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Undertoad · 08-04-2012, 09:51 AM

I will, but first, I actually came here to talk about...

One of the finest old saws from one of the best bands not to be in the Not Rock and Roll Not Hall of Fame.

Some songwriters use a trick of suddenly changing keys, one note up, near the end of the song. It feels like switching to a new top gear. For example, "Morning Train", below. Jump to about 2:35 of the song, and wait until at 2:47, the song goes a full step up in key. And, if you wait through the chorus again, the song goes right up another full step.

This is so hack. This is overdone. If you look around you will notice many more songs that use this trick. In "Morning Train", it's like moving to top gear in a Ford Fiesta. You didn't like the song to begin with, and now there will more of it in new higher keys.

You want another song that does it at 2:47? Here's a guy who uses this trick every time, watch for it at 2:47. And then realize how HACK it is.

BUT... "Surrender" does this at the BEGINNING of the song. Nobody does that! There are four bars of Intro and then then song moves up a half-step. The song starts in A# and moves to B.

And then -- in the MIDDLE of the song, after Verse-Chorus-Verse-Chorus, they reply the Intro in that key of B... and then subtly move one half step up AGAIN, to the key of C, and into the next Verse-Chorus. Outrageous!

By the end of the song, when this trick is usually employed, the band is in top gear because they're shouting and rollicking, not because they've jumped keys again. It's not necessary. We're all alright! We're all alright!

Now that you're aware of it, you'll hear it every time.

The other thing about "Surrender" is that there is NO rhyming. At all. On purpose. Did you ever notice? Now you will.

08-04-2012, 09:51 AM	#14
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	I will, but first, I actually came here to talk about... One of the finest old saws from one of the best bands not to be in the Not Rock and Roll Not Hall of Fame. Some songwriters use a trick of suddenly changing keys, one note up, near the end of the song. It feels like switching to a new top gear. For example, "Morning Train", below. Jump to about 2:35 of the song, and wait until at 2:47, the song goes a full step up in key. And, if you wait through the chorus again, the song goes right up another full step. This is so hack. This is overdone. If you look around you will notice many more songs that use this trick. In "Morning Train", it's like moving to top gear in a Ford Fiesta. You didn't like the song to begin with, and now there will more of it in new higher keys. You want another song that does it at 2:47? Here's a guy who uses this trick every time, watch for it at 2:47. And then realize how HACK it is. BUT... "Surrender" does this at the BEGINNING of the song. Nobody does that! There are four bars of Intro and then then song moves up a half-step. The song starts in A# and moves to B. And then -- in the MIDDLE of the song, after Verse-Chorus-Verse-Chorus, they reply the Intro in that key of B... and then subtly move one half step up AGAIN, to the key of C, and into the next Verse-Chorus. Outrageous! By the end of the song, when this trick is usually employed, the band is in top gear because they're shouting and rollicking, not because they've jumped keys again. It's not necessary. We're all alright! We're all alright! Now that you're aware of it, you'll hear it every time. The other thing about "Surrender" is that there is NO rhyming. At all. On purpose. Did you ever notice? Now you will.