I kind of accidentally started an unofficial and already infrequent series on Twitter called #nerdingoutonmusic, which thus far I’ve been defining as doing a close reading of one particular moment in a song (as you’ll see, the depth of that reading is…variable). Basically, sometimes when I’m listening to a song I suddenly stop and say, “Hm, that’s interesting,” and then I start writing about it and see where that goes. What follows are the first few entries (you can see me have the idea for the series in real time—so exciting!), plus a bonus at the end.
“Just What I Needed” by The Cars
That moment (actually 2 moments) in the last verse of “Just What I Needed” when the snare goes from the backbeat to 1s and 3s and the kick pattern goes from 2-then-3 to 3-then-2—such a weird and cool move. Just 2 small changes but shifts the whole vibe.
Originally tweeted by me (@noplotr) on Oct 16, 2021.
“Pasta” by Angie McMahon
Was trying to get a song out of my head today so instead I focused on trying to get the timing right on a line from a different song. So I just want to take a moment to appreciate how impressive that line is (to me, anyway)
The song is “Pasta” by Angie McMahon and the line is “How am I simultaneously on top of someone’s pedestal and also underneath / someone else’s shoe” (at the 2:51 mark)
Not only is this a great line lyrically, but she sings it as one long syncopated phrase, which it turns out is incredibly difficult to do, at least for me. It’s 4 bars of uninterrupted, evenly spaced syncopation up through “pedestal”, then switching to on-the-beat phrasing on “and”
Having to resist the downbeat for that long is hard, and I keep finding myself rushing or dragging to try and catch it before I actually want to. “Pedestal” is the hardest word to get through, because dactyls (stressed-unstressed-unstressed) really resist even spacing
So sometimes I end up rushing the end of pedestal and getting to “and” half a beat early. Other times I’m so focused on getting through “pedestal” that I forget to hit the downbeat and I get to “and” half a beat late. Not to mention it’s really easy to just lose time entirely.
So yeah, I’m really impressed she managed to even come up with that phrasing, let alone execute it. She can even hit it live with no drums though in that clip I think you can see how hard she’s working to keep time, eventually slipping a little on “shoe”
Oh but then there’s a second phrase I forgot to mention that has the same rhythm, and she nails that.
Anyway, great song, great artist, you should check her out.
I guess this is sort of a sequel to my “Just What I Needed” tweet, isn’t it. Maybe I’ll make this a regular thing. What’s a good name for a feature where I highlight a small but great moment in a song? Notable Gems? Get it, ’cause notes? eh, I don’t know
Originally tweeted by me (@noplotr) on Dec 20, 2021.
“Alone” by Heart
Already have another entry in “Small Moments, Big Songs”—ok, nope, bad title, moving on—”Alone” by Heart: the end of the second verse (~1:54) when you’re like ok time for that kickass chorus again, and the drummer is like yup that’s what’s happening…
and keep in mind there’s no drum fill into the 1st chorus, so this is really taking things up a notch, but then—no vocals. And you’re like what, and they’re like oh just wait you don’t even know, and then Ann Wilson comes in with that run and you’re like OH I DID NOT EVEN KNOW.
And this on the 2nd chorus? Who pulls this kind of stunt on the 2nd chorus? But they’re just like yeah we don’t need a 2nd chorus that’s just a waste of time, so they skip right to the 3rd chorus. Which actually creates an interesting structural problem:
Because their 3rd chorus is actually a 2nd chorus meaning now there has to be a guitar solo, but what do you do after the guitar solo if you already did a 3rd chorus?
So they do a 3rd post-chorus which is actually just the repeated post-chorus that would have come after the 2nd chorus had it actually been a 3rd chorus.
I know it sounds like I’m joking but I’m only kind of joking. Every choice they made after that 2nd chorus, whether they were conscious of it or not, was necessitated by the fact that they gave the 2nd chorus 3rd chorus energy.
Also I like how in the video when they go into the 1st chorus the piano explodes, like “we’ve got guitars now, we don’t need this wimpy thing” but then in the 2nd verse there’s more piano so now the piano is fine again and it is not addressed at all and that bothers me.
Ok, wait, there’s been a development: did you know “Alone” is not a Heart original? 4 years before Heart, it was recorded by I-Ten:
Some things to note:
-The chorus is different lyrically, melodically, and harmonically
-The drum fill happens before both the 1st and 2nd choruses
-The 2nd chorus has the same offset, but instead of waitwaitbelt, there’s a guitar solo, which has the same 3rd chorus effect
Replacing that with a vocal run though is an improvement, I think, as it keeps the the post-2nd-chorus guitar solo from feeling redundant.
-The I-Ten version also does the repeated post-chorus in lieu of an actual 3rd chorus, for the same reason.
-The Heart version is better.
Honestly I was slightly worried the fact that this was a cover was going to blow my whole analysis to bits, but I think it holds up. Admittedly, the original doing the post-chorus thing at the end has a slightly different feel because the rest of the chorus is…boring.
Where the Heart version [of the chorus] goes hard right from the start, the I-Ten version kind of meanders until it hits that last bit, so it’s almost absurd to imagine them doing anything else for the climax of the song. The Heart ending feels more like a choice, though still the right one.
Ok, I don’t know why I’m doing so much research for this one but here’s a live version that I think is interesting for a few reasons:
1. Because this is an acoustic/orchestral version, there’s no guitar solo. So what does that do to our structure? You guessed it, the 2nd chorus is actually a 3rd chorus and goes straight into the repeating post-chorus.
2. They slowed it way down, so the structural change is less noticeable because the song lasts the same amount of time.
3. This also leaves a little too much room for unnecessary vocal inserts that really distract from the performance, at least in my opinion. I do really like the way she spices up the end of the 2nd verse though.
4. Ann Wilson is having to work so hard to belt that chorus that it actually stresses me out, but is also kind of deeply moving? Like in the 2nd chorus, that vibrato on “now” and the emphasis on “by”, that hits you right in the gut. Especially with that orchestral arrangement.
Originally tweeted by me (@noplotr) on Dec 21, 2021.
“Hide and Seek” by Imogen Heap
A short #nerdingoutonmusic, this time about Imogen Heap’s “Hide and Seek.” Obviously it’s a great song and the fact that it’s just her voice and some effects is very impressive, but I want to talk about one specific moment.
So we’re starting in the 2nd chorus (I know, don’t worry, it’s just a coincidence, I said this would be short) at ~2:20. The chorus slowly builds until ~2:37, when the lower harmonies start to drop out until 2:40 when it’s just one high note and then—
A tiny, tiny gap of silence. And every single time I listen to it, I get to the other side of that gap and realize I’ve been holding my breath.
It’s not just because of the gap, though that’s certainly a factor (makes me think of the intro to John LaMonica’s “Heartling”). It’s that 3 seconds of harmonic compression beforehand that really makes it work. Just 3 seconds but it gets me every time. Now that’s impressive.
Originally tweeted by me (@noplotr) on Feb 1, 2022.
Bonus: RIP Meat Loaf (and Jim Steinman)
Well, we lost an icon, so…
Top 10 Meat Loaf songs, in no particular order:
- “Peace on Earth”
Just a great opening track. You can’t not rock out to this.
- “Out of the Frying Pan (And Into the Fire)”
“You were only killing time and it’ll kill you right back.” One of the best lyrics of all time.
- “I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)”
From the opening guitar that sounds like a motorcycle to the surprise duet that starts 9.5 minutes in to the endless memeability, truly a classic song.
- “You Took The Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)”
What is possibly the least Meat Loaf Meat Loaf song (I mean, it could practically be a Motown hit) gets that extra Meat Loaf flavor from the spoken word intro.
Also, the guy in the intro is Jim Steinman, songwriter of the first two Bat out of Hell albums, as well as other songs for Meat Loaf and other artists, including Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” He died just last year.
- “Paradise by the Dashboard Light”
If you know one Meat Loaf song and it’s not “I’d Do Anything For Love” then it’s probably this one. Kind of Meat Loaf’s version of “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” by Billy Joel, released the same year. Also that’s Edgar Winter on sax.
- “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad”
Even this tongue-in-cheek anti-love song still has something to say to about trauma and how hurt people hurt people. But also it’s a fun tongue-in-cheek anti-love song.
- “Wasted Youth / Everything Louder Than Everything Else”
This next one also has a spoken word intro (it’s a separate track but I’m counting them as one song). This is another Jim Steinman performance, and I think it proves that Meat Loaf wasn’t the only actor of the two. Love the hammy radio drama feel of it.
My theory is that the melody (particularly as played by the *checks notes* bagpipes at the end) is based on the chorus of “Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah” but I can’t find anything to corroborate that.
- “Blind As A Bat”
Gotta admire the way they worked a bat theme into a love song.
- “California Isn’t Big Enough (Hey There Girl)”
This fucking song. It’s so incredibly stupid and I love it.
- “Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are”
And then there’s this song, which legitimately gives me goosebumps. Like, yeah it’s about all the Steinman things, but that title is actually a really great metaphor for how the past can haunt us, and Meat Loaf delivers a top-notch performance.
Also, yes, that list was in fact in a particular order, you caught me. I can’t not sequence a playlist.
Honorable Mentions:
“Alive” (Was going to feature this but I felt that would be a bit…macabre; great song though)
“Bat Out of Hell”
“Cry Over Me” (Olivia Rodrigo was 3 years old when this song came out)
“Did You Ever Love Somebody”
“For Crying Out Loud”
“Heaven Can Wait”
“If God Could Talk”
“If it Ain’t Broke Break It”
“It Just Won’t Quit”
“Life is a Lemon and I Want My Money Back”
“Like a Rose”
“Los Angeloser”
“Running Away From Me”
“What About Love”
RIP Meat Loaf, and Jim Steinman. Two truly iconic artists, who fortunately left us with a wealth of great music to remember them by.
Originally tweeted by me (@noplotr) on Jan 21, 2022.
Certain of Eventual Failure 