"Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" - Neil Sedaka, 1962

 "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" is one of those titles that has made it's way into the subconscious lexicon of song titles, much like the opening line of Bobby Lewis's "Tossin' and Turnin'."  Prior to this analysis, I was familiar with the name, but not with the tune, though my wife belted it out with surprising accuracy on a cold ask.

The early 60's were an interesting time in music where influences from the 40' and 50's were still relevant, but waning in the rock and roll assault that was underway.  Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield's doo-wop number riffs on sounds of the past, pepped up with call and responses and longing pleas for reunited love.  The poppy hit, released a few days before July 4th, 1962, gained quick traction and shot to no.1 about a month later.  [1]  

What's most impressive is this song's massive shelf life, thanks to a different version in 1975.  The slower, jazzier reboot, with an alternate intro, reached no.8 on the Hot 100, a fairly unique accomplishment for any song.  The charm of this 1962 version is undeniable though, and brings a few common threads of no.1 hits through the decades to light.

August 11th - 18th, 1962: "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" by Neil Sedaka hits no.1 for two weeks!

This is a great example of classic pop song form.  If you exclude the intro and outro, we see AABABA, an extended version of a 32 bar form typical in jazz.  The intro and outro bookend the form with a doo-wop treatment of the verse (A).  Like many songs covered in this project, this form has a few twists, notably the extra measure at the end of the chorus (B) that leads back to the verses.  The final verse goes the opposite way and cuts a measure off to lead into the outro.  We get a full 8 bars of the outro before it quickly fades. 

When labeling this tune, a few issues came to mind.  I rehashed my inner struggle with "refrain," which is often used to describe a repeated section like the chorus, or a single line that reappears.  The refrain here is certainly "breaking up is hard to do," as it pops up in each section.  I also questioned the label of "chorus."  Usually, the chorus is a repeated section that contains the hook of the song and ends with closed harmony, resolving to the tonic.  The chorus here doesn't really feel like a chorus.  It harmonically functions like a B section (with a key change), per the simple form.  I ended up going with "chorus" only because it repeats the same lyrics and harmony each time.  

I started to research the intricacies of form and came across this paper about song form that raised some interesting questions.  Pages 3-6 offer explanations on basic terminologies with insights I haven't thought of.  It's worth checking out the first few pages. [2]    

Chord Progressions 

Keeping in step with classic song form, we get a classic chord progression in the doo-wop style.  Borrowed from jazz, this progression is found across multiple styles of music.  The intro reveals this variation:

B  G#min / E  / -%2%- /  -%2%- /  B E / B
I   vi        / IV /             /              /  I IV / I 

I expect to see the V chord leading back to I every time, but if you listen closely, it doesn't happen.  The vocal melody undoubtedly moves there, but the rhythm section doesn't follow.  I'm sure most people don't notice, but it is a cool auditory illusion, in a way.

The verse takes the above progression and varies it slightly:

B  G#min / E   /  -%2%-  / B  F#/A#  / G#min  / C#7         F#7  / B

I    vi       / IV  /               /   I  V         / vi             /II (V/V)     V    / I

The above progression is even varied further in the first verse only, giving an entire measure to both C#7 and F#7 before getting back to B in verse two.  

In a nutshell, I-vi-IV-V progressions are very common in popular music.  "Breaking Up..." takes that and gives it a slight twist by not fully getting to the V chord and adding in the ii-V-I, going to V/V instead of ii for the strong pull to V and I.

The chorus section uses more familiar progressions, transposed across a few different keys.  The 8 measure section plays out to be:

Bmin7 E7 /    -%-      / Amaj7  /     Amaj7      / Amin7  D7 /     -%-     / Gmaj7         / F#7

  ii       V  / (of bVII) /  I           / (bVII of B) /    ii         V   /  (of bVI) /  I (bVI of B) / V/B

He starts in Amaj with a series of ii-V's.  Amaj changes to Amin to set up ii-V's in G.  After getting to G, a half step resolution to F#7 brings us back home to B.  This whole progression is pulled directly from countless jazz standards and works well as a contrast to the A section, venturing to new keys while maintaining a similar character.

During the chorus, an acoustic guitar provides some Jobim-esque arpeggios that give it a nostalgic feel and smooth character.  The last two bars feature an ascending tremelo  line from the string section.  This is such a classic accompaniment I had to transcribe it:

Chorus - guitar and strings (last system)

Each time, the guitar arpeggios are slightly different, yet they maintain key intervals: minor 7 resolving to major 3rd.  There is also the 16th note figure in measures 1 and 5, mixed way back but giving the slightest rhythmic bump.  The tasteful string run at the end, moving stepwise through the changes, is the perfect punctuation to end the section.  

Melody

The intro establishes the verse harmony without completely giving away the melody.  What we get is a bouncy doo-wop figure in 3 part harmony.  Neil provides the lower melody with female backup singers harmonizing above him.

Intro/outro

 Looking at the lowest note, we see lots of roots and 3rds, as well as the hint to the F#7 chord in measures 2, 4 and 6.  We also get a little taste of the refrain, "breaking up is hard to do," which also happens to be the hook.  This refrain is actually presented several different ways throughout the tune.  Here, Neil's melodic path goes: (5) ↑ 2 ↓ 2 ↑ 4 ↑ 2 ↓ 2 ↑ 2 ↓ 2.  Keep this in mind as we encounter the same phrase in subsequent sections.

The first verse follows with a 3 beat pickup (shown below), which fits in the empty space in the last measure above.  The harmony arrangement changes considerably with Neil providing two part harmony on the lead melody as well as his part from the intro, minus the ladies.  His background vocal is the same up until measure 5, which is seen in the stem down notation:

Verse 1

The lower voice acts as the melody, blending seamlessly with the higher harmony.  We see lots of chord tones that move up and down in steps, resolving down a minor 3rd, E to C# in the second and 4th bars, fueling the fire to the phantom F#7 chord.  The descending line in measures 5 and 6 effectively shifts the melody from the lower line to the upper line.  If you were to sing only one of the lines with a guitar or piano, you reach a point where the opposite line sounds like the proper melody.      

In the first verse, the refrain moves  (3) ↓ 2 ↓ 2 ↑ 3 ↓ 2, leaving off on C#, 5th of the F#7 chord (finally!).  This is the only place in the tune we hear this arrangement as the chords move faster through the last two measures elsewhere.

The second verse is mostly the same as the first, changing rhythmically throughout the first 4 measures.  This verse feels lighter, with more space between phrases:

Verse 2

At the end, the refrain is different yet again and reflects, in my opinion, the hookiest of the hooks, resolving on the root: (3) ↓ 2 ↓ 2 ↑ 2 ↓ 2.  The lower harmony here is a little tricky, getting to the root an eighth note before the higher harmony.  The last measure above contains a great drum fill to kick in the B section, or chorus.

When the chorus comes in the first time, we hear a single line, shifting the texture from the multilayered vocals of the verse.

Chorus 1

The section kicks in with a B minor scale up to the 5th before it moves in steps over the next three chords.  Over the Amaj chord, we get a partial arpeggio (C# and E) before returning to the F# and E notes from before, now acting as 5th and 6th of the Amaj.  In similar fashion, E and D move through the chords in the next two measures.  Over the Gmaj7, we hear a B Phrygian scale (the third mode of Gmajor) that morphs to F mixolydian (B major) as the F#7 chord sounds.  This modal interchange is very cool and works perfectly with the modulating theme of the section.

The second time the chorus happens, there is a call and response between the female singers and Neil.  Melodically and harmonically it's mostly the same, varying some rhythm, like the first two verses did.  I should also mention yet another variation on the refrain.  From "breaking up is hard to do," in the key of A, we hear: (4) ↑ 2 ↑ 2 ↓ 2 ↑ 2 ↓ 2 ↑ 2 ↓ 2.  This has a very similar intervallic structure to the proper hook, but feels considerably different thanks to the starting note and harmonic variation:

Chorus 2

Also of note is the added harmony in the penultimate measure, a repeated F#, root of the chord.  It creates some close intervals, hearkening back to the opening of the verse.  

Lyrics

 

It didn't occur to me, until I read this article, part of a great series by Tom Breihan at StereoGum (he's reviewing every no.1 song on the Hot 100 ever...he started in 2018 and is just now reaching the mid 80's! [3]), that this song about heartbreak and loss is pretty darn cheerful.  

There are some emotional lines, that in a vacuum, seem like they would accompany some much darker music:

Don't take your love away from me
Don't you leave my heart in misery

I beg of you don't say goodbye
Can't we give our love another try?

All of this heavy emoting is somewhat negated by his worst-case scenario: feeling "blue."  I suppose people had less to worry about in the 60's on a broad global scale?  Feeling blue is the worst!  

Every verse, and chorus, follows the rhyme scheme of AABB.  Nothing tricky here, just straightforward rhyming in a cute little package.  

Common Threads

What musical elements do no.1 songs across decades have in common?  Over the course of these analyses, I have compiled a list of elements present in each, adding or subtracting elements as needed.  Picking up from "Tossin' and Turnin' (1961)" let's see what musical elements have endured.

Repetitive Melody -  The meat of the melody is very repetitive, built on repeated chord tones moving in steps.  

Texture Changes - For sure.  We see the intro texture of female singers with Neil.  The verse has three versions of Neil.  The chorus has one Neil and then Neil answering the background singers.  Lots of texture changes afloat, and that's just with the vocals!  

Hook that Uses Title of the Song - We haven't seen a lyrical refrain like we do here since maybe "Close To You (1970)" or even Taylor and Lady Gaga's 2020 contributions.

Strong motion of V- I - The elusive F#7 resolves to B, even when it doesn't get played!

Use of Vocal Harmony - Lots of stacked harmonies in this one with multiple groupings of singers. 

- Stepwise Motion Common in Melody - This could be counted twice for the stepwise motion in the harmony part!

(hold overs: - new material at the end -  this one repeats the intro at the end.)

Chord Count:  12 - B, G#min7, F#/A#, E, F#7, C#7, Bmin7, E7, Amaj7, Amin7, D7, Gmaj7 - for such a poppy and "light" tune, there are a lot of chords!  This is the most chords seen since I've been counting.  

Final Takeaways

I really enjoyed this one.  It has a fun vibe, despite the emotional subject matter.  Doo-Wop is a style I'm not terribly familiar with or fond of.  This one makes me curious about more doo-wop, which I bet I could enjoy in small doses.

I was particularly intrigued by the chorus section, both in function and form.  The section would be called a B section if this were a jazz lead sheet.  I have always been confused when non-jazzers try to pinpoint one part of  jazz chart as "the chorus," mainly because the entire form, AABA, would be considered a chorus.  In pop music though, these terms are common and this part is only the chorus because it repeats the same lyrics and harmony both times.  And speaking of the harmony!  A series of ii-V's moving down through foreign keys to come back to the home key is done tastefully.  The guitar accompaniment is a highlight for me and is filled with little nuances that make it feel special.  

I did briefly listen to Neil Sedaka's 1975 arrangement of this song.  I was not hooked right away.  It is also very jazzy and the hook brings with it some strong nostalgic value.  Neil Sedaka is one of those names I have heard numerous times but probably couldn't name any of his songs.....I'm not sure I can name another one aside from "Breaking Up...."  It was nice to put a sound to the name.

Up next time, continuing "on the 2's," we go back to 1972. July 29 - August 19, 1962...a 4 week run at no.1.  "Alone Again (Naturally)" by Gilbert O'Sullivan.  Whew....now we're venturing into completely uncharted territory, pardon the pun.  The artist's name sounds somewhat familiar but I'm mostly clueless.  You never know what you're gonna get in the 70's!

[1] https://www.songfacts.com/facts/neil-sedaka/breaking-up-is-hard-to-do

[2] http://www.gfpm-samples.de/Samples13/appenfrei.pdf

[3]https://www.stereogum.com/category/franchises/columns/the-number-ones/

"Tossin' and Turnin'" - Bobby Lewis, 1961

 When I discovered I would be analyzing 1961's "Tossin' and Turnin'" by Bobby Lewis, I drew a blank.  I searched up the YouTube video and listened to an unfamiliar rhythm and blues intro set the stage for what sounded like a classic 60's doowop concoction.  Then an infamous line busts down the door of familiarity: "I couldn't sleep at all last night."

I had indeed heard this song before, and I'm willing to bet whomever reading this has as well.  The catchy number appears in "Animal House (1978)" and "American Graffiti (1973)" and is the fourth longest running no.1 song from the entire 1960's.  Bobby Lewis, unfortunately, died this past spring (April 2020) at the age of 95. [1]

As I dug into this one, I noticed the fine craftsmanship and noted it likely influence on many songs that followed.  There is nothing harmonically groundbreaking, but you certainly find traces of core elements in other no.1 hit songs: predictable musical elements with a few twists and turns sprinkled with a personal touch of style.  Finding similar musical attributes in songs decades apart is thought provoking and the main impetus for this project!

July 10 - August 21st, 1961: "Tossin' and Turnin'" by Bobby Lewis goes on a 7 week spree at no.1!

I love older songs because many have a form not too far removed from blues and jazz.  We definitely find that here, but again, with a little twist.  The intro is a free, rubato section that lasts 4 measures.  Then, two additional measures act as pickups to the verse.  Each verse is really just a 12 bar modified blues progression.

The first bridge is essentially an 8 bar section with, once again, an extra 2 bars that act as a pickup back into the verse.  The second bridge is also an 8 bar section, but with different changes as the other vocal bridge.  The outro section is a tag of the refrain, or repeated vocal line from each verse ("tossin and turnin', turnin' and tossin', a tossin' and turnin' all night").

The whole tune plays out in a predictable way, two similar sections (A), a different part (B), then a return to the first part (A).  A bridge (C), in this case a horn soli, breaks up the return to the different part (B), followed by a repeat of the main part (A).  The extra two measures that create space are those added wrinkles that elevate this one to a special place.

Chord Progressions 

In sticking with a theme, "Tossin' and Turnin'" uses basic changes that contain a few wrinkles to make it stand out.  The intro puts us in the key of C with a rubato like section.  The last two measures of G set up the verse:

C  / Amin  /  F  / G  /  G  /  G
I  /  vi        / IV  / V  / V   / V

The 12 bar verse is a blues variation:

C  F7  /  C   /  C  F7  /  C  /  G7  /  G7  /  C  /  F7  /  C   / F7  /  C  F7  / C
I   IV  /  I    /   I   IV /  I   /  V    /   V    /  I   /  IV  /  I     / IV   /  I  IV  /  I

While these chord qualities represent the basic gist, the guitar part adds some interesting color into the mix during the verse.  Take a look at the verse changes between the guitar and bass:

Verse - guitar and bass

The guitar is adding a D# or Eb note, the #9 or minor 3rd, a common tension added to C7 in a blues setting.  We get the same tension, briefly, on a G7 to create a G7b13 sound.  Again, the chords are basically dominant 7 chords, and in many live versions, that's all you get.  These little additions on the studio recording do stand out and give it a unique vibe.

The vocal bridge (B1) includes some unison hits from the band, creating a call and response between the vocals.  The chords in this bridge play out to be:

F7  /  F7 / C  /  C  /  F7  / F7 /  D7  / G7  / G7 / G7

IV /  IV /  I   / I    /  IV  / IV /  II    / V     / V   / V

As in the intro, the last two bars of G bring us back to the verse.  I do especially like the dominant II chord, or V/V to get to the G7 chord.  The band plays a slick chromatic run to get there that adds just enough spice to keep this section from becoming too repetitious.  

The second bridge contains a horn soli and another variation on the changes:

C  / C  /  C /  C  / G7 / G7 / C F7 / C

I  / I   /   I  /   I  /  V   / V   / I  IV / C 

The outro tags the second half of the verse changes to finish out the song with a fade.  While these changes are simply and primarily built on 4 chords, they are mixed up in 4 different variations!  We have seen many songs that use the same progression with no variation.  This is a cool twist on basic changes.  

Melody

Bobby Lewis is a great singer.  This song presents a defined style that he showcases in the verses and bridges with nuanced variation, an observed quality in many songs that reach no.1.  The intro starts freely, presenting us with some melodic patterns we will see later on - leaps of 3rds, repeated notes, phrases beginning on beat 2 and "simple" quarter-eighth note syncopation: 

Intro

The verse plows in with a horn lick, followed by that familiar line.  In a vacuum, the opening line here is somewhat deceptive, indicating C major over a G7 chord.  When you're not expecting it, it somes off temporarily "wrong," until the rhythm section drops the C chord.

verse 1 - pickups and meas. 1-6

 Bobby has a style where he slurs down or up to a chord tone in his delivery.  It creates this smooth and slippery sound.  The background singers add a whole other elements as they follow the chord tones and answer Mr. Lewis in contrasting timbre.  Heading into the next 6 measures, we get the refrain, which repeats in each verse, as well as in the tagged outro.

Verse 1 - meas. 7-12

The interplay between Bobby Lewis and the background singers is rhythmically contrasting.  The ladies keep their phrases straight, using mostly quarter and half notes.  Bobby throws in some slight syncopation over the top to create a cool overlapping texture.  Once again we hear slides up and down to chord tones.

Moving to verse 2, there are few variations to the melody.  The background singers repeat verbatim, but Bobby changes a few things up to keep it interesting:

Verse 2

Once again, we hear a pickup that repeats a C note, this time sounding much more natural, now that we know where it's headed.  In the fourth measure, above, he repeats a high C, a different choice from that same spot in the first verse (low C arpeggio).  In the refrain, he switches around his melody, going higher to E on "turnin' and tossin'" as opposed to "tossin' and turnin'" in the first verse.....  He will continue to add in little nuances in the third verses as well.

So far, the verse melody has been constructed with mostly repeated chord tones.  The ends of phrases usually resolve stepwise to chord tones, but there are many leaps of thirds throughout this melody, a departure from all the 2nds we have seen so far in this round.  

Instead of call and response with the background singers, the first bridge features a call and response between the band and Bobby Lewis.  The rhythm section kicks things off with a new syncopation and a series of diatonic ascending lines through the changes.

Bridge 1 - pickup and meas. 1-6

Melodically, we get more repeated chord tones with lots of leaps from C-A and even the odd leap from A - D in measures 1 and 5 over the F chord (3rd - 6th).  This continues in the last 4 measures of the 10 measure bridge.  Again, we get more repeated chord tones on the shared D.  The rhythm section takes the spotlight in the 9th measure, leading to the familiar pickup into verse 3, just like the intro:

Bridge 1 - meas.7-10 leading to verse 3

The second bridge features a horn soli, in octaves between saxophone and trumpet.  They play with 16th note triplet ornaments approaching Bb, a definitive shift to a C7 sound during this section:

Bridge 2 - Horn Soli

This part combines a few elements we have see already in the tune.  There are chord arpeggios, as heard in the verse pickup measures.  We hear repetition of 3 notes, a developed variation on the repeated notes from the verse.  We also hear ascending lines to the chords, influenced from the first bridge.  This part does its job and breaks up the vocal sections of the tune, giving the listener a breather as we go into the final stretch.  

Lyrics

 

The lyrical sensibility of the 60's is very different from today.  Though the lyrics are simple and straightforward, they have a certain charm.  Perhaps it's because they come from a genuine place and haven't been rehashed 100 times to make them feel cheesy or redundant.  

He sets up the tune perfectly with the premise: "I couldn't sleep at all last night, just a-thinking of you."  Moving on, he gets the most mileage out of the title, twisting it all around, lyrically tossing and turning with the words.

In verse 2, he paints the picture a little clearer, struggling with his pillow and blankets.  In the bridge, he finally breaks and gets out of bed, a scenario we can all relate with.  Here, he cycles through getting out of bed, turning on the light and going to the kitchen for a bite.  He then goes back to bed and turns off the light, reminding us "it was the middle of the night."  There is also a whole sequence with pulling down the shade...I'm not sure why you would pull down the shade in the middle of the night and then pull it up when you returned to bed in the middle of the night....

The third verse is a window into the past.  Still unable to sleep, he hears the clock strike four (am) as well as the milkman at the door.  How many people have a grandmother who still gets milk delivered?  What a cool detail that hearkens back to olden times.

Common Threads

     

What musical elements do no.1 songs across decades have in common?  So far in this round, "on the 1's," I have analyzed the no.1 song during the first week of August from 2011, 2001, 1991, 1981 and 1971.  Over the course of these analyses, I have compiled a list of elements present in each, adding or subtracting elements as needed.  Picking up from the Bee Gee's 1971 contribution "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart," let's see how "Tossin' and Turnin'" stacks up.

Repetitive Melody -  absolutely.  Repeated chord tones, vocal slurs to chord tones, similar syncopation and call and response between two groups dominate every vocal section of the tune.  

Texture Changes - There are a few.  The element of the background singers in the verse creates a unique texture.  The rhythm section part in the bridge also create another feel.  The horn soli in the second bridge sounds completely different than anything else in the tune.  

Hook that Uses Title of the Song - Check.  It is possible to consider "I couldn't sleep at all last night" as a sort of hook, as it is famously associated with the song.  It only happens once though.....The proper refrain happens four times.

Strong motion of V- I - Every G7 resolves to C

Use of Vocal Harmony - background singers enjoy belting this one out!

- Stepwise Motion Common in Melody - as mentioned, this song uses a lot of 3rds, 4ths and 5ths.  There are certainly 2nds present, but not as prevalent as thirds.  Off the top of my head, this has to be one of the only songs that does not rely on stepwise motion to fill out the melody.....

(- new material at the end)  

Chord Count - 5 - C, F7, G7, D7, Amin - I will count all the C variations as one chord, considering they all serve the same function and have basically the same feel.  At 5 chords, this is only two more than 2011's "Party Rock Anthem," really only one more, considering the Amin only happens in the intro.  I think the inclination is to think songs get more simple as you get more modern, but that is not really the case.  This 1961 classic is pretty simple.

Final Takeaways

This one pleasantly surprised me.  It has lots of elements I like hearing in a song: a hook that repeats often and is easy to sing along with, a fun vocal delivery, background vocals you can shout along with, an instrumental solo and a slightly quirky form.  Way to be Bobby Lewis.

It's not hard to see why this song was so popular in the 60's.  It's catchy and fun.  The lyrics are clever and relatable.  The instrumentation and general presentation are in line with pop music of the day, ideal for dancing.  The melody is nothing groundbreaking but effectively gets the point across in an approachable way.  This one is a classic in every sense of the word.

When I first heard the famous opening line, I immediately knew I knew the tune.  This is one of those songs that has permeated the collective conscious of people within a certain age range.  I'm sure I only knew it from "Animal House," but I would be willing to bet it has appeared in other movies and TV shows.  There are several cover versions, another hallmark of a fine song.  Songwriters Richie Adams and Malou Rene sure struck gold with this hit.  

What do you think of "Tossin' and Turnin'?"  Do you recognize it past the famous opening line, "I couldn't sleep at all last night?"  How do you think it stacks up to more modern no.1 hits?  Leave me a comment!

Up next time:  I am foregoing a round 4 recap due to the small number of data points, only 6 songs.  Instead, I will roll right into round 5, "on the 2's."  Starting with 1962 we will work our way up through the decades to 2012.  That will leave us with another classic....a title  recognize, belonging to a song I couldn't hum a bar to....

August 11-18, 1962, a two week run at no.1: "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" by Neil Sedaka....stay tuned!  

[1]https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/9401723/bobby-lewis-dead-tossin-turnin

"Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini" - Brian Hyland, 1960

A novelty song is performed for comedic effect.  The lyrics are goofy and the subject matter is probably about a current trend or fad.  When I think novelty songs, instantly I conjure  "Purple People Eater," "Monster Mash" or anything by the "Chipmunks."  It's not terribly surprising that a novelty song would gain so much traction that it reaches no.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, selling more copies and being played on the radio more than any other song.

Novelty songs were running rampant in the late 50's and 60's and many of them did attain no.1 status.  My criteria for choosing songs to analyze is by date.  I look at the no.1 song during the first week of August, in 10 year intervals.  Today, we land on August 8th, 1960.  The song in question?  The first novelty song encountered in this project!

Despite the silly lyrics and "campy" music, does this song contain common musical elements found in other no.1 hit songs through the decades?

August 8th, 1960: "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini" by Brian Hyland takes the no.1 position for 1 week!

I like to start by examining the form, or the overall structure of the song.  The "typical" song structure generally entails Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Chorus, or ABABCB.  There are numerous variations on this paradigm, but those are the basic building blocks of pop music.

"IBTWYPB" has all of these elements with a few twists.  First notice the ending of the song.  The outro, or C section, presents different melodic/harmonic material at the very end.  Usually, a new section would "bridge" the first set of verse/chorus to the final statement.

While this new part serves as an epilogue to the story of the song, it strangely makes me want to go back and listen again.  We saw the presentation of new material in songs like "Hello, I Love You (1968)," and "Old Town Road (2019)."  It's an interesting way to leave the listener with a question rather than an answer, musically speaking.

Another twist that sticks out is the length of each section.  Generally, music is grouped in 4 bar statements, resulting in 8, or sometimes 12 bar sections.  Here, we see several 10's and a few 9.5's!

10 bar phrases - The verse itself is a clean 8 measures (not counting pickups), but each ends with a 2 measure spoken narration: "2, 3, 4, tell the people what she wore!" 

9.5 bar phrases - Again, the chorus is a clean 8 measures....sort of.  The end of the chorus ("she wanted to stay") contains a measure of 2 beat, instead of 4 (hence the .5).  This is immediately followed by more spoken narration: "2,3,4, stick around we'll tell you more."  This is the first song analyzed that features mixed meter, or changing time signatures.

Chord Progressions

The chord changes utilize the popular ii-V7.  The verse is:

D / Emin A7 / Emin A7 / D / D / G / D A7 / D

I  / ii        V7  / ii       V7/  I  / I   / IV/ I  V7/  I

Aside from the ii-V7, the changes have a children's song quality.  That's not necessarily bad, it's just predictable.  As seen before, people generally like the familiar, as long as it comes with a few small surprises.  I think the 2/4 measures, and some other elements, deliver those surprises here.

The chorus is simplified, alternating between V7 and I:

A7/ D / A7 / D / A7 / D / A7 / G walk down to D  

V  / I  /  V  /  I  / V  /  I  / V   /  IV walk-down to I

The walk down from IV - I gives closure and makes it feel "finished," just before we hear the spoken refrain.  These changes are also used again, sans walk-down, in the outro section.  Either way, the constant V7 - I motion gives a sense of finality when then last I chord is finally played.

The rhythm section lays down an interesting groove throughout the verses.  It is kind of Reggae and definitely 50's pop rock.

Rhythm Section example

The organ is playing all upbeats while the guitar plays a syncopated pattern of 2 (3)+ (4)+.  There is this wash of 8th notes at the beginning of the bar and when the upbeat syncopation lines up, it sticks out.

The bass moves along in the two feel, sticking to roots and 5ths.  The bass finally breaks away from this in the outro with a more syncopated line. 

Outro Bass example

The drums keep things simple throughout and present two different feels for the verse and chorus:

Drums - Verse and Chorus

 These patterns are not wildly different, but the shift of the 8th notes from beat 2 to beat 3 gives the chorus a sense of forward motion.  Combined with the 8th notes in the melody, it energizes that section perfectly.

The intro of the song features full band unison going up the I chord arpeggio into a walk-down on the V chord.  Again, the walk-down really helps in pulling the ear to the I chord. 

Intro

 If you notices the key signatures above, there is a modulation in the song, which happens in the 3rd statement of the intro.  The singers immediately shift up 1/2 step to Eb, where the song remains until the end.

Melody

The melody really makes me think of children's music.  There is a classical nature about it too, in the way the pitches lead from one chord to the next.  The opening bars set up a 3-4-5 pattern on D.  When the chords shift to Emin, the 3rd of D (F#) is lowered to E, which also serves as the 5th of A7, ushering in the next pattern - 5-6-7 on the A7 chord.  

verse 1

It then returns to the 3-4-5 pattern, this time with a leap up to the high D and a walk-down (lots of walk-downs in this tune) that leads to B, the 3rd of the G chord.  He then goes chromatically back to A (5th of D) before twisting around the 3-4-5 pattern to get to another walk-down to the root D.

Verse melody - 3 note ascending patterns centered around chord tones, connected with descending patterns to the next chord tone.  

The verse also features background harmonies throughout with syncopated "ba ba da's."  The female singers enhance the texture throughout and are a contrast to Hyland's voice.  We saw this texture contrast of singers work well for Elvis, just one year prior to this.

The chorus melody uses similar conventions.  This time, we start with a walk up (in the last bar of the verse) to get to C#, the 3rd of A7.  Here we get a 3-2-1 pattern (on A) which after shifting one note, morphs to a 8-6-5 pattern on D.  When the chord returns to A7, we hear the 3-2-1 again, only in a different rhythm, leading back to D where we get shades of the verse with 5-3, passing through 6 instead of 4.

Chorus 1

After retreading the same ground in the second 4 bars, it ends with, wait for it....a walk-down back home to D.  This is also where we see the 2/4 bar to accommodate the spoken part, hastily eager to "tell us more."

The verse and chorus repeat a total of 3 times each, with the last repeat up 1/2 step to the key of Eb.  The ending of the song presents this new melody:

Outro 

Starting on b2 with repeated 8th notes, we hear a new melodic rhythm.  We also get the widest leaps in the song, a minor 6th from the 3rd (D) to the chord root (Bb).  The next line insinuates Eb, going from G to Bb, with a bump to C, then back to G, the 3rd of Eb.  After another repeat of the first 2 bars, we end with.....a walk-down!  The band hits the final chord on beat 3, sending us home for good.  

Musical Sticking Points

There is, seemingly, not a whole lot happening in this song musically.  On the surface, the changes are predictable, the melody sounds like a kid's song and the silly lyrics take center stage.  There are, however, some key elements found in many no.1 hit songs.

There are repeated melodic motifs throughout.  Diatonic descending lines, from chord tone to chord, are running rampant!  They push the melodic momentum forward and help cement the home key.  Strong V7-I motion is a hallmark of all music and this melody plays on that human precondition.  

The sections are odd lengths, thanks to the spoken parts, but they don't sound odd.  I have heard this song several times prior to this analysis and never once questioned the presence of a random bar of 2/4.  These little changes are sneaky good and give the song this sense of depth that is not instantly recognized.  

There is a modulation in the tune, and it comes out of nowhere!  Modulations are a great way to break up potential monotony and "IBTWYPB" throws one in at just the right moment.  Because it comes out of nowhere, and occurs on a familiar part, it doesn't sound out of place.  

The outro presents completely new melodic material, begging for another listen.  I like when a song says what it has to say and then at the very end, whispers a little tease, as if to say "listen again, maybe there's something you missed" (even though that's the exact opposite of what is being said lyrically).  I wish the outro was used earlier in the song as a proper bridge.  The contrast of the bass line is enough to peak my interests.  

Lyrics

As a novelty song, the lyrics are not supposed to be groundbreaking or poetic, or have any real substance.  In this case, the story goes that one of the songwriters, Paul Vance, observed his 2 year old daughter trying out her new yellow polkadot bikini.  The scene inspired him to write the tune. [1]  (Paul Vance also suffered a case of mistaken death and contention over the song writes to this song....pretty wild stuff)

The girl in the song is very self conscious of her new suit and gradually maker her way from the locker room to her towel and then into the water, where she refuses to come out, even though she's turning blue.  The bikini was still a little risque in 1960, so I'm sure the story was relatable to young woman eager to sport the new fashion.

The story told in the song is humorous and succinct.  It has a clear beginning, middle and end and includes an epilogue to remove all doubt of the sequel.  People generally love stories, so the lyrical content certainly accounts for this song's initial popularity.  As stated above, the music adds to the package and holds the attention of the masses.

The spoken parts could be labeled as ""refrains."  Each verse ends with "2, 3, 4, tell the people what she wore," and each chorus ends with "2, 3, 4, stick around we'll tell you more."  This repeated lyric, among changing lyrics, qualifies as a type of refrain.  

Common Threads     

How are the no.1 hit songs connected musically?  Check out my "Round 2 Wrap Up" entry to see what the previous 14 analyses had in common.  For now, I'm going to start fresh and see what common themes emerge.  Here's what sticks out so far:

• Repeated melodic motifs - Descending diatonic scales from chord tone to chord tone are scattered throughout the song.  I will be on the look out for use of recycled melodic material.
• Strong harmonic motion from V to I
• Background singers contribute to melodic/harmonic texture
• Modulation
• New material presented at the end

This list will no doubt change as the round 3 analyses (1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020) continue.

Final Takeaways

I don't hate this song.  I don't love it, but can certainly tolerate it.  It's fun and light hearted, telling an innocent story of self conscious behavior, which we can all relate to.  

I am intrigued by Brian Hyland, who is still writing music.  He was only 16 when he recorded this song and remained popular throughout the 60's.  He also had the burden of being typecast as "the itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polkadot bikini" guy.  The fact that he was able to change his writing style and find success after this song, with other types of music, is somewhat remarkable. [2] 

What are your thoughts on "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini?"  Does the notvelty of the lyrics outweigh the subtle musical variance happening throughout?  Leave me a comment! 

Round 3 continues!  Up next: July 25th - August 15, 1970, a 4 week run at no.1, "(They Long To Be) Close To You" by the Carpenters!  The 70's are filled with musical variance, this one should be fun! 

[1]https://www.songfacts.com/facts/brian-hyland/itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny-yellow-polka-dot-bikini

[2]http://www.brianhyland.com/theartist.html

"In The Year 2525" - Zager & Evans, 1969

The 60's were a unique time both musically and culturally.  One of the aims of this project is to uncover musical elements that contribute to a song's success.  While cultural elements are undoubtedly a factor in how high a song reaches on the Billboard Hit 100 chart, I am choosing to gloss that part over, believing that a good song is indeed a good song, regardless of when, why or how it became popular.  Which brings us to "In The Year 2525."

On the first listen (and the 2nd through 8th), I was perplexed as to how this song could have possibly reached no.1 and stay there for 6 weeks!  In part, the cultural climate of the times, I am certain, played a large role in this song's popularity (more on that in Lyrics).  But as I started to transcribe vocal parts and listen close to what was actually happening, the musical picture became more clear.  "In The Year 2525" utilizes musical techniques we have seen in so many other no.1 hit songs.  As I uncovered these techniques, it's easy to see why, musically anyway, this song made such a big impact.

July 12 - August 16, 1969: "In The Year 2525" by Zager & Evans strikes fear into the heart of man, going on a six week run at no.1 and then disappearing from the charts shortly there after, never to be heard from again. 

Upon first glance, the data for this song does not look unusual.  There is about an octave vocal range, familiar intervals, typical instrumentation for the times and a form with multiple sections....oh wait.....12 verses!?!?!

This song is a classic example of strophic form, or singing every verse of the text to the same music.  To be fair, there are slight variations in the melody, but for the most part, we get the same thing 11 times (the 12th time fades out quickly, but it's there).

How can you keep a song with the same music interesting for 11+ verses???  Zager & Evans accomplish this in a few ways.  First, the song starts in a free, rubato tempo.  Then, the band kicks in for the interlude (I) to set up the groove we hear for a majority of the tune.

Another way they keep things moving are through key changes.  This tune modulates through 3 different keys, each maintaining the same chord progression.  This happens in the second and third interlude sections.  The modulations up a 1/2 step really help to build tension, playing nicely off of the lyrics.

In verses 9 and 10, the drums cut out and we return to a free feel, similar to the intro.  This free tempo section is actually more rushed than the intro, so even though it feels like we are slowing down, the sense of urgency, again playing off the lyrics, keep the suspense high.  These two verse (V'9, V'10) are unique also due to the lyrics; the only verses in the song to not use the hook of "in the year ____."

To follow up on a topic I have traversed in other analyses ("Old Town Road," "I Gotta Feeling," and "Genie In A Bottle"), we could argue the song has a refrain.  A refrain could indicate a repeated section of music or a repeated lyric.  Think of "this land was made for you and me" being the refrain in "This Land Is Your Land," occurring in both the verse and chorus sections.  "In the year ____" is sort of a refrain, repeating 10 times throughout the song.

Chord Progressions 

Like so many songs "on the 9's," this one is made up of one unchanging chord loop.  We hear it in the intro played freely on a Mariachi sounding guitar and then more rocking in the verses.  Here is the start to verse 2, in tempo, set up by the guitar:

verse 2 -5 changes

This progression is a minor key staple!   i - bVII - bVI - V

There many songs that use this, like "All Along the Watchtower (Dylan/Hendrix)," "Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin)," "Stray Cat Strut (Stray Cats)," "Love Song (The Cure)," and many many others.  The strong V- i motion keeps the tonal center intact among the other chords.

The bass line propels the song with pulsing 8th notes and a sly little turnaround:

bass line example

Each chord gets this basic treatment.  There's chromatic motion at the end of the first bar, replaced with pentatonic motion before moving to the next chord in the second bar.

The song modulates twice, going up to A minor and then Bb minor, maintaining the progression.  We have seen repeated chord progressions in nearly every song analyzed.  Modulations do not happen so often though.  In fact, "Hello, I Love You" by the Doors, no.1 just a year prior to this song, used a modulation to break up the repeated chord progression.  60's music man, so trippy!

Melody 

Strophic form can get redundant, using the same melody and chord progression, changing only the lyrics.  While this song certainly has lyrics that keep one engaged, the melody helps the cause with a few interesting nuances.

The song starts freely with guitar, strings, trumpet and vocals.  Here is the first verse, which has a call and answer between the vocals and trumpet:  *note:  all vocal parts are written out 1 octave higher than they sound.....who wants to look at a bunch of ledger lines??

verse 1

The melodic motif is set up clearly, with this R - 2nd - min3rd pattern, answered by the trumpet on the upper part of the scale.  On the F# chord, we hear 3rd - 2nd - R - 3rd, a reverse of the opening statement.  The E chord gets the same treatment (3-2-R-2-3) with a similar trumpet call on the upper scale notes.  The D# chord gets away from opening intervals and hits A# -B- A#, 5th, b6 and 5th of D#.  He does dip down to the G natural (F double sharp), or major 3rd of D# here, which pulls up to the tonal center for the 2nd verse. 

When the band kicks into verse 2, we hear a great harmony that enhances the hook.

verse 2

The 2nd verse begins the same as the intro, but then develops rhythms and melodies.  Over the F# chord, we see use of the 3rd and 5th, instead of 3-2-R as in the intro.  the E chord uses 3-2-R with the D# focusing again on the 5th of the D# chord.

Also notice above the 4th and 6th measures.  In m4, the melody lowers down to the F# and in m6, it goes down to the E.  Now look at the 4th and 6th measures in verse 3:

verse 3

 Here, the phrases end on A# and G#, higher than in the previous verse.  This subtle nuance gives the melody a flowing feel, preventing things from going stagnant.  As we head into verse 4, we see a mix of these melodic choices from previous verses in m4 and m6.

verse 4

This tweaking of pitch and rhythm happens through each verse.  When we arrive in verse 8, the melody climaxes with the highest notes in both lead and harmony vocals:

verse 8

 The end of this verse also contains a "whoa oh oh," which happens previous to this in verses 7 and 5, another example of a small change that keeps the melody fresh.  These "whoa oh oh's" occur before each modulation and before the 2nd rubato section.

Musical Sticking Points

This song masterfully takes repeated material and enhances with the addition and subtraction of musical elements.  This technique has been seen in just about every song analyzed "on the 9's."  Here is a verse by verse breakdown of those elements:

V1 (2525) - Freely - trumpet, strings, guitar

V2 (3535) - Tempo - + bass and drums

V3 (4545) - + sustained strings following chords

V4 (5555) - + Horns sustaining chords

V5 (6565) - + syncopation through the chords (strings or horns?) + "whoa oh oh"

verse 5 syncopation

Interlude - 4 measures - up 1/2 step in the second half.

V6 (7510) - + more developed horn syncopation

verse 6 horns ex.

V7 (8510) - Horn syncopation develops further + "whoa oh oh"

verse 7 syncopation ex.

Interlude - 2 measures, up 1/2 step

V8 (9595) - horns and strings continue to develop in rhythm and dynamics + "whoa oh oh"

V9/V10 - free tempo - guitar, bass and vocals with drums simmering in the background

V11 (2525) - Full elements

V12 (3535) - fades early into 3rd bar

Though each verse is similar, no verse is exactly the same.  The element of continuous development help to keep this relatively simple song progressing towards the finish, sneakily mixing around melodic and rhythmic elements the entire time.

Lyrics

In my opinion, this is the musical element that puts this song over the top in.  I suggest you watch the lyric video linked above or view the lyrics here.

The basic gist: what will life be like in the year 2525?  How about 3535, ad so on and so forth?  With the passing of each millennia, man's prognosis grows more grim.  In this bleak future, machines and science take credit for most of our human-like activity and we completely deplete Earth's resources.  Eventually God makes an appearance and contemplates some sort of Judgement day level event.

These lyrics are completely terrifying in their Orwellian prophecies of doom.  Just as "man's reign is through" and you think the doom is over, it restarts with "in the year 2525," begging our attention and making us rethink choices to prevent this future.  Though in a few instances, there are actually moments of proven prophecy.  Consider the 5th verse:

In the year 6565

Ain't gonna need no husband, won't need no wife

You'll pick your sons, pick your daughters too

From the bottom of a long glass tube

All of these societal choices are certainly common place in 2020.  Let's hope in the next x-1,000 years we will still be utilizing our teeth and eyes.

I would imagine the in your face nature of the lyrics, at a time when people where questioning man's motives in the wake of war and the Hippie movement in general, would have gotten many interested in the song, which apparently, is exactly what happened.    

If "In The Year 2525" came out today,  I think lyrically, it would be a huge turnoff.  These lyrics would probably be deemed "too cliche" and "too niche" in our hyper-categorical views of everything.  Musically though, it might have a chance.  It's fun to think of the question "if song ____ came out in the year ____, would it still be popular?"  That's a blog for another day!

Common Threads

Comparing "In The Year 2525" with other songs "on the 9's," we see several commonalities.

• Hook that uses the title of the song
• Repeated melodic themes
• Texture changes through instrumental additions and subtractions

This song is notably similar to others in this round for the use of extra musical elements throughout the arrangement.  Like so many other songs, little instrumental bits are sprinkled in to make similar sections feel different.  Musical development through slight variation has been a unifying factor in all songs analyzed.  People love surprises, but only if they are not too surprising.   When songs slightly vary some aspect, this type of sweet spot surprise is achieved.  

So even if this song is lyrically way out there, musically it's not so different.  It's popularity,  though largely influenced by the current time, has to be somewhat rooted in familiar musical sensibilities that people can connect with. 

Final Takeaways

Zager & Evans are a bonafide one hit wonder.  They hit no.1 in the US and UK and never charted on the top 100 again.  They tried, but their other songs, dealing with rape and religion, did not take off. [1] I guess the old adage "timing is everything" is true.

I like this song on many levels.  I enjoy the lyrics as they paint a dystopian picture that modern society perpetuates in TV and movies all the time.  This is a slightly different take on some common tropes and caught me off guard.  I also like the music.  The theme I have been observing "on the 9's" involving layered instruments over a single chord progression are front and center in this one.  There is so much evolution of melodies and instrument parts as well as tempo shifts and moments of tension.  

The hook in this one is very strong.  I asked a few people who would have been youngsters when this song came to sing a bar.  All of them instantly came out with "in the year 2525," sang at full tempo with wreckless abandon.  It's interesting to me that this lyric happens once in the beginning, at the slow tempo and again at the very end.  I guess the year doesn't matter, just the simple minor scale setup. 

What do you think of "In The Year 2525?"  If you have never heard it, please listen and give some thought to the lyrics.  I'm still floored this song sat at no.1 for 6 weeks!

Up next time, the last stop in this tour of "the 9's."  August 10th - 17th, 1959 - "A Big Hunk O' Love" By Elvis Presley and the Jordanaires.  

I am certain I do not know this song.  I have expected to see Elvis pop up on this list and am moderately excited to digging into "The King of Rock and Roll."  Stay tuned!

  

[1]https://www.waybackattack.com/zagerandevans.html