A Song.

“A song is a person is a time is a place is a song.” – Kasiemba

Looking into Ani DiFranco’s “You Had Time”

When I come across a good piece of music (especially a song). I get stuck. It keeps me up at night against my will. And so, here I am at 3:30am… typing this.

I’ve been kinda stuck on Ani DiFranco for the past year. I love her singing, I love her guitar playing, but I’m especially obsessed with her songwriting and her poetry. Her way with words is just astonishing. There’s this colorful blend of wit, humor, emotion, strength, sarcasm, anger, and compassion. And there’s always this depth: like, regardless of how intimate a song is, it’s somehow bigger than herself.

However, here’s a song that seems a bit different. “You Had Time” resonates from a VERY personal place.

For starters, the song has no chorus. Now, you’re not gonna notice that unless you’re looking for a chorus. I’ve seen this trend in a few other Ani songs as well. And, it works well for her as a writer. In fact, her whole being liberates her from such structural obligations. But, I digress. The thing is, the song still has a structure. You’ve seen non-linear films that start off in the end, go to the beginning, go through the plot, and end with the same scene as the beginning… That’s sort of what’s happening here. She starts and ends with that rhetorical question, “How can I go home with nothing to say?” Which is one hell of an opening line… devoid of anything cliché or anything simple. It’s a powerful thing that lets you know you’re about to hear something personal. So, you’re gonna listen to the rest of the song in a certain way because the opening line set the tone.

Literally, she doesn’t really give much away in the first verse. There’s an emotional presence there, but things are still a bit obscure. Interestingly enough, the song ends with that same exact verse… and, by that point, there is a world of meaning (just like those non-linear films like “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “Inception”). It’s a great pay-off for a faithful audience if you can trust that, in the end, the beginning will eventually make more sense.

So, how much sense does this song REALLY make? Well, from an objective standpoint, the song is an exchange of words and emotions. A conversational piece, if you will. Since, the word “time” is in the title, it’s also important to point out that the whole thing is in future tense. Ani is reciting how a specific conversation with a specific person WILL go. That’s already a pretty fresh premise for a song. Certain things are implied here. Like, if you’re playing out an entire conversation in your head, you’ve given it a LOT of thought.

Who is she talking to? That’s the big question. Each verse presents an interesting set of dialogue telling us a bit more about the characters involved. She is clearly talking to somebody close… perhaps a partner, or even a close friend. But, knowing how ridiculously clever this woman is, I gotta wonder if she’s talking to herself. To fully grasp that concept, you need to know a little about the woman: the touring feminist artist who’s been releasing music off her own independent label for the last couple decades. A woman who calls herself a “patriot,” but not in the traditional sense, mind you. A tireless fighter with a rare type of dedication to “the good fight.” I feel like we all know people like this: artists that come to be torn between their artistic being and their own well-being. And, as fans, we tend to disregard this reality. Ani has become a voice for the oppressed. When is it enough? When does she get to stop and focus on herself? Where does the fight end for her? This song highlights that prospect.

Check out the song with this interpretation in mind. Look at how she talks about her fans in the third verse: “Did they love you or what? They love what I do.” That’s a rather bold clarification to make. It gives a clear sense of the selfless nature of her artistic being… and at the end of the verse, there’s a sense that the artistic being has its price.

The fourth verse is the one that hit me the hardest. It’s like someone’s there to welcome you. They’re not asking those hard questions we heard at the beginning. They happily greet her at the door, they take her bags, her burden, and they drive the car while she could just laugh and joke in the passenger side… and just… BE. The idea of joking about “the way things are” comes from Ani knowing that “the fight” is never over, but at some point you have to let go and pass that torch… and maybe even see the humor in it all.

We then go full circle and repeat the first verse where she asks herself the tough question again: “How can I go home with nothing to say?” It feels different than the first time though. It feels like she’s actually trying to get into that space of, “How can I get all of this important stuff out there to the point where there’s nothing left for me to put out? How can I free myself from fighting and do so with a clear conscious? Because, I know when I come home, rest my voice, and put my guitar up in the closet, I’m gonna have to look in that mirror and be content with what I’ve did out there.”

Let me know what you think. I need to get some sleep now. Peace.

– Kasiemba

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“You Had Time” by Ani DiFranco

How can I go home
With nothing to say
I know you’re going to look at me that way

And say, what did you do out there?
What did you decide?
You said you needed time and you had time

You are a china shop
And I am a bull
You are really good food and I am full

I guess everything is timing
I guess everything’s been said
So I am coming home with an empty head

You’ll say, Did they love you or what?
I’ll say, They love what I do
The only one who really loves me is you

You’ll say, Girl, you kicked some butt
And I’ll say, I don’t really remember
But my fingers are sore and my voice is too

You’ll say it’s really good to see you
You’ll say I missed you horribly
You’ll say let me carry that, give that to me

And you will take the heavy stuff
And you will drive the car
And I’ll look out the window and make jokes
about the way things are

How can I go home
With nothing to say
I know you’re going to look at me that way

And say, What did you do out there?
What did you decide?
You said you needed time and you had time

You had time

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Drop a comment, pleeeease… I’d like to know what you think. =)

Looking into Lady Antebellum’s “Heart of the World”

“Heart of the World” by Lady Antebellum

written by Tom Douglas and Scooter Carusoe

Tin cans rattlin’ the pavement
Confetti scattered everywhere
She falls asleep in a seat beside me
Rice caught up in her hair
I don’t mind it
I keep driving
Flyin’ on these wheels of steel
A bit anxious
A bit nervous
The moment’s all that we can feel

If oil is the soul of the engine
Then wine is the drink of the gods
Forgiveness: the road to redemption
Faith can still beat the odds

We’re meant to be
Baby, hold on to me
You’ll never not be my girl
‘Cause love is the heart of the world

I leave him sleepin’ as I rise early
Always up before the dawn
The house is dark, but I see clearly
The kettle sings a mornin’ song
The bacon’s fryin’
Baby’s cryin’
I soak up the sights and sounds
Minutes turn to…
days and I
Wish that I could slow ‘em down

If grease is the soul of the kitchen
And coffee the drink of the gods
Routine too perfect to mention
Time is a thief I would rob

We’re meant to be
Baby, hold on to me.
I’ll never not be your girl
‘Cause love is the heart of the world

If hope is the soul of the dreamer
Then Heaven is the home of my God
It only takes one true believer
To believe you can still beat the odds
We’re meant to be
Baby, hold on to me
You’ll never not be my girl (I’ll never not be your girl)

‘Cause love is the heart, love is the heart
Love is the heart of the world

audio link: http://ladyantebellum.com/media/music/own-night

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Like so many others, I was more than anxious to get my hands on the latest Lady Antebellum album this week. Something I noticed about the first two Lady Antebellum albums is that legendary country music songwriter, Tom Douglas, wrote on one song for each album… and that song was GOOOOD (“Run to You” and “Hello World”). This latest effort is no exception as he cowrote this final track, “Heart of the World,” with Scooter Carousoe. I played this one over and over. Such behavior usually ends with me writing a little FaceBook note about my new favorite song. So, here I am.

Tom Douglas has a knack for honing in on some VERY specific details like snapshots of a specific experience in a specific time and space (check out what he did on Miranda Lambert’s “The House That Built Me,” another extraordinary song). I find this remarkable. He’s such an effective writer partly because he, almost immediately, establishes a level of intimacy with you through your senses. The song opens with a lyric that connects with you through sight and sound. This doesn’t happen often enough because most aspiring writers rely heavily on their visual sense more than anything else. It’s not our fault. We live in an image-based society. But, I digress.

The imagery in these opening lines is clear, beautiful and intimate. A powerful technique at work here is the absence of “Wedding Day” clichés (I find that strong writers can really affect you with the words they choose to exclude), such as the white dress or the aisle, etc. Instead, we get tin cans, rice in her hair, and confetti all over the place. Add to this the use of fresh action words like “rattling,” “scattered,” and “caught up” and you got yourself some pretty effective opening lyrics. In just these opening lines, we learn who these people are in this story, where they are in time, and where they are headed (both physically AND metaphorically, right?)… and we’re engaged. We get all that in four lines because good writers don’t waste words. It’s also an example of having faith that your audience is smart enough to put these images together so that the words “Just Married” needn’t be spelled out for them.

We get the same strong imagery, if not stronger imagery, in the second verse. We get more “sights and sounds,” as Hillary so eloquently puts it. We get the kettle, the baby, the bacon. But, perhaps the most important thing we get is an entirely DIFFERENT setting. How amazing this is: the song just fast-forwarded in time with unbelievable grace! We went from newlyweds in a car on the highway to the future… all the way to new parents living comfortably in a home, just waking up in the morning. That technique itself might seem easy, but the graceful execution of a technique is the stuff legends are made of. So, what do I mean by “grace?”

Well, what we’re talking about now is the graceful interrelationship between the two verses. We’ve already discussed the chronological relationship that is implied in a subtle , albeit clear, manner within the context of the projected imagery (damn, that was a mouthful). Now, let’s look a bit closer. For instance, look at little details like the fact that one of these lovebirds is sleeping at the start of each verse, while the other is “carrying the load,” so to speak… whether that’d be driving or cooking breakfast. Look at how the 2nd half of each verse begins with a sort of acceptance but ends with a sort of uneasiness with the pace of things (let me know if I should elaborate on that last notion). Check out all the lyrics that refer to time passing…

“The moment’s all that we can feel” (verse 1)

“Minutes turn do days and I wish that I could slow ‘em down” (verse 2)

“Time is a thief I would rob” (damn, ya’ll!!!)

Now check out the less obvious references to time…

“Flyin’ on these wheels of steel…” Awesome piece of imagery that can also be interpreted as someone just beginning to see how fast things are moving… a metaphor for time, heightened by the lyrics that follow.

“Always up before the dawn” and “Routine too perfect to mention…” Both lines are cut from the same cloth: an appreciation for those simple consistencies. But they are also followed by an acknowledgement that these things are fleeting with time.

“You’ll never not be my girl.” Yes. This IS a reference to time. Think about it. And it’s probably my personal favorite line in song. There are quite a few clichés that could’ve occupied this space. The most obvious, for sake of rhyme and context, would probably be something like, “you’ll always be my girl.” But, to do something as simple as replacing the positive word “always” with the double negative expression “never not…” Well that’s some veteran Nashville stuff, I suppose. Maybe I’m the only one, but I just never heard it said like that before. And, for me, that’s a sign of great songwriting: Yeah, you’ve heard it all before… but how many times have you heard it like THAT? (That could be a good question to ask yourself while writing)

Moving on, we’ve got some pretty powerful (and consistent) use of metaphor throughout the song, especially going into the refrain. But, there’s something different about these metaphors: they’re slightly hypothetical (with the use of “if” and “then,” right?”). Well, maybe I’m getting too technical here, but I think I can really feel what this is adding to the song. And it feels fresh to me: putting these seemingly old-fashioned sayings in a hypothetical context… the destination line being: “love is the heart of the world.”

Oh yes. A simple, yet profound claim. I always say, great writing isn’t afraid to make a bold statement. It’s not afraid to express the things it believes in… and THIS song believes in love. It believes in having the utmost faith in love. It believes in the power of love and the power of believing in those you love. It could’ve been cheesy, if it wasn’t backed up by such a vivid portrait of love. What’s special about Tom Douglas is his ability to give his profound claim credibility by laying it on a familiar terrain. Even if you haven’t lived one of his songs, don’t you feel like you have? I find a strange familiarity with the landscape and the characters of a Tom Douglas song. A good friend of mine from India was telling me about the connection she felt with Miranda Lambert’s “The House That Built Me.” How it reminded her of going back home. The power of a good song is so vast and far-reaching. It really does transcend culture and everything else.

– Kasiemba

p.s.: It’s also worth noting that the rhyme scheme for this song is beautiful… especially when tied in with the melody. What do ya’ll think? Any “Lady A” fans out there. I see you.

“Need You Now” takes the Grammy for Song of The Year

Congrats to Lady Antebellum for the success of this GREAT song. Look out for an analysis of the tune coming shortly… along with the other Grammy nominees in this category.
– Kasiemba

2010 Grammy “Song of the Year” Series (Coming Soon)

In the coming weeks, I’ll be posting some writings on each of the individual Grammy nominees for the 2010 “Song of the Year” category. The nominated songs are…

• “Beg Steal or Borrow” performed by Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs (written by Ray LaMontagne)
• “F*** You” performed by Cee-Lo Green (written by Brody Brown, Cee Lo Green, Bruno Mars, Ari Levine, and Philip Lawrence)
• “The House That Built Me” performed by Miranda Lambert (written by Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin)
• “Love The Way You Lie” performed by Eminem featuring Rihanna (written by Marshall Mathers, Skylar Grey, and Alexander Grant)
• “Need You Now” performed by Lady Antebellum (written by Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Hillary Scott, and Charles Kelley)

… So, we got a folk song, two country songs, a hip hop song, and a funky pop song. Who do you think should win this category? Did your personal favorite song of the year get nominated? What was it? Leave a comment. =)

- Kasiemba

p.s.: Here’s a link to the full list of Grammy Nominees.

Looking into Katy Perry’s “Not Like The Movies”

Today we look at Katy Perry’s “Not Like The Movies” from her latest album, “Teenage Dream.”

Have a listen to the song while you read the lyrics I posted…

Then check out my song analysis below and PLEEEEEASE leave some comments. You KNOW I spent some time on this!

… but seriously, leave some comments when you get a chance. =)

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“Not Like The Movies” (K. Perry, G. Wells)

He put it on me, I put it on

Like there was nothing wrong

It didn’t fit, it wasn’t right

Wasn’t just the size

They say you know when you know

I don’t know

I didn’t feel the fairytale feeling, no

Am I a stupid girl for even dreaming that I could

 

If it’s not like the movies

That’s how it should be, yeah

When he’s the one, I’ll come undone

And my world will stop spinning

And that’s just the beginning, yeah

Snow white said when I was young

“One day my prince will come

So I wait for that date

They say its hard to meet your match

Gotta find my better half

So we make perfect shapes

If stars don’t align, if it doesn’t stop time

If you cant see the sign

Wait for it

One hundred percent, with every penny spent

He’ll be the one that finishes your sentences

 

If it’s not like the movies

Thats how it should be

When he’s the one, he’ll come undone

And my world will stop spinning

And that’s just the beginning

‘Cause I know you’re out there

And your, your love came for me

It’s a crazy idea that you were made

Perfectly for me, you’ll see

Just like the movies

That’s how it will be

Cinematic and dramatic with the perfect ending

 

It’s not like the movies

But that’s how it should be

When he’s the one, you’ll come undone

And your world will stop spinning

And it’s just the beginning

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I tell you… every now and then, at the heart of pop music, comes an undeniable gem. It doesn’t have to be a hit single, or even a single at all. But, it will speak in a powerful way. Katy Perry is mostly known for her dance music and her cute, catchy, witty lyrics, her sexy image and her sense of humor. So, in the context of all this, I came across the song that closes her “Teenage Dream” album… And it hit like an unexpected blow to the chest.

When I think of the strongest songs, I always think of how bold a statement they make, whether or not I agree with that statement. “Not Like the Movies” is a profoundly bold statement for 25 year-old woman to make. In my experience, many would call it naïve for a woman to believe that their relationship should be anything like what they see in the movies. Of course, in a pop culture-driven society, many young women, especially teenagers, still see love in the form of a fairy tale. They’re still dreaming of their “Cary Grant” or whoever, regardless of how irrational or illogical that may be. To me, more so than naivety, there is an element of beauty in believing in love to such an extent… the same type of beauty we see in people following their respective religious beliefs. Its really a matter of faith, isn’t it?

“Love SHOULD be like the movies. Love may not be like the movies with you, but it SHOULD be.” What a powerful thing to say… a statement that encourages listeners to look at their own relationships and look inwardly at themselves. What an idea for a song. To speak from the standpoint of the “irrational,” the “unreasonable,” the “illogical…” to speak from the standpoint of the “naïve.”

The metaphor she opens the song with is a very interesting one: discussing love like it was an article of clothing or better yet, if we’re talking about fairy tales, Cinderella’s glass shoe… “He put it on me. I put it on like there was nothing wrong. It didn’t fit, it wasn’t right. It wasn’t just the size.” What a very gentle and elegant way of describing how some women settle into relationships that they know are not right for them. “I put it on like there was nothing wrong.”

One of the coolest things I noticed about this song is how it builds, not just musically, but how as the song progresses in terms of faith in that “cinematic” kind of love. The 1st verse is characterized by doubt, questioning where you’re at, what you feel, and whether or not what you expect is even reasonable (“am I a stupid girl for even dreaming”). In the 2nd verse, there is an increase in confidence and a sense of “staying the course,” so to speak. This verse is characterized heavily by patience in waiting rather than doubt as she finds another fairy tale analogy in “Snow White.” “If the stars don’t align, if it doesn’t stop time, if you don’t see the sign, wait for it.” WOW! I still can’t believe that line… in the context of the song, and especially with the line that follows it: “100%, with every penny you spend, he’ll be the one that finishes your sentences.” DAAAAAAMN… a guarantee that you’ll be rewarded in full for your patience. Obviously, by the end of the 2nd verse her faith is strong. By the time we hit the bridge, there is sense of certainty (“I know that you’re out there and you’re looking for me”) and she proclaims that it WILL be just like the movies by the build-up to the final chorus. It will be “cinematic and dramatic with a perfect ending.”

Other cool things to note… the phrase, “they say,” occurs in both verses in the exact same spot. This makes the entire song structure more cohesive the same way a recurring theme assists in the cohesiveness of any instrumental classical piece. Also, note how the chorus is never recited the same way twice. She freely changes certain words and, consequently, alters the POV a bit. This adds a lot to the build and motion of the song and allows her to direct the message of the song, not just at herself, but at everybody listening (note how the choruses go from “I’ll come undone” to “he’ll come undone” to “you’ll come undone”).

When you get the chance to look beyond the lyrics, pay attention to how the production works with Katy’s voice and the song’s message rather than just working alongside it. There’s a noteworthy difference there to take into account. The music is played and orchestrated to build at a pace that intertwines elegantly with the story being told… a more-than-comfortable collaboration here.

To conclude… The song is about love. The song is about patience. Its not asking you to rationalize the irrational (she even calls it a “crazy idea”), but rather, just be patient and accept it (sound familiar?). The song is really about FAITH.

Thanks for reading. And please leave some feedback for me. =)

- Kasiemba

p.s.: also check out Katy talking briefly about the song…

Welcome to “The Good Lyric”

Greetings all…

Well, here it is… “The Good Lyric.” A little blog about songwriting. On my FaceBook profile, I started writing some in-depth notes on songwriting  because I just love not only writing songs, but writing about them and getting a discussion going about what a song is doing and how it’s doing it. I’m a recent graduate of Berklee College of Music, so most of my FaceBook friends are classmates that write lyrics, compose music, and perform. As a result, there were quite a few people that took an interest in my songwriting notes. Basically, I was just taking random songs (of any genre or era) that moved me in some way and analyzing them, breaking them down to see how and why they work. While I could easily do this internally, I almost immediately saw the value in openly expressing my thoughts on these songs and stimulating some discussion. In doing so, I would be able to learn other interpretations and responses to the music, seeing what I might have missed.

Recently some friends have been suggesting that I post these notes to a public blog so that people everywhere could benefit from discussing this music. I think this will be an especially good way for songwriters, and non-songwriters alike, to engage in an open dialogue and broaden their perspectives on the craft. It could be a way to make a connection, not just with the art, but with each other… and that’s what a good lyric does: it connects people to the music.. and it connects people to each other.

Thanks for stopping by. =)

- Kasiemba