It’s About Time!
Background: In a previous blog, we talked about dating your songs – that is using months, days, and years to provide details within your songs. However, this particular blog will discuss songs that use times in them, the more specific the better, to tell your story. Of course there will be some notable omissions, like “3 AM” by Matchbox Twenty, as I have another song in the 3:00 o’clock hour, and do not want to repeat times. But whether you’re familiar with the songs I chat about or they’re new discoveries for you, I hope you get something useful out of them!
“25 or 6 to 4” by Chicago
Lyrically/Structurally: This song is about insomnia and the desperation that comes with being up at random times throughout the day. With each verse, the experiences of the narrator seem to get more intense and more desperate. He tries to close his eyes in the first verse, but that doesn’t work. So in the second verse, he starts staring into space. That doesn’t work so he “(gets) up to splash (his) face.” He’s trying to stay awake, but in the third verse, goes back to the realization that he should probably be sleeping. The last verse mirrors the first, as he is “Waiting for the break of day.” Structurally, the song uses four verses, with a chorus in between each one, and a solo before the last verse. It’s worth noting that Chicago is one of only a few bands who have posed a question in one song (“Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?”) and answered that question in another song (“25 or 6 to 4”).
Melodically: The main riff (on guitar) uses Am, G, F#, F, and E, a i, VIIb, VI#, VI, V pattern (with the song written in A minor), while the verses uses a line cliche as the bass line moves scalewise from A to E over the A. This forms the chords of Am, D9/F#, F, E, Am, Am7/G, D9/F#, F, and E. More than guitar, though, the song, like many by Chicago, is distinguished by its brass parts: saxophone, trombone, and trumpet, which are especially prevalent in the solos, shine throughout the song to compliment the other instruments (guitar, bass, and electric piano).
You don’t have to wait for the break of day to listen to “25 or 6 to 4” as it’s embedded below.
2. “3:59 AM” by John Moreland
Lyrically: In case you didn’t notice, we’re going in chronological order with these time songs. The latest the Chicago song could have been was 3:54, so 5 minutes later is when this lyrical masterpiece by John Moreland comes into play. From the first verse, we know he’s an insomniac thanks to regrets from his past for which he can’t seem to forgive himself. It’s so vividly written, with the line, “There’s a million soggy miles soaking through the soles of my shoes,” but also grants himself a little grace by saying, “Don’t give yourself away just to settle someone else’s score.” The final reveal in the song is that he’s talking to a new love, apologizing, but saying, “I’ve never had a lick of sense when it comes to you.” He then closes with a killer stanza, used as a chorus: “So try to be patient, try to understand, I’m a child, trying to do the work of a man. My pockets are empty, I don’t own a thing, but I’d take a diamond from the sky and put it in your ring.” It should be noted that the title appears nowhere in the lyrics, but these are the deep thoughts that could only come about at a time like 3:59 AM, and that’s the one thing that isn’t an explicit picture. However, the rest of it is, so we can envision this guy at that exact time. It’s just gorgeous.
Melodically: Fitting with the feel of the song, there is only an acoustic guitar, instrumentally. Chord-wise, the song is written in Eb, but can also be played in Drop D, as is noted with this set of chords. With the capo on the 2nd fret, the intro plays around the D, using D5, Dsus4, and D (played twice). The verses, played twice then use Bm, Aadd4/C#, G/D (vi, V, IV), and D, A, Bm, G, D5, Dsus4, and D (I, V, vi IV, I). The chorus uses Bm, Aadd4, G, and D (A vi, V, IV, I pattern played twice), followed by A, Bm, G, Gadd#11, G, G5, D/A, G, D5, Dsus4, and D (V, vi, IV, I, IV, I).
Structurally: The song uses a verse, chorus, verse, chorus, Instrumental, chorus format. The first chorus serves to contrast itself: all the things he did right in the relationship, making sacrifices, proving his love 40 times over in his songs, delaying his shows, etc, while each ensuing chorus shows him growing as a person and valuing himself as a person a little more than before. He realizes he doesn’t have any sense when it comes to this new person, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, because she’s incredible. “Tangled Up in Blue” chronicles the rise and fall of a relationship, but ultimately kind of shows the narrator throwing his hands up in the air, saying “We always did feel the same, we just saw it from a different point of view.” That’s where the story ends, and the song as a whole is right to be all verses to convey simply what happened, without any growth in the main character. In this song, however, the use of a chorus to show that growth, along with the verses that do the same (both in a beautifully subtle manner), is necessary and adds a lot to how we’re supposed to feel about the narrator. However, the chorus’ simplicity in this song, while saying so much still, doesn’t overshine the details in the verses, and that also works tremendously well.
“3:59 AM” is embedded below. Shoutout to Jesse At WEVL for playing this song on his show. He and the rest of the DJs never fail to tip me off to fabulous music I’ve never heard before!
3. “5:19” by Matt Wertz
Lyrically: “5:19” tells the story of someone whose girlfriend at the time told him in a conversation that she needed some space from him. (“July came, I thought I had it all together, ‘til you said you needed space.”) Whether in denial or due to the vagueness of needing space (as opposed to just breaking up with someone), it is making his head spin at 5:19. Matt said in an interview that he was talking to a friend about what was going on, and his friend was taking notes. As they chatted, he looked at the clock and said, “It’s 5:19 and I’m feeling alone,” and that became a line in the song, in fact the defining line of the chorus. For some reason, I’ve always interpreted this as 5:19 PM, rather than the aforementioned insomnia in previous songs, but the vagueness again does wonders for the song, even though the aforementioned anecdote backs up my thinking. It’s really a song about waiting and the anxiety behind it – despite insisting he’s cool with waiting for her to call him back. He also described it as a “Don’t call me, I’ll call you” situation. Side note: 5/19 is what I have dubbed Matt Wertz Day, in addition to Steely Dan Day (“May Nineteen”). Shoutout to Matt for getting a kick out of it on social media one year, responding to my post. Still no word from Fagen.
Melodically: The song is written in C# minor, and the intro uses the chords C#m7, B, A, E, C#m7 (a i7, VII, VI, III, i7 pattern), while the chorus uses C#m7, B, A, E, C#m7 (repeating the i7, VII, VI, i7 pattern), B, A, C#m7, B, A, E, C#m7, F#m, A, F#m, B (VII, VI, i7, VII, VI, III, i7, iv, VI, iv, VII). Instrumentally, the song contains only acoustic guitar in the verses, with light percussion and electric lead guitar coming in during the chorus. The electric guitar is also heard between the first and second verse, as well as during the second verse and bridge, along with the acoustic.
Structurally: The song uses a verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus format. For those of you who know my songwriting style, I tend to try to stay away from “a capella or mellow choruses” coming out of the bridge. However, with this song, it works really well. There’s a desperation in his voice during the bridge that wasn’t there during the rest of the song. It works very well for the bridge, because overall it’s a hopeful, mellow song. So having a chorus come out of the bridge that’s calmer, then having one final one that amps up his vocals a little bit works incredibly well for the song. It gives it just the right kick so it doesn’t feel monotonous, but also flows very well.
With one eye on the clock, and one on the phone, you can listen to 5:19 below. You can also listen on your computer, I don’t care. But I hope you enjoy it!
4. “Midnight Train to Georgia” by Gladys Knight and the Pips
Lyrically: “Midnight Train to Georgia” was written by Jim Weatherly, and was originally called “Midnight Plane to Houston.” The revision process saw it change from a midnight plane to a midnight train. The plane was going to Houston, but thanks to a record producer named Sonny Limbo, the title changed to “Midnight Train to Georgia.” Weatherly gave him permission to do so, but said he couldn’t change anything about the rest of the song. I can’t say for sure, but it’s entirely possible that Journey’s “Midnight train goin’ anywhere” wouldn’t have been a thought in Steve Perry’s mind had it not been for that revision. As for the rest of it, it’s a lyrically gorgeous song, and I’m glad Jim didn’t compromise his artistic integrity too much. In going back over this blog, I realized that technically 12:00 AM comes before any of the other times I talked about, but in the context of the song, the midnight train is the last train out of town, and paints a picture of desperation.
The song tells the tale of a man who tried to make it out in Los Angeles, but it “proved too much for the man.” The depth of the story comes from the sympathy of the narrator, who has an emotional connection to the failed actor, declaring at the end of the chorus, “I’d rather live in his world than live without him in mine.” The emotional connection, of course, is that he left her in order to be an actor in L.A., and when it didn’t work out, she was excited that he was coming back to her, and that she’d be able to meet him on the train.
What’s fascinating about this song, in addition to the lead vocals, are the background vocals of the Pips. Sometimes background vocals are just “oohs” and “ahhs” or harmonies with what’s already being sung. But in this song, they add so much to what’s already being said, such as “And when he takes that ride, guess who’s gonna be by his side,” as well as the call and response in the second verse, “A superstar, but he didn’t get far.” Of course there are some flat out fun vocals too, such as when the Pips sing, “Woo woo!” at a few points during the chorus. The ending also contains one of my favorite bits of riffing, with Gladys repeating, “I got to go, I got to go” as the song fades. It’s so iconic that when a kid in my class was goofing off, then insisted they had to use the bathroom by repeating “I got to go,” I looked at them and said, “Thank you, Gladys Knight. Please sit down.”
Structurally: The song uses a verse, chorus, verse, chorus, chorus, chorus, ending format. I have talked extensively about story songs and example songs, and I would definitely classify this as a story song, but it’s very simply put. There’s no long backstory in the first verse about how he left her to be an actor, there’s no mention of how the two of them will be, how they ended up, what they will do or did do on the train, it’s just simply stating her mission. And to me, that makes the song all the more powerful. When you think of a midnight train, there’s an automatic visual of desperation, and when you hear “I’d rather live in his world than live without him in mine,” you know step one is just to be near the man again. So a third verse isn’t necessary and the ending hits us one more time with how lonely she is without him. It’s so simple, but the layered vocals give it a kick that make it all the more powerful.
Melodically: The song is written in Db major, and follows a Db, Ebm7, Gb, and Ab pattern, which gets played four times to start off the song (this is I, iii, IV, V pattern). The fourth time around, a D chord, the tonic, gets thrown in before the G, and a G7 gets played after the G. The same pattern gets followed in the chorus, but the second time she sings the “Midnight train to Georgia” part in the chorus, she switches from a C (on the word “Georgia”) to an Am. The ending goes back to that C, Em7, F, and G pattern, which gets played 9 times. Instrumentally, saxophone, piano, and organ dominate the recording.
In closing, I want to give one final shoutout to the Pips for their work on this recording. I can’t remember when I first heard this song, but my dad made sure I knew every single one of their background vocals, and although those tight harmonies were an important part of the Motown Sound, this recording always stuck out to me growing up. I was recently at a show where this was performed and I was the only one in the crowd who knew when the “Woo woo!” part came in. The Pips were also featured in a Geico ad a few years ago, to showcase their vocals. That’s how iconic they are!
You can listen to “Midnight Train to Georgia” below.
Closing Note: As I said at the beginning, there are many songs I could have chosen for this blog. Rather than rehashing this down the road, I’m also including a further listening playlist for your enjoyment. Shoutout to my dad for insisting I talk about “5:15” by the Who, which is one of my favorites as well. (Like seriously, I think of them everytime I’m looking at a clock at 5:15 – that’s how good the song is!)
