressions inferring slightly different tonality. 

Final Takeaways
While this song was a slight break from the unrelenting monotony of "I Gotta Feeling," I feel stuck in the pop music rut.  I'm not sure what I was expecting from this project, but the variation covered "on the 8's" did not prepare me for the "7 layer dip" approach to writing pop songs "on the 9's."

That being said, I do like this song and have gained a deeper appreciation for it, an ulterior goal for this project.  Musically, this is song is far more complex that I would have ever imagined.  At times, I felt like I was transcribing Latin Jazz, then it kept repeating without variation. 

What do you think of "Genie In A Bottle?"  Does it hold up by today's pop music standards?  Leave me a comment!

Up next time:  August 12 - 26, 1989.  "Right Here Waiting" by Richard Marx lasts 3 weeks at no.1!  Full disclosure, I don't know this song in the least.  I am looking forward to digging in to something, I can only hope is in a different time zone than the 3 songs already seen "on the 9's."  Knowing what I know about the name Richard Marx, I think I will get my wish!  (I went this entire article with no wish puns.....had to get at least 1 in....do I still get 2 more?)


[1] https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/recording-christina-aguileras-genie-bottle
[2] https://storyofsong.com/story/genie-in-a-bottle/

"I Gotta Feeling" - Black Eyed Peas, 2009

The spring and summer of 2009 was a great time to be a Black Eyed Pea.  April 18th, "Boom Boom Pow" jumps from no.39 to no.1, an impressive feat to say the least.  "Boom Boom Pow" sits at no.1 for an impressive 12 weeks!  10 weeks into the run, the Black Eyed Peas debut another song on the charts, at no.2.....where two weeks later, it soars to no.1, for another 14 weeks!  Complete and total chart topping dominance!

July 11, 2009 to October 10, 2009 - "I Gotta A Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas marks the second long running hit, in a row, for the group!

Will the song's popularity match its musical integrity?

In my last analysis, we explored the difference between a chorus and a refrain.  While both labels are often used interchangeably, there are some subtle differences.  Consider this:

The chorus contains the main idea, or big picture, of what is being expressed lyrically and musically. It is repeated throughout the song, and the melody and lyric rarely vary." A refrain is, "a repeated line or musical phrase that ties a song together...[1]

With the above definition in mind, I landed on the following:
"I've got a feeling..." is the chorus.  It accounts for the most real estate in the song and is the most developed musical section throughout.   While it could be considered the refrain, there are too many elements that make it more than that.

"Let's do it, and do it...." is the refrain.  Going with the above definition, this section repeats a musical phrase that does tie the verses together and flows into the chorus and bridge over the coarse of the song.

As in "Old Town Road," there are two strong hooks that repeat several times.  As I think about this conundrum with fresh ears, I am tempted to change my thoughts about refrain and chorus in my "Old Town Road" analysis.  In any case, it's somewhat ironic, that for the second analysis in a row, randomly selected for the date of its no.1 placement, ten years apart, that two songs have a similar form involving two repeated hooks that could be called either the chorus or refrain.

The form shines a light on this song's repetitious nature.  Every section, except for the outro (one sustained synth note and a "hoo hoo") is an 8 measures long.  Each 16 measure chorus section is really just a repeated 8 bars.  Verse 1 and Verse 3 are repeated verbatim.  The only two things that differentiate the sections are the lyrics (which repeat) and the arrangement of elements in the loop. 


Chord Progressions

There is a singular chord progression that runs throughout the entire song.  I / IV / vi / IV in the key of G: G / C / Emin / C.  It is, however, changed ever so slightly by harmonic nuances in the instrumental layers.  The keyboard/synth/string lines lays the foundation from beat 1:

Main Harmonic Theme

The Gsus chord previews the tonality that will happen in several sections, with the 4th resolving to the major 3rd.  8 bars into this, higher strings enter, introducing the A - G theme that will appear later, in the vocals.

Strings - m9 - 16

The guitar provides a percussive moving line that helps the momentum continue in the absence of the drums.  This line sticks to the chord roots.

Guitar Line - opening choruses 

The driving root motion is taken over by the bass and drums in the verses.  The synth sneaks in with a repeated G note on the upbeats, replacing the intro synth line's static G.

Drums and Bass Verse

Also in the verse, the chords are outlined by another synth playing on all the upbeats.  This line creates a few subtle suspensions: G6 over the G chord and Csus4 over C.  It then exploits the shared tones E and G of Emin and C.

Verse Accompaniment 

Another treatment to the base chord progression happens in the return of verse 1 and carries through to the bridge.  A new synth pattern outlines the chords.  This time though, there are no suspensions and notes stay within the chord tones.

Synth Development - V1(2x), V3(2x) and B 

As illustrated above, this song plays on idea of repetition with a few varied elements along the way.  Aside from the occasional suspension or rhythmic variation, the instrumental foundation of the entire song is unchanged.  Another way it staves off the ad nauseam effect is by varying the overall texture with the intensity of the drums.

The drums range from light and understated to full blown dance club to non existent.  One of the most interesting stretches in the song happens between verse 1 and the first refrain.  In these sections, there is silence interjected, which provides some nice moments of suspense.

Rhythmic Variance - V1 - R1

Notice how the 2 beats of silence gets moved around in various positions.  This is certainly a shining moment for me amidst the relentless unchanged harmonic progression.  I found an interesting summary of how this repetition stays varied, breaking down the additions and subtractions of each element. [2]

Melody

The chorus melody contains the hook of the song and provides the most melodic space in the song.  The opening line, starting on beat 3 in m16 of the intro, climbs up in 4ths and resolves down a half step to the major 3rd of G.  So far in this analysis, half step motion is a rare interval for catchy hooks.

Chorus Melody

As the melody progresses, the same phrase is repeated several times: "tonight's gonna be a good night," which descends the G major scale from the C or D notes each time, landing on G and returning to the E to start the next phrase on the "and of beat 3.  In summary: lots of ascending leaps of a -6 followed by descending motion to the root with more half step resolutions to the 3rd.

This melodic content was foreshadowed in the intro.  The primary synth part featured the half step resolution in the G chord.  The strings also foreshadow this "hoo hoo" vocal we hear the 2nd time though the 16 measure chorus (A - G).

As the song moves through the verses, the focus shifts to speaking in rhythm, the very definition of rap [3].   The rhythms stay consistent within the verses, save the last measure which lines up with the drum break.

Verse 1

Fergie takes verse 2, which is a completely different presentation than verse 1, only labeled verse due to its position in the song and the lack of later repetition.  Her sang melody offers a variation on the chorus melody.  Instead of focusing on the half step C-B, she goes after the E-D (supported in the upbeat accompaniment) before descending down the G major scale.  She then borrows from that upbeat synth accompaniment again, hanging out on G and E shared chord tones.

Verse 2

This verse is also a nice contrast to the first verse in its rhythmic construction.  She generally starts a beat later than will.i.am and her phrases are longer and more flowing.

After this nice melodic detour, we get another rap verse, almost rhythmically identical to verse 1.

verse 3

The verse ends with a shadow of the chorus, a descending scalar lick in G with that -6 leap up to C, which resolves to.....you guessed it, the B, down a half step, directly into the refrain.

Refrain

This refrain really exploits the half step resolutions, repeating them over and over before leading us back to the chorus.  There is one interesting moment, which might actually break the rule for "refrain," in "let's live it up."  This rhythmic hiccup breaks things up just enough before they get too tiresome...or does it?

The last section in the song with new melodic content comes in the bridge.  It starts with another rap section, this time with a new rhythmic structure that repeats twice.

Bridge - first 4 bars

The second half of the bridge returns to a sang melody, but keeps the rap feel by singing the repeated tonal center, G.  This part also features a half step resolution C to B, only in a new position.  Here, the resolution happens between beat 3 and 4, rhythmically unique to the rest of the tune!

Bridge - last 8

Musical Sticking Points

Apparently, people love predictability and repetition.  A theme of every song I have analyzed is its evolution.  I summarize it as "hearing the same thing without hearing the same thing."  Songs accomplish this in many ways: changing lyrics, changing melodies, adding or subtracting musical elements, key changes, etc.  Does "I Gotta Feeling" evolve?  In short, yes.

My longer answer is not so cut and dry.  While this song undoubtedly varies musical elements and textures from beginning to end, it leaves me unsatisfied.  I think I have listened to this song more than any other, for analysis purposes.  Maybe I was hoping to find something more, thinking "that can't be all that's happening?"  I definitely kept getting lost in sea of "let's do its," which forced a few extra listens.  In the end, this song's evolution just doesn't hold up for me.

I do like the variations of vocal delivery.  There's rap, there's a male and female lead and there's copious amounts of gang vocals and antagonistic echoes ("DRINK!").  All of those things keep the song moving and give each repeated section a slightly different feel.  There's a very rhythmic quality to the whole tune.  I wonder if any percussion ensembles have covered this one?

The "7 layer dip" approach to music certainly worked for the Peas in 2009.  I would love to see this tune laid out on a screen, color coded, to see the flow of what's added or taken away.  There are so many little layers popping up everywhere.  I didn't even mention the syncopated "feel" that happens every 4 measures through most of the song.  Gary Ewer has some similar thoughts in his thought provoking article from "Essential Secrets of Song Writing." [4]

Lyrics

"I Gotta Feeling" is a "good times" anthem.  I'm sure it has been featured in countless photo slideshows as the soundtrack for happy nostalgia.  It also works as a party song, conjuring up the idea of letting loose on the weekend.

All of that is well and good, but I have a slightly different take.  As I was listening close to a few sections, several times in a row, I felt like I was listening to some twisted hypnosis track.  "Let's do it, and do it, and do it and do it...."  The voices in my head start to say "do what will.i.am?"  "Party everyday?"  or do you want me to "jump off that sofa," or "burn the roof?"  Yes!  "burn the roof," and "we'll do it again, we'll do it, do it."  I'm just saying, if Ozzy Osbourne had come out with those lyrics in the 80's, there would have been a strings of arson and lots of lawsuits. I guess it's all about context and presentation.

Common Threads

After listening to "Old Town Road," I came up with some musical elements I suspected I might see moving forward.  After reviewing the list, "I Gotta Feeling" can claim these similarities:

• Male lead vocal
• Hook that  uses the title of the song
• Repeated melodic themes
• Singular repeated chord progression
• Texture changes

I'm certain, as with the last round of songs, that this list will evolve different elements will present themselves.

Final Takeaways
After listening several times to finish this analysis, I am confident that I never need to hear this tune again.  It's not that I dislike it or don't appreciate it....I've cracked its code and there's nothing new left to discover.  I could say the same thing about other song's I've analyzed, but their inherent ingenuity is far more interesting than "I Gotta Feeling."

As a funny aside, early on in this analysis as I was searching for information about this song, I erroneously referred to it as "I've Got A Feeling," which is a classic Beatles song.  As that search query kept appearing, it only served as salt in the wounds for what I would repeatedly endure.

What are your thoughts on "I Gotta Feeling?"  Does its singability and strong dance feel give its musical blandness a pass?  Leave me a comment!

Up next: July 31st through August 28th, 1999, a 5 week run at no.1, just when I thought I couldn't take any more pop...."Genie In A Bottle" by Christina Aguilera!  This one may be a guilty pleasure?  We'll see!

[1]https://music.stackexchange.com/questions/69616/what-is-the-difference-between-chorus-and-refrain

[2] https://ronannanor.wordpress.com/2014/10/01/song-analysis-i-gotta-feeling-black-eyed-peas/

[3] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rap

[4] https://www.secretsofsongwriting.com/2009/09/22/why-the-black-eyed-peas-i-gotta-feeling-has-been-such-a-success/

"Old Town Road" - Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, 2019

"Old Town Road" is like the Cinderella story of pop music.  This genre blurring song, which was independently released on Lil Nas X's Sound Cloud account, would gain serious traction and debut on multiple Billboard charts [1].  Sprinkle in a viral TikTok craze, a little bit of categorical controversy and Billy Ray Cyrus - five months later we get the start of the longest running no.1 hit ever.

April 13 - August 17, 2019: "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus makes history reigning supreme for 19 weeks straight!

The general consensus of this song is either glowingly positive or glaringly negative.  I plan on leaving my opinions out of it and focusing on observable musical elements (until we get to lyrics).

The form of "Old Town Road" is something unique.  Here we see an example of both a chorus and refrain.  These two terms are often used interchangeably, but they are slightly different.  A useful definition may be "all choruses are refrains, but not all refrains are choruses." [2]  A refrain is a term used for a single repeating line, rather than an entire section.  While the two sections in question could fall into either categorization, it made more sense to call the title bearing section the "refrain."

So to be clear, "I'm gonna take my horse to the old town road..." is the refrain" and "can't nobody tell me nothing..." is the chorus.  Both sections use the same 8 measure instrumental track.


The tune also comes pretty close to classical rondo form: ABACABA.  It ends exactly as it begins, in reverse, with the refrain and the instrumental sections.  That little form trick gives the song a feeling of completion.  It's also less than three minutes long, so ending it in a predictable and recognizable way helps close the loop and leave the audience satisfied. 

Chord Progression
The instrumentation is relatively minimal.  The song starts with a sample of "34 Ghosts IV" by Nine Inch Nails.  The atmospheric guitar and string sounds (pizzicato violin sound?) repeat in some fashion throughout the entire song.

Opening Guitar Ostinato

These two lines set up an interesting harmonic structure, that on their own, leave some room for interpretation.   The dyads (two note chords) do fill out with additional harmony as vocals and additional sampled melodies enter.  The first vocals happen in bar 2, introducing a melody that we never get again in full, altering the chords just a bit.

Intro vocal

As the refrain begins, there is an instrumental lead that occurs, furthering the harmonic development.

Refrain Instrumental Lead

The static F# on beats two and four create some cool suspensions with a min7 on G#, hence the G#7 chord, and the 9th over the E6 chord, which also provides the #11 as well!

Then the bass comes in....

Bass (drum) Ostinato

Now the tonal center becomes more clear...G#min?  The bass motion from G# up a minor third to B leaves a G#min modal taste in my mouth, especially when combined with the various vocal melodies.  In any case, the progression comes out to: VI - I - V - IV.  Ahh the power of this chord progression.  If you venture into the archives, we saw this same progression, switched around, in Ricky Nelson's "Poor Little Fool" all the way back in 1958.

Melody

Let's start with the refrain.  The catchy hook of the song has a few sneaky things happening.  Each phrase starts on the D# (5th of G#) and works its way down a G# minor triad with the passing 4th.  It then jumps back up the 5th and comes down again, stressing the 4th, a bluesy/rock sound for sure.  In the 3rd full measure, over the F# chord, we get the C# again, now the 5th of F#, before working back down through the G#min chord, this time passing through the A#, hammering that G#minor feeling home with the "me re do" resolution (that's "me" as in "may," not "mi" as in "me"...the flat 3rd).

Refrain

Rhythmically, each phrase starts with 3 eighth notes (+4+).  The beat 2 "ride" also helps to give a little rhythmic surprise without upsetting the apple cart too much.

Lil Nas X's first verse picks right up with the melodic rhythm of the refrain (+4+) and then introduces a new rhythmic theme, spitting out 4 eighth notes at the start of every measure.  The pitches also move back and forth between two notes, working their way down through the G# minor chord, like the opening notes of the refrain.  We also get that anchoring G# tone several times ("match," "ha," "you ain't" and "now").

Verse 1

 The Lil Nas X verses and chorus are also very low in range, which provides a nice contrast with the higher chorus and Billy Ray verse.

Chorus

The chorus, which provides a strong secondary hook, also anchors my ear to a G#minor tonality.  We get the 4 eighth notes from the verse, a beat 2 C# from the refrain, the repeated low G#'s and the descending G#minor scale (C#-B-A#-G# from the last measure) to tie it all together.  It is impressive how these 4 bars incorporate so many elements of the song in a short space.

The biggest variance comes in the third and longest verse, provided by Mr. Cyrus.  Here, he focuses on some new, higher pitches, giving even more contrast to the low Lil Nas X parts.  We now get the full blown G# minor 7 sound with generous helpings of root to minor 7 motion and minor third leaps back and forth between G# and B.   

Verse 3 - first 8 bars

Rhythmically, he introduces a new pattern of 4 quarter notes before giving us the verse 1 rhythm of four eighth notes.  The first four measures are, rhythmically, a mirror image.  The second 4 measures are the same 2 measure patterns repeated.  He also borrows Lil Nas X's melodic pattern, alternating between two notes as he works his way down the scale.

Billy Ray isn't finished yet though.  Check out the second 8 measures of his double verse.

Verse 3 - second 8

Rhythmically, we get something closer to the refrain.  The position of the 4 eighth notes shift, there's syncopation on 1+ and 2+ and we hear more of an emphasis on +4+, figures that all occur in the refrain.  He drives this point home by actually quoting the refrain lyrics, this time with a melodic variation, the A# on "ride," instead of the C# that we have heard since the beginning.

The last two bars, in my opinion, are the most interesting moment in the entire song.  The harmony on "ride" is the first time we get a full F# major tonality, thanks to the A#.  The "whoa oh oh" figure also leads us back to the refrain one final time in slick fashion, returning the focus to G# minor, just in case that little flavor burst of harmony didn't sit quite right.

We also hear a slightly more pronounced flourish on "old town road," a variation I could be convinced happens, albeit more subtle, at other times in the song.   

And after all that, refrains, choruses and verses, each with shared melodic and rhythmic characteristics that develop and morph over a static chord progression, we get the final 8 measures of the song and.....slightly new melodic material...whistled!

closing whistle

This has a little bit of the intro vocal "mmms," a bit of the the refrain and a bit of the third verse all rolled into one.  I mentioned that the form of this song closes the loop and makes it feel like it is complete, ending in a similar way that it began.  Perhaps this slight bit of new information raises the replay value?  Judging by the unprecedented popularity, that may be true.

Musical Sticking Points 

After analyzing the various sections of this tune, there is way more happening than I initially believed.  After rereading my melodic diatribe, I think this song takes advantage of our collective desire to be surprised and exposed to change without ever going too far out of the comfort zone.  Every section uses a similar group of notes, over the same instrumental loop, that continue to be presented in slightly different ways.

The refrain establishes a vocal rhythm, which the verse borrows from, but changes.  The chorus borrows from that, which is used to influence the third verse.  It's like this song keeps eating itself and regurgitating a new beast that's a little different from the original.  At the end of the day, this is a great example of song writing from some thoughtful musicians.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the genre dispute this song created.  It was originally on the Billboard Hot Country chart, but was removed for not being "country" enough.  There can be a case made for this song to be identified as country, pop or rock, which surely contributed to its overall success.  I read an interesting article about the perception of a song's genre based on lyrics alone, chord progression alone and lyrics and chord progression combined. [3]  Either way, it's an interesting notion and a relevant point for the song in question.

Lyrics
Remember my analysis on this song's masterful evolution of rhythmic and melodic content squished into a 2:37 package?  Good.  Keep remembering, because I can't say that many nice things about the lyrics.  As stated before, I am not a "lyric guy," so take my opinion for what it is, an opinion.

"Old Town Road" tells the inspirational story of Lil Nas X overcoming adversity and becoming a successful musicians through an analogy of all things cowboy, fitting into the "country rap" or "hick hop" mold.  "Can't nobody tell me nothing" is the rallying cry to his naysayers, throwing hi success back in their faces.

But then there's a bunch of goofy stuff.  The one line that makes me cringe and laugh out loud has to be: "hat is matte black, got the boots that's black to match."   Matte....

It is impressive that the same song manages to include lyrics about "whipping your Porshe," "bull riding and boobies," and "riding down Rodeo in a Masserati sports car."  The genre breaking culture clash continues.

Common Threads
In the last round, I went through 7 decades of no.1 hit songs from the first week of August, on the 8's.  After each song, I compiled a list of musical traits the songs had in common.  That being said, the first analysis of no.1 hits in the first week of August on the 9's, I have nothing to compare it to, yet.  I also plan to start the list fresh and then compare my two lists.  For now, here are some strong musical points that may appear through this round of analyses.

• Male lead vocal
• Hook that  uses the title of the song
• Repeated melodic themes
• Implied tonality in spite of harmony
• Major 2nds are the dominating melodic interval
• Variations appear throughout

Final Takeaways

When I first heard this song, I was not a fan.  Virtually every day, students in my music class requested I perform it.  I not only neglected to perform it, I neglected even listening to it, confident in my belief that one listen was enough to get the basic idea.  That may be true, but you can't see a tree for the forest.  

This song if far more intelligent that I was willing to give it credit for.  The hooks are plentiful, even if the lyrics are a little hokey.  I honestly wish I has been aware of the Nine Inch Nails sample earlier.  I respect Trent Reznor for his musical sensibilities and knowing of his involvement would have, likely, peaked my interest a little more.  

It is slightly amazing to me that the intro guitar work, when actually listened to and played on a real instrument, is much different that the overall perception of this song's sound.  I remember feeling that way about Drake and Katy Perry, perhaps a sub theme of commonalities that will be presented in songs from the past 20 years?

What are your thoughts on "Old Town Road?"  If you are firmly against it, I implore you to give it another listen.  Play it on an instrument if you have the ability.  It's not as bad as you think!  Leave me a comment!

Up next: coming off two weeks at no. 2, sliding into an epic 14 week run at no.1 going from July 11, 2009 to October 10, 2009 - "I've Got A Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas!  "I've Got A Feeling" we might see some common musical threads as we travel down the "Old Town Road."

[1]https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/lil-nas-x-old-town-road-810844/
[2]https://www.learneverythingabout.com/lyrics-songs/songwriting/what-is-chorus-versus-refrain.html
[3]https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/audio/a28708811/old-town-road-algorithm/