Not Just a River in Egypt
Background: In an earlier blog, I talked about the subjunctive tense. As a reminder, the subjunctive is used when there’s something you’re wanting from another person that may or may not happen. In my teaching, I always provide a subjunctive playlist for my students, with songs like “I Want You to Want Me” and a few others that I discussed in the blog. But not included on that list are songs with denial, and a subject change (like “I deny that you really love me”). However, there are plenty of great songs that talk about denial without triggering the subjunctive, and those songs are what we will be focusing on in this blog.
“Act Naturally” by Semisonic
Lyrically: Most times when we talk about denial, we view it as a bad thing. However, in this particular song, it’s not only viewed as a good thing, it’s highly encouraged. “Act Naturally” follows the narrator after a breakup and encourages his ex that when other people ask about him and the relationship in general, to “Act naturally,” adding, “Don’t let our troubles show, don’t let anybody know, ‘til we get it figured out, don’t give them anything that they can doubt.” In the pre-chorus, he realizes it’s clear that he “Was just a fool for (her)” when she walked into the room and that he “Can’t help believin’ they can read (him) like a book.” This transitions so nicely into the chorus, encouraging her to act naturally. I’ve had a situation in the past where someone broke my heart, but the nicest thing she ever did for me was not tell her mom about our situation. It’s such a simply written song about an incredibly-written concept, as Dan does super well.
Melodically: The song’s main instrument is piano, and contains light percussion as well. Chord-wise, both the verse and chorus use Bb, F, Cm, and Gm in the verses, played four times, before ending on Gm and Eb. With the song in Bb, this is a I, V, iii, vi, IV progression. The ending uses the same pattern. Although the difference in this simply crafted song doesn’t come out in the instrumental melody, Dan’s simple vocal runs give the song the variety it needs to keep things interesting. (Not to keep fawning over Dan Wilson, but my mom and I always talk about how accessible his voice is, while still having a bunch of range). The runs, like I said, keep things interesting, but since he’s encouraging his ex to act naturally, his voice is a lot calmer than it is in other songs on the record, such as “Sunshine and Chocolate.” Again, it’s all about knowing the moment, like the best songwriters do.
Structurally: The song uses a verse, pre-chorus, chorus, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, solo, chorus format, with the last chorus being a reprise of the last part: “Don’t let our troubles show, don’t let anybody know.” The biggest run comes when he ends saying, “I’ll be me before the fall,” before coming back down on “You be you before this all came down.” I’ve said in past blogs that Dan Wilson is a master at pre-choruses. My three favorites of his are those in “Someone Like You,” “Not Ready to Make Nice,” and “Free Life,” because they’re frantic and provide the exact tension those songs need. I love the pre-chorus in this one for the exact opposite reason. It tells it like it is, saying “Everybody knew when you walked into the room, I was just a fool for you, there was nothing I could do,” and after the second verse, he says, “Everybody look, yeah that was all it took, I can’t help believin’ they can read me like a book.” There’s so much simplicity to the song, like I said, but somehow it feels fresh.
“Act Naturally” is embedded below.
2. “Oh Yeah, You’re Gone” by Brad Paisley
Lyrically: This song was actually my first idea for a “denial” song, before I had others to pair it up with. But unlike “Act Naturally,” the character in this song wants to break free from their denial. He starts off by just objectively telling the audience how he just goes about his day like normal. The verses are short and simple (though delivered in rambling form), with the first one taking place right after he wakes up: “Stumble out of bed, fumble down the hall, still half asleep.” Then he dives more into his routine: “Open up a window and open up a paper and put some coffee on, grab two cups… Oh yeah, you’re gone.” The second verse contains one of my favorite combinations of words in song form: “Shower and shave, take a little time to read the news. Sort through the mail, see somethin’ ‘bout some sale they’re havin’ on women’s shoes. Billy’s band is playin’ at the canyon club on Friday, I bet they’ll sing our song. Maybe we can go, oh yeah, you’re gone.” In the chorus, he says “This is gonna take some getting used to, baby, I’m gonna need more time. Because I still say us when I oughta say me, I still say ours instead of mine.” Substituting “us” for “me” is something I’ve experimented with in various ways in songs, and though I rarely shave my beard, it’s almost impossible for me to not associate it with showering — that’s how amazingly he strings together the words in this song. Of note, on the same album, he has a song called “Everybody’s Here” and that’s more reminiscent of the aforementioned “Act Naturally,” but this one leans into the denial, whereas “Everybody’s Here” focuses on the negative, even though the person going about their life is more mentally checked out.
Melodically: The song uses E5, A, Badd4, and A, played 4 times on guitar in the intro and four more times in each verse. The second part of the verse, providing the same tension as a pre-chorus, but not actually a pre-chorus, uses A, B, C#m, B, A, F#m, and B, before going back into the E5, A, Badd4, and A pattern. With the song written in E major, this is a I, IV, V, IV pattern in the first part of the verse, and a IV, V, vi, IV, ii, V pattern in the second half. The chorus then uses A, B, E5, B/D#, C#m, A, B, C#m, B, A, F#m, B, C#m, B, A, F#m, and B. This is a IV, V, I, V, vi, IV, V, vi, V, IV, ii, V, vi, V, IV, ii, V pattern. The solo is played over the main progression of E5, A, Badd4, and A, which is also the majority of the outro. Instrumentally, the song uses electric guitar, both as a rhythm part and as a lead part (the latter of which is played by Robben Ford). In addition to those guitars, there is also steel guitar, bass, fiddle, percussion, and piano.
Structurally: The song uses a verse, verse, chorus, solo, chorus format. In my years of studying songwriting, one of the structures that always screams Nashville is the verse, verse, chorus format, with the title coming in as the last line of each verse, then maybe getting repeated in the chorus. A lot of the time, though, the chorus doesn’t use the title, and is more of an addition to the hook, without actually repeating the hook. Paisley does that here, but unlike a lot of the Nashville Sound, his guitar playing, jazzy melody, and way of stringing lyrics together gives the song a lot of variety, which is refreshing for us as listeners. And because of the fabulous lyrics and relatable topic, it’s one of those songs that sets Paisley apart, even though he falls into the country genre.
There ain’t no doubt about it. “Oh Yeah, You’re Gone” is embedded below.
3. “Missing You” by John Waite
Lyrically: “Missing You” follows a narrator as he navigates thoughts about his ex. The denial doesn’t really come in until the chorus, as the first verse shows him “Wondering why you left,” with the second verse containing a large contrast: “I hear your name in certain circles and it always makes me smile. I spend my time thinking about you and it’s almost driving me wild.” Even in a relationship, there’s a balance between the other person making you smile and driving you insane, but you kind of know something’s up when he says it in this song, especially after the previous pre-chorus saying, “There’s a storm that’s raging through my frozen heart tonight” and after he reveals in pre-chorus two that “There’s a heart that’s breaking down this long distance line tonight.” Yet despite this, in the chorus, he says, “I ain’t missing you at all… no matter what I might say.” It’s tremendously hard as a writer to pull off a song like this. In a previous blog, I talked about “I’m Gonna Miss Her (The Fishing Song)” by Brad Paisley, and how out of necessity, it had to go straight to a bridge after the chorus, because the punchline had already been revealed. Striking a balance between the denial and the actual feelings of this person is tricky. Establishing yourself as an unreliable narrator while still being able to say something new and compelling for four and a half minutes is even trickier. But John Waite does it perfectly here. He eventually adds in “I can’t lie to myself,” removing the dramatic irony for us as listeners and recognizing he really does miss this person. I always like listening to songs as a whole, but also like picking out stand out lines. In this song, a few favorites are “There’s a message in the wire and I’m sending you this signal tonight. You have no idea how desperate I’ve become and it looks like I’m losing this fight.” The reference in the bridge to “Heartbreak overload” is also a very powerful one, especially coming off of sending out a message “Like a telegraph to your soul.” In researching this song, I also found out that “Everytime I think of you” was also the name of a song by John Waite’s previous band, The Babys.
Melodically: The song uses F#, B, and C#, played through twice. With the song in F#, this is a I, IV, V pattern. The verses use the same pattern to start with, before going to D#m, B, and C (a vi, IV, V pattern). The pre-chorus then uses Dm, B, and C#, essentially the verses, but reversing the vi chord instead of the I chord (creating the tension that we’re used to hearing in a pre-chorus). The chorus uses the same chords as the intro, but the second and final time around, it cuts out the B chord and just plays F# and C#. The bridge then uses the same progression as the pre-chorus, but the second line uses Gm, B, and C, utilizing the ii chord instead of the vi chord, providing a sense of uneasiness in the same way that “I Started a Joke” does in the chorus. (See my blog about oxymorons for my analysis of that song). The key with this song, chord-wise, is the ending on the V, which happens in all parts of the song. It creates tension for us as listeners and allows us to have some empathy for the narrator, beyond the lyrics (though we know they work hand in hand). The denial part of this comes in because at some point he says, “I can’t lie to myself”, which contradicts his saying he’s not missing her at all. This cliffhanger chord also works because he never reveals whether it means “I thought I was missing you, but I’m not” or “I’m telling myself I ain’t missing you, but I can’t lie to myself.” Instrumentally, the song uses guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, and other percussion.
Structurally: The song uses a verse, pre-chorus, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge, chorus format. As we discussed with Hootie and the Blowfish’s “Hold My Hand,” the transition to a second verse after the pre-chorus also helps build up the tension necessary for the listener in general. But the decision to structure this particular song that way is an excellent one, because it allows the narrator to preview the tumult going on inside his head, while also insisting in the next moment that he’s fine and only has fond memories of his ex.
“Missing You” is embedded below.
4. “It Wasn’t Me” by Shaggy
Lyrically: The song begins with a spoken conversation between two friends, with one lamenting how his girlfriend caught him cheating with his next door neighbor. He doesn’t know what to do, so his other friend just tells him when she starts asking questions, just answer everything she asks you with, “It wasn’t me.” The rest of the song sees the cheater going through everything he did with his friend, including, “But she caught me on the counter, saw me bangin’ on the sofa, I even had her in the shower, she even caught me on camera.” The verses take the form of criticism for letting his significant other catch him and being stupid enough to let his love affair in without being sneaky about it, saying things like, “How can you grant a woman access to your villa?” and saying about his girlfriend, “You’d better watch out before she turns into a killa.” The bridge sees the narrator break down and apologize, rather than invoking what is now known in legal circles as The Shaggy Defense, because he clearly knows he messed up. While this song may not have been the best thing for 8 year old Mike to be singing around the house, it’s still a relatively fun song, and has been able to be used in many different contexts, from the aforementioned legal world to a commercial detecting credit card fraud, to a Mr. Mielenhausen parody (in his alter-ego Moneybagg Tú) teaching about Por and Para.
Melodically/Structurally: The spoken intro is said over the chords Cmaj7, Dm7/Bb, Cmaj7, and Bbmaj7, and gets repeated throughout the song. With the song written in C major, this is a I, ii, I, bVII pattern. In my analysis of “Missing You,” I mentioned the importance of ending on the I chord after going to the bVII previously, as this created a tension and closure that fought throughout the song. In this song, the absence of the I chord as the final one in the song only adds to the tension and lack of closure we’re supposed to feel as the listener. Even the bridge, which sees him wanting to apologize for what he did is essentially meaningless (in terms of a lesson he learned) as he dives back into the hook, so at no point would it make sense to go back to the I chord he started on.
Structurally: The song is built around a hook/chorus cycle, with the hook being the “Honey came in, thought she caught me red-handed” part and the chorus being the “But she caught me on the sofa…” part. The bridge is used to show his regret, but again, he dives right back into the hook, so the implication for me as a listener is that he didn’t learn anything. The same structure is used in Maroon 5’s “Wakeup Call,” with the narrator apologizing, then going right back into the chorus where he concludes, “I don’t feel so bad.” (The Marion 5 song, however, is written in E minor and uses the V chord in the bridge, before going back to the I in the chorus — so despite the lack of lyrical closure, there’s a melodic closure, unlike in this song).
“It Wasn’t Me” is embedded below, but I didn’t put it there, despite what you think you saw.
