Billy Joel - Leningrad. Why Billy Joel is Great.

I was at the Portland Symphony Orchestra's outstanding performance of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35 last Tuesday and I heard a melody in the first movement that I recognized:

It didn't take me long to place it. Listen to the main theme to Billy Joel's "Leningrad" and compare:

An unsourced Wikipedia article supports my hunch that the violin concerto inspired Joel's theme. It would make sense to pay homage to Russian composer Tchaikovsky in a song about the Soviet Union.

These days I find myself defending Billy Joel more often than not. Since the turn of the century Joel has been artistically unproductive, struggling with alcoholism, balding and gaining weight. He is a far cry from the superstar who once topped the charts dove off pianos and married a supermodel.

But it is important, I think, not to conflate Billy Joel the man with Billy Joel the legend. We all grow old and fight our demons. Joel's legacy is a fingerprint on pop music so ubiquitous that it is easy to miss. Very few musicians have a single hit song, let alone 33 Top 40 hits (and 13 Top 10), spanning three decades. There are only a handful of artists with as many universally recognizable songs that continue to inspire and entertain new generations. I have taught the chords to "Big Shot" to a budding young piano student and recently played "Just the Way You Are" for an elderly couple's 65th anniversary.

I speak as someone who practically learned to play piano from Billy Joel. I spent much of my teens transcribing and learning every Joel song I could possibly learn. And because of the diversity in his writing, I was indirectly exposed to a wide variety of chords, techniques and styles. Billy Joel draws from many different sources and is able to synthesize and compose in the styles adeptly - from fast bebop with Freddie Hubbard to his impressively convincing romantic-style piano works.

Which brings me back to Tchaikovsky. It wouldn't be the first time Joel borrowed from the masters; the chorus to "This Night" (one of my favorites) is quite transparently based on Beethoven's Pathetique Sonata Op. 13, second movement. Some might make the case that Billy Joel is derivative, to which I would argue that all art is derivative. He may not be stylistically consistent, but Joel's songwriting talent is undeniable and his songs are unique. If anyone can name another artist who has successfully merged Doo-wop and Beethoven, I'm all ears.

So what is to like about Leningrad? For starters, it is refreshing to see a pop artist tackle geopolitics. While I doubt many would call Joel "edgy," the Cold War was a hot topic in the 1980s. (before it Rocky Balboa personally ended it with his fists in 1985) Soviet-US relations were big deal at the time and Billy Joel jumped right in. I find it respectable that he looked outward for meaningful subject matter in his songs rather than being self-absorbed like so many other pop stars.

Musically speaking, the opening theme is the best part of the song in my opinion. The parallel minor bridge is also interesting and dramatic. But perhaps the best moment is the big ending, where the song unexpectedly modulates from D to A Major to repeat the Tchaikovsky-inspired theme. There is no logical reason to do this, but it certainly sounds bigger for the finish. It also brings the theme up to the key (A Major) where it is originally stated by the orchestra in the Tchaikovsky. So both pieces are in D, and both state the theme in A. I doubt that was an accident.

I also very much enjoy the counterpoint in the main theme. There's something very satisfying about the way the inner voice moves in the 4th and 5th measures here, and how the melody becomes a Bach-like series of suspensions and resolutions:

It's easy to make jokes about Billy Joel crashing cars, and I will concede that some of his material has not stood the test of time. But his contribution to pop culture and musicians everywhere is hard to overstate. I feel that most people don't truly appreciate the breadth of this impact, but will really miss him when he's gone. I know I will.

Imogen Heap - Hide And Seek. Clusters!

I feel that I don't really have to explain why this song is great - it is easily is one of the most original pieces I have heard in the last decade, at least. The use of a vocoder to produce an eerie digital a cappella sound, the effects, the form and arc of the song; all these things are packaged together to create a uniquely brilliant piece, from start to finish.

At its core, the song revolves around four chords - I, V, vi, and IV in A Major. Remember how I described these chords as a "guaranteed hit single" in my analysis of Aerosmith's "Cryin'?" Here they are again, in the same key no less. There a couple slight discrepancies, and I had to adjust the timing, but here is a mashup of both songs to demonstrate:



So these are tried-and-true chords. You would think that people's ears would tire of this progression but it keeps coming back, song after song. I have have no artistic gripe with this - diatonic chords are the foundation of Western music - but it is nice when musicians find new and interesting things to do with them.

So besides the obvious digital effects, what makes Imogen Heap's treatment so special? Mostly it is the thick harmonies. She uses a mix of simple triads and very close cluster voicings. Some of these chords happen by accident; one note will carry, by delay or reverb, into the next chord. Other times she is simply playing a big fat chord on the keyboard. Resisting the urge to transcribe and dissect every chord in the song, I'll do a play-by-play of some of my favorite moments.

00:00 The opening chords set the tone of the song - futuristic sounding major chords, almost metallic.
00:05 The word "what" has an added 9, making a very crunchy disonnance - apparently this is a dystopian future.
00:07 The word "hell", a D Major chord, has a B and an E in it, making it a 6/9 chord - pretty unusual already...
00:11 This chord is an accident, but I love it. The word "on" is an E chord, but the "A" from the word "go" carries into it by delay, so it has both the major 3rd and the suspension at once. Great sound.
00:36-1:11 This whole stanza has fantastic chord voicings throughout. Put on some good headphones and listen to what she does with the word "heavy."
1:12 "Hide and Seek" - this is one of the best moments of the song, and the first part that really wowed me. The D# in the V chord is so unexpected and vivid:

1:30 She does something similar on the second pass, this time swooping up to a half-diminished D# chord on the word "those."

1:40 On "they were" she uses almost every note in the scale, tightly clustered, making some kind of DMaj13 chord.

2:16 On "still life" she does the same thing, but thicker and louder, and with more effects. Great moment.

2:20 Interesting that she does not use the D# as she does in the first pass. (1:12, transcribed above)

2:36 This might be the best moment of the song. It gives me chills every time. I love the way she pulls the rest of the voices out and lets that high "B" sit by itself. It sounds like you're listening to the song underwater.

2:46 More thick, saturated IV chord here. I especially like how she clashes the C# right against the D in the melody on "were." Sounds like things are about to get real.

2:52 "Mmm, what you say?" This is the most famous part. The chords are less dense, the rhythm less rubato, but it is just a reworking of the original four chords. Instead of I, V, vi, IV she uses IV, I, vi, V.

3:23 From here to the end it goes back to the original four chords, with more dense clusters and interesting inversions.

As much as I would like to analyze every note and digital effect in this song, what really makes it great is the way it still gives me goosebumps, years and hundreds of listens later. I don't think there's one note I would change.

The Eagles - Take It Easy

I am not a huge fan of the Eagles. I have nothing against the group, I just don't own any of their records and would prefer to never play Hotel California again. But to those who would dismiss them as banal adult contemporary elevator music, I would argue that they are undoubtably a great classic rock band with solid musicians. In a time when most popular music is made on a computer by a lone engineer, I have a soft spot for competent singer-songwriters. And the closer I look at the Eagles, the more there is to like.

"Take It Easy" seems to offer, at a glance, what the title implies: a no-frills, laid back, medium tempo country rock song in 4/4. But, as usual, there are subtle nuances that give it character. The first of them comes on the first beat.

Have you ever heard a song wrong? That is, have you realized that you heard the beat in the wrong place? I have to admit that I never realized I was hearing the intro to Take It Easy incorrectly just now as I started writing this post. I think I sensed that something was off, but never looked closer than that.

I always heard the opening chord, and the ensuing chords, to be on the downbeats. Everybody hits them together and the guitar rhythm supports this. The problem arrives when the full band comes in at 00:13. If you count very strictly, you'll realize that there is an extra 8th note. What? Is there a measure of 9/8 in there?

If you look for some sheet music online, you'll find that the extra 8th note is not there. Take a look at this chart:

This is how I've always heard the song - accents on the downbeats with two 8th notes in the bass to set it up. To be fair to whomever wrote this chart, it is possible that they deliberately simplified the piece. It is not uncommon for sheet music to be sanitized for popular consumption. There are other signs of sloppiness in this chart, though; the Am7/G chord should have a D in it and no E, so a D7sus/G would be more accurate. Also, the last notes in measure 5 need a stem. (oops!)

But I am getting off track - what is up with that extra 8th note? Is it possible that the entire intro is actually an 8th note earlier, so that all of the accents are anticipated? YES. This is exactly what is happening. That means the guitar rhythm is completely different, too. It took a while to wrap my head around it, but this ukulele chart gets it right (with the more-accurate Dsus chord, too):

Note that, even though the rest of the band squares things up as the song gets going, the rhythm guitar (way back in the mix) keeps playing the anticipations, confirming that this is the intended rhythm. Near the end of the song, at 2:38, the band hits these anticipations together, in a nice call back to the intro.

So that solves the mystery of the extra beat. But that was not why I wanted to write about this song. There are many other little gems to enjoy, starting with:

THE BANJO! Most people don't think of or notice the banjo in this song, but it's there! The busy, 16th note-heavy part comes in at the guitar solo and keeps cranking until the end, picking it up after the "save me" break. The impressive banjoist appears to be Bernie Leadon, and a cursory glance at his bio suggests that he was a driving force behind the band's success. The busyness (like the anticipations in the rhythm guitar) completely belies the song's laid-back message. Couple that with some dark minor chords scattered throughout the song and I think you could make the case that this song is more than a Buffett-esque call to chillax.

Speaking of harmony, there are some moments that I particularly enjoy. I like that the bassist stays on E as the band (or at least the vocals) move to a D in the chorus, making a kind of Em11 chord. More strikingly, there is a moment that gets me every time: on the last verse, at 2:15, over "world of trouble on my mind," the band goes to an Am7 chord instead of C, as they do in the rest of the song. It's a very subtle touch, and while most people don't notice, it really adds weight to that line. It's amazing how a simple change from the IV chord to the ii can make the song palpably sad in that moment. That is one of the reasons that I believe harmony is such an important part of songwriting. The chords are everything!

If I have not already made my case that this is not a Jimmy Buffett song, the final chord in the relative minor key seals it; this is a song full of agitations and pensiveness, there for those who look closely enough. I could come around on the Eagles.

Bonus tidbit: the chorus in the middle of this song has completely different lyrics than the first and last chorus. Unusual!

Aerosmith - Cryin'. It's All About the Bass!

This song is something of a masterpiece. None of the chord progressions are especially groundbreaking - the verse is a variation on Pachelbel's Canon in D - but the way they are put together and the numerous fine details really sell it. There are many little things to enjoy:

• The opening riff and the bridge have nothing to do with the rest of the song, harmonically, but each section flows to the next seamlessly.
• Though not in your face, there are horn parts scattered throughout the song. Listen carefully!
• At 1:50 Joe Perry not-so-subtly plays the melody to Pachelbel's Canon, as if there were any doubt as to what they were going for.
• During that section, Steven and Joe can't seem to agree on whether the iii chord is Major or minor. Joe's guitar says minor, Steven's backup vocals say Major.
• Steven's raspy "Dying" as the band cuts out is my second favorite part of the song. It's always nice when there is a big moment early in the song, with much more to come!

Those parts aside, what really makes the song for me - as is often the case in Aerosmith songs - is the bass. The bassist is often overlooked in rock bands, but a good bass line can give a song character, groove, and emotional flow. Tom Hamilton is an underrated rock bassist, in my opinion. He mostly stays out of the way, but plays creative licks that help make Aerosmith songs so great.

His first "nice touch" is in the opening verse, when he chooses not to play. It's always refreshing to hear musicians and producers take a "less is more" approach. While the intro tells you this song is going to get big, this moment says "but first, have a seat; we're going to tell you a story."

The chorus of the song centers around the über-cliche I-V-vi-IV progression in A. It always works, and if you want a near-guaranteed hit single, these are the chords for you. But Aerosmith wants to build at the end, and Tom takes the wheel. Starting at 4:00 he plays different notes of the chords to create a line that walks up the major scale to the eventual build-up on the IV chord. Notice how much this adds to the intensity; we're no longer jumping from chord to chord but we're driving somewhere.

My favorite moment of the song comes in the final seconds of the song. Following the second big build-up to the IV chord (around 4:58), Tom plays a descending line (with some interesting note choices) that feels like it's taking you back to the I chord for a big finish...except he doesn't land on the downbeat. He keeps running with it, over the bar line, for three more eight notes and spikes the ball on beat 2 with a big cymbal crash. The whole moment is perfectly timed with Alicia Silverstone's bungie jump in the video. While playing the root on beat 2 is a common gimmick for jazz bassists, you don't hear it so much in pop songs. It's one of those little things that make Aerosmith stand out.

So here's to you Tom Hamilton, and all rock bassists, as you quietly and so subtly drive the bus from the back seat.

First Post!

Welcome to "Why This Song Is Great!" This is a place for musicians, nerds, and gleeful combinations of the two. (regular music fans are welcome, too!)

You know those magic moments in a song - the ones that give you chills, excite you or move you to tears? This blog is the product of my endless need to explain why that happens to friends, family and coworkers, only to receive glossed-over stares and eye rolls. Finally, and to the relief of many, I am turning to the internet as an outlet for my geeky obsession with the inner workings of pop songs.

There are those who believe that analysis strips the magic from the arts. I beg to differ. Every great song, while superficially enjoyable, has layers of treats under the surface for those willing to listen. My goal is to find these quirks, happy accidents and clever moments that make the songs so special. Put on your headphones and read on!