International Affairs
Background: In a previous blog, we discussed escapism, and naturally were not able to do so without discussing Jimmy Buffett. But sometimes, it’s less about the things that happen when we’re in the tropics and more about the people we meet while we’re down there. In this blog, we will talk about international affairs – that is, people being tastefully and/or comically seduced while in another country. The first three songs we’ll look at are relatively idealistic, but since I’m a realist when it comes to romance, we’ll look at what happens when that romance goes wrong.
“Romance in Durango” by Bob Dylan
Lyrically: Like many of the songs on Bob Dylan’s album Desire, the desire in question is for a better life – not just romantically but also financially (which will improve the romantic life of the narrator as well). It sets the scene in the first verse: “Hot chili peppers in the blistering sun, dust on my face and my cape. Me and Magdalena on the run, I think this time we shall escape.” Each verse builds that scene and the desperation of the two people in the song. In a prior blog, we talked about rhyme schemes, and I used “Sara” as an example of an ABAB rhyme scheme. The verses in this song use the same rhyme scheme, as do the verses in “Isis.” It works just as well in this song. Meanwhile, the chorus keeps the faith, saying “No llores mi querida, Dios nos vigila, soon the horse will take us to Durango,” before adding “Agarrame, mi vida, soon the desert will be gone. Soon you will be dancing the Fandango.” The Spanish lyrics say, “Don’t cry, my beloved, God will watch over us,” and “Hold on to me, my life.” In addition to the romantic element of the song, there is also an outlaw theme, as the narrator’s traveling companion, Ramon, gets shot down in the middle of their journey, and the narrator thinks it could possibly be his fault.
Melodically: Written in standard tuning, the song uses D, A, G, D throughout the verses, while the chorus uses A, G, D (played twice). With the song written in the key of D major, it follows a I, V, IV, I pattern in the verses, while the chorus uses a pattern of V, IV, I. Instrumentally, the song uses guitar (played by both Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton), as well as mandolin, bass guitar, drums, and trumpet.
Structurally: The song uses a verse, chorus, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, verse, chorus format. As I mentioned in the lyric section, the song keeps unraveling and each layer gets a little more interesting. It’s not a simple romantic story song, there’s also more pain revealed when it’s revealed that the previously unmentioned Ramon has died. Dylan’s ability to know the moment is key here. He writes fabulous songs without choruses (like “Tangled Up in Blue,”) but the lyrical contrast between the verses and the hope of the chorus works incredibly well, and the song would not work if it were all verses or even threw a bridge in there.
“Romance in Durango” is embedded below. Practice your Spanish–Bob and I will be very proud of you!
2. “The Seashores of Old Mexico” by George Strait
Background: I started getting heavy into country music around 2005, and this song was one of the first songs I remember hearing on the GAC channel (Great American Country). I know I’m showing my age here, but it’s the first George Strait exposure I had, despite my dad enjoying older country artists, such as Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Merle Haggard. In fact, while I was researching this song, I discovered that it was actually written by Merle himself!
Lyrically: Like the aforementioned “Romance in Durango,” there is an outlaw nature to this song that’s more than just a mere person vacationing in Mexico and striking up a whirlwind romance with a local. The narrator is in legal trouble in the United States and is seeking refuge in Mexico. (This is also a contrast to the Bob Dylan song in that the crime the narrator allegedly commits happens south of the border). On his first night in Mexico, he loses all his money and gets pursued by a woman who wants revenge. He finally met up with some farmers who took him to another, safer location, where he could finally get some sleep, which then led to a romantic partner, who woke him up the next morning, and that’s where the story ends, on the cliffhanger of the two of them being together, despite her being married.
Melodically: The intro uses D, D/C#, and D/B, followed by A, which gets played twice. Written in the key of D major, this is a I, V pattern. This pattern gets repeated in the first line of the verses, with the first line ending on Em, A, Em, A, a V and ii pattern, which gets played twice, before ending on the initial I, V pattern from the intro. Am7 and D then get played 3 times, a v7, I pattern that is followed by G, D/F#, Em, and D (a IV, I, ii, I pattern), before ending on the Em, A, Em, A, D, A, and Bb vii, iii, vii, III pattern from the beginning of the verse. The fourth verse modulates up a semitone to the key of Eb and fifth verse modulates up a semitone again to the key of E, with the fourth verse using Eb, Bb/D, Cm, Bb (a I, V, vi, V pattern). This is followed by an Fm, Bb (a ii, V pattern that gets played four times), Bb, Eb, Bb/D, Cm, and Bb (the V, I, V, vi, and V). Bbm7 and Eb, the v and I chords, get played three times, before ending on Ab, Eb/G, Fm, and Bb (the IV, I, ii, and V). The ii, V pattern of Fm and Bb pattern gets played 3 times, and ends on Eb, Bb, and B (a I, V pattern, with the B getting played twice to modulate up to the key of E major as noted before). The fifth verse uses E, E/Eb, E/Db, B, F#m, B, F#m, and B (which is a I, V, ii, V, ii, V pattern), with the F#m and B pattern getting played twice. The first pattern of E, E/Eb, E/Db, B then gets repeated, before playing 3 progressions of Bm7 and E (a v7, I pattern), before closing on A, E/Ab, F#m, E, F#m, B, E, E/Eb, E/Db, and B. The last part of the song uses Bm7, E (played three times), followed by A, E/Ab, F#m, and E, followed by F#m, B (played twice), E, E/Eb, E/Db, and B. This is a v7, I, IV, I, ii, I, ii, I, ii, V progression. Instrumentally, the song uses acoustic guitar, nylon string guitar, bass, mandolin, fiddle, other strings, drums, and piano.
Structurally: The song uses all verses, all of which harken back to what happened to the narrator “On the seashores of old Mexico.” In lieu of a bridge, he uses two key changes, the first of which comes in after a solo. That solo can be heard after the third verse. As much as I love a good bridge, the key change is just as effective, if not more so, in letting us know that time has passed.
“The Seashores of Old Mexico” is embedded below.
3. “Havana” by Camila Cabello
Lyrically: My interpretation of the song is that it’s about a person who is from Cuba and residing down there, who runs into a tourist from East Atlanta. I give that caveat because Camila is from Cuba, and it makes things more interesting if both characters are in Cuba, but one of them has emotional ties to it. Of note, she starts out by saying “Half of my heart is in Havana” and then later in the chorus says, “All of my heart is in Havana,” which is her saying “Well, I’m okay with leaving,” but later saying “No, what am I talking about? I can’t go, because all of my heart is in Havana.” It’s a mysteriously sexy song.
Melodically: The song is written in the key of G minor, and the most prominent instrument is keyboards, though if you want to play it on guitar, the capo is on the third fret. The intro uses Gm, Eb, and D7, a i, VI, V7 pattern that gets repeated throughout the whole song. The chorus goes back to the tonic (Gm) chord, and the pre-chorus uses D7, Gm, Eb outro use Gm, Eb and D7, a i, VI, V7 pattern. Instrumentally, the song uses piano, keyboards, trumpets, and saxophone. This song simply would not have worked if it had had a random melody paired with the story. The Latin-inspired melody works so well with the story, and it makes me so happy. I’ve said in the past that most of the time when I write these blogs, it starts with one song and I’ll build the theme around that—that was the case with this song. The melody is inescapably infectious and I had to share it with you!
Structurally: The song begins with the chorus, then has a verse, a pre-chorus, another chorus, a second verse, a pre-chorus, a chorus, a solo, and one final chorus before the outro (which is her repeating “Ooh na na”). In a previous blog, we looked at the song “Sister, Oh Sister” by Rosanne Cash, and I mentioned how that was an example song that started with the chorus. This is a story song (albeit a simple one), that starts with the chorus, and to great effect. The idea of a preview, followed by “Here’s what I mean” is incredibly effective. But the power is that there is no resolution. In other words, the whole “Here’s what I mean” role of the verses remains mysterious–he clearly has a hold on her, but there is no revelation as to what happened after they went back to East Atlanta.
“Havana” is embedded below.
4. “Haitian Divorce” by Steely Dan
Lyrically: The fourth song in this blog about international romance actually begins with a stateside one, weaving a tale of two people named Babs and Clean Willie, who were “In love, they said,” with their shotgun wedding, driven by Babs’ pregnancy. Like any good love story, it was clear they were doomed from the start: “He shouts, she bites, they wrangle through the night.” It’s clear by the end of the first verse that they need to get out of the marriage fast, and thus leads to the chorus, discussing a quick and painless divorce: “No hesitation, no tears and no hearts breaking, no remorse. Congratulations, this is your Haitian divorce.” Just as quick as one could get married in Vegas, Haiti used to offer a quick divorce for tourists. So Babs flies to Haiti to do just that. But since she can’t help herself, she has a little fun while down there, presumably pregnant again (with the birth of her first child undiscussed), this time with the kinky so-and-so’s child, who was introduced in the middle 8. When she reunites with Willie in the third verse, she begins to cry, asking for monetary or emotional support over her pregnancy and motherhood.
Calling its parent album, The Royal Scam Steely Dan’s most cynical record is like calling one of my songs my angriest breakup song. But after listening to “Haitian Divorce” and “Everything You Did,” people might be onto something when they say that. Either way, it’s a fabulous song.
(And speaking of my cynical breakup songs, I’ve gotten in the habit of naming my albums after lines in songs, a trick borrowed from Steely Dan, as their debut album, Can’t Buy a Thrill was named after a line in Dylan’s “It Takes A Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry”. One of my albums is called “Who’s That Kinky So and So?” named after a line in this tune.)
Melodically: Steely Dan famously stopped touring in 1974 to become a studio-only outfit. With all that time on their hands, they were able to make more complicated arrangements than they were already creating, and “Haitian Divorce” is one of those. As a result, I won’t be breaking down all the chords, but will highlight a few things instrumentally. The song includes piano, bass, drums, and perhaps most notably, a guitar with a talk-box effect.
Structurally: The song uses a verse, chorus, verse, chorus, middle 8, solo, verse, chorus format. For as obsessed as I am with bridges, I never took the time to memorize the difference between a bridge and a middle 8. A bridge typically comes before the last chorus of a song, while a middle 8 transitions into a solo or third verse (the way “Every Rose Has its Thorn” by Poison does).
Two of my favorite songs, both of which I have talked about in previous blogs, are “Tangled Up in Blue” and “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant” by Bob Dylan and Billy Joel, respectively. And although I love a long, drawn out breakup song, the structure of “Haitian Divorce” lets us know immediately that this relationship isn’t going to work out. So the simplicity of the AAAA rhyme scheme in the verses, paired with the simple chorus and middle 8, help advance the story and keep us interested. The third verse is also a cool choice, as they could’ve just concluded with how they both wound up, but instead, it turned out to be two toxic people getting back together. In the end, we conclude that it’s good they found each other–it would have been a shame to spoil two couples!
“Haitian Divorce” is embedded below.
