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Catchiest Song Poll Response – “Rich Girl” by Hall and Oates

12 Oct

Pouting before it was cool

Have you not voted in the poll “What is the Catchiest Song Ever” yet? Click here to cast your vote!

I was not surprised to see that the winner of the poll was that exceptionally catchy song “Other.” No, other is not a song, just an option. There are so many catchy songs out there and everyone has a different musical palatte. The list that I provided did have some masterpieces of catchy theater, so some of the songs did receive votes. Among the top vote getters was “Rich Girl” by Hall and Oates, which gets my vote for catchiest song ever. Why? Because you’re a rich girl, and you’ve gone too far, cause’ you know it don’t matter anyway. You can rely on the old man’s money, you can rely on the old man’s money. Over and over and over again! AHHHHH get it out of my head!

So why is this song so damn catchy. First, let’s explore what the song is about. Easy, right? A rich girl who’se gone to far but it doesn’t matter anyway. Stop! According to Daryl Hall, the song is actually about an ex-boyfriend of his girlfriend at the time. The guy’s father was rich and he acted strange and Hall thought that this person could do whatever he wanted because his dad would get him out of anything. He can relay on the old man’s money. But, he’s a rich guy didn’t sound good, so Hall changed the sex of our wealthy individual and, well, people have been singing about the rich girl ever since.

The song has some immediate things going for it. First off, it’s only a little under 2:30 in length. Catchy songs should be short. The point of a song like this is to barge into your mind, lay eggs, and leave quickly. Then, after it is gone, the eggs hatch and a million tiny memories of the song get stuck up there and you are forced to think about Daryl Hall singing about the rich girl all day. Not a very pleasant or accurate description, but this is how it seems to happen to me.

The song begins with the chorus over an east-to-follow staccato piano rhythm. In 20 seconds Hall has repeated the chorus twice and has implanted the lyric into the listener. Following the introductory chorus is an exceptionally simple guitar riff that leads into what can I guess be considered the bridge (there is really no verse in this song and perhaps that even adds to its catchiness). The bridge portion is marked by vocal harmonies and longer phrasing. Hall’s voice is exactly the “catchy” kind, according to the study of catchy songs that I mentioned in the poll article. According to the article, a male vocalist with a higher, passionate voice attracts listeners. Hall has that voice. It fits the mold perfectly. The sing-songy classic keeps up the pace until it ends. But does it really end? Or are you humming it to yourself at your desk right now? Yeah, that’s what I thought.

Enjoy Every Sandwich – Warren Zevon and his Werewolves of London

28 Sep

In yesterday’s post, Aaron mentioned Warren Zevon and included an embedded video of Zevon’s most well known song, “Werewolves of London.” The sardonic and hilarious song was released on Zevon’s breakout album Excitable Boy in 1978 and it reached the #21 spot on the American Top 40 charts in mid-1978. “Werewolves of London” was Zevon’s only appearance on the chart, but let’s ignore popularity charts and just discuss the wonder that was Warren Zevon and the utmost joy that others will always have when they listen to “Werewolves of London” and any of his other lyrical masterpieces.

Zevon’s grasp on lyrics was strikingly apt and vivid. David Letterman, who was Zevon’s good friend before Zevon died of cancer in 2003, described his music as “evocative,” and I think that is a good adjective to use. Zevon’s folk was not classic, but edgy. His lyrics were unconventional and enjoyably morose. He also had the ability to turn off the playful and upbeat hits and bathe listeners with soft melody and heartbreaking lyrics. The man truly had it all and his talent is often overlooked. And it is a shame that Zevon had a life-long aversion to doctors. He died at the young age of 56.

“Enjoy every sandwich” comes from Zevon’s last appearance on Letterman. Like I mentioned, he developed a close relationship with Letterman and band-leader Paul Shaffer. So much so, that Zevon would often fill in for Shaffer when Shaffer was unable to perform during the show. On Zevon’s last appearance on Letterman, when his sure-death prognosis was already known, Letterman asked him if he knew more about life and death now that he practically knew that death was an immediate certainty. Zevon said, “enjoy every sandwich,” a simple, but profound response that fit his character well. Zevon was Letterman’s only guest for the full hour and he performed several songs. The day after Zevon’s death (months later), Letterman annouced the sad news to the national audience:

I’ve written about Zevon before on this blog. The Wind, the last album he recorded prior to his death, is a tour de force. Zevon performances are invigorating and “Keep me in your Heart” is a tear-jerker. But, since I have already written about those songs before, I want to feature “Werewolves of London,” a song that has a “surprising fact.”

The song has been covered SEVERAL times, but that is not the surprising fact. Accompanying Zevon on the song is bassist John McVie and drummer Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac fame. I always thought that was an interesting tidbit of knowledge. To finish off this Zevon post, I am going to include a cover of “Werewolves of London.” Take it away Adam Sandler:

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I’m Not Dead Yet

23 Aug

Thank you Monty Python. As you have noticed, I have not posted in a few days. I just want to assure you that I’m not dead yet, and contrary to public opinion, I will not be soon. You see, I’ve just been busy lately and this has thwarted me from posting. I know, real sob story. Seriously, though, I love posting. I take enjoyment in having the ability to bring you quality posts about good music. Quality is the key word there. Can I post everyday? Yes, a quick video and a “this song is good” can get me five posts a day. But I believe that every post should have some value, even if it is a brief reminder that I am not dead, just busy.

Tomorrow night may be the death of me, actually. Okay, that is an over-exaggeration. After work, I am joining my sister and mother to view an American Idol concert. Yeah, the post-TV live concerts the group of singers put on for fans of the show. I plan on writing a review for the blog, so hold tight. Look, I enjoy American Idol. It has become understandably predictable and somewhat trite, but I still watch it religiously every season. Perhaps it is because the show has become a family activity. Or, maybe there is something inherently wrong with me. Either or. What I do know is that I am interested in seeing the concert tomorrow.

Also, I have another concert review to write. So, expect two concert reviews in the upcoming days. I hope to get them both out this week. Before I slip off to dreamworld, I do want to leave you with a song. I was going to post a clever song about being busy, but when I thought of potential songs all I could think of posting to the blog is:

Random, right? There is something about this Warren Zevon song that always has worked for me. Perhaps it is his subtle humor. Maybe it is simply the fact that it is a great song with great lyrics. Heck, it did spark a movie title. You know what I do know?

“LeRoy says there’s something you should know
Not everybody has a place to go
And home is just a place to hang your head
And dream of things to do in Denver when you’re dead”

Somehow that makes a whole lot of sense. Okay, a lot of Zevon sense!

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We May Make It Through the War If We Make It Through The Night

2 Aug

I have entered back into the mystical realm of WordPress posting after my brief stay in Florida. Florida was awesome. Nice weather, good people, Universal studios. Yeah, I was spoiled. But, hey, doesn’t everyone deserve a little fun vacation every once in a while. This weekend I am actually taking a Civil War sites tour with my family. So, I guess count that as two little vacations. But, come next Tuesday I will be taking the Long Island Railroad to the offices of Wolters Kluwer Health to start my FIRST JOB! I expect a ticker tape parade New York City. In all actuality, I will be greeted with Penn Station’s “busy” feel, which involves swarms of people focusing only on getting to their destination. This can result in some accidental shoving, but hey, I’ll be alright.

Woah, that reminds me of a song. Two points for the transition. On the flight back to New York last night, I was showing fellow Music Court contributor Josh Lampert some songs that he should listen to. “People Say” by Portugal, The Man was on that list. It’s bluesy and exceptionally catchy. Josh cannot avoid that combination.

“People Say” is a track off of Portugal, The Man’s 2009 release The Satanic Satanist. The song’s clear anti-war message is smooth. What I mean by this description is that the song does not try to force feed you its message. It is so easy to fall into this trap when it comes to passionate anti-war songs. “People Say” places biting commentary into short lines and this is effective. Read this before listening to the song:

Save me,
I can’t be saved,
I won’t.
I’m a president’s son,
I don’t need no soul.

All the soldiers say
“It’ll be alright,
we may make it through the war
if we make it through the night.”
All the people, they say:
“What a lovely day, yeah, we won the war.
May have lost a million men, but we’ve got a million more.”
All the people, they say.

The verse is in orange and the quick chorus in green. The reference to the “president’s son” is not specific, but it is not terribly difficult to delineate the true meaning. But I do like this obscurity because it makes the lyric timeless. The chorus is hard hitting and comes early in the song. The verses are all very short. This is done for two reasons. First, I believe, Portugal, The Man released that the chorus of the song was catchy and awesome so they figured to keep that going for as long as possible. Secondly, and most importantly, the chorus enters with a medley of voices and sounds like a troop is singing it. Soldiers questioning the war they are taking part in, where life is recklessly lost and everyone tells them it will be alright. But is everything alright. According to Portugal, The Man that answer is a solid no.

The band pastes this awesome lyric over a strong blues riff that culminates in the moving chorus. It is tight and hard-hitting from a lyrical and musical perspective.

New Coldplay Single – “Moving to Mars”

7 Jul

When you mention Coldplay you often get an eye-roll or a noticeable disapproving grunt. I know I have mentioned this phenomenon before on the blog and, while it seems that I always preface a Coldplay-related post with a disclaimer, I am generally bemused by Coldplay’s treatment. Yes, I do understand, that they are laughing all the way to the bank, and perhaps their mainstream economically succesful status may be a drawback for some, but Coldplay definitely odes not deserve the rap it gets. Their new single “Moving to Mars,” which appears on a three-song EP foreshadowing their new studio album’s Fall release, demonstrates the continuing maturation of this piano pop/rock juggernaut.

Chris Martin has an excellent voice with broad range. “Moving to Mars” is a soft piano piece that represents sincere simplicity and portrays Martin’s range. The melody is ingenuous and not at all gaudy (a label that some of Coldplay’s songs receive). The song is inventive and this is much appreciated. It’s keyboard driven filler portions alludes to some prog-rock conventions of the 1970s. Also, for a plus-four minute song, it moves quickly. Well done.

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