This extract is the final minute of the 6-minute long introduction to Haydn’s ‘The Creation’.
A masterpiece which we studied at uni, I specifically chose to focus on this introduction, specifically the many different ways ‘chaos’ is depicted and how chaos shouldn’t always be referred to in a negative way. The word can also mean something which is obsolete, which is exactly how it’s defined in Haydn’s ‘The Creation’ as it represents the beginning of God’s work in creating the universe.
I like this final minute for no reason related to the previous paragraph. I think it is just beautiful. The sustained strings at the beginning are so ambiguous, and so is the oboe melody which follows (which sounds strangely like a motif from Wagner’s ‘The Ring’). At 00:35 seconds is an utterly haunting descending harmonic minor melody on the flute. And the closing dramatic, repeated minor chords starting from 00:58 seconds are so final, so hollow.
So I reveal to you my most played song on iTunes with 98 plays: Britney Spears’ Overprotected. I’m not even ashamed to admit it – Britney Spears is amazing. I have her greatest hits and even saw her live at the O2 Arena in London.
An absolutely perfect pop song – simple, catchy, slick production, moderate tempo, minor key, basic lyrics, and having Britney Spears as the popstar singing it. A recipe for instant success.
But what I also love about pop songs are their rare moments of variation, or something completely different that happens in the piece that everyone remembers – essentially what this blog is all about. And so at 2:40 a major chord unrelated to the piece’s key is played out of nowhere. Never played before or after. I beg you to drop your inhibitions, your vanity, superficiality, your denial that you could quite possibly enjoy this song, and agree that it, especially this section that I love, is brilliant. One of my favourite songs ever.
Deciding that I was going to write about this track just made me tingle. This is one of those delicate masterpieces that is so simply crafted and transparent that it’s almost too precious to even listen to.
This track was made famous not only from featuring in Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands but also because an adapted version featured for a Chanel no.5 advert back in 1998. He has written and said in many interviews that this is his favourite score out of all that he has written, describing it as “pure and sweet, with a trace of sadness”.
The piece starts with a long, sustained harmonic on the violin (when you lightly place your finger on the string at certain parts of the violin’s neck so that it plays a note much higher than when pressed). This is followed by all kinds of wonderful percussion – glockenspiel, harp (two of them?) and then a haunting chorus entering at 17 secs. *Note that at 33 secs my favourite chord is sung – the diminished 7th. Always exciting.*
But it’s from 1:07 when the bass enters that I really love this piece. At 1:16/1:17 we hear a striking major chord/mini key change not heard at any other point in the piece. It’s so clever; and it doesn’t detract from the beauty and overwhelming sadness of the piece.
Written for the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies is my favourite Bond song (but not my favourite Bond man: Daniel Craig of course). This song was actually used in the end credits as Sheryl Crow’s ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ was chosen to open the film instead.
Candian lesbian, veggie, activist and pretentiously initialised in lower-case name k.d.lang,’s voice is amazing. So dignified and strong. And so is the intro – instant entry of full band and muted trumpets until the verse begins at 00:11 secs, and then my favourite chord change of the piece at 00:17 secs. And then it’s not long until my other favourite bit from 00:30 to 00:32 secs where we hear a great drum fill, bass slide and trumpet fanfare.
But overall, a passionate track with a great two-chord exchange chorus. and you can’t fault her sustained waaaaails from 2:53. Especially the third and final one from 3:04 until 3:19 – 15 seconds!! Unbelievable.
Billy Talent are the quintessential band to listen to when you’re pissed off, need some energy, or want to vent out rage over clearly been the victim of exploitation (which I cannot go into in this post but I refer back to this and explain at a later date – dickheads). They have consistently written incredibly catchy riffs and ultimately great songs:
Find me a band with more than 18 energetic hits over three albums and I’ll eat my musical hat.
Saint Veronika starts with a syncopated guitar riff which you never realise is so until 00:06 secs when the guitar kicks in. It gets me every time. But it’s the chorus first heard at 00:42 secs with its descending chord progression and angry, harmonised vocals which is the real deal.
Actually, you know what, it’s the break down from 2:00 exactly which is where shit starts going down. At 2:19 the smoothest of distorted guitar sounds come in to rip it up until 3:14 where the song suddenly strips to a single clean electric guitar…and then BAM, at 3:30 those ridiculous drum hits bring the chorus back and smash you up once more.
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