Secret Messages

In my initial notes on Secret Messages, I noted that one element of the collage on the album cover is Titian's Venus of Urbino.

The painting was flipt horizontally, though:

Either I hadn't noticed it before or thought it was obvious enough not to need mentioning, but an-other element is the Venus de Milo:

[source]

"After All"

One of the bonus tracks on the CD re-issue of Secret Messages is "After All."  According to the liner notes, this was the B-side of the "Rock 'n' Roll Is King" single.  At least some of it is based on a Chopin prélude (Op. 28, No. 4).

"Four Little Diamonds"

In the line "She took me for ev'rything" in "Four Little Diamonds," the three syllables of "ev'rything" are each sung to a different pitch (F Eb G), musically giving a sense of breadth.

"Day and night" in the line "I keep a-wonderin' 'bout her day and night" is a merism.

In the line "I'm gonna search everywhere," the "every-" of "everywhere" is sung with three syllables, giving a sense of thoroughness.

As if to reflect the searching nature of "I looked around; I climbed up high into the dawn...," there's something of a key change.  The verses are in C major, but this section is in a flat key.

"Time after Time"

In the line "The skies are darkening; they grow so dim" in "Time after Time," "dim" is sung with a melisma (G# F# E), musically giving a sense of degree (for "so").

"Take Me On and On"

I noticed a few significant melismas in "Take Me On and On":  "come" (I'm unsure of the notes) in the line "They come to me" for a sense of movement, "away" (D C# B A) in the line "Somewhere far away" for a sense of distance, and "on" in the title phrase (a variety of different melismas) for a sense of continuation.

"Bluebird"

I listened to Secret Messages yester-day and found a number of small features to note.

In the line "It makes me feel so sad" in "Bluebird," "sad" is sung with a melisma (F D G), musically giving a sense of degree (for "so").  In the lines "The places that I go / Don't feel good anymore," "go" and the "-more" of "anymore" are both sung with the same melisma, giving a sense of movement for "go" and, while negated, continuation for "anymore."

In the coda, "away" is sung with a variety of melismas (in the line "Bluebird, fly away," it's sung to the notes A A B G, and in the line "Fly away, away, away" to the notes F# F# E, E E D, D D C), musically giving a sense of movement or distance.

I'm surprised I hadn't noted this before, but this is also an-other instances of Jeff Lynne's use of the word "blue."

"Tightrope"

At the end of November, I got a Moog (the Subsequent 37).  I'm still learning how to use it, but here's the Moog part at the beginning of "Tightrope."