I thought I’d try something new. Sometimes I hear a Super Cool Thing™ in a song…but there’s not really enough to warrant an analysis of the full song. But gosh, I’d sure like to point out the Super Cool Thing™! So here we are.
This song came up on my playlist the other day and it’s always infused me with such a warm, comforted feeling. It starts off with a bit of wacky soundscaping, but the introduction of the melody at
But once we get to
Of course, I don’t really have a science-y answer to that, but I can only go on to describe more abstractly of what is happening in my brain. The bass line in this section doesn’t change. It pulses from D to G, and back again. The chords being played over this section go back and forth between D major and G major; when the D major is played, this creates an interesting D/G and when the G major is played, this creates a G 2nd inversion chord. What about this makes my brain tingly and relaxed? I think part of it is the consistency of the note of the bass line – it doesn’t change as the chords above it do. It felt grounded. It’s like knowing you could always come home
A few other things clicked with this realization. In one of my favourite VoicePlay Songs, Bridge Over Troubled Waters, at 0:56, Geoff Castellucci’s bass line is maintained on Db (another point in their favour – Db is my absolute favourite key (note to self: write a blog on why I love the key of Db and despise the key of C sometime)) as the chords over top go back and forth between Db major and Gb major (again, creating a Gb major 2nd inversion chord). Whenever that part comes on, I feel like “Geoff’s got me, he’s got my back, he’s there for me.” It maintains such a warm, homey foundation that you know you can count on..
I’ve talked before about how a 1st inversion chord (a chord with the bass note on the third) makes me feel overwhelmingly sad. Turns out, a 2nd inversion chord in general is what sounds homey and comforting to me. When trying to sort out what I meant by that just now, the imagery that immediately popped into my head was oatmeal cookies and homemade lemonade (probably made by a loving grandma).
Hey…I never said this write-up would be based in science…
There’s also something just so…pleasing about a perfect fifth interval (which is what this turns out to be – a 2nd inversion chord is essentially the bass note on the fifth) that just fills me with serene satisfaction.
Do you know of any other songs where the bass line maintains on a note or two while the chord above changes? I’d love to hear them! Let me know in the comments!
What did you think of this bite-sized write-up? Let me know that too!
Hmm… that’s pretty interesting, Angie. Definitely opens my eyes to how music makes me feel. Thanks!
Ah, very cool! I like this bite sized post for sure. As an amuse-bouche tends to be, for me (as someone not that knowledgable), this is definitely easier to digest and understand.
It has more than 2 notes, but I get a similar feeling from the bassline in Habnera. The soprano and even sometimes the BVs feel like balloons to me, foating up in the air on a bouncy string and getting buffeted about by the wind. But the whole time, the bass is the vendor standing at the bottom holding the strings securely, taking steps from time to time as they walk about selling their balloons to passersby, but always rock solid in the security of those strings, allowing the balloons to soar and be pleasing without worry of ever being lost.