Sonic Sorcery: "1000 Times" by Sara Bareilles

Sara Bareilles has a way of writing highly emotional, painfully beautiful lyrics, and the musical wizardry is stunning, deep, and like walking on a constantly shifting surface.

Songs like "She Used to Be Mine" and "Gravity" and "Still Crying " can just break your heart, and her covers (like "Chandelier" and "I Don't Know How to Love Him") are nothing short of epic.

Today, let's look at her song "1000 Times".

It was never released as a single, but is certainly a fan favorite in concert. "1000 Times" is from the album "The Blessed Unrest", which was positively received by critics and fans alike, debuted at #2 on the Billboard album charts (her fourth consecutive top 10 album), saw the lead single, "Brave", receive a Grammy nomination, and was certified Gold.

Let's get into it!

"Look Back" 1986: David Lee Roth "Eat 'Em and Smile"

The year was 1986.....

.....and what an incredible year for music! The year that saw the very first induction ceremony into the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame, "We Are the World" took home the big Grammy honors, Amnesty International hosted the "Conspiracy of Hope" benefit concert (featuring Bryan Adams, Sting, U2, & more), Queen performed their final concert....chart topping songs like "Take My Breath Away" and "Addicted to Love", "Rock Me Amadeus" and "That's What Friends Are For", "Papa Don't Preach" and "Walk Like an Egyptian" as well as one hit wonders like the incredible "Night Moves" by Marilyn Martin....the year we lost legends like Metallica bassist Cliff Burton and Thin Lizzy bassist Phil Lynott, bluesman Sonny Terry and bandleader Benny Goodman, and future legends were born like Trombone Shorty and Lady Gaga and Drake and Jon Batiste. We saw the birth of bands like Hootie & the Blowfish and Cowboy Junkies and Green Day and N.W.A. and the Pixies, and the death of bands Boomstown Rats and Dead Kennedys and The Police and The Clash....the year Madonna's "True Blue", "Slippery When Wet" by Bon Jovi, Paul Simon's "Graceland", Janet Jackson's "Control" and the soundtrack to the hit movie "Top Gun" dominated the charts.....and so much more!

A host of amazing albums were released in 1986 and I hope to have time to write about many, including "Album" from Public Image Ltd, "Ultimate Sin" by Ozzy Osbourne, Prince's amazing "Parade", Billy Idol's "Whiplash Smile", "So" by Peter Gabriel, Queen's "A Kind of Magic", the live album "Bring on the Night" by Sting, Queensryche's "Rage for Order", "While the City Sleeps" from George Benson.....

Today, however, we'll look back at the classic debut album from David Lee Roth, "Eat 'Em and Smile"!

Look Back (1975): "Toys in the Attic" by Aerosmith

1975 was an incredible year for music (and we'll look back at some more of these soon)...the year that saw chart topping songs like "Rhinestone Cowboy" and "I'm Sorry/Calypso", "Philadelphia Freedom" and "Shining Star", "Feelings" and "Fire"....the year we lost legends like T-Bone Walker and Dave Alexander (of The Stooges), and future legends were born like Big Boi and Wes Borland and Lauryn Hill....the birth of bands like Iron Maiden and Sex Pistols and the mighty Motorhead, and the death of bands the Amboy Dukes (launching the career of Ted Nugent) and Alice Cooper Band (launching the solo career of Alice Cooper) ...the year of "Journey to Love" by Stanley Clarke, Heart's debut album. "Dreamboat Annie", "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen, "A Night at the Opera" by Queen, "Physical Graffiti" by Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" dominated the charts....the year of debut albums from Journey and Manhattan Transfer and others.....and so much more!

Today, however, we'll look back at the classic Aerosmith album, "Toys in the Attic"!

Don’t Practice… Play!

Don’t Practice… Play!

By Paulie Felice

When I was a kid, I hated practicing piano. Hated it. It was a chore, plain and simple. Practicing meant sitting in front of an instrument I didn’t love, fumbling through sheet music that didn’t mean much to me, and trying to live up to the expectations of my teacher and my parents. And those expectations became my expectations. When I couldn’t meet them - when I didn’t practice enough, or didn’t master a piece quickly, or couldn’t memorize another stack of flash cards - I felt like a failure. So instead of being a creative outlet, piano became an experience in failure.

Look Back (1985): "Power Windows" by Rush

1985 was an incredible year for music (and we'll look back at some more of these soon)...the year that saw chart topping songs like "We Are the World" and "Shout", "Take On Me" and "Better Be Good to Me", "Material Girl" and "Money for Nothing"....the year we lost legends like Roger Sessions and Big Joe Turner, and future legends were born like Lana Del Rey and Bruno Mars and J. Cole....the birth of bands like Guns-n-Roses and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the death of bands Pink Floyd and Van Halen (both of whom continued with new singers)...the year of "Brothers in Arms" by Dire Straits, Whitney Houston's debut album, and "No Jacket Required" by Phil Collins dominated the charts....the year of debut albums from supergroup The Highwaymen, LL Cool J, Fine Young Cannibals, jazz guitar legend Stanley Jordan, pop band a-ha, Megadeth, George Strait, Simply Red, Leni Stern, Schooly D, Suzanne Vega, and others.....and so much more!

Today, however, we'll look back at the masterpiece from Rush: their 11th studio album, "Power Windows"!

Look Back (1983): "Synchronicity" by The Police

1983 was an incredible year for music (and we'll look back at some more of these soon)....the year that saw chart topping songs like "Billie Jean" and "1999", "Karma Chameleon" and "Let's Dance", "Flashdance...What a Feeling" and "Every Breath You Take"....the year we lost legends like Karen Carpenter & Muddy Waters, and future legends were born like T-Pain & Amy Winehouse....the birth of band Bon Jovi & The Cult, and the death of bands Humble Pie & Roxie Music...the year of "Rebel Yell" by Billy Idol and "Let's Dance" by David Bowie and "Thriller" dominated the charts....the year debut albums from Madonna, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Branford Marallis, Rock Goddess, Whodini, Tears for Fears, Weird Al Yankovich, Ministry, Afrika Bambaataa, Pantera, Suicidal Tendencies, Wham!, Metallica, The Waterboys, Queensryche, Cyndi Lauper, and others.....and so much more!

Today, however, we'll look back at the masterpiece from The Police, the album "Synchronicity".

Look Back (1983): "Rebel Yell" by Billy Idol

1983 was an incredible year for music (and we'll look back at some more of these soon)....the year that saw chart topping songs like "Billie Jean" and "1999", "Karma Chameleon" and "Let's Dance", "Flashdance...What a Feeling" and "Every Breath You Take"....the year we lost legends like Karen Carpenter & Muddy Waters, and future legends were born like T-Pain & Amy Winehouse....the birth of band Bon Jovi & The Cult, and the death of bands Humble Pie & Roxie Music...the year of "Synchronicity" by the Police and "Let's Dance" by David Bowie and "Thriller" dominated the charts....the year debut albums from Madonna, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Branford Marallis, Rock Goddess, Whodini, Tears for Fears, Weird Al Yankovich, Ministry, Afrika Bambaataa, Pantera, Suicidal Tendencies, Wham!, Metallica, The Waterboys, Queensryche, Cyndi Lauper, and others.....and so much more!

Today, however, we'll look back at the masterpiece from Billy Idol, the album "Rebel Yell".

Sonic Sorcery: Exploring Alliteration

Tupac Shakur

"Peter piper picked a peck of picked peppers"

"Sally sells seashells by the sea shore."

"How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?"

These are all very fun & silly examples of a literary device called "alliteration", the repetition of the opening sound of words. Designed to be both tongue twisters and humorous, they stick in the mind and are a fun game for kids and elementary school English teachers.

But it should be noted that alliteration is a very useful technique, with no requirement for either twisting tongues or humor. Used properly, its a great way to (as Kris Kristofferson once put it) have words "slide off the tongue and into the ear".

Super Bowl: Star Spangled Banner

I heard wonderful reviews of Chris Stapleton's performance opening the festivities at the Super Bowl and realized that though I've taught lessons before following Super Bowl performances in the past (some to just my students - like following performances by Prince, Tom Petty, Bruno Mars, etc - and and some public, like this lesson), I've never just taught the USA's national anthem.

Stapleton performed the song in C#, but it was originally written in the key of Bb. However, when the song was standardized in 1917, the key of C was chosen. Its an interesting history that you can read about here. 

Now, as you can see from the score, the song is essentially melody and lyrics, with no specific harmonization required. So I'll be charting it below with what is probably the simplest approach, and more complex arrangements can be built from that.

For the record, I would strongly encourage the reader to check out other Super Bowl performances of the anthem by such stellar performers as Tom Sullivan (1976), Diana Ross (1982), Whitney Houston (1991), Backstreet Boys (2001), Alicia Keys (2013), as well as incredible instrumental performances by artists like Wynton Marsalis (1986) and Doc Severinsen (1970).

I'll return to this article in the future to provide links to any new public articles I write on building arrangements, though one might take a look at the entire "Sonic Sorcery" series for some insight. But for now, this chart will be enough for you to accompany yourself or someone else performing the "Star Spangled Banner"....and then I'll provide a second (and slightly more complex) arrangement below that.

"Star Spangled Banner"

music: John Stafford Smith

lyrics: Francis Scott Key

version one:

C - - /Am - - /C - D7 /G - - /

C - - /G - - /C - - /C - - /

C - - /Am - - /C - D7 /G - - /

C - - /G - - /C - - /C - - /

C - - /C - - /G - - /G - - /

C- - -/G - - /Am - D7 /G - - /

C - - /Am - - /Dm - - /C - - /G - - /

C - - /C - - /C - G /C - - /

version two:

C - - /Am - E7 /Am - D7 /G - G7 /

C - - /G - - /C - - /C - - /

C - G /Am - E7 /Am - D7 /G - G7 /

C - - /G - G7 /C - G /C - - /

C - - /Am - - /G - - /G7 - - /

Am- - -/G - - /Am Am7 D7 /G - G7 /

C - - /Am - Am7 /Dm - Dm7 /C - - /G - - /

C - - /C - Am7 /C - G7 /F - - /C - - /

Sonic Sorcery: Blondie's "Heart of Glass"

I was recently reminded of this fabulous song, and thought the oddity of the chordal approach coupled with several captivating lyrical phrases made it a decent candidate for this songwriting series.

Then I looked into the background and realized it would be a perfect song for reasons that will become clear in just a few moments.

Debbie Harry and Chris Stein (vocalist & guitarist of Blondie) wrote the song in 1975, and after several iterations, settled on a version for release on their 3rd album "Parallel Lines" (1978). The Song was the third single from the album (released January of 1979) and rocketed up the charts in in 15 countries, topping the charts in seven (including the US). Rolling Stone later named it number 255 on their "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list and it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2015.

The album propelled them to super stardom - this and the following 2 albums went platinum and spawned a series of hit singles (with "Heart of Glass" being their first number one hit in the US), and they went on to sell over 40 million albums, were nominated for & won multiple music awards (Grammys, Junos, Qs, etc), and inducted into the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

The song has seen multiple charting covers (from The Associates in 1988 to Miley Cyrus in 2020) and has been a major influence on many musicians since.

Let's dive in on the song's background, various iterations, chord progression, and lyrics!

Sonic Sorcery: Leonard Cohen's "Everybody Knows"

As one of the great writers of the 20th century, we could analyse Leonard Cohen songs all day (we peered into his uncanny ability to deeply link music and lyrics in "A Peak at Prosody", which takes a close look at "Hallelujah" as well as other songs that employ the technique).

Today, let's briefly examine Cohen's classic "Everybody Knows" - a song from Leonard's 1988 album "I'm Your Man". 

The song barely charted at its release, but was almost immediately a hit for film makers. Cohen's version was used in the 1994 film, "Exotica", and it was covered for many more films - from 1990's "Pump It Up" (covered by Concrete Blonde) to 2017's "Justice League" (covered by Sigrid).

So, let's break down what's happening with the lyrics first, and then the music.

"Dark Crystal" Mystics' Chord

My friend Eddy reminded me that this year marks the 40th anniversary of the release of the dark fantasy cult classic, "Dark Crystal" (released December 13, 1982). 

The animatronic film (animatronic refers to mechanical puppets, a style deeply associated with Jim Henson & Frank Oz, who directed the film, as well as other productions like "The Muppet Show" and "The Labyrinth") was scored by none other than famed composer Trevor Jones, who is known for his work on movies like "Time Bandits", "Angel Heart", "GI Jane", "Dark City", and more, including BAFTA & Golden Globe nominations for "Mississippi Burning", "Last of the Mohicans", and "The Mighty".

Of interest today, however, is not the entire score or a critique of the film (though I'd rate both a solid "A"), but to briefly examine a particular scene with characters known as "The Mystics" (formally, the urRu).

RIP Christine McVie (w/ Song Charts)

That Christine McVie, with her band mates in Fleetwood Mac, had a profound impact on modern music is an undisputed fact. This is evidenced by her writing or co-writing not only many of the band's biggest hits - from "Don't Stop", "You Make Lovin' Fun", and "Songbird" on the mega-hit album "Rumors" to "Over My Head", "World Turning", "Think About Me", "Hold Me", "Little Lies", and more - but having Top 10 hits of her own as a solo artist (like "Love Will Show Us How" and "Got a Hold on Me").

McVie with Fleetwood Mac

From Grammy Awards to Ivor Novella Award to The Brit Award to her induction into the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame, she climbed from humble beginnings to pop music icon....and her presence will be sorely missed.

Rather than gush on about her skills, her influence, and the like, I thought I'd instead simply present a taste of her work for music lovers to explore and musicians to play. So, with no further delay, let's look at some of her songs.

The Music of "ELVIS" (2022 film)

The new movie about the life of Elvis Presley - the King of Rock-n-Roll - hit the Big Screen after premiering at the Cannes Film Festival on May 25, 2022, has received rave reviews, and as of this writing has grossed over $180 million worldwide.

The film stars Austin Butler as Elvis and Tom Hanks as Col. Tom Parker.

I thought it was an excellent time to share some of the music of The King! We'll start with "Heartbreak Hotel" (his very first #1 hit), as well as other rockers like "Hound Dog" (another #1 hit), and "Teddy Bear" (also a #1 hit), plus and a couple of ballads like "Love Me Tender" (#1 hit) and "Can't Help Falling in Love" (also #1 and an early '60s release), and finally his last #1 hit on the main Billboard charts, "Suspicious Minds" (from 1969).

"Heartbreak Hotel" Elvis Presley (1956)

E - - - /E - - - /E - - - /E7 - - - /

A - - - /A7 - - - /B - - - /E - - - /

Sonic Sorcery: "Top Gun Anthem"

In honor of the new "Top Gun: Maverick" movie, I'd like to re-wind the clock to 1986 and the original "Top Gun" movie, featuring a gorgeous theme song, the "Top Gun Anthem", written by Harold Faltermeyer and Steve Stevens.

For a quick backdrop, Harold Faltermeyer is a German composer who was discovered at a young age by producer & composer Giorgio Moroder (with whom he worked on a number of projects). Faltermeyer became hugely famous when he wrote & performed the song "Axle F" for the movie "Beverly Hills Cop" starring Eddie Murphy.

Steve Stevens is best known for his work with Billy Idol and at the time had recorded Billy's first two albums ("Billy Idol" and "Rebel Yell") and was in he studio with Billy recording "Whiplash Smile". Steve went on to record with many others, including Michael Jackson, and appeared on-stage for Live Aid playing guitar with the Thompson Twins alongside Nile Rodgers and Madonna.

Harold and Steve won a Grammy in 1987 for "Top Gun Anthem" for Best Instrumental Pop Performance.

So, to the music!

Sonic Sorcery: Chromatic Descent with Bob Dylan's "Feel My Love"

Bob Dylan is a man of many talents and, musically, of many lives. 

With a career spanning 60-odd years, with classic songs coming from almost every decade, collaborations with other music legends, 125+ million records sold (with 32 of his 80+ album netting gold or platinum status in the US), Academy Award and Golden Globe alongside his 10 Grammy Awards & countless Grammy nominations (as well as both a Pulitzer Prize and a Nobel Prize for Literature, & other accolades), and much more, Bob Dylan's name & work is written, as it were, into the very stone of modern western culture.

In 1997 he wrote and recorded a song called "Make You Feel My Love" that has since been covered by over 400 artists, with charting versions from Billy Joel (who performed the first commercial release, peaking at #9), Garth Brooks (peaking at #8), and most recently by Adele in 2008 (charting in 10 countries and peaking at #1).

The song has a beautiful descending chromatic line we'll discuss in a moment, and an unusual but compelling chord progression.

Lets jump right in!

Sonic Sorcery: The Dark Arts of "Every Breath You Take"

From the mind of the man who brought us "Roxanne", "Message in a Bottle", "King of Pain", "We'll Be Together", "All This Time", "Fields of Gold", "Desert Rose", and more (over 60 charting singles in all, with 20 platinum selling albums and over 100 Grammy, MTV, AMA, & other major award nominations with 46 wins and a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame), Sting is among the most prolific & critically acclaimed artists ever, as well as one of the best selling artists of all time.

The song "Every Breath You Take" - which was written in 1982 at Ian Fleming's writing desk at Goldeneye Estate in Jamaica - was released in 1983 and became a Top 10 hit in 19 countries (topping the charts in 6), won 2 Grammys & other major awards, is ranked #84 on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list, and more.

Quick note: The song was written in A, but performed with instruments tuned 1/2 step down. However, I'll refer to the song in the key of A for simplicity.

No time to dally! Let's look right at the chart, and then we'll discuss the progression, the chords, the modulations, and the lyrics!

Sonic Sorcery: The Fearless Modulations of "Good Vibrations"

In the third installment of this series, we took a look under the hood, as it were, at The Beach Boys song "Surfer Girl" which, harmonically speaking, is a gorgeous run through diatonic exploration. While it does possess a key change at the end (shifting up 1/2 step from D to Eb), the pay-dirt is really found in the prosody between the chord progression and melody.

By contrast, "Good Vibrations" (written just 3 years after "Surfer Girl" was released) leaps into the fires of modulation (aka: key change) with no reservations at all. Worthy of note: Brian Wilson was only 23 years old when he wrote this masterpiece that went on to hit #1 on the charts, be nominated for a Grammy, land on Rolling Stones "500 Greatest Songs list" at #6, and be cited as a major influence for songs like "A Day in the Life" by the Beatles and "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen (and, I suspect, much of Sting's work both solo and with The Police, which we'll examine in future installments).

Slide Guitar: A Guided Musical Tour

Son House - blues legend

For brevity, we'll do a VERY condensed origin & history of slide guitar, and then a short list of a handful of "modern era" (1955 to now) popular songs featuring slide guitar.

If you find you really enjoy the sound of various slide guitars, I strongly suggest a deep dive into styles and eras touched on below!

Origins

Its sometime post 1800 and European sailors have been visiting the Hawaiian Islands for a couple of decades. At some point, they bring ashore an instrument very much like the modern guitar (which was first made in 1850, but there were a variety of similar instruments - some called "guitar" and others bearing different names).

For reasons unknown, the islanders dislike the standard tunings of the 5-string and 6-string instruments, and re-tune them to open chords (they called it "slack-key", as they tuned strings down to achieve this, and we now refer to this as "open chord" tuning). At some point, someone laid a piece of metal across the strings to play it....sliding the metal across the strings. One story is that it was a man named Joseph Kekuku and that he picked up an old rusted bolt and on a whim, applied it to the strings of his "Spanish" guitar. Whatever the truth, the "steel guitar" is officially born.

Sonic Sorcery: "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?"

This beautiful song was written by the always stellar Carole King and her then songwriting partner & husband Gerry Goffin (for context, if my history is correct, King wrote the music while Goffin & King shared lyric duties for this song).

It was first recorded & released by The Shirelles in 1960 and went to #1 on the charts (despite being banned from many radio stations for being too sexually suggestive), and was subsequently recorded by Brenda Lee, Ben E, King, Dusty Springfield, Cher, The Four Seasons, & more through the 60s (and many more in later decades, from Roberta Flack to Amy Winehouse), and Carole King included a slower version on her ground-breaking album "Tapestry" in 1971 with backup vocals supplied by none other than James Taylor and Joni Mitchell.

The song has since landed on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" as well as taking the #3 slot on their "100 Greatest Girl Songs" list.

Let's dive into this classic.