Tuesday Tunes

"I like everything except country and rap”. I’ve heard many people say it, including myself back when I thought I was enlightened. What I had yet to realise is that I hadn't dived deep enough into either genre to find the songs I really enjoyed. As I became older and more attracted to lyrics I grew to love each, and they became favourite genres for their consistency in storytelling and wordplay. This weeks song is more one than the other ...

The Song(s)
Song: Call It a Night
Artist: Wild Rivers
Album: Eighty Eight - 2018 - Wild Rivers limited (Under licence to Nettwerk)
Method of discovery: Spotify Discover

Theory: I want to talk about the use of spotlights. There are areas of a song that naturally stand out, the first and last bars of section is one example. A common technique is to put the title of the song at the start or the end of your chorus, because that's what people remember; it's in the spotlights. Call It a Night does a great job by doing exactly that, but it also enhances the spotlight by dropping out all of the other instruments while they sing that line. You might remember some of the words of the chorus by the time the second one comes around, but that bit? It’s easier to recall because they turned up the spotlights.

Chords:
Verse (I-IV)x2-vi-IV-I-IV
Pre-Chorus (iim7-IV-I-bVII-IV)x2
Chorus (I-ii-IV)x2-vi-ii-iii-IV
Bridge (bVI-v-IV)x3-bIII-II-bIII-III-IV.

Research: Surprise surprise, more Canadians. This time from Toronto. Originally a duo, they filled out into this four piece around 2015. Although they identify as Folk-Pop, the EP this belongs to was recognised by Rolling Stone Country. The band even list Kacey Musgraves as an influence on their ‘about’ sections on FaceBook and Spotify, five of her six Grammy Awards (at date of writing) were in Country related categories. I’m comfortable calling this song country influenced. it sounds like a slide guitar in the background of the several lines (e.g. ‘You shoot like we got nothing to lose’), but I’m not confident. The band hasn’t made a full length album since 2016, but are still touring, and have released several singles, the most recent of which was just this month.

Personal thoughts: The song is the struggling relationship trying to decide to keep going or not, and boy, haven’t I been there. The first time I listened to this song I heard the argument the characters were having, the tension between the two of them, and their reluctance to keep fighting in the moment. But when I gave it another listen, I actually heard the chorus at the end change lyrics, and pose the same question with more weight. This time, they are asking if they should really keep going, or should they … well, you know.

Give it a go: If you’re not ready to call it a night

Give it a miss: If you called it a night so long ago it’s dawn

[links]
Spotify: Tuesday Tunes, Call It a Night by Wild Rivers
Wild Rivers: Website, Facebook, YouTube of the song
Other: Kacey Musgraves on Wikipedia