Mysticism
Background: One of the reasons I love music is because it helps me realize there are other people who go through the same emotions and same things as I do. My favorite songwriters write about these experiences not because it’s their job or because they think it will sell a million records, but because they genuinely went through it and need to vent. But sometimes music can also be a complete escape from reality, and many times that comes in the form of some sort of mystical being. In this blog, we will talk about those mystical experiences, either with people or places.
“The Curse” by Josh Ritter
Lyrically: For those of you familiar with this blog, you know that I’ll typically use one song as a springboard for the rest of the blog. I was shocked that I hadn’t talked about this song previously, so believe me when I say I was thrilled to get to build the topic around this one. Because for me, this is one of the greatest songs ever written. “The Curse” tells the tale of a mummy in a museum who a woman comes to see for a research project. However, we see from the very first line, “He opens his eyes, falls in love at first sight with the girl in the doorway,” that the mummy comes alive as soon as the woman walks in. She’s absolutely amazed at this, and asks him questions for her paper. But more than that, she teaches him how to live: “The first time he moves, it’s her hair that he touches.” Being such a scientific wonder, he quickly gets transferred to New York, but she stays by his side. He gets more and more popular, evidenced by one of my favorite lines, “People come ‘round to see him, families from Iowa, Upper West Siders,” and as the reporters come, as his popularity increases, “She’s just one more rag now he’s dragging behind him.” Then by the end of the song, she’s the one who becomes dead inside from all the attention her love interest who was once a secret is now getting. It’s just a stunningly gorgeous song, and as someone who has been that “one more rag” on multiple occasions, it always gets me, no matter how many times I hear it.
Structurally: The song contains all verses, of which there are six. Unlike many songs that contain a refrain at the end of the verses, such as “Anthony’s Song” by Billy Joel and “Tangled Up in Blue” by Bob Dylan (both of which we looked at in previous blogs), these verses inconsistently feature the hook (“She asks ‘are you cursed?’”), which allows for more tension within the song. If she asked him that at the end of each verse, you’d know immediately that the relationship was doomed. But by sprinkling it in only three times throughout the song (once at the end of every other verse), you really start rooting for him to be fully alive and for them to be mutually good for each other.
Melodically: The entire song uses a progression of F, Dm, Am, anc C, a I, vi, iii, V progression, played on piano. In a previous blog, I mentioned Josh’s piano player, Sam Kassirer, as Josh has admitted, absolutely makes this song what it is melodically. I’ve talked to a couple people within Josh Ritter fan pages who have said they have a hard time getting behind the waltz rhythm, but it works so well with the general uneasiness of the song. Also of note, after the last line is sung (the stinging “then he kissed her and hoped that she’d forget the question,”) leaves us thinking about all of what just happened: Did he know this heartbreak was what was going to happen all the time? Was he trying to protect her by not answering the question? If he was happy to tell her about his cursed past, should she have known what she was getting into and that she too could become cursed herself? These are things I’ve asked myself, while on the verge of tears since the first time I heard the song.
“The Curse” is embedded below.
2. “Witchy Woman” (or “Witchay Woman” for my Seinfeld fans reading this) by Eagles
Lyrically: This song is told from the perspective of a man who fell for a supernatural beauty. Unlike “The Curse,” we know this is a love gone wrong by the second verse, and arguably from the first with her being described as, having “raven hair and ruby lips,” painting a picture not dissimilar to a Disney villain. For better or worse, we can tell by this person’s description that this is not going to end well between the two of them. And sure enough, in the second verse, we learn that she “drove herself to madness with a silver spoon,” and by the third, he’s warning a future suitor, saying “she’s been lying in the devil’s bed,” and will “rock you in the nighttime ‘til your skin turns red.” Of note, despite the warning in the third verse, the main character in the song feels like a little bit of an omniscient narrator (despite also being the main character), and there’s an interesting combination of seemingly telling about this woman as a primary source and ex-significant other, and telling the story objectively, because in the third verse he mentions “rumors goin’ ‘round” and if he was involved with her romantically, he’d probably be able to confirm those rumors and they wouldn’t be rumors. Regardless of his involvement with the woman, this narrative seems objective—it’s a warning, but he also doesn’t say “don’t do it.” We see this same narrative structure in Prince’s “Darling Nikki,” although in that one, he was clearly involved with her—but in the end he still wants her.
Melodically: Speaking of sounding mysterious, the melody follows the lyrics in that regard, as any good song would. There’s a groovy guitar part that uses Gm, F, Dm, and Gm as an intro and main riff in between verses, while the verses themselves use a Gm, D7, Gm, D7, Gm progression. The chorus uses the same progression, while the turnaround in between verses uses Bb-Gm, F-D, F-D-C-D, C-Gm-C-Gm.. On the track, we can hear electric guitar as the rhythm guitar, as well as lead electric guitar, drums, and bass.
Structurally: The song follows a verse, chorus, verse, chorus, interlude, chorus format. Because of the mysterious nature of this song, a simple refrain or hook at the end of each verse would not suffice. We, as the listeners, would wonder what the heck is going on with this particular woman. With that said, the chorus is still short and mysterious, and it just works so well.
“Witchy Woman” is embedded below.
3. “Into the Mystic” by Van Morrison
Lyrically: As was a recurring theme on Morrison’s Moondance album, “Into the Mystic” details the early days of a romance to the backdrop of personified things in nature: “We were born before the wind, also younger than the sun.” Beyond just the straight up references to those things in nature, the mysticism is furthered by encouraging his significant other’s soul to “let (her) soul and spirit fly into the mystic.” There are many escapism songs out there, reliant on life being a drag and needing some sort of way to get out of that pain. “Into the Mystic” isn’t so much an escapism song, but more so a song about advancing the already strong self-actualization of the couple. In other words, flying and sailing into the mystic isn’t a strong juxtaposition from where they are mentally already, but it will make things even better for them.
Melodically: The song is written in Eb, with the intro using that Eb. The verses use Eb, Bb, Eb, Gm, Ab, Eb, Ab, and Bb, followed by Eb, Bb, and Eb. This is a I,V, I, III, IV, I, IV, I progression. The chorus uses C, G, C (a VI, III, and VI pattern). The saxophone solo (to me, one of the distinguishing features of the song as a whole), also uses C, G, and C. In addition to the saxophone, the song uses acoustic guitar, tambourine, bass guitar, and piano.
Structurally: The song uses a verse, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, solo, pre-chorus, chorus format. In a previous blog, I classified three different types of songs: story songs, example songs, and hybrid songs. This one doesn’t really fall into these categories: it’s not really a story, and it doesn’t really give examples either. It’s vague enough to help us root for the characters in the song without having to know how they got to their current state of deserving to sail and fly into the mystic. But it’s detailed enough so we still know they’re pretty awesome and omniscient. It adds to the mystery, but mainly it’s just insanely pleasant to listen to in between the lyrics. You know I’m a sucker for detailed story songs, but the structure of this song works so well with its theme.
“Into the Mystic” is embedded below.
4. “Journey of the Featherless” by Cloud Cult
Lyrically: “Journey of the Featherless” tells the tale of lead singer Craig Minowa’s grandfather and his communication with loved ones before he dies and his journey in the afterlife. It begins with his mission to find Heaven, with him asserting, “I made crepe paper wings, I hope they carry me well.” He asserts the importance of loving him now, saying, “Don’t call me on my cell phone, ‘cause there won’t be no reception when I’m gone.” The second verse, chronicling his ascension into Heaven, contains some of my favorite imagery and one of my favorite lines: “I think I’m growing feathers, but I’m not quite sure of it, ‘cause I started getting dizzy ‘bout a hundred feet up. I made friends with the clouds, I made friends with the birds, if you ask a goose a question, he never shuts up.” Craig has a way of pulling at your heartstrings, but still being able to come up with a funny line like that – and that’s what sets him apart as a songwriter. The song concludes by reflecting on his hardships, saying he’s “drank his share of pity from the bartender’s cup,” before ultimately concluding that although “Lots of people wonder what’s the right direction, as far as (he’s) concerned, there’s only one way up.” The narrator’s interactions with god’s creations color his perspective and make him more enlightened in the afterlife, while still maintaining his sense of humor about the whole thing.
Melodically: The song uses a D, A, G, A, pattern throughout, and switches to an F#m-sounding chord in the chorus sounding part (such as “Honestly I’m missing you and I hope that you’re missing me”). This begins with violin before the acoustic guitar, drum machine, drums, and glockenspiel come in. The last verse is driven almost entirely by a snare drum pattern played with brushes, until he gets to the “pretty lucky” part, at which point the violin and guitar come back into the main riff.
Structurally: The song follows a verse, chorus, verse, chorus, verse, chorus format. There are plenty of songs that use choruses with different lyrics each time, but the only linking feature (besides the cadence and the chords) is the repetition of the phrase “When I’m gone,” so it’s a rather unique chorus in that regard. It almost sounds like a pre-chorus, but it feels too long to be a pre-chorus, so the “When I’m gone” portion cannot be a simple refrain. Yet it feels simpler than the chorus to “For Whom the Bell Tolls” by the Bee Gees (discussed in a previous blog) or the three different choruses to “Better Than This” by Brad Paisley. Yet it works so well for the song and advancing the character’s journey.
Closing note: Cloud Cult is one of my favorite acts, because they have very thought-provoking lyrics. In looking up the definition of “Mysticism,” it specifically mentioned having an understanding of the supernatural, mystical, and divine. While many of their other songs touch on trying to get there, “Journey of the Featherless” fits the blog theme the best, because the narrator reaches a state of enlightenment pretty much immediately. However, if you’re interested, I’d recommend “Complicated Creation,” “Breakfast with My Shadow,” and “The Show Starts Now,” if you want to get philosophical without answers or closure.
“Journey of the Featherless” is embedded below.
