It’s All Relative!
Background: It is often said that songwriters should write about what they know. And one of the first things people tend to know about is their family. Whether you have good memories or bad memories about them, they can provide excellent fodder for a song or two. That will be the focus of this blog. Note: There’s another blog on our website called “It’s All Relative” about relative major and minor chords, written by Joe Matthews. Go check that one out too!
“Father and Son” by Cat Stevens/Yusef Islam
Lyrically: In one of my first blogs, we talked about character development, and in a more recent one, we discussed types of narration. In “Father and Son,” the artist then known as Cat Stevens utilizes the character development technique of creating a character and putting the listener in their shoes as the narrator. In that blog, we looked at Steely Dan’s “Deacon Blues,” which is a much different song than “Father and Son,” but still uses some of the same narrative techniques. In “Deacon Blues,” there’s not really an acknowledgement of narration until the chorus, and that acknowledgement similarly does not enter in “Father and Son” until the second verse, when the father realizes he does not know how to address his son, despite saying “I was once in your shoes.” Overall, though it’s a gentle conversation, but there are some strange lines in the song, such as “You’re still young, that’s your fault” that kind of seem like he’s blaming the kid, but then others that say “There’s so much you have to know,” giving the child permission to make mistakes and go at his own pace. However, the son, who’s part of the conversation does not come in until the very end of the song (the fourth verse), does not see how his father can understand what he’s going through, saying “This is my decision alone.” I know for me, it took until writing this blog to really understand who was talking when within the song, but part of the reason it’s so relatable is because it’s very true to the kind of relationship many fathers have with their sons: they want to impart knowledge, but don’t know how, yet that doesn’t always stop them. So having the monologue-style narration makes the song all the more powerful and relatable.
Melodically: Written in G major, the first stanza of the first verse uses G, D/F#, C, and Am7, and G, Em, Am, Am7, and D, which gets repeated twice. The first four chords follow a I, V, IV, II7 pattern, while the second four chords follow a I, vi, ii, ii7, V pattern. The second stanza follows the same pattern, but ends on the D and G instead of the Am, Am7, and D. Verse 2 uses G, Bm, C, and Am7, a I, iii, IV, ii pattern, followed by G, Em, Am7, and D, which is a I, vi, ii7, V pattern. The third line then matches the first, before ending on G, Em, D, and G (the I, vi, V, I pattern) and D, C, and G (the V, IV, and I). The solo then uses G, D, C, and Am7, G, Em, Am7, and D, G, D, C, and Am7, followed by G, Em, D, and G, D, C, and G, C/G, which gets played twice. Verse 3 uses G, D, C, and Am7, followed by G, Em, Am, and D, G, D, C, Am7, G, Em, Am7, and D. Finally, verse 4 uses G, Bm, C, Am7, G, Em, Am, Am7, and D, which gets played twice, before ending on G, Em, D, G, G/D, D, C, and G in the last verse. Instrumentally, the song contains guitar.
Structurally: The song contains all verses, of which there are five. With so much to say, a chorus would not make sense, and therefore there isn’t one. A bridge would have been a not-so-out-of-place choice, as it tends to take the song to a different place than it was going before, but with all the vocal and narrative changes in the verses, as well as the melodic ones on guitar, that already takes care of what a bridge would do.
“Father and Son” is embedded below.
2. “Mother-in-Law” by Ernie K. Doe
Lyrically: Relatable for any family gathering, this song plays on the “Mother in Law” trope to hilarious effect. With lines such as “Satan should be her name… to me they’re about the same,” and “If she’d just leave us alone, we would have a happy home, sent from far below, Mother in Law.” Normally when I analyze the songs for my blog, I don’t mind giving away some of my favorite lyrics, but you deserve the pleasure of being surprised by some of the zingers in there. I’ll leave you with this: It takes a lot for a song like this to be charming, but my favorite insult songs (like “Idiot Wind” and “Positively 4th Street”) are so over the top in nature that you can’t help but laugh at their ridiculousness. “Mother in Law” strikes that same tone for me and it works to charming effect!
Melodically: Instrumentally, the song is built around piano and drums, but also contains bass and horns. The song switches between the Eb and the Cm twice in the intro, before ending on a Bb7. With the song written in Eb, this is a I, vi, V7 pattern. The verses use Eb, Cm, played four times, followed by Eb and G7 (the I and III7 chords), Ab and Adim, and F7 and Bb (the II7 and V7 chords), before ending on the Eb, Cm, and Bb7 pattern from the intro. There’s a circularity to this particular song that makes it very effective melodically, and that’s all thanks to the playful name calling in the lyrics. The beginning stanzas (with the hilarious background cries of “Mother-in-Law”) match the middle sections, suggesting the hell loop the narrator is in by having to deal with his Mother-in-Law. The only time it strays from this pattern even slightly is with the solo before the third verse, in which the only variation is the use of an Ab instead of the Cm (the IV instead of the vi) after the Eb and before the Bb7
Structurally: The song contains all verses, of which there are three, with the aforementioned solo in between the second and third verses. I mentioned the circular nature of this song in the melodic section. There are enough chord changes in the last half of the verses prior to going into the “Mother-in-Law” hook/refrain, so a full-on chorus isn’t necessary for this song, nor is a bridge. I also cannot imagine looking at the content of the verses and thinking, “Hey, this needs a chorus to drive our point home.” It’s a masterfully crafted song, and I would expect nothing less from its writer, Alan Toussant!
“Mother-in-Law” is embedded below.
3. “Sister Oh Sister” by Rosanne Cash (Written by Rodney Crowell and Mary Kerr)
Lyrically: There are many songs I thought of for the sibling portion of this blog, but I wanted to focus on actual family members, rather than the “brothers and sisters” theme that tends to exist in many songs like “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye. But “Sister Oh Sister” talks about times when sisters have to look out for each other, from small ways, like making sure a guy at a bar doesn’t take advantage of her (especially since they were underage), to standing up for themselves when a bunch of guys were bullying them, by beating the guys up. Interestingly, the first verse says “I miss your shadow,” so it’s unclear throughout the rest of the song whether the other sister has passed or just moved away or grown apart. That’s what makes the song so dynamic.
Melodically: The song is written in the key of B and utilizes a pattern of B, C#m, E, B, and G#m, which is a I, ii, V, I pattern in the intro, followed by B, G#m, D#, B, and C#m, E, and B in the verses (a I, vi, III, ii, IV, I pattern). The C#m, E, and B gets played twice, followed by C#, E, F, and B (the II, IV, V, and I). Instrumentally, it contains guitar, bass, and drums.
Structurally: The song follows a chorus, verse, chorus, verse chorus format. There’s something really cool about starting this song with the chorus, and it works well as an example song. The chorus says that her sister has always been there for her and the verses explain how. If she had started with a verse, it would have worked, but it keeps us listening a little bit harder to figure out the details of why they’re so close when it starts with the chorus.
“Sister, Oh Sister” is embedded below.
4. “Grandma’s Hands” by Bill Withers
Lyrically: There was always a relatability to Bill Withers’ songs, whether it was “Lovely Day,” “Lean On Me,” or “Grandma’s Hands.” But what makes “Grandma’s Hands” stick out is that it provides a very specific visual about his memories of his grandmother. Her hands “Clapped in church on Sunday morning,” “played the tambourine so well,” “soothed the local unwed mother,” but also “used to issue out a warning.” The aforementioned specificity of focusing on her hands sets up the last powerful line of the song: “If I get to Heaven, I’ll look for Grandma’s hands.” It would have been easy to just say, “I’ll look for grandma,” but this specific memory of when her hands “served (him) well” is what takes the song to the next level.
Melodically: “Grandma’s Hands” is written in E minor, which gets played three times to start off the song, before switching to a B. This is followed by Em, B, and A, followed by B, A, B, A, and Em. That is a i, V, IV, V, IV, V, IV, i pattern. Instrumentally, the song contains acoustic guitar, organ (probably a Hammond 3B), bass, and drums. This song (and the album as a whole), was produced by Memphis’ own Booker T. Jones, and Withers was backed by Jones and the MGs on this track. Another notable melodic note: The humming on the track was later sampled on Blackstreet’s “No Diggity,” and that’s how good Bill Withers was: from his music to his humming, everyone wanted to be like him!
Structurally: The song uses all verses, of which there are three. It’s a very simple song, simply arranged, which fits the song very well. His memories are vivid and are therefore delivered in a straightforward manner, with a calm melodic arrangement in the background. No need for a chorus or bridge, just the three examples of what he remembers about Grandma’s hands. Although the melody is slow and calm, I just noticed how quickly the third verse comes at you, as a result of there only being three of them and no solo in between. The way he sneaks the “but I don’t have grandma anymore” line in there really hits you quick.
“Grandma’s Hands” is embedded below.
