Wednesday, July 15, 2020

"Summer and Lightning"

In the first section of:
Here it comes again
It's all around me
It must be magic
Yeah, yeah, yeah
in "Summer and Lightning," the vocal tracks are panned hard left and hard right.  This feature of the mix provides a sense of being surrounded and portrays the line "It's all around me."

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

"Steppin' Out"

In the line "I'm movin' on" in "Steppin' Out," the "on" is sung with a melisma (F# G# F#), musically giving a sense of movement, whether literal or metaphorical.

Monday, July 13, 2020

"Turn to Stone"

In "Turn to Stone," "more" in the line "The lights don't shine no more" in the backing vocals is sung with a glissando (I think it's E~C#~E), so while it's negated, there's a sense of continuation.

Sunday, July 12, 2020

"Julie Don't Live Here"

In the repeated line "Julie don't live here anymore" in "Julie Don't Live Here," the "-more"s are sung with two different melismas (first D# C# and then C# D# C# B).  While it's negated, this articulation gives a sense of continuation.

Saturday, July 11, 2020

"The Lights Go Down"

I found a few significant melismas in "The Lights Go Down."  "On" in the line "But I gotta carry on" is sung to the notes E D C for a sense of continuation.  I think "around" in the next line ("When you ain't around") is sung to the notes D D E D C, which - while negated - musically gives a sense of constant presence.  In the line " All your dreams have blown away," "dreams" is sung to the notes A G, giving a sense of amount (for "all").  "Proud" in the line "Lonely but tryin' to be so proud" is sung to the notes G B A for a sense of degree (for that "so").  In the line "The lights go down," both "lights" (F E) and "down" (E D C) are sung with melismas to give a sense of that "go[ing] down."

Friday, July 10, 2020

"Rain Is Falling"

I listened to Time a couple days ago and noticed a few small things.

I'm not completely sure of my transcription, but in the line "With their brand new time transporter, they'll think maybe I fought to get away" in "Rain Is Falling," "away" is sung with a melisma (E E B C#), musically giving a sense of movement.

Thursday, July 9, 2020

"One Summer Dream"

In the line "Though it hurts me so" near the beginning of "One Summer Dream," "so" is sung with a melisma (E D), musically giving a sense of degree.

Wednesday, July 8, 2020

"Strange Magic"

I listened to Face the Music yester-day and noticed a couple small features.  In "Strange Magic," "high" in the line "You fly so high" is sung with a melisma (A G E), musically giving a sense of degree (for "so").

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

"Dirty to the Bone"

In the line "She'll pull you in; she'll take you down" in "Dirty to the Bone," one of the vocal parts descends for "she'll take you down" (A G G E), musically giving a sense of that "tak[ing]... down."

Monday, June 29, 2020

"Love and Rain"

I listened to Alone in the Universe a couple days ago and noticed a couple things.

In the lines "It takes a lot of rain / To make a flower grow" in "Love and Rain," "grow" is sung with a melisma (C Bb G), musically giving something of a sense of its meaning.

In the chorus, there's an echo applied to "again" in the line "Keep comin' back again," and that repetition also gives an impression of the meaning.

Sunday, June 28, 2020

"Without Someone"

I listened to Balance of Power yester-day and noticed a small feature in "Without Someone."  The line "It hardly moves at all" (referring to "the clock staring from the wall" from the previous line) is sung to a paucity of pitches, just A Bb and C.  The musical phrase is limited, and this gives a sense of that "hardly mov[ing]."

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

"Caught in a Trap"

In the line "Nowhere to turn, but it can't go on" in "Caught in a Trap," "on" is sung with a melisma (F# E D E), so while it's negated, there's a sense of continuation.