"(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" - Bryan Adams, 1991

 Bryan Adams is one of those iconic 80's and 90's songwriters whose music creates instant nostalgia.  His voice, coupled with song writing sensibility, is unmistakably his.  That being said, his songs do have a tendency to blend together, all having that signature sound, which is reminiscent of others (Rod Stewart?).  A New York Times article from 1994 begins to pin down the ordinary magic of Bryan Adams, a musical quality lacking in the flashy landscape of 2020, for better or worse. [1] 

When I think Bryan Adams, I think of "Summer of 69" and today's subject, "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You."  I had pretty good recall of this one prior to the analysis and remember the video from my childhood, complete with scenes from "Robin Hood Prince of Thieves" (though that video appears to have been deleted from YouTube.  There is, however, a live video featuring the album length version).  

Bryan Adams is one of those guys that you are more familiar with than you may realize.  He has logged 25 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, 11 of which cracked the top 10 and 4 that hit no.1 . [2]  After analyzing this song, it turns out I am a fan of his song writing. He shared some insights into his process in this Songwriter Universe interview from 2006. [3]  Today's melody may be one of the more iconic entries this project has come across.  I am reminded of Richard Marx's "Right Here Waiting (1989)" in style, but Adams presents an overall more developed and sophisticated presentation.

July 27th - September 7th 1991:  "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" by Bryan Adams goes 7 weeks at no.1!

This song uses classic song structure.  We hear two rounds of verse-chorus, followed by a bridge, concluded with a final chorus.  There isn't any wasted time between sections and even in the intro, we are getting teased with bite sized chunks of the melodic content to come.  

The tune is also filled with space.  The chorus melody ends more than a measure before we hear the next section, leaving the instruments to settle in on huge chords.  This also happens out of the vocal bridge (B1) and again at the end, leaving you to well up tears with a few beats of silence after the vocal climax of the tune, "I'd die for you....."

The outro is a simple statement of the hook, completing the chorus we missed a few bars earlier.  The album version actually includes additional solos and vocal musings after the single version ends.  Today we will be basing the discussion off the shorter, single version.

Chord Progressions

The opening piano intro provides us with a harmonic and melodic preview of the song to come.

Piano intro

Note the chord sequence, each preceded by a 16th note grouping that compliments the melody:

Db  / Ab/Db   /  Gb/Db   / Dbsus2

I    /  V         /   IV          / I

The verse basically uses this pattern, replacing the Dbsus2 with Ab/Db or Absus and Ab.  All of this simple movement is familiar, but gets its own flavor with the common Db.  

The chorus is broken up into two very different 4 bar phrases.  The first half ventures to Eb minor and features the bass passing through chords to give a completely different feel than the verse:

Ebmin  Db/F  / Ebmin/Gb    /   Ebmin   Db/F  /   Ebmin/Gb

ii           I        /  ii                  /  ii                I       /  ii

The second time we hear the chorus, there is this additional guitar arpeggio that adds another subtle flavor.  This crunchyness foreshadows a few heights the guitar reaches towards the end.

Chorus 2 guitar riff

The final 4 measures play out closer to the verse, once again sticking to I and V in the key, with some added inversion:

Db/Ab   / Ab   /  Db   /  Db

I           /  V     /  I      /  I

The bridge, also divided in two sections, starts with a temporary modulation down a whole step:

B          /   E       / B   / Gb

(bVII) / IV/B   /  I    / V/B (IV/Db) 

The Gb chord pivots us back into Db for the final five measures B1:

Db  /  Ab   / Eb   /  Ab   /  Ab

I    /  V      /V/V  / V      / V

The extra measure of Ab provides a breath before the guitar solo in the second half of the bridge.  Here, the changes are simpler, alternating between 2 bars of Gb and 2 bars of Db, IV - I.

The master of subtle nuance, Adams isn't done yet.  The last chorus keeps the Ebmin chord, but ditches the passing tones in the bass and introduces a syncopated guitar/keys riff with Absus resolving Ab.  The climax shifts some chords around and brings us to the Beatlesesque Gbmin, or iv.

As if that wasn't enough, the final measures feature a new harmonic variation on the hook:

Db/Ab   / Ab   /  Gb  Ebmin  /Db

I           /  V     / IV    ii         / I

Melody

As I mentioned, this melody is well crafted and iconic.  I like how it doesn't waste time getting to the point and uses space to its advantage.  Verse one comes in after the 4 measure intro and melodically  answers the piano flourishes established in the intro, continuing throughout the verses.

Verse 1

This 8 bar segment is comprised of two sets of like phrases.  The first begins on beat 2, covering 3rd and root.  A similar phrases follows on the next beat 2, covering 5th and root of Ab.  Then we get an ascending phrase starting on the 3rd of Gb and working up to Eb, the 5th of Ab.  So far, lots of chord tones.

The second half of the verse covers the same melodic ground, but flips the rhythm on its head.  This time, the phrases start on beat 4 of the preceding measure.  The ascending line in measures 7 and 8 is similar, but is slower getting to the ornament over the Ab chord.  The use of chord tones, diatonic steps, ornaments and subtle rhythmic displacement make this verse melody an integral part of the song and not just a forgettable verse that comes before the chorus.

The chorus uses less space with a more deliberate pacing than the verse.  Combined with the Eb minor chord, this part sounds completely new and fresh when it arrives.  We quickly return to familiarity with a return to verse harmonic and melodic conventions:

Chorus 1 and 2

The hook, using faster notes with lots of space, is very effective at getting stuck in your head.  There are more chord tones with repeated leanings on Gb before resolving to chord tones.  The big of space after the vocals let the chord ring out and settle in your feels.

Verse 2 and chorus 2 are similar the previous statements.  Things take a surprise turn in the first bridge:

Bridge 1

The rhythmic motives are very different from the verse.  Phrases start on beat 4 and finish around beat 2.  The last two phrases are longer with basic 8th note syncopation.

The entire melody here gradually gets higher with each phrase.  The added harmony starts lower than Bryan for 4 measures and then goes above him for the last 4, really highlighting this arc.  Note the melody continues to utilize chord tones that flow stepwise through the chords.  Following the last measure above, we get more silence, interrupted by 3 piano notes to lead in the guitar solo:  

Bridge 2 - Guitar Solo

This guitar solo immediately sticks out as something different with many alternate note choices.  We hear an F over the Gb, the major 4th.  The briefly resolves to the 5th, Db, before sustaining an Eb, now the 9th of the Db chord.  From there, we get several chord tones and then a sudden jump to Bb, the 3rd of the Gb chord.  It finishes with a quick pentatonic line and some bluesy bends to bring it home for the last chorus.

In the last chorus, we get the most dramatic moment of the song.  4 measures of something familiar are interrupted with the emotional and desperate pleas from Adams, reflected in the music.

chorus 3

The section starts higher than before, moving from Ab to Gb and then down to Eb, once again, primarily chord tones (also note the syncopated Absus - Ab line notated above).

The last 4 measures turn the harmony back on and give us three like phrases that devolve to the climax.  A slight ritard add to the drama as does, surprise, surprise - silence.  

The last statement of the hook finishes out the song, slightly varied from before:

outro

Wow, what a melody.

Lyrics

The lyrics are uber sentimental, walking a line between undying devotion and 90's cheese.  

Search your heart, search your soul
And when you find me there, you'll search no more

The bridge jumps over the line and falls into cheese:

There's no love like your love

And no other could give more love

There's nowhere unless you're there

All the time, all the way, yeah

The last chorus throws out repeated "you's" and an out of date phrase in "walk the wire:"

Yeah, I would fight for you

I'd lie for you 

Walk the wire for you

Yeah, I'd die for you

The verses follow an AABB rhyme scheme with the chorus doing the same.  Other than that, the unrelenting emotional sentiment is what it is.  Luckily for Bryan, the music does a great job of enhancing this sentiment, even taking a little attention off of it.  

 

I always remember the video enhancing these lyrics.....I wish the Robin Hood video was still available because I remember making a connection with the characters at the peak moments.  Perhaps these feelings are not so common in everyday life and transferring them onto others, even movie characters, helps to make the story slightly more personal.  I wonder if Bryan channeled the movie when writing the lyrics or it was based on personal events?  The New York Times article may have predicted the answer.....[1]

Common Threads

What musical elements are present in no.1 hit songs across the decades?  That is exactly what I am trying to find out.  Picking up where "Bootylicious (2001)" left off, what common threads does this Bryan Adams classic add or subtract from the equation?

• Repetitive Melody -  Both the verse and chorus melodies play off the theme set up in the piano intro. 
• Stepwise Motion Common in Melody - There is a lot of stepwise motion in the song.  It frequently covers the 4th, so I omitted "pentatonic" in this common thread.   
• Texture Changes - The frequent silence and rhythm section tacets qualify this category.  The guitar solo and slow outro also help the song get out of the same sonic landscape.  
• New Material at the End - On two fronts, we hear new material at the end of the song.  The last 4 bars of the closing chorus have a new melody and the final statement features a slight melodic variation and an added chord.  
• Hook that Uses Title of the Song - No parentheses needed for this one. 

(- pentaonic motion common in melody)

Chord Count - 9 - Db, Gb, Gbmin Ab, Absus, Ebmin, Eb, B, E - the only slash chord that feels worthy of it's own chord would be Absus, which is more than an inversion.  

I am surprised as to how easy this song checked the common threads boxes.  This is my 28th analysis and I'm wondering if I have truly found relevant commonalities or I am reaching a little bit too much to fit these songs into my preconceived slots.  The other explanation is that these are valid connections no.1 songs share.  Some of these songs fit easier than others and so far in this round, there are many commonalities among musical devices.  

Final Takeaways

Despite the cheesy lyrics, I like this song.  It is built on simple musical premises that are slightly tweaked to make it seem special and unique.  The arrangement enhances the melody, with the call and answer between piano and vocal, and the use of silence builds drama every time it appears.  There is no wasted section and the structure does exactly what it needs to: produce an emotional rock ballad in about 4 minutes.

While the rhythm section, on the surface, does that typical 90's soft rock thing, there are some shining moments.  The bass, which mostly plays a dotted quarter-eighth feel, accentuates the changes with passing tones to create inversions and rhythmic fills.  The drums keep a basic 4/4 beat but shift the texture from rim shots to snare, building intensity.  The cymbals also float between 8th and 16th notes, providing just enough rhythmic stability when it's necessary.  

I feel this song is somewhat important to the project, thus far.  "I Do It For You" may be in the top tier of quality songs, not just because I am most familiar with it, but because it clearly and creatively manipulates base, simple source material into something much more.  Bryan Adams sold lots of copies, which is not an easy accomplishment in any decade.  Hopefully, as we get deeper into this round, "on the 1's," I can realize why this song holds a special place in my heart.

What do you think of "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You?"  Does the nostalgia value keep it in high regard or does it stay well regarded because it's good?  Leave me a comment!

Next time, we continue backtracking "on the 1's" to 1981....2 weeks at no.1, August 1st - August 8th, another nostalgic classic: "Jessie's Girl" by Rick Springfield.  Get ready for some fun!

[1]https://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/08/arts/review-pop-bryan-adams-more-mr-nice-guy.html

[2]https://www.billboard.com/music/bryan-adams/chart-history

[3]http://www.songwriteruniverse.com/bryanadams.htm

"Bootylicious" - Destiny's Child, 2001

What do you get when you mix the word "booty" with "delicious?"  Bootylicious of course, first dropped on our collective conscious by Snoop Dogg in 1993 on the Dr. Dre track "Fuck Wit Dre Day."  In Destiny's Child 2001 smash hit, the term is used as a symbol of female empowerment. [1]  Whatever the context, it caught on and in 2004 was added to the Oxford English Dictionary. [2] 

Etymology aside, there are some points worth discussing about the music.  After listening and transcribing this song, there are a few curiosities in play.  There are also many redeemable qualities one would expect from a no.1 hit, they just get there by a less traveled path.

August 4th - 11th, 2001: "Bootylicious" by Destiny's Child takes the no.1 position for 2 weeks!

The song begins with a one measure sample that runs throughout.  The sampled guitar riff comes from Stevie Nick's "Edge of Seventeen," which sounds remarkably like "Eye of the Tiger," coincidentally by the band Survivor and the name of the Destiny's Child third record.

The intro builds the sample to include bass, drums and some spoken intros, which return later in the post chorus (PC).  

The verses go through an interesting arc with verse 1 lasting 16 measures, split by Kelly Rowland and Beyoncé Knowles.  The next verse, taken again by Kelly, is only 8 measures.  The third verse, sang by Destiny's third child, Michelle Williams, is only 4 measures and blends into an 8 measure bridge.  This shorter verse shares melodic similarities with Beyoncé's half of verse 1.

The tune ends with 3 repeats of the chorus.  I don't believe we have seen that kind of repetition since 2009's "I Gotta Feeling."  The final and extra measure features a melismatic take on the hook "my body's bootylicious..."

Chord Progressions

"Bootylicious" is in the key of Eb minor, though the original guitar sample was in E minor.  The sample is one note, Eb, played as 16th notes:

Guitar

The bass sheds more light on an actual key by providing this ostinato, more or less throughout the entire song.  The use of Gb (minor 3rd) and Db (minor 7th) provide a minor feel:

Bass

The strange thing about the tune is there aren't really any chords.  We get the Eb minor feel from the bass line and vocal melody, but there is no sounding of the full Eb minor chord you would expect.  In the chorus, there is a synth line that adds to the harmonic puzzle:

Synth - Chorus

The part syncopates a Db (minor 7th) throughout and works through F-Gb-Ab-Gb in a lower voice (2nd, minor 3rd, 4th, minor 3rd).  With the other elements, it clearly stays in the minor home key.

There is one moment during the bridge when the bass goes into sub range and gets so quiet that I missed it on the first few listens.  It plays Eb (root) / A (b5) / B (b6) / Db (min 7th)  A (b5) before throwing in some very low percussive tones.  All of that continues over the Eb guitar riff.  It's a cool moment of production that goes by too quickly.

Speaking of production, there are lots of percussive elements floating throughout the song. "Uhs" and "oohs" that blend with the drums, as well as some DJ scratching.  The drums, which according the AllMusic liner notes appear to be programmed, lay down a funky groove that feels live tracked.  In the verses, the beat ends up falling into some version of this:

Drum Groove

It is surprising to me that "Bootylicious" is built over a single chord (Ebmin7) and there is never a traditional chordal instrument playing it.  The fact that it hit no.1 tells me there must be something special happening in the melody....

Melody

Verse 1 starts with Kelly and introduces rhythmic and melodic motifs that will be used throughout the verses:

Verse 1 - m.1-8

Each phrase starts on the (1)+ of the measure and follows with fairly close syncopation.  Pitches mimic the bass line, moving from Eb to Ab and Gb in the first measure and Eb and Db in the 2nd measure, following suit as the phrases develop.  

The melody establishes an easy to follow pattern in the first 4 measure that gets flipped in measure 5. The motif starts to break up and get higher in the range.  We also start to see further use of 16th-8th-16th syncopation introduced back in measure 4.  In measures 7 and 8, we return to a similar patterns.

When Beyoncé comes in with the next 8 measures, things change significantly.  The phrases now start somewhere near beat 4 of the preceding measure.  She starts with two phrases that come in on Bb (5th), working down to Ab (4th) and land with the Eb to Db riff (Root/minor7).  That is followed by repeated Ab's (4th) that eventually get down to Eb.

Verse 1 - m.9-16

    

In general, Beyoncé is more rhythmic than Kelly and favors phrases that play on 16th note upbeats.  The last 2 measures are especially forceful when she sticks to more "on beat" rhythms.  The last note above leads directly into the chorus:

Chorus

This chorus is infectious.  The hook of "I don't think you're ready for this jelly" gets stuck in my heard frequently.  Rhythmically, it has syncopation as well as on beat rhythms that use words that are pleasant to speak in succession, albeit ridiculous.  The pitches cover, essentially, 3 notes, Eb, F and Gb, root, second and minor third of the key.  It also gets repeated a few times to drive the point home.

The secondary hook, "and my body's too bootylicious for ya babe," is another ear worm.  Similar factors of rhythmic variance and words that sound good together may to be blame, as could be the pitches, Ab, Bb, Gb (4th, 5th and minor 3rd) leading to the familiar Eb and Db.  

The four bar phrase repeats with added harmony.  The harmony, up a 3rd, adds a great texture and helps to immediately identify the sound of Destiny's Child.  When the harmony goes away, it helps to bring out the character and power of the solo statement of that secondary hook. The bulk of the melody sits in Eb minor pentatonic, a familiar sound to Western ears.  

After this first chorus, we hear a 4 measure throwback to the intro, labeled "post chorus."  This leads into verse 2.

post chorus

Verse 2 is similar to the first half of verse one, replaying rhythmic and melodic motifs.  Verse 3, sang by Michelle, is much different though.  The pitches and rhythms are reminiscent of Beyoncé's first verse and the theme is repeated three times.  The end of each phrase also features the ladies on a harmonized "hoo," the third of which gets very high in their range. 

Verse 3

I love the last measure of this verse which features another contrived word, "vibealacious," led in with more harmony.  This leads directly to an 8 measure section I have dubbed the bridge.  It starts with spoken repetition, similar to the intro and post chorus.  That flows into, perhaps, the most interesting part of the song.  

Bridge

The last 4 measures here are wildly different from anything else in the song.  We hear brand new syncopation and some massive 3 part harmony.  The scat singing style also gives it a brand new feel.  Though the bass goes way out, the vocal melody keeps the ear in Eb minor but changes things around to provide a little break from the established parts, just like a good bridge should do.  

After this bridge, we hear 3 repeats of the chorus.  Each is filled with divaesque contributions from the ladies.  These range from alterations on the hook to long melismas running over the other singers.  The last statement of the song features more variation on the main hook theme:

Final Melodic Statement

Most of the melismas in the song are based on Eb minor pentatonic.  Occasionally, they lean on an F, or 2nd, but generally resolve to the root or 5th, by way of the minor 7th.  

Musical Sticking Points

 I'm still floored that here are no proper chords in the track.  The guitar riff is the basis for the entire thing and then augmented with extra stuff.  I do like how the song stays in one harmonic space the whole time and we never get bored.  The varied rhythms and use of words that are fun to say help the situation, as does a killer bridge that gives the perfect length break to push the song through to the end.  

The first minute of the tune has an interesting build.  The intro begins with the guitar and then adds in drums and bass.  The spoken intro comes in and introduces us to the singers, giving a little peak at the rhythmic nature of the song.  When Kelly comes in with verse 1, she basically riffs off the bass line and slowly creeps in more complex figures.  Beyoncé picks that ball up and runs, giving us longer phrases that are more syncopated and dense.  Then the chorus hits.  While it is filled with lots of rhythm, the melodic content is easy enough to latch onto and it repeats.  

"Bootylicious" reminds me of several other songs analyzed, specifically "I Gotta Feeling (2009)," "Genie In A Bottle (1999)," and "The Boy Is Mine (1998)."  Each of those songs features repeated chord progressions that use other elements to keep things interesting and moving forward.  Destiny's Child is able to keep things going by establishing a few different melodic pallets to draw from and their use of vocal harmony.  They mix and match these elements perfectly, making a song built on one note sound lush and full.

Lyrics

 Bootylicious - voluptuously sexy and attractive

The lyrics are supposed to symbolize female empowerment.  Here are a few that may get there:

You gotta do much better

If you're gonna dance with me tonight

Move, groove, prove you can hang with me

By the looks I got you shook up and scared of me

Buckle your seatbelt, it's time for takeoff

  Slap my thighs, swing my hair

Squint my eyes

Lookin' hot, smellin' good

Groovin' like I'm from the hood

I can't help but wonder why

My vibe's too vibealacious for you babe

While I'm not a woman, these lyrics seem to be the most empowering and help me to conjure the image of these bad ass women strutting their stuff and making their presence known.  I'm not sure I'm ready for that jelly.....

Common Threads

What musical elements are present in no.1 hit songs across the decades?  That is exactly what I am trying to find out.  Picking up where "Party Rock Anthem (2011)" left off, what common threads does "Bootylicious" add or subtract from the equation?

• Repetitive Melody - Yes, and on several fronts.  The verse melodies repeat phrases and borrow elements from preceding verses.  The chorus is comprised of three repeated phrases and a fourth phrase, repeated in harmony.  
• Stepwise + pentatonic Motion Common in Melody - steps are certainly common in the melody, but so are 3rds, moving through the pentatonic scale. Take a long at the interval structure of the hooks, they are solely comprised of minor pentatonic scale riffage. 
• Texture Changes - The song starts and returns to the solo guitar riff which is effective at changing the texture.  The drums also come and go with various intensity.  The bridge is an extreme example of texture change with stripped down drums keeping time, chimes, the non-diatonic bass and three part vocal harmony.
• New Material at the End - While there are no new sections that close out the song, there are new melodies that pop up as the singers diva-out during the last choruses.
• Hook that Uses Title of the Song - I think the chorus contains two hooks and one of them has the title.  

Chord Count - 1 - wow.....

So it looks like selections from 2011 and 2001 have a ton of musical elements in common.  Though the two songs are very different, it's cool to see so much musical crossover.  

Final Takeaways

I could not have picked this one out of a police lineup prior to this analysis.  I wasn't a huge fan at first, but it definitely grew on me.  The hooks are really catchy.  I firmly believe the word choice is as big a factor as the notes and rhythms.  Some words just sound good together.  When one of those words is a made up word that you can stake a claim to (sorry Snoop Dogg), it heightens the impact.  

It has been interesting to see how different female singers approach their use of melisma.  I have analyzed Christina, Lady Gaga, Fergie, Donna Summer, and Mariah, to name a few.  Each has a slightly different feel for their ornaments and Destiny's Child is no different.  

What do you think "Bootylicious?"  Was I the only one oblivious to this tune?  Have you checked out different versions and remixes?  How do those stack up??  Leave me a comment!

Up next time, continuing with round 4, "on the 1's," we head all the way back to 1991.  July 27th - September 7th 1991, an impressive 7 week run at no.1...Bryan Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do it For You!"

[1]https://ew.com/article/2016/05/20/destinys-child-bootylicious-15th-anniversary/

[2]http://www.personal.psu.edu/ejp10/blogs/thinking/2008/04/how-bootylicious-got-into-the.html

"Party Rock Anthem" - LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock, 2011

 LMFAO provided the song of the summer in 2011 with their smash hit "Party Rock Anthem."  The group, an uncle and nephew duo comprised of RedFoo and SkyBlu worked as LMFAO for 6 years (which, yes, stands for "laughing my freaking ass off" [1]) and then called it quits, presumably taking the money and running. [2]  

"Party Rock Anthem" certainly sounds like a fun loving summer time jam and at it's core, is a catchy electronic dance number.  While this song is not the most musically satisfying song to cross the Decade Hit Analysis Project, it does contain several elements I would expect to see in a no.1 hit song.  

July 16 - August 20, 2011: "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock cements itself as the song of the summer with a 6 week run at no.1.

The form of "Party Rock Anthem" is standard fare with a set of verse/chorus before the bride.  There is an instrumental post chorus (PC) that adds 2 measures the second time around.  The final chorus is half the length of the first two versions. 

The song ends with a lengthy outro that blends elements of the bridge and post chorus sections with a new melody.  27 measures is a strange length, which broken down, works out to be a 10 measure phrase followed by 16 measures of grooving and one final measure of reverberated noise.  

In typical electronic dance music fashion, most of the song is computer generated and the drum part goes where you'd expect it to.  The into features the drums progressively getting more complicated at the synth part bleeds in:

Intro Drum Evolution

The drums come and go over the course of the tune, providing space for vocal breaks and kicking into high gear to keep the dance party rolling.....

Chord Progressions

"Party Rock Anthem" is in the key of F minor and only utilizes three chords.  Part of the intro, the post chorus and part of the outro drone the F minor with a lot of synth bells and whistles, or whirrs and swirls as it may be.  When other chords are in the mix, they follow suit with the progression set up by the primary keyboard riff in the intro:

In the key, this progression works out to:

Fmin7   /  Eb    Db

i          /  bVII  bVI

As seen many times before ("Love the Way You Lie," "Rain On Me," "Magic" to name a few) these chords are staples in a minor key.

Melody

The chorus contains the most melodic substance in the song which is presented after 16 measures of intro.  This catchy hook, which features three part vocal harmony, is the main selling point of the song: (melody written an octave higher)

chorus

In the first measure, eighth notes begin on beat 2 with a C, the 5th of F minor and then leap down to Eb, the minor 7th of the chord.  In the next measure, the melody follows the chord roots, Eb and Db, with added octave harmonies as well as Ab and F, 4th/3rd of the chords, or min3rd/root of F minor.  

In the third measure, we hear an Ab major lick, Ab-Bb-C-Bb, before jumping back down to Eb.  In measure 4, we get something similar to measure 2, this time with 5ths Bb and Ab over Eb and Db chords accompanied by octave harmonies plus F and Eb, 9th/7th of the changes, or Root/min7 of F minor.

These 4 measures are repeated in measures 5 -8.  The entire part is then repeated, save the last 2 measures.  There, we see the Ab major lick extended followed by lots of space.  Silence is broken by "shake that," leading into the post chorus melody.

The post chorus, an instrumental dance break, is led by an analog synthy lead:

Post chorus

The high notes are performed as octave F's, but to my ear, they have this pitchless quality to them (this is probably because I'm a bass player and my listening accuracy diminishes as he pitch gets higher?).  This part is funky and includes some 8th/16th syncopation.  Following a pattern set up in the chorus, the melody follows the root of the chord.

Both of the verses are rapped, starting off with SkyBlu in verse 1.  The flow starts off very disciplined with entrances on (1)+, similar syncopation and a vocable on (4)+ of the second measure.  This pattern begins to deteriorate in measures 5-8, leading into the very different back half of the verse, provided by RedFoo:

verse 1

RedFoo's flow is a stark contrast to SkyBlu and he takes his time and stays just behind the beat.  He trades 8th and 16th syncopation for 8th and quarter syncopation to further the contrast.  

After this verse, we get another chorus which ends with a tag we will hear later.  In F minor, this reestablishes the tonality after the silence and leads nicely into the post chorus synth.

Post Chorus 2 tag

Verse 2, sang by RedFoo, picks up the pace with a faster flow.  The rhythm is not as disciplined as verse 1, but there is use of the silence theme established in the chorus, interrupted with "hating is bad."

verse 2

The last 4 measures of the verse feature some singing.  Here, a two note motive of Eb and F provide the call with the response in a spoken tone.  The calls and responses are melodically uniform, except the final response, which is slower, in RedFoo fashion.

The two note motive set up in this verse foreshadow the bridge melody, provided by English singer Lauren Bennett (G.R.L. and Paradiso Girls):

Bridge - source material

These two measures represent the source material for the bridge and outro.  Each measure is eventually chopped up and repeated in small fragments.  

The outro features one more melodic contribution, that like the bridge, gets chopped up and reused throughout the section:

This line, occurring on the 2nd and 4th measures of the progression, is built on 3 notes, Db, C and Bb.  These pitches cover different chord tones than we have heard throughout the tune: min7th, maj7, 6th and 5th, moving through the three chords.  These new intervals give the ending a very different feel, yet feel familiar when combined with post chorus keyboard, spoken and bridge elements.  

Musical Sticking Points   

This song pulls a whole lot out of three chords.  There are three levels to the chord progression.  1.  The full blast syncopated synth line moving through the changes;  2. The more subtle synth line moving through the changes, generally behind the verse and in the bridge/outro;  3. The single chord pulsing over the post chorus synth line.

The tune also utilizes rests effectively.  As a dance tune, we get pounded with synths and drum patterns at a fast tempo.  When everything stops for 2 or more beats, it results in a cool effect.  Whenever the silence is interrupted, we are given some spoken line, which is easy to sing along with.  

The chorus is very catchy in both lyrics and melody.  The repetitive nature of the melody makes it easy to sing along with and the three part harmony doesn't hurt when non-singers try to keep up.  The small motives are also easy to sing along with.  The 2 note bridge motive and the 3 note outro motive are easy enough on the ears that they get stuck.  The constant repetition makes sure they stay stuck.

The drums are what I think of as typical dance drums.  I'm not up on the lingo of electronica, but I would assume the words "house" or "electro pop" may be appropriate?  The big build in the bridge is a stereotypical part for the genre. Quarter note snare hits for two measures building to eighth notes and climaxing with 16th notes create a huge build.  I am very curious to find the first song that employed this.  I assume it's before 2011, but I'll keep a mental note of its presence here, just in case.

Lyrics

I would argue that lyrics don't matter too much for a dance tune.  If the primary objective is to move to the beat, it doesn't really matter what the words are saying.  This is not a social justice song or an emotional testimony.  LMFAO just wants to you get down....which is a good idea, because these lyrics are terrible.  

The chorus is innocent enough, inviting listeners to have a good time with "Party Rock," LMFAO's album titles ("Party Rock" (2008) and "Sorry for Party Rocking" (2011)).  When the raps come in, things get grim.  Here's a few gems:

Looking for your girl? She on my jock   

Yo! I'm running through these hoes like Drano 

On the rise to the top, no Led in our Zeppelin

Now you wanna be (You're naked now!)

Oh the party lifestyle.  I think they are closer to Led Zeppelin that they think...at least in terms of extra curriculars?

Common Threads

What musical elements are present in no.1 hit songs across the decades?  That is exactly what I am trying to find out.  For each round, I like to start somewhat fresh and develop a list of present musical elements that I expect to find in other songs.  While influenced by past lists, I will try to approach this one from a neutral starting point.  

• Repetitive Melody - the chorus repeats itself both rhythmically and melodically, using similar patterns over the course of 4 bars, repeated for 8 and again for 16 measures.
• Stepwise Motion Common in Melody - aside from the leaps in the chorus melody, the song is basically comprised of stepwise motion.
• Texture Changes - The drums do not pound us in the face the entire time.  There is silence, break downs and build ups.  The overall timbre changes throughout the song.
• New Material at the End - this is a holdover quality worth mentioning.  Many no.1 songs include new material to finish out the song.   
• Hook that Uses Title of the Song - another holdover worth mentioning.  

Chord Count - 3 - It might be fun to keep track of how many chords a song uses.....

Final Takeaways

I don't see myself seeking this song out, ever.  I generally don't like dance music (or dance in a club situation) and I would rather listen to other genres.  That being said, I appreciate this song on a musical level.  It accomplishes its goal in spades and the structure of the catchy melody is worth looking at, if you yourself are trying to write a catchy melody.

As a songwriter, I am always trying to write better songs.  Studying no.1 hits has certainly given me insight into the overall process and there is plenty to learn from "Party Rock Anthem."  LMFAO got it right with a simple melody that was enhanced by changing textures and extremes (silence vs dance beat).  They found a formula that worked and 9 years later, this song still holds up, in common musical elements anyway.  *LMFAO are no strangers to quality music....their father and grandfather is Berry Gordy, founder of Motown Records!  

What do you think of "Party Rock Anthem?"  Do the musical qualities shine behind the sparkling mirrorball, or are you lost in the dance party?  Leave me a comment! 

Up next time, continuing with no.1 hits "on the 1's": August 4th - 11th, "Bootylicious" by Destiny's Child goes two weeks at no.1 amidst a sea of R&B titans (Usher, Alicia Keys, J-Lo, Nelly and Mariah Carey).  Let's see if Beyoncé and company contribute musical qualities found in other no.1 hits through the decades.  

[1]https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/lmfao-trademark-application-310996

[2]https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/474982/lmfao-taking-hiatus-says-redfoo

Round 3 Wrap Up - "On the 0's"

The motivation for this analysis project is rooted in my search for answers to the question: "what makes a good song good?"

While "good song" invariably means different things to different people, I am drawing source material from the Billboard Hot 100, the industry standard that tracks the best selling songs.  While sales don't always indicate quality, they do indicate people's desire to listen to a song, which insinuates that if people are spending money and time to hear it, it probably has some inherent value, to someone.

In this round of analyses, I looked at songs "on the 0's": 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2020.  After analyzing 11 songs in total, I compiled a list of common musical elements.  While the presence of certain musical elements does not guarantee a song to get to no.1, many no.1 songs do share certain characteristics.   It's fascinating to find musical devices used in no.1 songs across a wide range of time.  

Working off of the list of "common threads" compiled for "songs on the 0's," here are the findings:

Repeated melodic motifs - 11/11 - Patterns of melody end up being repeated either within a section or in multiple sections.  It makes sense that repetition is a unifying element for pop songs in any decade.     

Strong harmonic motion from V to I  -3/11 - In Western music, the V chord pulls naturally to the I chord.  Many pop songs capitalize on this phenomena.  Note, the 3 songs that use V - I motion happened in 1960, 1980 and 1990....

Background singers contribute to melodic/harmonic texture - 8/11 - Background vocals are common in many songs, but to qualify here, they have to be integral to the song, contributing to the harmonic and/or melodic texture and not just a decoration for the lead vocal.  They must be an important part to the overall composition and presentation.

Modulation -  4/11 - Does a song remain in the same harmonic space/key for its entirety, or does it modulate to another tonality?

New material presented at the end - 6/11 - When the song is nearing its end, just when you think you've heard it all, a new melody or chord sequence appears, leaving you longing for more, or wondering if you missed something earlier.

Hook that uses the title of the song - 10/11 - The hook is the melodic chunk that gets stuck in your ear, and it often contains the title of the song.  

Contains a lyrical refrain  - 5/11 - Repeated use of the same lyric, in like or different sections, qualifies as a lyrical refrain.  

Evolution of musical elements - 7/11 - When a section of a song is repeated, does it sound exactly like it did the first time, or is something different?  This may occur in the vocal performance or some added production element that makes one repeat sound different from another.  

Looking at the above chart, some trends stick out.  The use of chord progressions with V - I and the use of modulation is prevalent up to 2000 and then completely falls off the map.  This could be in part to shorter chord progressions, though Sisqó's 2000 contribution would disagree with that.

  

The two most enduring musical elements seem to be repeated melodic motifs and the use of the song title in the hook.  

Musical evolution/development of a song is a little less penetrating that I would have thought.  Its absence in 1960 and 1980 is not quite as surprising as its absence in 2010 and 2020, especially considering the advancement in recording techniques in later years.  It seems as though simple and straightforward is a returning trend over the course of the last decade.  

In the round 2 wrap up, I consolidated song data to show vocal gender, tempo/meter, key signature, length, chord progressions used and sections present.  The chart below shows data for the songs "on the 0's":

Adding these 11 songs into the mix yields the following notable statistics:

• 9/25 (36%) in a minor key 
• 6/25 (24%) have a tonal center of Ab (G#)
• 12/25 (48%) utilize one primary chord progression for the entire tune
• 17/25 (68%) contain more than 2 sections
• 6/25 (24%) have verse and chorus only
• 13/25 (52%) contain at least one bridge section
• 10/25 (40%) utilize the bVII chord
• 18/25 (72%) utilize the IV(iv) and I(i) chords*
• 23/25 (92%) are in duple (2/2 or 4/4) meter
• 14/25 (56%) feature a male lead singer
• 23/25 (92%) use the title of the song in the hook
• Average length - 3:49

After adding in these new data points, percentages more or less stayed the same.  A few categories dropped lower (Primary chord progression - 57% from rounds 1 and 2 down to 48% with round 3 songs added in).  A few went slightly higher (bridge section - 50% to 52%).  With no drastic drops, I am confident that these elements represent qualities of no.1 hit songs across the decades.  

I hope this data can prove valuable to song writers and at least give some insight into proven musical elements for pop songs.  

The Decade Hit Analysis Project is continually evolving and I am learning much from analyzing and transcribing no.1 hit songs through the decades.  I will now move forward on two fronts:

• I like the idea of periodically returning to no.1 hit songs from 2020.  Data points from every no.1 hit in 2020 would be very valuable in representing this year's music.  I plan to tackle them all, in between other analyses
• I am gearing up for Round 4, songs on the "1's!"  I will look at no.1 songs in the first week of August, starting in 2011, and work backward to 1961, which means....

Up next time: July 16 - August 20, 2011: "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock goes 6 weeks at no.1.  I am only vaguely familiar with this song and hope to find the quintessential "song of the summer" in this 2011 entry. Let round 4 begin!

"cardigan" - Taylor Swift, 2020

 Taylor Swift released her 8th studio album in the July 24th, 2020.  The lead single, "cardigan," debuts on the Hot 100 at no.1, August 8th, 2020.  

The track was co-written and produced by Aaron Dessner, of the National, and is not what I would expect from the pop singer, though I am hardly the person to make T-Swift recommendations.  Her new album, Folklore, seems fantastic and well regarded by many.  After reading this Insider.com track by track review, my interest is peaked! [1]  After transcribing most of the lead single though, I'm afraid I won't be as jazzed as those authors.  

There are elements of this song that I do like and there are clear similarities between "cardigan" and other no.1 songs through the decades.  In the end though, the song is just there.  The no.1 status makes me think that the curiosity factor of a surprise Taylor Swift song helped it rocket to the top.  If it manages to stay another week, I will be surprised and impressed.  This Slate.com article eventually agrees with me and hypothesis why the song reached no.1. [2]  Never the less, I will try and set opinions aside and focus on the musical attributes of the song.

August 8th, 2020: "cardigan" by Taylor Swift debuts at no.1 on the Billboard Hot 100.  

There are a few surprises in the form.  The intro features a wind noise and a faint shaker evolving into a neat hand drum/body percussion sample.  Then, all of a sudden, the piano chimes in with verse 1.  This "intro" is a total of ten 8th note beats, equal to 1.25 measures.  This might be the most challenging part of the song, as the accents in the drum sample don't quite indicate where beat 1 ends up landing.  

We then go through a verse/chorus/refrain sequence.  The first statements of the chorus and refrain work together and are only separated at the very end, justifying different labels.  The third chorus, though, ditches the refrain and gets an extra 4 measures, which are different from the first 4.  Each chorus also features different lyrics, furthering the overall story of the song.    

The "refrain," in this case, houses the title phrase and is repeated 3 times in total.  The closing statement gets a cool treatment with alternate chords, taken from the bridge.  

Speaking of bridges, there are two of them.  The first begins with 4 measures of an instrumental followed by 4 measures of melody built over new chord changes.  The 2nd bridge uses recycled chord changes and features a brand new melody, making it more than a third verse.

There is lots of added production to the entire track ranging from noises, to string samples to a Mellotron part.  All of these sounds, combined with the slow tempo certainly create an tangible mood.    

Chord Progression

Before looking at any notation, the song utilizes swing 16th notes.  This swing feel only occurs with groups of two sixteenth notes and not with two 8th notes.  If you feel the micro beat (8th notes), it has the same effect as swung eighth notes.  

"cardigan's" opening chord progression is set up by the piano in the first verse:

Piano - Opening

In the key of Eb, this plays out to be:

Fmin   /   Bb  /  Ab   /  Bb

ii       /   V     /  IV    / V

The chorus delivers the I chord and a familiar chord sequence:

Eb  /  Bb  / Ab  /  Bb

I   /  V    / IV   / V

The refrain uses the verse changes, above.

The first bridge features a different chord progression, which is also used over the final refrain:

Ab  /  Cmin  /  Bb   /  Ab

IV  / vi        / V     / IV

There is a very slight variation used during the second half of the third chorus, which carries over to the second bridge.  There, we see the first Bb chord get an F in the bass.  This slight shift gives that chord a much different feel when following the Eb.

Melody

The verses share a similar melody, built on two syncopated figures, sang low in T-Swift's range:

Verse 1

Measures 1,2, 5 and 6 use a motif built around note groupings Ab, G, Bb and Bb, C and F.  Each chunk fits into the 16th-8th-16th syncopation beginning on beat 2.  

Measures 3,4, 7 and 8 use a triplet theme, which will reoccur throughout the song.  Repeated three note groupings of G, F and Eb (3-2-1 in Eb) are borrowed from the piano riff that floats above each section.

The first verse leads directly into the chorus, carrying over both rhythmic entrances and syncopation.  The chorus leans on repeated 16th notes, a staple in Swift's melodic arsenal.  Each of the two phrases ends with a melisma on Eb-G-F-Eb, the same pitches used in the piano line and the verse triplet figure.

Chorus 1 and Refrain

   

After 4 bars of chorus, the chords shift back to the verse progression for the refrain.  Here, once again , the triplet rhythm is used, this time descending through the Eb pentatonic scale.  The word "cardigan" uses a brand new rhythmic figure and is followed by familiar syncopation.  At the tail end of the refrain, we hear a guitar riff which will also reappear throughout the tune and is repeated in verse 2.

Basic Guitar Riff

 

Verse 2, chorus 2 and the 2nd refrain rehash melodic material from previous iterations.  After the second refrain, we head into the first bridge with 4 measures of instrumental plodding.  The piano riff retains its rhythmic placement but shifts notes to support the impending C minor chord (C, Eb, F, G, C).  When Taylor comes in, we hear:

Bridge 1 - meas. 5-8

Rhythmic entrances shift to beat 4, instead of beat 2 and the dotted eighth-sixteenth figure is used repeatedly.  The first half uses C and G, which resolve down to Eb on the C minor (minor 3rd).  The second half shifts those notes down a whole step to Bb and F, retaining the ending descending line.

At this point in the song, we have heard each primary section twice, gotten a brief instrumental interruption and new melody with the bridge.  Now, we head into the back half, which picks up the pace.  Out of bridge 1 comes the third chorus, an 8 measure variation on the original 4 bar melody:

Chorus 3

The first 4 bars are like the previous choruses with different lyrics and a harmony added up a third.  The last 4 measures start like the chorus proper, but veer off course in measure 6, going lower over the new chord, Bb/F.  The last two measures borrow the triplet line from the verse and refrain, only with a new note grouping: Eb, C and Bb.  

These last 4 measures create a very subtle shift to the natural minor sound and blend melodic and rhythmic themes used previously.  The 8th measure of this chorus (above) is the pickup to the second bridge, a mammoth 12 measure section that expands upon rhythms and melodies presented in the first bridge:

Bridge 2 - meas. 1-6

The entrances in this bridge are similar to the last bridge; 8th-16th syncopation on beat 4.  Each entrance is followed by descending 16th notes, Ab, G, F, Eb, and lead directly into an additional statement of the phrase.  Bb and F become melodic focal points in between and the chord progression shifts to include more Bb/F chords. 

Bridge 2 -  meas.7-12

After 8 measures, the chord progression shifts back to verse changes and the pacing slows down.  We get 4 repeats of "you'd come back to me," which feel spacious after all the repeated 16th notes.  The piano strays from its original feel and the guitar riff weaves in and out.  

A returning piano riff sets up the final refrain, this time utilizing the bridge changes.  The guitar riff ends the song, repeating the last two notes, played over an Ab chord.  There is an "outro" consisting of a faded 3 measure chunk of NIN-esque noise.  

Guitar - final melodic statement

  

Musical Sticking Points

There is certainly an evolution of musical ideas throughout the song.  While this is most obviously driven by changing lyrics, the chord progressions sneak in and out.  The song is built on, essentially, 5 chords: Fmin, Bb, Ab, Eb and C minor.  While the chord progressions vary in chord order, intensity and inversion, they do end up settling into the same harmonic feel.

The melody is crafted well, constantly borrowing rhythms and motifs from itself.  The third chorus has a nice mix of several parts and the second bridge logically develops a melody seen earlier in the tune.  All of these moments are great, but there is a lot of repetition before we see any development.  

The drum part is unique for a pop song.  The opening groove is very sparse and sounds like clapping and patting on someone's legs.  Eventually, we hear the familiar kick and snare, but they don't play a standard beat.  Below is an approximation of the opening/first verse drums feel compared with the chorus feel:

Drum approximations - Verse 1 vs Chorus 1

Both versions play off of the swing 16th feel and syncopation present in the vocal melodies.  

The overall arrangement is pretty slick.  On my first few listens, I had trouble distinguishing the parts.  This was due, in part, to ever changing lyrics, but also due to borrowed themes.  When I wrapped my head around what was actually happening, I could see the quality craftsmanship.  Unfortunately, this is not overwhelmingly positive.  The dreamy atmosphere can work against itself and create this gray blob of sound that all feels the same.

Lyrics

Taylor Swift is a master at painting vivid portraits with words.  She writes these lyrics from the perspective of "Betty," a character featured on the album "Folklore."  There is a lot to unpack in these lyrics, and I recommend taking a peek at the Lyric Genius annotations. [3]

The verse uses the rhyme scheme AAB CCB, with B being a refrain, of sorts, "when you are young they assume you know nothing."  The chorus reverses this pattern with ABB ACC, this time with A as a refrain of "I knew you."  

Bridge 1 is comprised of internal rhymes resulting in (AA)B (AA)B.  The second bridge moves through 4 sets of rhyming and/or near rhyming couplets ("long" and "young"; "expired" and "light").

The refrain also uses a near rhyme with "cardigan" and "bed."

Overall, the lyrics are well crafted and contain some cool imagery and lots of "Easter Eggs," which Taylor has become known for.  

Common Threads

This has been an epic round "on the 0's" with data points from 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, two songs from 2010 and now, four songs from 2020.  For each song, I have compiled a list of common musical elements present and then see where the analysis in question figures in.  Adding "cardigan" into the mix, we see:

• Repeated melodic motifs - this song expertly reuses themes in each section.  This song is right up there with "Rain On Me" in the way melodic motifs are recycled and repackaged.  
• Strong harmonic motion from V to I  -While there is a strong pull to V, it doesn't actually function like V.  The pull from IV to I is noticeable.  
• Background singers contribute to melodic/harmonic texture - I'm not ready to cross this one out due to the presence of the vocal harmonies from the first bridge through the end of the tune.  They are not, however, such and important contributing force to the melody or the overall textural presentation.  The instrumental arrangement is far integral in that picture.
• Modulation -  
• New material presented at the end - technically, there is not new material at the end.  There is however, is different twist on something we already heard: the refrain lyrics and melody combined with the bridge chord progression.
• Hook that uses the title of the song   - I'm not even sure what the hook is, or if there is a hook.  I chose "you put me on and said I was your favorite" because it was the one part I could easily sing along with, it stayed lyrically consistent and featured a melody used elsewhere in the song.  Any way you slice, it doesn't use "cardigan" in the most singable part of the melody.  
• Contains a lyrical refrain  - This could get triple points, as there are several lyrical refrains: "when you are young they assume you know nothing," "I knew you," and "when I felt like I was an old cardigan...."   
• Evolution of musical elements -  The melodic development and ending chord rearrangement qualify this for sure.

A solid 3/8 common threads and 2 near hits for "cardigan."  The end of round wrap up will hopefully flush out some of these elements and see what musical trends have been seen in no.1 hits through the decades.

Final Takeaways

After this entire analysis, I'm still not sure where I land on "cardigan."  On paper, I love it.  I think the way the melody and chord changes seamlessly move between and play off one another is genius.  The lyrics are rich with description and references to provoke the imagination of any listener.  The whole song has a vibe that can't be denied and I found this song affecting my mood.

Listening to it, though, is not as fun as talking about it.  It's so slow and all of the similar melodies blend together, resulting in forgettable melodies.  The hook in this song is hard to pin down, which for a pop tune, is a very surprising.  

All of that being said, I would be happy to hear or play an acoustic rendition of the tune.  I actually started thinking about how this song would translate with just chords and melody.  Well, Taylor must have thought that too, because there is a lovely acoustic version.  When the production is taken away, you can hear the song for what it is, a lovely ballad.  All of this is fine, it's just not what I would expect from a no.1 hit song, even if it has some great musical elements at work.

I will be very curious to see if this song lasts another week at no.1 or if its popularity is largely due to the curiosity factor.  2020 has seen a lot of 1 week reigns at no.1, which I'm willing to bet has happened before, through the decades.  Perhaps I should take comfort in the adventurous taste of music consumers.  Taylor did not have to rap about her wealth or romantic prowess to make it to no.1  Instead, she wrote a beautiful song that people want to hear.  

What do you think of "cardigan?"  Am I missing something, or is kind of boring?  If you read this before August 15th, 2020, do you think it will make another week at no.1?  Leave me a comment!

Up next time, the "on the 0's" recap round, where I will look at all the songs analyzed and see if there is any definitive common ground between musical elements.     

[1]https://www.insider.com/taylor-swift-folklore-review-tracklist-breakdown-2020-7

[2]https://slate.com/culture/2020/08/taylor-swift-folklore-sales-cardigan-billboard-hot-100.html

[3]https://genius.com/20429809