By The Numbers

Mar 3

Background: Songs often evoke emotions, whether happy, sad, or anything in between. Throw a number in there and I get all kinds of upset, because I was told there would be no math. But the use of numbers in songs can be an effective tool for getting your message across, and that will be the focus of this particular blog. As always, there are many possibilities and therefore many omissions, but my goal is to bring you songs that you’re maybe slightly less familiar with to give you a new voice in your head while you’re writing. Side note: the title of this blog comes from an album by The Who, named after the stretch where they briefly changed their name to The Magic Numbers.

“Two” by Dan Wilson

Lyrically: “Two” is told from the perspective of a narrator who is amazed at how quickly things changed for the better with his significant other. The first verse discusses his dreams of her “In (her) lilac room” while wondering if there will be room for the two of them in there. He then fears that he held on too tightly and scared her off, but then realizes that when she declared him the one, she probably just wanted to show him how quickly things could change. The second verse sees her kiss him for the first time, leaving him speechless, and ends with his poetic realization that he just needed to let things play out: “Once I tried to control your heart and contain the fire in you, but fingertips that caress can also bruise, willing lips can still refuse, and one who tries too hard to win can be the one who proves…” before diving into the chorus: “How suddenly 1 turns into 2 how easily pink turns into blue one turns into two? Two…” The verses show the fragility of a relationship, as well as its ups and downs, but the chorus discusses how magical things can be once they get it right, including the allusion to a pregnancy with the “pink turns into blue” line. I intentionally skipped the use of the word “one” in this blog, because there’s ironically pretty much only one place to go while writing about that number. But the power of this song is one turning into two, along with the journey to get there, which can see, as it is put in the bridge, “Unity gone in division.” Unity is an interesting word, because it takes two to have unity, but it’s the same Latin root that the word “one” comes from, and one is not evenly divisible by anything other than itself. So the reality of the situation is that two is what they always come back to.

Melodically: The song is written in D major. The intro uses D, F#m, Bm, and F#m, followed by D, F#m, Bm, and A. This is a I, iii, vi, iii, I, iii, vi, V pattern. Throughout the verses, he uses D, Bm, F#m, and G, followed by D, Bm, A, and G (which is a I, vi, iii, IV, I, vi, V, IV pattern). The chorus uses D, F#m, Bm, and F#m, followed by D, F#m, Bm, and G (the second of which gets played twice). This is a I, iii, vi, iii, I, iii, vi, IV pattern. The bridge then uses G and F#m (a IV, iii pattern, played twice), followed by Em and A, the ii and V chords. The outro then uses a I, iii, vi, iii, I, iii, vi, V pattern of D, F#m, B, F#m, D, F#m, Bm, G. Instrumentally, the song uses acoustic and electric guitar, as well as piano, a drum machine, and a tabla.

Structurally: The song utilizes a verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus, chorus format. In earlier blogs, I have mentioned story songs, example songs, and hybrid songs. Since these are fragments of a relationship, I would consider this to be a hybrid song, with each chorus tying back to the relationship coming together in times of doubt. All verses would not have done the trick to drive this point home. Dan is one of my favorite bridge/pre-chorus writers, and his contributions to this part of the song often contain a catchy staccato, like in “Someone Like You” or just a general catchiness in “Free Life.” This bridge, however, ends on a high note with a slight pause before returning to the chorus – which builds up the tension the narrator in the song is feeling.

“Two” is embedded below.

2. “9 Crimes” by Damien Rice

Lyrically: The song deals with a narrator who is out at a bar with his mistress. The first verse describes how his not-so-significant-other “(Leaves him) out in the waste.” He knows it’s wrong, saying, “I’ve got no excuse” but later admits, “she’s pulling me through.” Both verses mirror each other closely, ending with saying there is no excuse for the behavior. Notably, the song begins with band member Lisa Hannigan on vocals, before Damien comes in on the second verse. This would explain the similarities, as both of them are to blame.

But the chorus metaphorically asks, “Is that alright? Give my gun away, when it’s loaded. Is that alright? If I don’t shoot it how’m I supposed to show it?” This is an extremely dark song, so up until re-visiting these lyrics, I always assumed the gun was an actual gun. But instead, the loaded gun represents desire and love one is ready to give. Him giving it away when it’s loaded is giving it to someone who will appreciate what he brings to the table. Her shooting the gun represents unlocking that desire, and not taking him for granted, but she refuses so he has to look elsewhere.

Of note, this song could have fit the “Not titling to a hook” blog, but the word “crime” appears in both verses. The beauty of calling it “9 Crimes” is that not all the “crimes” are revealed, so you start to wonder what else he did.

Melodically: The song’s primary instrument is piano, and uses the chords Am, F, and C, played twice in the intro. The verses follow the same pattern, but add the G in after the C. With the song written in A minor, this is a i, VI, III progression, adding in the VIIb chord. The chorus uses the same pattern. Within the second chorus, there is a cello that can be heard in the background.

Structurally: The song uses a verse, chorus, verse, chorus, chorus format. There are a lot of songs out there that don’t work as a duet, or are more powerful when from one person’s point of view, rather than two. But this isn’t one of them. Both of the people in this song seem absolutely horrible, so layering the vocals so that both people get to prove why the other drove them to the darkness discussed is a fabulous artistic choice.

“9 Crimes" is embedded below. Is that alright?

3. “Thirteen” by Big Star

Lyrically: Speaking of songs that don’t title to a hook, this classic is sung from the perspective of a young kid (presumably around the age of 13), and the innocent early days of romance. It starts with the line, “Won’t you let me walk you home from school? Won’t you let me meet you at the pool?” The second verse leans into the teenage angst that comes with a relationship: “Won’t you tell your dad ‘get off my back’?” adding, to get in his good graces, “Tell him what we said ‘bout ‘Paint it Black.'” The third verse asks if she’ll be “an outlaw for my love” implying that maybe her dad never did approve of him. The song’s simplicity is what stands out to me. There are some poetic lines in there, like the aforementioned “Outlaw” line, but there’s nothing in the song that tries to sound older than the narrator is supposed to be. It’s not mushy, it’s a very relatable way of how people feel when they first fall for someone. Whether you’re a happily married adult like my mom (who was thirteen when the song was released), or a bitter single adult like her son, this song is just all kinds of special. There’s a reason why when people are happy in love, they sometimes say they feel like a kid again. And that’s why this song has held up for so long. That’s also why it doesn’t need to be titled to a hook: the minute you hear it, it takes you back to when you were 13 and they don’t even have to say it.

Melodically/Structurally: With the capo on the third fret, the song is written the key of Bb major and uses Bb, Eb (played once in the intro and 5 times in the verses) before switching to a Bb, Gm7, Eb, Bb, and Cm7, which is a I, IV, I, vi7, IV, I, ii7 pattern. This is followed by Gm7, Am7, Eb, Gm, and Cm7, a iii7, iv7, I, iii, vi7 pattern. An Em7, Am7 pattern (the iv7 and viib7 chords) then gets played twice, before ending on F5, Eb, Bb, and Cm7, a V, IV, I, iim7 pattern. Instrumentally, the song contains only acoustic guitar, complementing the simplicity of the lyrics.

Structurally, The song contains all verses, of which there are three. In between the second and third verses, there is an acoustic guitar solo. Again, there’s a charming simplicity to this song that never strays.

“Thirteen” is embedded below.

4. “20 Years” by Jeremy Messersmith

Lyrically: For those of you who read my blog about “It’s Only Dancing” by Jeremy Messsersmith, you know he can absolutely tug at your heartstrings with his writing. “20 Years” was on his setlist when I saw him back in Minnesota, and I can’t remember the last time I laughed harder at a set of lyrics. I say get you someone who can do both! The first line is “Brand new baby, good for you. Not really something I would do. I never thought the world could use more people.” He then proceeds to give his friend some balloons and flowers to celebrate, before signing off by saying, “I’ll see you in 20 years.” He then says, “I’m sorry I missed the baby shower, but it was right during Happy Hour,” and the song just keeps getting funnier from there. (I’ll let you enjoy the rest of the song on your own–I’ll see you in 20 years with your report!)

Melodically: The song is only available in live form, and the one I’ll link is only him on guitar. It’s written in the key of C major and alternates between C, F, G, and Am, which is a I, IV, V, vi pattern. Even if this were available in a studio recording, the lyrics are so hilarious that you wouldn’t want them drowned out by or even lightly accompanied by any other instruments. The bare arrangement also lends itself well to the fact that his guy is out there on his own, but also having the absolute time of his life, since he’s not married and doesn’t have any kids.

Structurally: The song uses a verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus format. Each part of the song is short and gets to the punchline right away, which works not only with the mindset of the narrator but also with the idea that the new parent doesn’t have time to listen to a big long spiel about their history, and neither do we as the listener. It’s funnier to just imagine what this person is like, although we all know that person–the fun uncle who’ll never settle down but is having a ball.

“20 Years” is embedded below.

Mike Mielenhausen

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