History of Rock and Roll Analyzing Songs

Rock History -- Analyzing Songs

Since I Don't Have You -- the Skyliners

The arrangement by the Skyliners is very effective and fairly typical of 1950s music, in that there is an strong orchestra opening -- dramatically powering the listener into the mood of the song -- for a few seconds. And suddenly the group's harmony comes blasting in, joining the orchestra, and musically informing listeners that this is a slow dance tune. This is Do-Wop dance music from heaven, for lovers that don't want to dance fast but love clinging on to each other in a slow dance. The beat is strong but slow, and as the lead voice reaches high for emotional impact, other members of the group join in harmony by "Ahhhhh-ing" wordlessly along with the lead singer.

The arrangement is extremely friendly to the listener. As the lead singer Jimmy Beaumont rockets high notes, going into falsetto in the third stanza, the song reaches its most dramatic and lofty point. At the close of the song Beaumont's passionate calling out, "Since I don't have…. You-oh, You-oh, You-oh, You-oh…" is joined by Janet Vogel, soaring even higher than Beaumont to a very high C, giving Beaumont's interpretation of the song even more energy and power.

This song was a hit, but before it had a chance, 13 major record labels turned the group down. Luckily Capitol Records had the good judgment to record this tune. It was the first rock tune to be accompanied by a full orchestra. It was a hit partly because of the strong melody and the Do-Wop arrangement and orchestration. But it was also a hit because the group -- Caucasian -- sounded to many listeners like they had the soul of African-American musicians. They in fact were the first Caucasian group to reach the top of the R&B charts on Cashbox.

Marvin Gaye -- What's Going On

The first thing that needs to be said about this song is that it was recorded in 1970-71, during the grueling, bloody, hated Vietnam War. The entire album (of the same name) was written from the perspective of a soldier returning from Vietnam. In fact Gaye's brother had returned from the war and related his experienced in depth to his musical icon brother Marvin. Gaye's wonderfully soulful voice was sweeter by far than most protest songs in that era. Part of the appeal of this song was the wonderfully poignant message Gaye's once-in-a-million golden voice projected. That he could take a topic like the repugnance of war, the violence visited upon protesters who saw the war as an evil misadventure, the injustice dished out to people of color in the inner city, and turn it into a hit record that mesmerized listeners, was remarkable. The, up-tempo beat, the background voices that seem to instantly echo Gaye's words, the percussion charging forward (Congo drums and snare drums) pushed the arrangement into uncharted territory in the music world.

As Gaye sings, "Father, father, we don't need to escalate, war is not the answer, for only love can conquer hate," the background singing isn't in precise sync with Gaye's enunciation of the lyrics. But that imperfection adds a sense of immediacy and spontaneity to the arrangement. Gaye was of course a big star for Motown, he already had a string of pop records that hit the charts, and he was revered by his fans and praised by critics. But for Gaye, a Motown star, to come out with a protest song -- so creatively produced and hauntingly repetitive with the question "what's going on?" sung over and over -- was extraordinary for that time period.

Gaye used his great voice to sing "ohhhh… ohhhh…" on the high notes. He chose background vocals that soared and cried at the same time. And interestingly he brought his two National Football League friends from the Detroit Lions (Lem Barney and Mel Farr) to chime in with the spoken words, "Right on! Right on!" And with "Hey what's happening man…!" This was a hit and will remain an iconic song, not because it will help music lovers to remember Marvin Gaye, who died far too young, but because it reflects artistically on a period in American history when the country was experiencing social upheaval, mistrust of leadership, and rebellion of young people.

Hound Dog -- Big Mama Thornton & Elvis Presley

The difference between these two versions of the same song is as dramatic as the difference between hot chocolate and lemonade. Both taste good, but are very different for reasons of culture, musical genre, and production styles. Big Mama Thornton's version is raw and loud. Her voice is shrill and she hits the listener with a club. She isn't just angry, and she is raging at a lover who turned out to be phony. The old-time rhythm and blues arrangement is a lot like very early B.B. King instrumental. In the bridge, which features bluesy guitar picking and a rumbling sound that might be a drum, Big Mama speaks in rebellious tones, saying things like "Ahhhh… now wag your tail" in early blues style. The tempo of Big Mama's version is medium fast but the tension is powerful. Certainly her version influenced Elvis Presley, but he up-graded it into an early rock genre with his unique rock style and commercially viable instrumentation.

The Elvis version is slick, well-produced rock and roll compared with Big Mama's rather rowdy, rough style. The tempo of Elvis' version is quick and powerful, far more technically perfect that Big Mama's version. The Jordanaires (Elvis' long-time back up singers) add a harmonically appealing depth to Elvis' version. Elvis sounds hurt more than angry, while Mama Thornton is raging mad. The rhythmic hand clapping in the Elvis version makes the listener want to get up and dance, and wiggle hips like The King used to do.

Masters of War -- Bob Dylan

Legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan delivered this belligerent, angry and forceful denunciation of war -- and specifically in protest of the terrible threats to human existence created during the Cold War, including the massive build-up of nuclear weapons -- in 1963. Never before had Dylan included in his lyrics the wish that someone would die or be killed. The instrumentation in this song is as bare bones basic as the theme. Dylan plays his acoustic 12-string guitar and sings with that raspy, unique voice of his. The guitar accompaniment creates a dark theme, giving off a haunting, mournful tone, pounding relentlessly as though it were mocking the millions of young men who march off to war every year. "You play with my world," Dylan sings, "Like it's your little toy," and that is part of the theme of this song is that civilians felt helpless during the build-up of nuclear weapons by the Soviets and the Americans. While this was not a "hit" record, it was never intended as such.