"Strange Magic"

I was thinking about "Strange Magic" recently and realized that in most instances of the title phrase, the word "magic" is sung on up-beats.  (In the recurring line "Got a strange magic," it's sung with a melisma, with the notes alternating between down-beats and up-beats.)  This placement of the notes is a bit unusual, and to a small degree, it contributes to that "strange" quality.

"Wild West Hero"

Yester-day, I watched the concert DVD Out of the Blue - Live at Wembley (from 1978), and I noticed a small feature in "Wild West Hero" that I've been finding in a number of songs lately.  In the line "Away from all we know," the phrase "all we know" is sung to notes of all different pitches (C B G), giving a sense of that entirety.

"Showdown"

I was thinking about "Showdown" yester-day and had a small realization about the line "Ev'ry dream in her heart was gone."  The phrase "ev'ry dream" is sung to notes of all different pitches (C Eb F), giving a sense of breadth or entirety.

"Alone in the Universe"

In the liner notes, the first two lines of each verse of "Alone in the Universe" are formatted as "Alone in the universe / All alone in the universe," but in both, there's a break between "alone" and "in the universe" that lasts almost an entire measure.  Consequently, "alone" is sort of set apart by itself, and this separation matches the meaning.

"When the Night Comes"

In the line "Ev'ry night, that's when I think of you" in "When the Night Comes," the phrase "ev'ry night" is sung to notes of all different pitches (E D C#), giving a sense of entirety or number.

"Dirty to the Bone"

I listened to Alone in the Universe yester-day and noticed a few small features in some of the songs.

In "Dirty to the Bone," there's the line "She'll deceive you till the cows come home."  This may indicate a Beatle influence since the same expression is used in "When I Get Home" on A Hard Day's Night (in the line "I'm gonna love her till the cows come home").

"The Diary of Horace Wimp"

I listened to Discovery a couple days ago and noticed a small feature in "The Diary of Horace Wimp," specifically in the line "She was small, and she was very pretty," which is sung to a melody something like this:

The note to which "very" is sung is held for a longer duration than the surrounding notes, lending a degree of emphasis and perhaps even a sense of its meaning.

"The Quick and the Daft"

I listened to Out of the Blue a few days ago and noticed that the music in "The Quick and the Daft" (included as a bonus track) sort of mirrors the title.  As I noted before, the title seems to be adapted from the phrase "the quick and the dead" (that is:  "the living and the dead"), and this contrast is illustrated in the music by shorter or longer note values.  The shorter note values give a lively or even frantic impression, and the longer note values provide a sense of repose.

"Above the Clouds"

I listened to A New World Record yester-day and noticed a couple small features in "Above the Clouds," both in the line "You gotta climb it to the top."  The phrase generally ascends (Bb Bb C D D Eb F F Eb D), giving a sense of "climb[ing]... to the top," and "top" is sung to the highest note (F), which matches its meaning.

"Standin' in the Rain"

I was thinking about "Standin' in the Rain" this morning and realized that the rather prominent descending violin phrases after the "Rainy day" lines (starting at ~1:55) may be intended to depict the falling rain.  The first spans an octave (Bb to Bb in Bb major, with the last Bb note repeated), and the second is even broader (Bb to Bb in Bb minor followed by a low Gb).

"Everyone's Born to Die"

I listened to On the Third Day yester-day and noticed a small feature in "Everyone's Born to Die" (included as a bonus track on the CD).  In the line "All the world will cry," "world" is sung with a melisma (G F# E), giving a sense of the entirety of "all."

"In Old England Town"

I listened to ELO II yester-day and noticed a small feature in "In Old England Town."  In the line "Suddenly, it's always nighttime," "nighttime" is sung with a melisma (G E B), giving a sense of the duration of "always."