An Ode to Odes
Background: I’ve had a theory for awhile that every famous artist or band eventually works an ode into their repertoire. Being completely in awe of a person place, or concept that’s almost mythical and writing a song about it. In my research, odes date back to Ancient Greece and were typically poems with three distinct parts: The strophe, the antistrophe, and the epode. Though they were a little more complicated than that, a strophe and antistrophe in song form would basically be the verse and the chorus, while the epode would be a memorable closing stanza, serving as a cap on the song. We won’t get too technical with those terms, because for me, the gist of the odes I will discuss will focus more on the content, the adoration of the person or place in the song. We will start off discussing people, then will close with an ode to concepts.
“Vanessa” by Kara’s Flowers
Lyrically: As a reminder, Kara’s Flowers was the precursor to Maroon 5. The fact that they named the band after a collective crush and still had this song proves that Adam was always meant to be a playboy, but I digress. “Vanessa” is an ode to a woman who is “Holding up time with her beautiful eyes” and mentions how as the days and seasons pass, so does their innocence, thanks to the time spent with such a beautiful person. What’s interesting to me about this song, in studying the line, “She’s beautiful before she starts to cry,” is that this theme would later be revisited in Maroon 5’s song, “Beautiful Goodbye,” that line being “I can’t take it, you’re even perfect when you cry.” But while that tune is focused more on the goodbye, rather than the person saying it, this tune is more focused on the person who is the love interest. And though it’s a simple song, the theme of it wouldn’t call for anything else, and you can still tell the adoration is there. As a side note, this is the tune that made me develop the theory that every band/artist needs an ode in their discography. This one happened to come in their 4 Track Demonstrations album – so they had it in their back pocket right away (but don’t let that pressure you!).
Melodically: The song contains a simple, stripped-down arrangement of an acoustic guitar and bass guitar. Because of its bootlegged quality in the recording, it’s hard to pick out the chords, but the song is written in the key of F# minor and is played with the capo on the 4th fret. Beyond the instruments, what really sells this song for me is the tight harmonies. The band was influenced heavily by The Beatles in their early days (and one member described their sound as “Sesame Street Meets Fugazi”), but to me, the harmonies in this song evoke Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young.
Structurally: The song uses a verse, verse, interlude, chorus, interlude, chorus, interlude chorus format. The interlude is them repeating “Oooh Oooh,” while the chorus is the aforementioned line about how beautiful she is before she starts to cry. It’s not a long ode of adoration, but it’s certainly enough for whoever Vanessa is (and the other listeners) to get a glimpse of why she’s so cool.
“Vanessa” is embedded below. Remember this is an early demo, so the recording quality is not the best, but it’s still a good song!
2. “Danny Boy” (Traditional)
Lyrically: “Danny Boy” is sung from the perspective of a parent, who is longing for their son’s return from wherever he is. The first stanza talks about his calling to leave home (maybe to school, as it mentions, “The summer’s gone,” but goes onto say that he can come back anytime, no matter the season: “But come ye back when summer’s in the meadow, or when the valley’s hushed and white with snow, I’ll be here in sunshine or in shadow, oh Danny Boy, I love you so.”) She then gives the worst case scenario that he might come back when she’s dead, but all will be well when he comes to see her. Maybe because of the last verse or maybe because of the open nature of the other ones, this song has become a staple at funerals, with the afterlife being the thing calling. Some Irish tunes are flat-out fun, but my favorite ones are the heartbreaking tunes, like this one and “Red is the Rose”. Not sure what that says about me, but it’s a fantastic tune.
Melodically: The Irish Tenors’ version is written in C major and uses the chords G7, C, F, and Am, which is a V, I, IV, vii pattern. By ending on the minor vi, it resolves the tension created from the V chord. Of course, the tonic would normally do that, but for a somber song, it helps fit the mood, while also coming to a place of closure about the titular Danny Boy. This particular version is backed by violins. My experience in performing Irish music is that the sparser the arrangements, the more it allows for the lyrics and vocals to shine. The violins are gorgeous, but this song has often been performed A Cappella, and it works just as well, because it’s about the lyrics and the vocals, more than the instrumentals. Speaking of instrumentals, though, the tune was based around another traditional song, “Londonderry Air.” This is both a fun fact and an excuse to practice saying Derry Air with a straight face.
Structurally: The song uses all verses, of which there are three. Interestingly, the first two verses are four lines each, while the third verse is eight lines. I normally don’t bring up the rhyme scheme quite this explicitly, but it’s worth noting that they use an ABAB or alternate rhyme scheme. This is important because many of the Irish poems that influenced folk songs in Europe, which would in turn do the same with many folk songs in the United States.
“Danny Boy” is embedded below.
3. “Oh Love” by Brad Paisley feat. Carrie Underwood
Lyrically: “Oh Love” is a straightforward ode to love. I know that sounds obvious, but there’s actually a song called “Watermelon Sugar” whose first line is “Tastes like strawberries on a summer evening,” so you’d be surprised. But “Oh Love” is interesting because although it’s about love, and mainly positive, it doesn’t shy away from the highs and lows. For example, in the second verse, the male narrator mentions how love can “Break a heart in pieces, put it back together again” and in the chorus says, “You heal, you bleed, you’re the simple truth and you’re the biggest mystery.” It’s a vividly descriptive tune that almost plays out like a poem, and I think what I like the most about it is the choice to personify love. They don’t explicitly do this, but I mean they personify it by talking to it, and that’s so much more powerful than it would be to just tell us about love (because we already know). So it’s almost like we’re listening in on a conversation, rather than listening to a song.
Melodically: The song is written in E major. The intro uses C#m and A in the intro, a vi, IV pattern, followed by E, B, G#m, A, and B in the verses, played twice (minus the B the second time around. This is a I, V, iii, IV, V pattern, forming a half cadence the first time around and an amen cadence the second time around. The second verse ends with an A, B, A, B, pattern, the IV and the V chords, which switches things up from what we think we’re going to hear. The chorus uses C#m, A, E, B, played twice, before ending on C#m and A. This is a vi, IV, I, V pattern. The decision to end on either the IV or the V chord after each section is a perfect one, because it creates a tension that is consistent with the idea that love is just plain old mysterious. The IV, V switch in verse two does the same thing. Instrumentally, it uses piano, acoustic and electric guitar, Dobro, mandolin, bass, and drums. There is also an organ in the last chorus.
Structurally: When you listen to “Oh Love,” you start off thinking it’s going to be a traditional verse, chorus, verse, chorus song. But there are so many twists and turns throughout this one, consistent with the twists and turns of the subject. The sudden move up to the IV and V chords in the second verse, followed by a solo, and then you think they’ll tie it together with a final chorus, but they just use the scatting from the end of the chorus, without singing the whole thing. It’s terrific.
You can listen to “Oh Love” below.
4. “Rock n Roll” by Star & Micey
Background: When I came up with the idea for this blog, I had something very specific, but somewhat inexplicable in my mind for what an ode was. Sure, there’s “Ode to Billie Joe,” but for some reason, it stuck in my mind that an ode, to me, must include the word “oh” (or something similar sounding) somewhere in the lyrics, paying tribute to a person or a concept. I immediately thought of “Idaho” by Josh Ritter, but it was kind of doing the opposite of paying tribute, so then I went to “Rock n Roll” by Memphis’ own Star and Micey, which has a similar vibe. Shoutout to Josh Cosby, one of the band members, for giving me some awesome background information on the writing and composing of this song, and for completing the seemingly intangible definition I had in my head of what an ode truly is.
Lyrically/Melodically: The song is sung from the perspective of someone who wants to make it as a musician, having the same aspirations as the narrator in the previously discussed “Cover of the Rolling Stone,” with the desire to “Travel the world, be a superstar, buy my mama a new house and car, with that old rock n roll.” The second verse references the influences of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bob Dylan, and Chuck Berry, among others. Wanting to be like those influences, the narrator says he had a dream last night that he was singing on stage and everyone in the crowd was singing along. In talking with Josh, he said the song started off with a G chord he was messing around with in the studio, which he followed up with an Am, and another G (the song is written in G major, so this is a I, ii progression). Drummer Jeremy Stanfill caught onto what Josh was doing and added in some drums in the second verse (somewhat of accidental timing, but it fits well, building slightly in intensity, while keeping the vibe of the song all along). Jeremy also scattered some lyrics that formed the basis of the words in the song.
According to Josh, the rest of the band wasn’t really vibing with the tune, but eventually, as he put it, kind of got some Stockholm Syndrome and helped out with the rest of it to get it out of Josh’s head and never have to hear it again. They ended up adding a C, G, Am, C, and D progression for the refrain (the IV, I, ii, IV, and V chords), and a solo, which gets played over the verse. Something clicked, and although it took a few years after writing it (which happened on tour), it’s now a staple of their live shows!
Instrumentally, the song uses acoustic and electric guitar, as well as bass and drums. To me, the beauty of this song is in its simplicity. I mentioned “The Cover of the Rolling Stone,” and Boston’s “Rock n Roll Band” also comes to mind, as songs that talk about the hard living of a rock n roll musician. But this tune, and the reason why it’s an ode, is that it pays tribute to the masters of the genre, always focusing on the beauty of the music, rather than the perks that come with it (though being able to buy your mom a house is certainly a perk!) It never gets too big for itself, even with the guitar solo toward the end – because that solo complements the simplicity, rather than shredding your face off with how loud it is.
Structurally: The song uses a verse, refrain, verse, refrain, solo, verse, refrain structure. The beauty of this song’s structure is the fact that it’s a story, but one that doesn’t necessarily have a conclusion. It talks about his goals in the first verse, such as buying his mom a new house, his influences in the second verse, and a dream about being onstage with everyone singing along in the last verse, but it doesn’t say, “Oh hey, I was able to buy my mom that house.” So really, the whole song was about the dream, even though only the last verse explicitly used the word “dream.” The beauty is in the journey, in the process of making it, rather than what the narrator is going to do when he does make it, which allows for the lyrics and the melody to complement each other, and for the melody to be as calm as it is, because there’s no urgency in that journey. One of my other favorite Star & Micey songs is “I Can’t Wait,” which is terrific to bob your head to, while this song is perfect to just get lost in. It’s simply gorgeous.
“Rock n Roll” is embedded below. Josh wanted you to hear the rehearsal recording, as it’s much different than the studio version, capturing the rawness of the writing process.
