Exam 2 Flashcards
Song: Put Your Head on My Shoulder*
Artist: Paul Anka
Genera: Pop (teen idols)
Begins with electric guitar with echo, backup harmonized vocals (imitating guitar melody), piano with triple division of beat, bass guitar and drums
Uses the doo-wop progression in an AABA format (depart from doo-wop progression in the B section bridge)
Solo vocals enter – melodic vocal style – this takes precedence
Drums and bass supply a constant background – guitar and backup vocals enter for fills
Song: The Locomotion*
Artist: Little Eva
Genera: Pop (dance craze)
Starts with drums – then sax and bass enter
Drums become more active as lead vocals enter
Harmonizing backup vocals enter – first in call and response with the lead and then as accompaniment
When instructions start, instrumentation becomes sparse – handclaps emphasize the backbeat
#1 in 2 diff decades
Song: The Banana Boat Song (Day-O)*
Artist: Harry Belafonte
Genera: early folk music
Begins with bongo drums – vocals enter over a constant drum roll
Steel drums, cymbals, bass and bongos accompany lead singer
Call and response between lead and backup singers – sometimes this call and response is split between two groups of backup vocalists
Very laidback
Lyrics are story-like-a work song
Song: Tom Dooley (FORMAL ANALYSIS)*
Artist: The Kingston Trio
Genera: early folk music
Instrumentation is acoustic guitar and banjo, acoustic bass, and vocals
Vocals enter speaking – telling a story
Guitar and banjo outline melody until the vocals take it over
Guitar and banjo then become accompaniment
Chorus has a mixture of harmonized and solo vocals
Verses feature a clear lead singer with harmonized backup vocals
Form is simple verse-chorus
12/8 time signature
Song: Where Have All the Flowers Gone*
Artist: The Kingston Trio
Genera: early folk music
Cover of a Pete Seeger tune
Starts with 12-string acoustic guitars – no drums
Boys sing in unison to begin with and then break into harmony
Lyrics are politically/socially motivated
Song: Walk Right In*
Artist: The rooftop Singers
Genera: Early folk
Begins with an instrumental opening – instrumentation consists of two 12-string guitars – percussive sounds are the sound of the strings
Harmonized vocals enter – female vocalist has the main melody – men provide the harmony
Instrumental solo follows the melody line exactly
This is a simple verse song, but the verses themselves are arranged in an AABA format
Lyrics are of welcoming nature
Song: Green, Green*
Artist: The New Christy Minstrels
Genera: Early Folk
Begins with 12-string guitar – guitar and banjo add in
Unison vocals enter with the chorus – male and female vocals
Lead solo vocals enter with the verses – raspy vocal style
Contrasting verse-chorus form
Lyrics of a story
Song: If I Had a Hammer*
Artist: Peter, Paul and Mary
Genera: Early folk music
Starts with acoustic guitars
Mary takes lead vocals
Peter and Paul sing harmonized backup vocals
Lyrics speak of justice, freedom and love
No drums* (sounds like there are cuz of guitar)
What were the 6 things seen with the dramatic left-side political shift
-anti war
-students uprising
-civil rights movement
-student power
-counter power
-womens liberations
What kind of music was seen in the 60’s
-resurgence of folk
-surf
-teen groups
-dance craze
Image for the teen idol
Image of the boy or girl next door. Image was one of the more important things (even more so than the singing aspect)
What is Your Hit Parade
TV show that showed top 10 songs of the week.
-aimed at adult audience
-mainly teen idols but occasionally had rockabily and mainstream rock
Why was Dick Clark and American Bandstand important to rock
-respectability to rock that didn’t exist before
-would portray clean cut look (strict dress code- him and those in show)
-songs that were too racy or suggestive were cut (too risky)
-serve as a tranquiliser that reassured parents that rock wouldn’t turn their children rebellious or corrupt
-equal representation of back an white performers
Song: Down in Mexico (FORMAL ANALYSIS)*
Artist: The Coasters
Genera: pop (rise of the producer)
Begins with solo sax in a sort of call and response with harmonized backup vocals and electric guitar
Percussion enters with its own rhythmic riff – instrumentation includes bass guitar, lead guitar, percussion, piano and saxophone
Lead vocals enter – backup vocals fall into accompaniment – electric guitar supplies fills
AABA form – first two A section describes the bar and its patron, in particular, the piano player; last A section sums up the song
B section is characterized by bongo drums to bring out the rhythm of the “exotic dancer”
Song: It’s My Party*
Artist: Lesley Gore
Genera: pop (rise of the girl groups)
Begins with brass, then lead and backup vocals enter with drums, handclaps – handclaps emphasize backbeat – drop out at the end of the chorus
Solo vocals sing verse over drums, piano, guitar, bass and backup vocals
Melody remains the most important aspect – once again, instruments are relegated to the background of the fabric
Lyrics about her party
Song: My Boyfriend’s Back*
Artist: The Angels
Genera: pop (rise of the girl groups)
Begins with drums, handclaps and spoken vocals
Guitar comes in with shots
Call and response between lead vocals (accompanied by drums and handclaps) and harmonized backup vocals (guitar enters)
Eventually the texture will expand to include horns
In the early 60’s of the dance craze what kind of dances were the most populated
instructional dances
what kind of singer was Little Eva
‘instructional dancer’
which ultimately hurt her career
What was the importance of the dance craze
-bring rock n roll to r&b roots
-generate lots of excitement in slump in 60’s
-keeps black music on the charts
-becomes precurser to disco trend in 70’s
-shows trend in dancing that is still seen today (more accessible dancing)
-adults can even participate in these dances
Why were the Weavers (folk music) black listed
because of their strong left wing political views
What was the early revival of folk music seen as
-music written by the people for the people
-more community driven
Who was The Kingston Trio made up of
3 college students:
o Bob McShane – guitar
o Nick Reynolds – guitar/bongos
o Dave Guard – banjo
what was different about Peter, Paul and Mary’s image
Peter and Paul sported mustaches and goatees, Mary had long straight hair
What are the Four Main Characteristics of the Early Folk Revival
- Lyrics – a new sense of seriousness was found in the lyrics, as they often spoke of major issues of social and political importance
- Demographics– the music was geared not towards teens but towards the collage-aged population (18-24)
- Albums – The trend moved towards the sales of LP’s rather than money to spend- and a longer attention span
- Instrumentation – acoustic instrumentation only- electronic instrumentation was considered artificial and with it, the music wasn’t ‘real’
What is the similarities/resemblance between Brill Building pop and early folk
While the image of the two styles contrasted, the business mechanisms that marketed the music were very similar – music was, once again, marketed towards a similar group
What was the early wave of rock n roll characterised by
Self contained musicians, The control sat with the artist
What is the job of an A&R (artists and repertoire)
Responsible for the extra positions (make sure all roles are filled, coffee breaks, food, ect.)
Where did Leiber and Stroller meet
California
What work did Leiber and Stoller do
Both were producers Leiber contributed the lyrics while Stoller wrote the music
What music did did Leiber and Stoller mostly cover
Black styles (cuz thats what they both grew up around)
What were the Coasters successful with
Straddle the line between comedy and music
What was Connie Francis considered
The prototype for female singers
What group did Feldman’s employer originally want the song “My Boyfriends Back” to be sung by
The Shirelles but he created his own record company to have the Angels do it instead cuz thats the direction he wanted to go with
What was Phil Spector know for
The wall of sound
What was unique about the way Phil Spector recorded
The “teenage symphony” was accomplished by placing many musicians in a single room
Spector’s aim was to record everything all at once
Lead vocals were then placed in the forefront of the texture- backup vocals were next important
Lead vocals were often recorded twice and added on top of each other for depth
Strings would be added at the end of the process
Massive use of reverb (sound of a dry room- no echo, live room-hard surfaces and everything is loud)
Song: Up On the Roof*
Artist: The Drifters
Genera: Sweet Soul
Begins with guitar, piano, bass and drums playing a riff under clear, melodic lead vocals
Strings enter with a counter melody to the lead vocals
Backup vocals enter, first “oooh-ing” and then singing words
Texture builds to include brass, sax and glockenspiel
Lyrica about escaping from it all…
Song: On Broadway*
Artist: The Drifters
Genera: Sweet Soul
Begins with a very distinct riff that permeates the entire song
Piano, percussion, and guitar play this riff
Melodic lead vocals enter and engage in a call and response with the harmonized backup vocals
Backup vocals fall into more of an accompanimental role
Eventually the texture includes brass and strings – Spector’s solo comes around the 2 minute mark
Lyrics speak of becoming famous
Song: Spanish Harlem*
Artist: Ben E. King
Genera: Sweet soul
Begins with percussion, marimba and bass – Latin influence (other instruments include strings and brass)
Vocals enter – smooth, melodic vocals
Harmonized backup vocals enter sporadically – nonsense syllables
Instrumental solo is taken by strings and saxophone – this is first time they enter
Lyrics about romance
Song: Stand By Me*
Artist: Ben E. King
Genera: Sweet soul
This song illustrates a layered texture – instruments and vocals enter one at a time and thus as the song progresses, the musical texture gets more dense
Begins with a walking bass riff accompanied by percussion – steady riff will define the song
Clear, melodic lead vocals enter – sometimes semi-shouting, guitar enters as well
Strings enter next with a counter melody; followed by harmonized backup vocals
Lyrics speak of friendship and devotion
Song: Walk On By*
Artist: Dionne Warwick
Genera: Sweet soul
Piano, drums, percussion and guitar enter with a riff
Melodic vocals enter
Brass and organ enter to backup the vocals through the title lyrics
Strings enter in the background of the texture
Piano becomes more prevalent in the texture – harmonized vocals enter with shots
Lyrics about a breakup
Song: Bye Bye Love*
Artist: The Everly Brothers
Genera: rockabilly popsters
Starts with acoustic guitar intro
Bass guitar enters with vocals
Harmonized vocals sing the chorus
Verses are sung solo by Don – note the nasal vocal quality – a definite C&W trait
Lyrics speak of breakup
Song: Cathy’s Clown*
Artist: The Everly Brothers
Genera: Rockabilly popsters
Song has two very distinct sections
Section A is characterized by a military-style drumbeat; other instrumentation is electric guitar, acoustic guitar and bass
Guitar chords emphasize the backbeat
Harmonized vocals enter over this accompaniment
Section B features a more r’n’r drumbeat; piano enters and is quite prominent; guitar continues to hit chords on the backbeat
Lyrics speak of being dumped by a girl
Song: Only the Lonely*
Artist: Roy Orbison
Genera: Rockabilly popsters
Begins with backup doo-wop style vocals
Piano, drums, guitar and bass enter
Solo vocals over this accompaniment
Use of stop time at the bridge – vocals go to falsetto; strings and vibraphone enter with drums
From this point, strings become much more prevalent
Lyrics of heartbreak after breakup
Song: Oh, Pretty Woman*
Artist: Roy Orbison
Genera: Rockabilly popsters
Begins with a steady drumbeat; guitar and bass enters with a riff
This leads to the entrance of harmonized melodic vocals; piano enters
The guitar riff enters to delineate verses and the bridge
Orbison inserts vocal interjections – “oh mercy” and growling
The bridge is characterized by harmonized vocal, an active piano line, electric guitar and the steady beat of the drums
Lyrics about appreciation of beauty
What is sweet soul a mix of
Gospel and R&B
Characteristics of sweet soul
o Fluid lead vocals – very melodic and emotional
o Often supported by doo-wop backup vocals- use of nonsense syllables, although words were sometimes employed
o Counter melodies in the strings- very typical of classical music
o A rhythm section (drums, bass, piano and percussion) laying down a medium tempo beat
o Sometimes influenced by Latin musical (Calypso influence)
Song: Surfin’ U.S.A. (FORMAL ANALYSIS)
Artist: The Beach Boys
Genera: Surf music
Ø Starts out with a short electric guitar solo
Ø Clear lead vocals enter with drums – guitars and backup vocals provide fills
Ø Use of falsetto
Ø Everything becomes more active in the second verse
Ø Form is Simple verse, 4/4 time signature
Ø Not a strong backbeat – all four beats are emphasized
Ø Instruments include electric guitars, bass, drums, and organ
Song: Fun, Fun, Fun*
Artist: The Beach Boys
Genera: Surf music
Ø Starts with a guitar solo that is remarkably similar to Chuck Berry’s Johnny B. Goode
Ø Instrumentation includes electric guitar, bass, Hammond organ and drums (fairly strong backbeat)
Ø Solo vocals through the verse; harmonized vocals enter at “Fun, Fun, Fun” and remain for the rest of the song
Ø Featured solo instrument is the Hammond organ
Ø lyrics are about cars and girls
Song: Surf City*
Artist: Jan and Dean
Genera: surf music
Ø Starts with drums and harmonized voices – use of falsetto
Ø Bass and guitar join in
Ø Call and response between lead and backup vocals
Ø Chorus features solo vocals and two sets of backup vocals – one singing “Surf City” and the other oohing
Ø Lyrics about surfing
Song: Rebel Rouser*
Artist: Duane Eddy
Genera: surf instrumental
Ø Features a layered texture
Ø Begins with just electric guitar – good example of the twangy guitar style
Ø Drums and bass enter next – boom-chick, two-beat bass
Ø Sax enters
Ø Key changes and backup vocals enter
Ø No lead vocals
Song: Misirlou*
Artist: Dick Dale
Genera: Surf instrumental
Ø Starts with guitar – excellent example of tremolo style
Ø Use of vocal interjections (but no lyric content)
Ø Bass and drums enter – considerable emphasis on the backbeat
Ø Brass (horns) enter later in song
Song: Wipe Out*
Artist: The Surfaris
Genera: Surf instrumental
Ø Twelve bar blues with stop time
Ø Starts with extraneous noise and vocals (no lyric content)
Ø Drums enter next – steady beat, no real emphasis on the backbeat
Ø Bass enters; lead guitar takes melody line
Ø Stop time features the drums; cymbals become more present
Song: Teen Angel*
Artist: Mark Dinning
Genera: The splatter platter (pop)
Ø Begins with guitar, lead male vocals and harmonized backup female vocals
Ø Solo lead vocals set up the story over guitar – the majority of the verse is sung this way
Ø Harmonized backup vocals return at the end of this verse – light drums, bass enter for the chorus
Ø Contrasting verse-chorus form
Ø Lyrics of teens death
Comparison of folk and surf music
Folk Music
-Folk was serious music dealing with social issues
-Folk was originally acoustic music
-Folk themes dealt with civil rights, sentiments and racial harmony
-Folk was a Midwest/East coast phenomena
-Folk was geared towards the college crowd
Surf music
-Surf was all entertainment, dealing political and with cars, girls, waves and parties
-Surf used all the new technological advances
-Surf themes dealt with images of anti-war affluence – fast cars & pretty people
-Surf was a West coast phenomena
-Surf was geared towards teenagers
Surf Instrumental
Ø Early surf music was instrumental
Ø Although sax and organ would be used at time
Ø Electric guitar was most predominant instrument
Ø Much of the foundation of the “surf style” is found Duane Eddy
Ø Eddy’s distinctive and influential style was achieved by twangy guitar sound
Ø Use of vibrato produced a wave effect
What was the Splatter Platter
Ø The teenage romanticization of death becomes very prevalent around the turn of the decade
Ø The agony of young love became such a hot commodity and a market developed for the ultimate musical tragedy
7 things teenagers and young adults of this generation (after the assassination of JFK) took up a number of causes:
o The Civil Rights
o Protesting the Vietnam war (wanted peace)
o Women’s Liberation
o Ecological issues- Urban sprawl
o Searching for oneself - zen buddhism, transcendental meditation, marijuana, LSD (state altering drugs)
o Rebellion against the establishment
o Sexual revolution
Song: I Want to Hold Your Hand (FORMAL ANALYSIS)*
Artist: the Beatles
Genera: pop (Beatlemania)
Ø Starts with a “pickup”
Ø Guitar, drums, bass – lots of cymbals
Ø When solo vocals start, handclaps emphasize the backbeat
Ø Harmonizing backup vocals enter sporadically
Ø Basic r’n’r beat replaces handclaps at the bridge
Ø Lyrics of romantic teenage love
Ø ABBA form 4/4 time signature
