I'm not really one to get into dissecting song lyrics. I'm quite biased on the side of evaluating pop music based on its "sound." Is the music good? Some people use the word "catchy." Fine, but can you define that? No. In an age where we expect science to have an answer for everything, it cannot give us a formula for creating a "catchy" melody. Let's say a melody capable of "climbing the charts."
People who review music can get a little pretentious. It's as if they're trying to tell us that the lyrics hold the key so often. They probably figure that if a song is popular, there must be something in the lyrics that captivates us.
For sure there are lyrics that can be moving. I just feel this element of songwriting is overrated. Writers/reviewers need something to talk about in words. That is their currency. So they dive into that element. What they write seems plausible. So we might pat them on the back. Hell, I listened to Paul McCartney for years before I realized he was singing "My Brave Face" in the song of the same name.
Most of the boomers when young were very limited in the amount of music they'd purchase. You know, the vinyl records of a bygone time, seeming rather like caveman paintings from today's perspective. My point is that boomers consumed music that was in the background most of the time. It was ambient. It came from radio station speakers either in your possession or in public places.
The pop music got weaved into our lives. We associate certain songs with various stages of our lives. We attach disco with the 1970s. No YouTube then. People in that epoch would be astonished if you told them about the YouTube future - endless "retro" music to be called up on a whim, totally free. It costs some money to be online but you'd be online anyway.
Out of curiosity I wanted to check out Neil Diamond's vocal range. Easy as pie. You might start with checking his "discography" and then type in names of tunes or albums to YouTube. Of course you don't just hear the songs, you get the video feature too. And Mr. Diamond had/has quite the impressive vocal range. As a songwriter myself I have often wrestled with the issue of vocal range. Singers vary with their capabilities. Ideally a wide range is nice, gives texture to a song. You have to balance this with the singer wanting to feel comfortable. As a former trumpet player I'm inclined to want to weave melodies that aren't practical for the normal singing voice. So I've had to try to adjust.
Sincere compliment
"I Love you More Than You'll Ever Know" might be my favorite song of all time. Is a deep-dive into the lyrics called for? Well no, as I feel the premise of the song is, shall we say, banal. A normal guy wanting to hang on to his significant other. Well it certainly is relatable, but hardly a cerebral matter. Nuances? Irony? No. We can tuck away the sort of generic theme of the song as we appreciate its sound.
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| Historic first BST album |
The song was not issued as a single. However it got substantial play on the so-called progressive rock radio stations. I would not have been an aficionado of that in 1968. I was 12 years old. I might have heard it a handful of times in that "ambient" way. But I did not truly discover the song until years later when I acquired the "best of" DVD of BST.
Hey, the time signature!
The song is so well crafted with its layers and variances of sound. Something else: it is in 6/8 time! The live version has the singer - Al Kooper - counting off the six beats at the intro.
I began to wonder: what really is the difference between 6/8 time and 3/4? The latter would be for the "waltz." Turns out there isn't a lot of difference. There is a subtle difference in where the accents are placed. Still, I think a song in 6/8 time could easily be written out as 3/4. I have never attempted to write down a melody in 6/8. There's a first time for everything.
Kooper has been a lifelong music genius, but his experience with BST was all too brief. He was there for the launching. His singing skills were a bone of contention. His bandmates had reservations about that.
"I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know" was judged a success, still there were issues with Kooper's singing. This plus other "creative differences" caused him to be jettisoned.
Legend has it that Kooper wanted too much of a firm hand over BST. Legend further has it that Kooper insisted on a particular song being included on the band's first album, a song that made his associates wince. For the record, this song too had an unwieldy long title. Ahem, "The Modern Adventures of Plato, Diogenes and Freud." Kooper wrote it. He had the political pull at the time to get the song on the album. Kooper reflects on this conflict as being the catalyst for the group's early fracture.
Most certainly the BST name would continue and thrive. Researching for today's writing, I found that BST had more success than I remembered them having. A deep well of talent, but without Kooper.
So what about Kooper's singing on "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know?" I guess I thought from the start that this was no award-winner for a voice. Then again, there is a raw sort of common touch that might reach out to you from the standpoint of an "ordinary guy trying to keep his significant other." So let's just say it "works." And do you know how elusive this goal can be in pop music? So let's give unreserved accolades to this song and the whole debut album.
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| Al Kooper wearing red/white thing, earliest BST |
Word salad
Re. "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know," I was fascinated recently to discover a subtle adjustment in lyrics. Sometimes this is done for political reasons, like to erase a thought that might seem sexist in today's world. No, what I noticed was more subtle than that, hardly noticeable, and it gets back to "rules of songwriting." One of these rules is to avoid redundancy. So, the singer talks about how "he could be president of General Motors, baby," and then adds "or just a tiny little grain of sand."
Tiny little! I guess if I were in a formal songwriting course, that'd be flagged. Oh to hell with courses and teachers! Still, the redundancy has not gone unnoticed. A later live version had Kooper omit "little." Instead there was a brief pause in the line of lyrics. "I could be president of General Motors, baby, or just a tiny grain of sand."
My preference? I'd always argue "leave the original alone!"
Anyway, the entrancing tapestry of sounds in this song, e.g. a choir and the expected BST brass, left an indelible impression with me. The guy trying to hang on to his woman? I'll just say "cute." Most certainly passes as a songwriting premise. Garden variety, merely? Oh, I shouldn't be so mean. I just think there's a tenuous connection between lyrics and commercial success.
I think the sheer musical sound is tops like with McCartney singing "My Brave Face." McCartney co-wrote this song, incidentally, with Elvis Costello. I can spot a phrase that I'd associate with Costello's style: "Unaccustomed as I am." So Costello-ish. And when any song is "co-written," we wonder what the truth really is. Is it just a contractual thing between parties, or did the two really collaborate? We can just judge the final product.
My new song's lyrics are a tribute to the Christmas poem " 'Twas the Night Before Christmas." My title has "It was" instead of " 'Twas." A couple phrases are used from the original poem but most of the wording is mine. I inserted the name of author Clement Moore in a middle stanza. I am pleased to share my lyrics.
Imagine me counting off this tune 1-2-3-4-5-6.
"It Was the Night Before Christmas"
by Brian Williams
It was the night before Christmas
The kids tucked in to bed
And not a creature was stirring
We're bathed in peacefulness
When on the rooftop a clatter
We know it's ol' Saint Nick
It was the night before Christmas
It's always been like this
They say he comes down the chimney
We shrug and say "why not?"
And we imagine his reindeer
Can fly to any spot
It isn't hard to embellish
When we get in this deep
It was the night before Christmas
I pray my soul to keep
BRIDGE
He needs to watch where he's going
Up there with UFOs
We have to ask if it's aliens
I'm sure that Santa knows
It was the night before Christmas
As told by Clement Moore
He left a legacy brimming
With Christmas thoughts so pure
No matter how much we hear it
It never will get old
It was the night before Christmas
So let the joy unfold
(instrumental interlude)
It was the night before Christmas
We look back on the year
The ups and downs were a flurry
But now we just hold dear
The very thought of our family
It's all that really counts
It was the night before Christmas
Rejoice, there are no bounds
BRIDGE (new lyrics)
The sun arises in morning
The snow just glistens white
It's Christmas Day in its glory
The Lord just makes it right
It was the night before Christmas
We all were young kids once
Just hear the mention of Santa
We all will feel the rush
We like to leave him some cookies
And then he'll fly away
It was the night before Christmas
And then it's Christmas Day
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