"So Serious"

I happened to see the phrase "so serious" this morning, was reminded of the ELO song with this title, and realized that the phrase exhibits a feature that I've been noting a lot lately:  the repetition involved in the consonance lends a slight sense of degree.

"So Serious"

This morning, I was thinking about "So Serious," specifically the line "I guess we've really been out of touch" in the chorus.  There are slight pauses in the articulation ("I guess we've / really been / out of touch"), and these mirror that disconnection.