Rounds 4 and 5 Wrap Up: "On the 1's" and "On the 2's"

My strategy for analyzing no.1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 has been to take glimpses of the songs, one decade at a time.  Using the first week of August as my target date, I started the whole thing off in August of 1958 with the inaugural no.1 hit "Poor Little Fool" by Ricky Nelson.  From there, I visited 1968, 78, so and so forth.  

The last 12 analyses have covered 1961 - 2012.  After analyzing chords, melody and lyrics, I compiled a list of common musical threads that were present in each.  Though I have done for each analyses, I started a fresh list and built on it with each song.  The "final" list ended up with 7 reoccurring musical elements:

Repetitive Melodic Motifs - the overall melody repeats itself both with identical phrases and with similar intervalic or rhythmic motion

Stepwise Motion Common in Melody - 2nds, major or minor, are the primary melodic interval

Hook Uses Song Title - The hook, or catchiest part of the song, utilizes the title

Vocal Harmony - Prevalent vocal arranging through parallel harmony, countermelody and/or call and response

Texture Changes - Timbre and/or dynamic change through instrumental arrangement

Strong Harmonic Motion from V-I - Chord progression that sees V7 resolving to I (or i)

New Material at the End - the closing section of the song features a new melody and/or chord progression

Below, I have summarized each song in relation to these commonalities.  Please take a look at individual entries for each songs analyzed, by the decades: "On the 1's" (1961 - 2011) and "On the 2's" (2012 - 1962). 

Common Threads - 1961 - 2012

A few things stick out.....

Every song contains repeated melodic motifs.  Repetition took a couple of different forms from the use of similar intervals and rhythms to straight out repeats of phrases.  Either way, this is the common thread that makes the most sense, as listeners generally gravitate to predictability.  

Every song on this list includes the title of the song in the hook.  It's interesting that this trend, certainly seen in many modern songs, has been happening since the early 60's.  I know there are exceptions to the rule, but they are few and far between....(notable exception: Drake's 2018 no.1 "In My Feelings")

Prominent stepwise motion was present in almost every song.  While there were 2nds in the melody, Bobby Lewis's 1961 contribution, "Tossin' and Turnin'," leaped around quite a bit.  It makes sense that stepwise melodies are favored by many listeners.  It's also worth mentioning that most of the time, melodies are diatonic.  I may keep closer tabs on this moving forward.  

Texture changes were present on almost every song as well.  The two songs that had static texture from beginning to end were Madonna's "This Used To Be My Playground" (1992) and Nelly's "Hot In Herre" (2012).  Both of those stayed in the same sonic space, dominated by keyboard sounds with no relent.  The other compositions have some change in texture from less drums, to more drums, to no drums.  The same goes for other instruments, like guitars, bass, horns, etc.  There are further exponential variables when you consider way instruments can be grouped to get different timbres and sonic textures.

Many songs use vocal harmony, which coincidentally can be used to change the texture.  The only song above that did have vocal harmony without texture change was Madonna.  This is mostly due to the harmony being present a majority of the time, so nothing ever really feels different.  She provides the harmony herself, keeping the timbre even more unified.

After analyzing this data, I see the "new material at the end" element was really just a reaction to three songs in a row (2011, 2001, 1991).  As you can see, it doesn't occur again outside of 1992, which barely qualified with a 4 measure variation on previous themes.  

A curious element is harmonic motion from V-I.  7 out of 8 songs between 1961 and 1992 contained V-I motion.  The only one that didn't was "Eye of The Tiger," mostly due to the popular minor key progression of i - bVI - bVII....no V's are really needed.  Songs between 2001 and 2012 come up empty though, indicating an abandonment of this traditional cadence.  In keeping with that theme:

Look at those chord counts!  With the exception of "Eye Of The Tiger," the curve is generally higher before the 2000's.  After that, no.1 hits seem to utilize less chords.  This can also be seen in the lack of V-I resolutions.    Check out the line graph below to see how the number of chords used in these no.1 hits has changed through the years.

Let's take a look at some compiled data regarding singer gender, key signatures, tempo, song length, chord progressions and sections. 

Combining the above data with the previous data taken from the round 3 wrap up, in 37 analyses, we see the following trends:

• 14/37 (38%) in a minor key (+2%)
• 12/37 (32%) have a tonal center of Ab (G#) or C
• 16/37 (43%) utilize one primary chord progression for the entire tune (-5%)
• 26/37 (70%) contain more than 2 sections (+2%)
• 7/37 (19%) have verse and chorus only (-5%) 
• 23/37 (62%) contain at least one bridge section (+10%)
• 14/37 (38%) utilize the bVII chord (-2%)
• 25/37 (68%) utilize the IV(iv) and I(i) chords (-4%)
• 34/37 (92%) are in duple (2/2 or 4/4) meter (+/- 0%)
• 23/37 (62%) feature a male lead singer (+6%)
• 35/37 (95%) use the title of the song in the hook (+3%)

• Average length - 4:03.  

Looking at these points, I am thinking of a few things:

• Major keys are slightly more favored than minor keys.
• Tonal centers are all over the map with 12/37 songs using C or Ab as the home pitch!?
• Songs generally have more than 2 sections, which usually includes a bridge.....if there is a bridge, that usually indicates a verse and chorus as well.  
• Duple meter is king.
• I and IV (i and iv) chords are common in chord progressions
• Slightly more male than female lead singers
• Using the title in the hook is almost universal

So that's a wrap on these two rounds of analyses.  Once again, I am finding myself discovering some cool new songs and appreciating ones I may not have given a chance.  

In the past few weeks, I have been listening to lots of pop radio, mostly to occupy my children (ages 10 and 8) on car rides.  They are very familiar with many top 40 songs and actively sing along.   When I have had enough of a particular song, I zone out.  As the music fades to background music, it's not offensive and doesn't demand my attention, it's just pleasantly there.  Those are the two extremes that contribute to mass appeal.  I can be actively engaged in listening or just find comfort in the familiar well-mixed drone.

Up next time, I'm going to take stop in 2020 and analyze "Circles" by Post Malone. I recently learned it for a gig and figured I should write it up for posterity.  After that, we'll head resume with "On the 3's," heading to 2013.  Get ready for a continued dive into no.1 hits, through the decades.

"Call Me Maybe" - Carly Rae Jepsen, 2012

Simple is not always a bad thing.  Just ask Carly Rae Jepsen.  Her smash hit single, "Call Me Maybe," is the epitome of a simple pop song, and it works so well.  It uses repetition of chords and melody to imprint catchy melodies into your brain, for better or worse.  Hit Songs Deconstructed calculated that 41% of the song is comprised of the chorus. [1] No wonder it gets trapped in your ear.

It's very easy to pass off "Call Me Maybe" as a typically "bad" pop song.  I had similar feelings going into this analysis.  After uncovering some unexpected nuances though, I discovered it is a well crafted display of melody and rhythm, set against surprising chords and harmonies.  Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding, authors of Switched On Pop, agree as well.  Check out this excerpt. [2] 

If you're on the "call me never" bandwagon, keep reading......

June 23rd - August 18th, 2012:  "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen goes on an 9 week rampage at no.1!

 

"Call Me Maybe" Overview

 The form is straightforward and does everything good pop songs usually do.  We see 8 measure verses followed by a 4 measure pre-chorus.  The chorus is a whopping 16 measures, the same 8 measure segment repeated.  There's also an 8 measure bridge in the middle that gets recycled as the outro.

There is a cool wrinkle in the 3rd chorus, C'.  There, the first 4 measures see the rhythm section and vocals drop out.  They come in for the last 3/4 of the the section, which gives the entire part a slightly different feeling.  The last bridge is followed by 4 measures of delays, noise and effects that gradually slow down until the last beat.  

The intro is a simple string figure that blurs the true downbeat until the bass drum drops on beat 1 of the verse.  The section repeats after the first chorus and is easily felt after the beat has been established. It's a nice buffer to reset for the next presentation of verse and chorus.  

Chord Progressions

"Call Me Maybe" starts out with violins chugging eighth notes on G and D, acclimating the ear to the key of G major.  When the verse drops, a quiet guitar comes in and changes everything though, outlining a harmony that will permeate the entire tune.

Verse Chord Progression

CMaj7 results from the C in the guitar, the G and D in the strings and the repeated B's found in the melody.  While This could be seen as G/C, we get more information regarding C later on so it seemed fitting to include it as such here.  If you're playing guitar, the C chord makes the most sense for this part as well.  In similar fashion, the melody notes and string accompaniment indicate G/D in every other bar.  

Both verses use this basic pattern, resulting in: IV / I

The chorus and bridge expand this idea, adding more information and yielding two additional chords.

Chorus and Bridge Chord Progression

The syncopation, taken directly from the changing note rhythm in the verse guitar part, drives the tune in these sections.  We hear actual chords as the strings shift through the chord tones.

C    G / D   Emin  /  C   G  / D

IV   I / V      vi     / IV    I  /  V

This sequence is nothing new to pop music, centered around I, IV and V with the vi chord thrown in for color.  What's interesting is that the weight of the progression falls on C, the IV chord, not the usual and expected I chord.  You would expect to see V resolving to I (D - G), but it consistently resolves to IV.  It does create an interesting quality to this song that helps it stick out in spite of the simple harmonic movement.

There are a few spices added in during the chorus that elevate it even further.  We see a guitar arpeggio during the second half that moves between G, E and D, a three note grouping that catches all the harmony, one way or another, and contributes a rhythmic pulse.  There is also wild string run at the end of every 8th measure.  It happens very quickly and is more of an effect than an intricate melodic contribution.

Chorus Harmonic Enhancements 

One additional harmonic variation happens at the end of the bridge, both in the middle of the song and in the outro.  There, we see a very brief guitar motive get a massive delay treatment, resulting in echoing tones to create a spacey texture.  The A note, the 9th of G, results in a really interesting color that is short lived yet very intriguing, to my ear.

Post Bridge Guitar Figure

While this song is extremely repetitive, and uses one main harmonic sequence the entire time, it makes the most out of a little.  The verse and chorus, though essentially the same, sound very different with opposing melodic range and rhythms as well instrumental arrangements.  This seems to be a shared characteristics of songs in the general time period (late 2000's to early 2010's).  Basic material is repeated with a revolving door of nuance on the top.  

Melody

Carly Rae Jepsen begins the song low in her range, singing repeated motives that move between 3-2-R in G major, set on top of the C root.  This morphs this melody into those Cmajor harmonic extensions.

Verse 1

Rhythmic entrances are very consistent and each phrase begins on (1)+.  In measure 4, we get the first glimpse of a rhythmic and melodic figure we will see in the chorus, the dotted 8th syncopation.  

Verse 2 is similar to verse 1, but includes added harmony, a trend that begins in the pre-chorus.  Here, the harmony is mostly up a 3rd, but repeats the D note over the moving A and G.  It finally moves in measure 4, creating intervals of 4th, 3rd, 4th and 3rd, respectively.

Verse 2, meas. 1-4

The pre-chorus is a 4 measure refrain that follows each verse.  Rhythmically, it feels very different from the verse, beginning on beat 2 and then accenting beats 1 and 2 in each subsequent phrase.  The vocal melody gets a little higher, in general, working off of D, instead of B.  The harmony is presented in 4th and 3rds, as in verse 2.  Measure 3 has an interesting change with an F# in beat 1, resolving up to G.  It gives the line a little extra motion and keeps the repetitive melody from becoming too redundant.  The last measure features Carly repeating some high G's that lead nicely into the chorus. 

Pre-Chorus

The chorus is certainly the memorable part of this one.  It's 16 measures long, two repeats of a basic 8 measure section.  She repeats the hook 4 times in each chorus.  These stats walk a fine line of becoming too repetitive and redundant, but some sensible arrangement avoids this successfully (9 weeks at no.1 is definitely success!)

The chorus starts with a G major arpeggio, over an actual C chord.  She then sings another G major arpeggio over an actual D chord.  Finally, in measure 3, we hear a C in the melody, confirming suspicions that it was C and not G/C the whole time!?!  In measure 4 we get the hook, R-3-2-R, Do Re Mi in G, over the V chord!  When you break it down like that, it shouldn't sound as poppy and predictable as it does.  I think the trick is using shared chord tones.  G, and B, are shared with G, CMaj7 and Emin.  D is shared with D, G and a logical extension of Emin. All of the pitches work over multiple chords.

Chorus - meas. 1-8

There is a slight variation in measure 6 when she leaps up to another shared chord tone, B, before returning to the same melody as earlier.  Speaking of repeated melodies, there's 8 more measures in the chorus.  Some of the words change and we get an added vocal harmony, once again creating intervals of 3rds and 4ths.

Chorus - meas.9-16

The harmony here is so tightly executed.  Carly sings it herself and the blend in timbre and close voicing comes off as almost unison with healthy overtones.  The added color is just enough to spice up the second half of the chorus, and once again, keep the song from getting too stale and over-played (not this song wasn't overplayed!)

Though the words change, the rhythm and pitches stay the same.  With 4 hooks per chorus, it's no wonder this one gets stuck in your head.....

The 8 measure bridge, though it utilizes the same harmonic motion of the chorus, is a good buffer between the first part of the tune and the ending.  It effectively incorporates rhythms and melodies from both the verse and chorus to create a catchy new melody, built on repeated lyrics.    

Bridge

The lower melody line moves, once again, through G major space, this time through G pentatonic, adding in E.  The vocal harmony is almost exclusively in thirds, keeping the close interval and timbre to blend the vocal into one powerful presentation.  We see rhythmic themes reminiscent of the verse, a descending line with shades of the pre-chorus and the harmonic rhythm of the chorus.  

The bridge is accompanied by a guitar melody that further differentiates it as something different.  A brand new rhythm outlines GMaj9, hitting chord tones of the passing chords along the way.  The rhythmic hiccup between measures 2 and 3 is a cool effect that resets the pattern.  

Bridge - Guitar countermelody

This first bridge is immediately followed by the chorus, without words for 4 measures, which creates lots of space and primes you up for the final statements of the hook.  She even sneaks a final "call me maybe" at the end of the last bridge to end the track.   

Lyrics

I feel like there have been many songs that feature innovative ways to get the most out of little source material and then.....the lyrics.  The verses present a rather intense infatuation with a person, repeatedly saying "now you're in my way," as in they cant get past the idea of having this other person in their life.  

Verse 2 presents intense emotion, though slightly cliche, but effective at getting the main idea across:

I beg and borrow and steal

At first sight and it's real

I didn't know I would feel it

But it's in my way

Each verse uses the rhyme scheme: AAAB CCCB

Then the chorus comes in.  All of these intense feelings are cheapened with a series of shy and juvenile colloquialisms: 

And all the other boys try to chase me

But here's my number, so call me maybe 

 

Not to question the sincerity of Ms. Jepsen, but she presents this desperate plea of attraction and desire for companionship and then asks for a callback, maybe?  The wind in my emotional sails just petered out.  She tries to rebound in the bridge, claiming "before you came into my life I missed you so bad, you should know that I missed you so bad."  She's a chorus late and a few dollars short.

I don't know what I expect lyrically from a pop song.  I like the music, I like creativity of the composition but the lyrics kill it for me.  As I have stated before, my opinion is generally contrary to popular tastes.  The public lapped this one up pretty readily.  Relatable lyrics, simply stated, are probably what gives this song the mass appeal.  The hook, "call me maybe," is strong, so despite my feelings, I can see why it was so successful.  Carly Rae herself recognizes the childish "filler" of the lyrics in this Billboard.com article from 2017 regarding the composition of " Call Me Maybe." [3]

Common Threads

What common musical elements do no.1 hits through decades share?  That's one of the mission statements of this project.  After I complete each analysis, I attempt to find some of these common threads.  So far, I have used songs from 2011, 2001, 1991, 1981, 1971, 1961, 1962, 1972, 1982, 1992 and 2002 to inform this list.  "Call Me Maybe" checks a lot of boxes....

Repetitive Melody -  Another extremely repetitive melody added to the archives.  This one repeats melodic ideas and phrases all over the place.  One of my favorite examples of repetition in a melody comes from Madonna's "This Used To Be My Playground" (1992).  That one repeats segments in a crafty way/  "Call me Maybe" is a little more obvious about it.

Hook that Uses Title of the Song - Double check.  We get the hook 12 times!

Stepwise Motion Common in Melody - the verses help this qualify.  There are quite a few thirds in there as well, as she weaves her G pentatonic melody.

+ Use of Vocal Harmony - The harmony in this one is tight.

+ Texture Changes - There are a few different textures.  The verse is thin, with strings and the guitar.  The bass and drums first enter rather subdued and then kick it harder in the chorus.  The bridge ups the anti even more with louder guitars.  There are also the moments after the bridge with the echo guitar and big space.

- Strong motion of V- I - almost....there is a prominent V chord, but it resolves to IV, not I.  

- New Material at the End - there is some noise at the end, but probably not enough  to qualify as substantial new material

  

Chord Count: 4 - CMaj7, C, D, G, Emin - I didn't count D/G, as it is a similar function to plain old D.  I did count the 2 versions of C though....the CMaj7 really is like G/C and feels very different from the proper C in the chorus. 

5/7 common threads is a strong showing for Carly Rae.   In looking back at the chords used, the song still intrigues me in the use of the CMaj7.....

Final Takeaways

I have played this song a few times, years ago, in various cover band situations.  Believe it or not, I remember singers having trouble finding their starting pitch.  After examining the melody, clearly in G major set against a C chord, that is really G/C, I can see why they got thrown off.  As the bassist, I never felt 100% confident playing the tune, partially because I never committed to learning it fully and relied on my sight reading abilities, but I also remember feeling like there was something strange about it.

All these years later, I do like the song.  It is very repetitive and super poppy in every sense of the term, but it's catchy and well constructed.  I'm not sure I could have written such marginally disjointed harmony and melody.  It makes a little more sense why I was never fully confident playing this song, because it pushes against common patterns and slides in just left of center.  

What do you think of "Call Me Maybe?"  Did the harmony every stick out as a little off?  Did the earworm get into your head or did it get overplayed out?  Leave me a comment!

Next time, a recap of all the songs I have explore "on the 1's" and "on the 2's."  I'll take a look at the various common threads and compile all the chord progressions.  I love these data filled recaps to get a sense of how song writing has or hasn't changed through the decades! 

[1]https://reports.hitsongsdeconstructed.com/call-me-maybe/#
[2]https://ew.com/books/2019/12/13/switched-on-pop-excerpt-carly-rae-jepsen-call-me-maybe/ 

[3]https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/7768166/carly-rae-jepsen-call-me-maybe-interview-greatest-choruses