Tuesday, June 22, 2021

"Way beyond the Sun"

In the repeated line "You better go out and find one of them fancy men" in "Way beyond the Sun," "fancy" is sung with a melisma (Bb G G the first time, Bb C Bb C G the second).  This articulation acts as musical decoration and gives a sense of the word's meaning.

In the first and fourth verses, "beyond" in the title line is sung with a few different melismas, giving a sense of degree (for "way").

Tuesday, June 15, 2021

"Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins"

In "Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins," the line "Millions of hearts were lifted" is sung to an ascending melody (D D D G G A B), and "lifted" is sung with an ascending melisma (although only an interval of a second:  A B).  Both of these features illustrate the word's meaning.

As if to parallel the subject of three astronauts, the song is in 3/4, with three beats in each measure.

Tuesday, June 8, 2021

"There Must Be Someone (I Can Turn To)"

In the recurring title line of "There Must Be Someone (I Can Turn To)," the "turn" is often sung with a melisma (the specific notes vary), giving a sense of movement.

"Whole" in the line "Must I live my whole life through" is also sung with a melisma (D C D, I think), musically giving a sense of entirety.

Tuesday, June 1, 2021

"Jack Tarr the Sailor"

In the line "And when me money was all gone, it was then that I wanted more" in "Jack Tarr the Sailor," "more" is sung with a melisma (A G F), giving a sense of amount.

I can't make out the entirety of one of the lines, but in the fourth verse, "ashore" is rhymed with itself ("Alas, I had no luck... for I'd left all me money ashore / It was then that I wished that I was dead or safe with the girls ashore").  To some degree, this gives the impression of remaining static and contrasts with the other verses, most of which end with "go to sea once more."