Category Archives: Chord Arguments
The “She” Surmise: The Zombies, “She’s Not There” (1964)
[Which font and color would you choose for SHE?] Now that gender pronouns are under renegotiation, it’s a good time to think about the charge of “he” and “she” in songs, or anytime. Especially “she.” I have long wondered what … Continue reading
The Forgetting Hook: The American Breed, “Bend Me, Shape Me” (1967)
Rummaging again in the treasure chest of 1967, in the “Nuggets” compartment, I find part of the charm of the radio hit “Bend Me, Shape Me” in the verse and chorus being in different keys, making the song a series … Continue reading
The Purple Chords: Marshall Crenshaw, “This Is Easy” (1987)
Marshall Crenshaw’s “This Is Easy” is about a moment in a relationship where feelings are very mixed and charged. The standout musical moments in the song, Crenshaw-sweet, remind me of purple jelly beans. I can’t say what actually goes into … Continue reading
The Main Thing that Happened in Hook History in 1967
I wish there were annual conferences, or music festivals, with rival presentations on what most importantly happened in hook history in a certain year. Since I’m conducting a festival of sorts for 1967 here in these last months of 2017, … Continue reading
Too Beautiful: Small Faces, “Itchycoo Park” (1967)
The year of wonders, 1967, is well-represented on the Hooks site,[1] but I’d like to lift up one more wonder to mark its fiftieth anniversary. I’ve always found “Itchycoo Park” (released in August 1967) tremendous, but to protect the experience … Continue reading
Expectant: Stone Temple Pilots, “Sour Girl” (2000)
“Sour Girl” I wonder why “Sour Girl” feels like that—so hoveringly melancholy, regretful yet releaseful. I know exactly where I am in “Sour Girl,” but it’s a place of uncertainty. Maybe it’s like this. When you enter a new environment … Continue reading
Hot Spot of Collaboration: The Doors, “The Crystal Ship” (1967)
In appreciation of Ray Manzarek 1939-2013 On their first three albums, The Doors credited all their songs to The Doors. Intense collaboration was the ideal. Today we know a lot about who was responsible for what: Morrison for most of … Continue reading
Solace Overload: Living Colour, “Solace Of You” (1990)
In case you too have been undone by Living Colour’s “Solace Of You,” here is one chord geek’s attempt to figure out what does the undoing. “Solace Of You” 1 Surely one of the loveliest American pieces ever inspired by … Continue reading
Chord as (Other) World: Queens of the Stone Age, “A Song For The Dead” (2003)
It’s rare in popular music, but any bit of a song might abruptly shift you mentally to an unexpected and busy place, like when the special cookie unleashes a flood of remembrance in Proust. Would that necessarily be a personal, … Continue reading
The Drop and The Lift: Mitch Easter, “1 1/2 Way Street” (2007) and Pearl Jam, “Brain Of J” (1998)
[I know, I said I would stop posting, but I was bowled over again last week by two favorite tracks and fell off the wagon. What can I do? It’s love. This time it’s another case of loving Adventures in … Continue reading
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