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"Turn to Stone"
I've mentioned this before, but the phrase "turn to stone" is also present in "Showdown" - "Now my heart has turned to stone again."There's also an instance of blue: "In my blue world."
"Night in the City"
The guitar part that begins this song is nearly identical to the one that begins "Poker" from Face the Music. The one in "Night in the City" is just raised by a fourth.Two of the verses start with "Standin' at...," which reappears in "Jungle" ("I was standin' in the jungle…") and "Standin' in the Rain." There’s also "I see you standin' there" in "Big Wheels," but that seems different.
"Jungle"
Near the beginning, there's a Tarzan-like call to help in establishing the scene.Toward the end, there's an alarm clock, which might have something to do with the Beatles' "A Day in the Life," which also features the sound of an alarm clock.
"Mr. Blue Sky"
After the line "Runnin' down the avenue," there's some panting, which also seems to be in debt to "A Day in the Life," in which there's panting after the line "I noticed I was late." There are four pants in each.In that same verse in "Mr. Blue Sky," there are the lines "See how the sun shines brightly / In the city / On the streets where once was pity," which is a reference to some similar lines in "Night in the City" earlier on the album: "Night in the city / Madness and pity."
And, of course, there's the obvious mention of blue.
"Birmingham Blues"
Years ago, I noticed that some of the violin parts quote a phrase from George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue (which - along with the "blues" in the title and lyrics - is an-other inclusion of the color). However, I don't think they're in the same key here. I listened to a recording I have of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performing Rhapsody in Blue, and while the phrases in "Birmingham Blues" start on B notes, those that I found in the Rhapsody (which aren't even on violin) start on D#s.—
The last few times I've listened to this album, I always felt that some of the songs use similar musical phrases, chord progressions, or other elements that help tie the songs together, but until I start learning the parts, I can't point to anything specific.
