(clap your hands, ya'll it' alright) (4 times) 1st and then 3rd beat
If tomorrow is a judgement day (sing mommy) 2nd beat
And I'm standin' on the front line 2nd beat
And the Lord ask me what I did with my life 2nd beat
I will say I spent it with you 1st beat
(clap your hands, ya'll it' alright) (2 times) 3rd and then 1st beat
If I wake up in World War three 4th beat
I see destruction and poverty 4th beat
And I feel like I want to go home 4th beat
It's okay if you comin' with me 3rd beat
(clap your hands, ya'll it's alright) (2 times) 3rd beat
'Cause your love is my love 3rd beat
and my love is your love 1st beat
It would take an eternity to break us 3rd beat
And the chains of Amistad couldn't hold us (2 times) 1st beat
(clap your hands, ya'll it's alright) (2 times) 3rd and then 1st beat
If I lose my fame and fortune 2nd beat
And I'm homeless on the street 1st beat
And I'm sleepin' in Grand Central Station 2nd beat
It's okay if you're sleepin' with me 1st beat
(clap your hands, ya'll its alright....) (2 times) 3rd beat
As the years they pass us by 4th beat
we stay young through each other's eyes 3rd beat
And no matter how old we get 4th beat
It's okay as long as I got you babe 3rd beat
(clap your hands, ya'll it's alright) (2 times) 3rd and then 1st beat
'Cause your love is my love 1st beat
and my love is your love 3rd beat
It would take an eternity to break us 1st beat
And the chains of Amistad couldn't hold us (2 times) 3rd beat
Fast drum starts here but times are still the same
If I should die this very day 1st beat
Don't cry, cause on earth we wasn't meant to stay 1st beat
And no matter what people say 1st beat
I'll be waiting for you after judgement day 1st beat
'Cause your love is my love 1st beat
and my love is your love 3rd beat
It would take an eternity to break us 1st beat
And the chains of Amistad couldn't hold us (2 times) 3rd beat
As shown by the monitoring of the time of the beats in comparison to the lyrics it backs up the point that the song is very tidy. There are constant patterns of where the lyrics fall with regards to the timing, such as at the begging of the song, where the first three lines fall on the same beat but the last line falls on a different, this happens on the first two verses. From there on the verses are alternative between which beats they fall on, this is the same with the choruses. Towards the end of the song there is a change musically and with the timing, where all of the lines fall on the first beat and the drum changes to a faster beat but is the same length. This song is a recital as it has been structured and rehearsed to perfection with no personal input when singing in time.
Pink Martini – Una Notte A Napoli Instruments
Pink Martini are a 12-member band from Portland. It is very difficult to place them in a genre as they cover many types of music. They have a number of instrumental influences such as Ravel, Chopin, Nino Rota and many others. They also get a lot of outside participation, like the song that is being analysed here, which is sung by an Italian star Alba Clemente. This song is especially rhythmic and sounds very romantic and rich. It is a haunting lover’s ballad which is about a woman who meets a fallen angel, yet takes to the skies with this man with no wings.
The song starts off with the piano in a major key which is soon to be accompanied by the vocal of a rich voiced Italian woman. A string instrument then escorts the piano and vocals, with a quiet warmer tone of plucking; a harp is then introduced and performs a solo for a few seconds. This instrument is quite fitting to the song as a harp often represents an angel which links into the meaning of the lyrics. Immediately after, the song changes to a faster melody bringing in the bongos to help the rhythm, they are then soon followed with the viola, with bursts of the harp every so often. The song is then building up to a large burst of pitch with the cymbals crashing together and the vocals and instruments rising in pitch also, this is repeated again soon after. There is then a break of the main vocal lyrics with the instruments being the main attraction. Firstly the lure is on the warmer tone of plucking from the string instrument, the trumpet is then introduced to the ensemble later on in the instrumental solo which has now become the main instrument. The vocal lyrics are then introduced with just the violin playing behind, soon brought in is the viola, the warm plucking of a string instrument and then the piano, then followed by the rest of the instruments. The melody then builds up to another crashing of the cymbals which is repeated again soon after. The rhythm then slows down bringing the song to a stop with the vocals. This song is constantly active with many aspects including melody, instruments, pitches and timing. It is very indulging and all of the instruments go incredibly well together.
Diamanda Galás – Insane Asylum Voice
Diamanda Galás was born to Anatolian and Greek parents, where they encouraged her gift of the piano to progress further. She has studied a wide range of musical forms, as well as visual-art performance. She is a very talented pianist and singer, and with the style that she uses her voice blends perfectly into her piano playing. ‘Insane Asylum’ was recorded in 1992 and was brought out on one of her many albums, ‘Judgement Day’. ‘Insane Asylum’ is a song about the panic a boy feels during his confinement.
Her voice is very deep, strong and frightening for a woman; it also sounds very vibrated, deep throated and exaggerated at the majority of times. She often screeches and also uses her voice to play different roles in this particular song. Although the characteristics of her voice are not the normal positive aspects of a singers voice her screams and modulation do not seem too much or too little for the effect she is trying to create, she captures her avant-garde genre just how she wants to by doing that. The voice does not to have much connection to the rhythm or melody of the song and seems to go where it wants to, which gives a blues effect, being high and low in pitch. This song’s main attraction is the voice as there are not many other aspects to it, although there is the piano but her voice often overlaps the tune. However by only using two instruments; the voice and the piano create a bigger outcome than if more instruments where used, the concentration is on the characteristics of her voice. There are many lines which to some would be classed as a negative. The song starts off with her saying “I went out to the Insane Asylum” where she shouts the lyrics in no particular timing or harmony with a deep throated voice. Later on in the song she changes her voice, which sounds smooth on the lines of narration such as “Then the little boy raised his head…” and also on the narration later on the song “Some people have an halfway fare”. She then seems to slow down and later on in the song starts speaking more than singing in such lines as “And then sorrow struck my heart, Tears began to stream down from my eyes…”. She uses her voice in every way possible experimenting and definitely never keeping it the same. She is a very unique artist with a different style to offer in the music world.
Tears began to stream down from my eyes
Johnny Cash - Hurt (Technology/Production)
Nine Inch Nails – Hurt
Nine Inch Nails where the original band to sing ‘Hurt’ which was written by Trent Renzor, and they released it on there album in 1994. In 2002 Johnny Cash did a cover song of ‘Hurt’, which was his final hit before his death. Both songs although they are the same have different outcomes.
The Nine Inch Nails version’s genre is classed as alternative. It has very quiet lyrics which are just about heard over the few instruments used which are the guitar, synthesizer, piano and the drums during the chorus. There is also a lot of industrial background noise as the song was never brought out as a single just as the live performance which was released either as a censored or uncensored version. In the live performance various images where projected onto the stage which created the video for the song. The songs structure is simple from the first quiet chorus, to the second which is noticeably louder, then the song ends with an electronic blast. The song is about a character that has already killed himself and is now reflecting on his life, and he finally contemplates whether he would change it if given another chance.
Johnny Cash’s cover ‘Hurt’ was different in many ways than the original. Its genre is classed as country and it was a much clearer and instrumental wise much simpler using just a guitar and piano. He also changed some of the lyrics from “crown of shit” to “crown of thorns” removing the blasphemy and referring to Jesus instead. The song was firmly focused on the 70 year old man with no trick shots in the video, just simply moving towards the twilight of his career with issues and emotions which are not normally dealt with in videos. This cover obtained a Country Music Award for “single of the Year” in 2003. It has also featured on Television many times ranging from commercials to England’s World Cup Football. This version has so much feeling and belief in the words and the video; it is so momentous it brings people to tears when just listening/watching it, including myself. In this version the song reflects on Johnny Cash’s life with the video showing clips of his past, including such topics as the flood damaged House of Cash Museum being closed to public, footage of the country celebrity as a young man and also with his family, a family picture with the backing lyrics saying “everyone I know goes away in the end”. This song has the same structure as the original with instead of an electronic blast it has a burst of a piano key being stuck continuously, which has so much more effect as in this case simple is better. In this particular case the original song has more technology and production, you could say Cash’s version has more production although it was kept very simple, but the director was the famous Mark Romanek.
