Soitettu
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Elton John and his lyricist Bernie Taupin wrote so many great songs over the years that it was impossible to pick a single one for Strong Songs. So, why not do two? Kirk dives into a pair of classics by the storied songwriting duo, talking about Elton's chameleon-like voice, his love of pedal tones and embrace of the circle of fourths, the fascinating relationship between lyricist and songwriter, and what it means for a song to sound "piano-y."
Both songs by: Elton John with lyrics by Bernie Taupin
Album 1: Madman Across the Water, 1971
Listen/Buy via Album.Link
Album 2: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, 1973
Listen/Buy via Album.Link
ALSO REFERENCED/DISCUSSED:
"I'm Still Standing," "Your Song," and "Grey Seal," all by Elton John and Bernie Taupin."I Want Love" by John/Taupin, as performed in the 2019 movie Rocketman.NEW THEME MUSIC!
Strong Songs has a new theme song! It'll evolve a bit over the next few episodes as Kirk adds a couple more musicians to the mix, so that should be fun. Hope you dig it.
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WHOLE-NOTE BACKERS:
Caleb Rotach - Chad Barnard - Dan Apczynski - Dave Florey - Sara Walsh
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Andre Bremer - Andrew Lee - Arjun Sharma - Chas Lednicky - Earl Lozada - Emily Williams - Fishbones - Forrest Chang - Jaehoon Jeong - James Johnson - Jasmine Fellows - Jeff Dixon - John and Sharon Stenglein - Jon O’Keefe - joujou - Justin Liew - Justin McElroy - Kevin Morrell - Kevin Pennyfeather - Kyle Simons - Max Schechter - Michael Blackwell - Shane DeLeon - Tom Lauer
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A toast to the groom! To the bride! To knowing you'll always regret the sacrifice you made for your sister! Kirk takes an overdue dive into Lin-Manuel Miranda's epic Broadway musical Hamilton, focusing on Renée Elise Goldsberry's first act showstopper, "Satisfied."
Regret tinges an otherwise joyous day as Angelica Schuyler remembers the night she met Alexander Hamilton, fell in love with him, and quickly realized they could never be together. It's a heady mix of complex rhyme schemes, powerhouse vocals, and musical character motifs so densely interwoven that it's hard to keep track of them all.
(UPDATE 6/30/2020: This episode's audio file has been updated since it originally ran on May 1, 2019. It includes a new intro and outro, a couple of small editing tweaks, the show's current theme music, a new aside about Angelica's introduction to Alexander, and some added mentions of Alex Lacamoire, Hamilton's fabulous musical director.)
Artist: Renée Elise Goldsberry, Lin-Manuel Miranda
Album: Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording), 2015
Composed by: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Listen/Buy via Album.Link
ALSO REFERENCED/DISCUSSED:
Tracks from The Hamilton Instrumentals, 2017
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Today's forecast calls for blue skies, and today's Strong Songs calls for an in-depth analysis of Electric Light Orchestra's "Mr. Blue Sky." It's time to welcome all our pretty faces to the human race, thanks to ELO's most enduring concert-rock classic. Kirk goes for a sunny stroll on a beautiful musical day full of layered vocals, fire extinguisher drumming, time-tested chords, Les Paul solos, vocoders, and... unexpected saxophone interludes?
Band/Artist: Electric Light Orchestra
Album: Out Of The Blue, 1977
Composed by: Jeff Lynne
Listen/Buy via Album.Link
ALSO REFERENCED/DISCUSSED:
"Yesterday" by Paul McCartney from Help!, 1965"Confirmation" by Charlie Parker, 1946, included on In Person--------------------
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Dust off your head charts and brush up your best licks, cause it's time to wade into the warm, welcoming waters of jazz. This episode's Strong Song is Bobby Timmons' gospel-tinged "Moanin'," from Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers' 1959 album of the same name. Kirk zooms out a bit more than usual to talk about jazz small-group arranging, how a great solo is constructed, how jazz song-form works, and how (hopefully) to have a better appreciation for what's going on on a given jazz recording, even if you don't play. He also talks about anime.
Band/Artist: Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers
Album: Moanin', 1959 (recorded in 1958)
Composed by: Bobby Timmons
Personnel: Lee Morgan, trumpet; Benny Golson, tenor sax; Bobby Timmons, piano; Jymie Merritt, bass; Art Blakey, drums
Listen/Buy via Album.Link
ALSO REFERENCED/DISCUSSED:
"Freddie Freeloader" by Miles Davis from Kind of Blue, 1959"Giant Steps" by John Coltrane from Giant Steps, 1960"I Wish" by Stevie Wonder from Songs in the Key of Life, 1976("I Wish" was also featured on a 2018 episode of Strong Songs)"Jordu" by Duke Jordan from Clifford Brown and Max Roach, 1954"Cherokee" by Ray Noble as performed by Clifford Brown on Study in Brown, 1955"Tank!" by Yoko Kanno from the Cowboy Bebop soundtrackThe wonderful anime Kids on the Slope, streamable on Hulu and Crunchyroll.--------------------
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The Strong Songs mailbag is overflowing, so it's time to dive in and answer some listener questions. Kirk digs into creative subdivision, syncopated melodies, major 9th chords, famous drum fills, chiptunes, "bad" singing that's actually good, jazz chords, Indian drum languages, and how to be a better music listener.
Update 12/23/2020: Kirk has traveled back in time to correct this episode's erroneous diagnosis of a strange sound on Led Zeppelin's "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You."
REFERENCED/DISCUSSED:
"The Four Chords" as performed by The Axis of Awesome on YouTubeA cool breakdown of the "Amen Break" drum fill"Puttin' on the Ritz" by Irving Berlin, performed by Ella Fitzgerald"First Tube" by Phish from Farmhouse, 2000"Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" by Anne Bredon, recorded by Led Zeppelin on their self-titled debut, 1969"Free Bird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd from their amazingly titled album (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd), 1974"Just a Friend" by Biz Markie from The Biz Never Sleeps, 1989"Liquid Dance" by AR Rahman, Palakkad Sriram and Madhumitha from the Slumdog Millionare soundtrack, 2008A cool demonstration of Konnakol performed live by Umamahesh, Umashankar, and Selvaganesh"Prom Night" by Anamanaguchi, 2014"Spectra" by Chipzel from Spectra, 2013"Strike the Earth!" by Jake Kaufman from the Shovel Knight soundtrack, 1989"Mt Saint Michel + Saint Michael's Mount" by Aphex Twin from Drukqs, 2001"Well You Needn't" by Thelonious Monk from Misterioso (Live), 1965--------------------
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What happens when you put a straight-up power ballad in the middle of a Disney movie? "Let it Go" happens, that's what. On this episode, Kirk climbs to the top of a snowy peak and summons all his magical powers to figure out why Elsa of Arendelle's self-coronation song rocks as hard as it does, and what it says about the evolution of Disney musical numbers over the past 30 years.
Band/Artist: Idina Menzel
Album: Frozen Original Soundtrack, 2013
Composed by: Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
Listen/Buy via Album.Link
ALSO REFERENCED/DISCUSSED:
"Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey from Escape, 1981"Part of Your World" by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman from The Little Mermaid, 1989"A Whole New World" by Alan Menken and Tim Rice from Aladdin, 1992"When Will My Life Begin?" by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater from Tangled, 2010"Defying Gravity" by Stephen Schwartz from Wicked, 2003"How Far I'll Go" by Lin-Manuel Miranda from Moana, 2016--------------------
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Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Well, either way, this is definitely an episode of Strong Songs about Queen's genre-blending rock saga "Bohemian Rhapsody." Kirk dives into Freddie Mercury's operatic opus and learns a lot about vocal technique, piano motifs, harmonic easter eggs, studio production, Strategic Brian May Deployment™, and all the ways doubling a track can make your voice sound cool in the studio.
Band/Artist: Queen
Album: A Night At The Opera, 1975
Composed by: Freddie Mercury
Produced by: Roy Thomas Baker
Listen/Buy via Album.Link
ALSO REFERENCED/DISCUSSED:
"Don't Stop Me Now" by Freddie Mercury from Jazz, 1978"We Will Rock You" by Brian May from News of the World, 1977"Somebody to Love" by Freddie Mercury from A Day at the Races, 1976"Bohemian Rhapsody" a cappella cover by Pentatonix from PTX Vol. IV: Classics--------------------
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It's time to get lost in the bittersweet beats of ABBA's 1976 hit "Dancing Queen." On this longer-than-usual episode, Kirk tries to tease out some of the things that make this song so iconic and enduring, from its lush arrangement to its clever harmonies, repeating melodic motifs, and maximalist audio production.
Band/Artist: ABBA
Album:Arrival, 1976
Composed by: Benny Anderson, Björn Ulvaeus, and Stig Anderson
Produced by: Stig Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus
Listen/Buy via Album.Link
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Ever wish you could just be a kid again? Stevie does. Kirk breaks out the bass and digs into what makes Stevie Wonder's "I Wish" swing like it does, then looks back to some earlier Wonder tunes to guess at why his funkiest stuff tended to be in E-flat.
Band/Artist: Stevie Wonder
Album:Songs in the Key of Life, 1976
Composed by: Stevie Wonder
Listen/Buy via Album.Link
ALSO REFERENCED/DISCUSSED:
"Superstition" by Stevie Wonder, from Talking Book, 1972"Higher Ground" by Stevie Wonder, from Innervisions, 1973"Wild Wild West" by Will Smith, Moe Dewese, Rob Fusari, and Stevie Wonder, from Willennium, 1999Classic Albums: Songs in the Key of Life--------------------
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On this episode, Kirk dives into one of the greatest pop songs of all time.
Beyoncé's "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" is arguably the defining song of the last decade, but it's far from your average pop tune. With its unusual tensions and unstoppable groove, it defies safe harmony and resolution, and its composers were more than happy to flip the beat and leave their audience searching for the downbeat.
Band/Artist: Beyoncé
Album: I Am... Sasha Fierce, 2008
Composed by: Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Christopher Stewart, Terius Nash, Thaddis Harrell
Listen/Buy via Album.Link
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Oh, sinner man, where you gonna run to? To the rock? To the river? To the sea? Well, wherever you run, you'll still be starring in a Strong Songs analysis of one of Nina Simone's greatest recordings.
Yes, it's time for Strong Songs' first-ever analysis of a live recording, as Kirk digs in to legendary pianist/vocalist Nina Simone's 1965 interpretation of the traditional spiritual song "Sinnerman." It's time for some syncopated piano, popless grooves, band crash-landings, hand-clap breakdowns, hip hop samples, and one spectacular vocal cadenza.
Artist: Nina Simone
Album: Pastel Blues (1965)
Written by: Traditional, arr. Nina Simone
Listen/Buy via Album.Link
ALSO REFERENCED/DISCUSSED:
"I Put a Spell On You" and "Feeling Good" as performed by Nina Simone on I Put a Spell On You, 1965"Strange Fruit" as performed by Simone on Pastel Blues, 1965"Sinner Man" arranged by Les Baxter for his orchestra"Oh, Timbaland" by Timbaland from Shock Value, 2007"Get By" by Talib Kweli from Quality, 2002Audio from John McTiernan's underrated 1999 remake of The Thomas Crown AffairAudio from Liz Garbus' excellent 2015 documentary What Happened, Miss Simone?OUTRO SOLOIST: Rob Reich
This episode's outro soloist is the wonderful bay area pianist/accordionist Rob Reich. Rob performs all over the place with a bunch of different groups, and is a total pleasure to see play. He's got a bunch of albums you can check out and contributes to an array of interesting projects (Live silent-film scores! Circus music!) and experiments. Find more at his website, http://www.robreich.com/.
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March 2020 Whole-Note Patrons
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This week, Kirk breaks down one of his favorite songs from one of his favorite albums.
Paul Simon's "You Can Call Me Al" was a single from his incredible 1986 album Graceland, and its music video introduced a generation to the wonders of goofy lip-synching and fretless bass solos. It's a harmonically simple tune with a cleverly dense arrangement, and brilliantly uses musical layering.
Band/Artist: Paul Simon
Album: Graceland, 1986
Composed by: Paul Simon
Listen/Buy via Album.Link
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On the first episode of Strong Songs, Kirk breaks down Toto's hit song "Africa," a single so good that it still lights up the Internet today.
Band/Artist: Toto
Album: Toto IV, 1982
Composed by: David Paich and Jeff Porcaro
Listen/Buy via Album.Link
--------------------
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