Sweet Dreams

Question 1

Who was Sweet dreams written and performed by?

Answer 1

Eurythmics (Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart)

Question 2

What era was it ?

Answer 2

combination of New Wave and British synthesiser pop, released 1983

Question 3

Note three features of this music

Answer 3

• repetition (some of them want to…)
• Sultry dance type of song
• light and upbeat tone

Question 4

Melodic features (4)

Answer 4

• Small number of pitches within aeolian mode transposed to C
• Falling and rising minor third
• Scalic movement
• Syncopated rhythm

Question 5

Tonality

Answer 5

C minor

Question 6

Time signature

Answer 6

4/4

Question 7

What occurs between the verses ?

Answer 7

Link

Question 8

Describe harmony (3)

Answer 8

• A limited range of major and minor triads within the key of C minor. A pair of alternating chords – C minor/F7 – is used in the “middle eight” section (1.43).
• “Some of them want to use you” Annie Lennox’s voice is multitracked to produce harmony– mainly in parallel 6ths. Also used to create blended backing vocals
• Same harmonies as the intro used in the link but solo improvisation and keyboard bass are different.

Question 9

Describe melody (3)

Answer 9

• Uses a small number of pitches within the Aeolian mode transposed to C.
• Contains a falling and rising minor third (Eb-C-Eb), some scalic movement and syncopated rhythm.
• “Sweet dreams are made of this” is sung as a solo with the 2-bar riff from the introduction as accompaniment.

Question 10

Describe instrumentation. (3)

Answer 10

• Percussion effects produced by a drum machine together with synthesized and sampled sounds are repeated using a sequencer and combined using a mixing desk.
• Keyboard plays the 2 bar riff with synthesised drum sound
• During middle 8 synthesised drums, continuous quavers on synthesised hi-hat and what sounds like sampled glass bottles are added.

Question 11

Describe the Structure (6)

Answer 11

• Structured into Intro, A,A1, Link, A, Link, B, A, A1, Link, B, A, Link Coda
• Intro: Keyboard riff played 4 times with 6 bars of wordless vocals
• Section A Sweet dreams are made of this… begins followed by A1 Some of them want to use you…
• Link: 6-bar wordless vocals Riff played twice
• This is repeated until section B is introduced
  “Hold your head up…”
• Coda is section A Repeated 4 times with additions such as drum beat only and keyboard solo. Fades out after final repeat

Question 12

Describe the intro (5)

Answer 12

• the keyboard riff presents the pitches C-Eb-C-Ab-G in broken octaves.
• Synthesised drum sound marks every crotchet beat
• heavy thud (low C) occurs on the first beat of every 2 bars
• 6-bar phrase based on the chords Ab-G-Cm-Fm-Ab-G
• Multitracked wordless backing vocals

Question 13

Features of new wave (4)

Answer 13

• Ostinato
• Smooth melodic vocal phrasing
• vocal layering
• synthesisers, drum machines