Tuesday Tunes

You may think I’m still at home, but I’m actually somewhere else. Do I think that surprises you in any significant way? Well … no. But it’s like a guiding principle of Magic: Misdirection. Most people are surprised when I say I’m into Rap, and today I wanted to showcase why by sharing with you …

The Song
Song: Yesterday
Artist: Atmosphere
Album: When life give you lemons, you paint that shit gold - 2008 - Rhymesayers Enetertainment
Method of discovery: r/listentothis

Theory: Theory, contrary to popular belief, doesn’t disappear with Rap Music. It just changes focus. Instead of the supporting harmony and chords structure, the bulk of the though goes into the lyrics. Atmosphere uses typical rap techniques with the stressed syllables in most lines, but really i want to focus on the rhymes. Perfect rhyme is ‘Blast : Last’. Same amount of syllables, same ending letters, same sound. Perfect. The more you compromise on any one of these, the weaker the rhyme becomes, e.g. Visit : Kitchen. Where perfect rhymes make us feel complete, weaker rhymes leave a niggling worm in our ear, wanting a stronger resolution. In this song, Atmosphere’s use of weaker rhymes helps to mirror the subject of the song.

Research: Atmosphere is a duo from Minneapolis, and Yesterday is from their fifth album, and the only one to my knowledge that credits Tom Waits as having performed Beatboxing. Yes, that Tom Waits. And Yes, Beatboxing. The main piano line is a sped up sample from ‘Love Finds its own way’ by Gladys Knight and the Pips. The members of the duo are named Slug and Ant, although they have powers far beyond the creatures for which they are named.

Personal thoughts: This song is about a relationship that the protagonist wishes they could fix, but it’s now outside of their realm of influence. It’s a classic reflection on regret, and how we might use that regret to learn. I know I’ve definitely felt this way, and I’d make a sizeable bet that most others have too. But by sharing his experience of this feeling with us, Slug is, for me, encouraging us to not repeat his mistakes.

Give it a go: If there is something you wish you could change

Give it a miss: If you’re not in the mood for a bit of reflection

[links]
Spotify: Yesterday, Love Finds it’s Own Way, Tuesday Tunes
Atmosphere: Wikipedia, Website
Other: WhoSampled