OK, things are kind of slow, outside of posting pictures of suggestively-named fowl and the"Being John Malkovich" meets "Eating Raul" ramblings in the spam thread, so here we go: The Perfect Song.
Now, when I talk about the Perfect Song, I don't mean one that is necessarily my FAVORITE song, or one that is done by my favorite artist. I mean one that I've listened to many, many times over the years, and as I have, I've grown to notice every element (well, as much as a non-musician can), and I marvel at how each part plays it's role in the song. A song that couldn't be improved by adding anything to it, taking anything away from it, or altering any existing part.
I have found three candidates for the perfect song in my life. One, after a couple years deliberation, I was forced to admit had a weak portion, and so I dismissed it as merely awesome.
The second song, I knew about around the same time as the first, but it took years of listening to it to recognize it's genius, and I have yet to determine a weak point. The vocals, the guitar, the synth, the drums, the sax. . .all beautiful, all tastefully done, all subservient to the song. Great performances that do not stand in the way of the song, but serve it.
Close your eyes and listen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybvcRSF_VNA
Yes, yes, I know. I'm somewhat embarrassed that it's a pop song, but it's a finely crafted and produced pop song. Martha Davis had that whiny cry in her voice in EVERYTHING she sang, but it works to perfection here. I love a lot of female singers, many of which could be said to be much better than Martha, but none would have worked better for THIS SONG than her.
Play the song again, and notice how the song starts slowly, and how intimate the vocals in the beginning are. . .then the drums kick in, and the song starts building. Notice the tasteful guitar fills(hard to do here, due to the quality, and it's the best version I could find). The guitar solo begins, and it's sweetly restrained. Martha's vocals had been building in intensity, but the guitar solo doesn't release that tension. Instead, it builds it further. . .THEN the sax solo kicks in, a musical scream compared to the relative restraint displayed up to that point. Then much like an emotional argument or crying jag that's drained the energy out of you, it peters out and fades away.
It's a short song, so there isn't much opportunity for weak sections. I suppose that if it DOES have a weak point, it's that the lyrics are perhaps not as evocative as they might be. The do promote a mood, but not necessarily images in my mind. Still, Martha's sobbing vocals sell them well.
I'll talk about the near-miss perfect song (mentioned above) later, and if no one else mentions it, I'll talk about the song that has been creeping up on me as another candidate for "perfect song".
Give it some thought, post your "perfect song", and tell us why it's perfect.
Now, when I talk about the Perfect Song, I don't mean one that is necessarily my FAVORITE song, or one that is done by my favorite artist. I mean one that I've listened to many, many times over the years, and as I have, I've grown to notice every element (well, as much as a non-musician can), and I marvel at how each part plays it's role in the song. A song that couldn't be improved by adding anything to it, taking anything away from it, or altering any existing part.
I have found three candidates for the perfect song in my life. One, after a couple years deliberation, I was forced to admit had a weak portion, and so I dismissed it as merely awesome.
The second song, I knew about around the same time as the first, but it took years of listening to it to recognize it's genius, and I have yet to determine a weak point. The vocals, the guitar, the synth, the drums, the sax. . .all beautiful, all tastefully done, all subservient to the song. Great performances that do not stand in the way of the song, but serve it.
Close your eyes and listen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybvcRSF_VNA
Yes, yes, I know. I'm somewhat embarrassed that it's a pop song, but it's a finely crafted and produced pop song. Martha Davis had that whiny cry in her voice in EVERYTHING she sang, but it works to perfection here. I love a lot of female singers, many of which could be said to be much better than Martha, but none would have worked better for THIS SONG than her.
Play the song again, and notice how the song starts slowly, and how intimate the vocals in the beginning are. . .then the drums kick in, and the song starts building. Notice the tasteful guitar fills(hard to do here, due to the quality, and it's the best version I could find). The guitar solo begins, and it's sweetly restrained. Martha's vocals had been building in intensity, but the guitar solo doesn't release that tension. Instead, it builds it further. . .THEN the sax solo kicks in, a musical scream compared to the relative restraint displayed up to that point. Then much like an emotional argument or crying jag that's drained the energy out of you, it peters out and fades away.
It's a short song, so there isn't much opportunity for weak sections. I suppose that if it DOES have a weak point, it's that the lyrics are perhaps not as evocative as they might be. The do promote a mood, but not necessarily images in my mind. Still, Martha's sobbing vocals sell them well.
I'll talk about the near-miss perfect song (mentioned above) later, and if no one else mentions it, I'll talk about the song that has been creeping up on me as another candidate for "perfect song".
Give it some thought, post your "perfect song", and tell us why it's perfect.