Paul Simon - Graceland Flashcards
Headlines
4/4 time signature
E major tonality
Moderate tempo of 118 bpm
Percussion provides continuous pulse but Simon’s lead vocals are “free” rhythmically
Intro
20 bars
(Harmony) tonic chord for opening 8 bars
Second inversion chord in second part of intro (A/E chord)
Bass guitar plays glissando onto tonic pedal note for two bars
Which is played octave lower in bars 3 and 4
Acoustic and electric guitar play tonic chord
Drums - bass drum on all 4 crochet beats, snare and hi-hat on off-beats (reflects Elvis’ music)
Shaker plays continuous semiquavers
Claves play on off-beats of 3 and 4, joined by tambourines and wood block
Sampled hand claps added in repeat of bars 1-4
Bars 9-20 tonic chord moves briefly to chord IV, with later extension using V & VI
Bass plays ostinato on chord root in octave leaps
African pedal steel guitar plays off-beat syncopated triadic melodic pattern which rises and ascends from bar 13
Verse 1
Melody - syllabic, mainly conjunct, quite syncopated, starts on anacrusis and has 2 bar phrases
Tonality - E major
Harmony - Chords I, IV, VI, V (1, 4, 6, 5)
Texture - melody with accompaniment; call and response with triadic pedal steel from intro
Sonority - bass plays root of chords in octave leaps
Chorus
Melody structure ABCB
Chord D (chromatic) played gives sense of tonal ambiguity
Grace-land is major 3rd interval
Section C of chorus start on fifth degree of scale
Electric guitar and bass guitar play rising syncopated arpeggio fill in octaves
Melody - quite syncopated, “free” rhythmically, diatonic and syllabic
Harmony - chords 1, 4, 5, 6 - consonant harmony
Features of verse 2 that are not in verse 1, otherwise the same
2 bar intro using tonic
Pedal steel guitar plays triadic pattern but now over vocals
Melody rhythm is different due to different lyrics
Triplet quavers and dotted rhythms on opening phrase of lead vocals
Bongos present
Use of melisma on word “losing”
Backing vocals sing 2 part harmony of sustained notes and stepwise crotchets in second half of verse
Chorus 2 differences
Repeat of first chorus with altered lyrics so altered rhythms
Multi-tracking allowing Simon to harmonise lead vocals
Verse 3 differences
First vocal phrase extended, resulting in a gap from displaced second vocal phrase, which is filled with the pedal steel guitar
Lyrics are half-spoken/sung to aid storytelling
Ends with lead vocals harmonising with backing vocals
Outro
Chords from chorus repeated
“Ooh” in 2-part harmony over verse 2 harmony
Percussion and low pitched vocal sample on back beat in first 10 bars. Leads into chorus, where vocals sing first part of chorus
Ends with instrumental to fade out
