Color Me Impressed!
Background: Ok, I have a confession to make: Adjectives drive me insane. Sometimes people will use a seemingly endless amount of them, before they even get to what it is they’re describing. But in song form, adjectives can be very useful to paint a picture, and what better way to paint a picture than with colors? In this blog, we will talk about using colors in songs and the emotions those colors convey, including one song in Spanish (where the adjective comes after the noun).
Note: Because I never pass up an opportunity to tie things back to Minnesota, the title to this blog shares a name with a Replacements song, which was inspired by something Peter Jesperson’s then-girlfriend used to sarcastically say to Paul Westerberg. I’m sure Paul would say the same to me about this blog!
1. “Blue Ain’t Your Color” by Keith Urban
Lyrically: The very first song I analyzed in my first blog “Tangled Up in Blue'' by Bob Dylan. And although there are a million different ways to dissect Dylan songs, I will spare you that analysis again. However, the color “blue” has long been a way of expressing sadness, when it comes to a person. What’s fascinating about this Keith Urban song, though, is that it describes all the ways blue can be a good thing: The color of the sky and a neon light. But then he insists that although it “looks good on that neon dancin’ on the wall,” “it don’t match your eyes,” he tells her, “blue ain’t your color.” Many songs, like “Blue Sky'' by the Allman Brothers Band assert that the love interest in question is their blue sky. “You Are My Sunshine” does the same thing. But the Keith Urban song uses blue as a negative thing when it comes to the person in question, while also implying that they could be as bright as the neon and the sky, if they left their verbally abusive partner. It’s a subtle juxtaposition. Another great example of the juxtaposition, and going back to our earlier discussion on oxymorons, the line in the chorus, “It’s so black and white… baby, blue ain’t your color” is something I didn’t notice until writing this blog. It’s another subtle, but very well written line. The lyrics also stand out because they come from a place of concern. In verse two, he says he’s not trying to pick her up, but says, “I just don’t understand how another man can take your sun and turn it ice cold.” It doesn’t say what “her color” is, but it does say that blue, when it represents sadness, isn’t good for anyone, and she deserves better.
Melodically: The song is written in G, and follows a I, ii. IV, V pattern in the verses. G is the I chord, Am is the ii, C is the IV, and D is the V. The chorus uses the same pattern, but the last line, “Baby, blue ain’t your color” goes to the G (I), C (IV), Bm (iii), and Am (ii). The solo uses Em (vi), Am (ii), Em (vi), and C (IV), and the outro uses a C (IV), Bm (iii), Am (ii), and G (I), before ending on a G (I), D (V), and G (I), staying on the root note (G), for the last two lines. The song is notable for its jazzier feel, being written in 6/8 time, and utilizes drums, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, keyboards, and synthesizers.
Structurally: The song uses a verse, chorus, verse, chorus, solo, chorus format. Oftentimes, writers will talk about getting into “second verse hell,” where they can’t seem to top the awesomeness of verse one. But the writers of “Blue Ain’t Your Color” used one of my favorite tricks of writing. They used the second verse to address any concerns the woman in question may have about this random guy telling her not to be so sad. “I know this sounds like I’m telling you to smile more, but hear me out–he doesn’t deserve you.” It allows the rest of the song to flow freely, like he’s just helping out a friend, and knows what it’s like to be down and out.
Blue sounds good on your device. You can listen to “Blue Ain’t Your Color”, embedded below.
2. “La camisa negra ” by Juanes
Background: Juanes is considered by many native Spanish speakers to be an act that many non-native speakers like, as he’s an easy foray into the language. I agree, but I don’t view that as an inherently bad thing. In Spanish II, we did listening activities centered around “Fotografía” (meaning “Photograph”), a duet with Nelly Furtado, “A Dios le Pido” (God, I Ask of You”), and “La Camisa Negra.” We will almost undoubtedly return to “Fotografía” in a later blog, as its imagery is stunningly beautiful, but for now, we’ll focus on “La Camisa Negra.” As you read, I ask that you suspend your need for rhyme within a song–the literal translation will not rhyme, but focus on the poetry behind the lyrics.
Lyrically: This is a breakup song. “Tengo La Camisa Negra” means “I have the black shirt.” Where is the most likely place you would wear a black shirt? At a funeral. The whole song is mourning the loss of a relationship, and wearing the clothes to match that. Each verse begins with “Tengo la camisa negra” and reveals more details about the end of the relationship. In the first vese, he says, “Hoy mi amor está de luto,” which translates to “Today, my love is in mourning,” followed by “Tengo un alma de pena, es por culpa de tu embrujo,” which says, “I have a soul of pain. It’s the fault of your charm/spell.” In the second verse, he switches things up by saying, “Porque negro es color de mi alma,” (“Because black is the color of my soul”), “Y por ti perdí la calma” (“And because of you, I lost my calm”). The chorus builds upon the line about falling under her spell, by saying, “Por beber tu veneno, malevolo tu amor,” (“Because I drank your venom, your love is malevolent.”) It’s a wonderfully dark song, and just think of the double threat you could be as a bilingual songwriter!
Melodically: The song is written in F#m, and uses a i, iv pattern in the intro (F#m to Bm). The verses use a i, V7, i, iv pattern for the first two lines (F#m, C#7, F#m, and Bm), followed by a V, i, V, i pattern for the next three lines (C#7, F#m), before closing on a iv, V7, i pattern in the last line. The last verse follows a slightly different progression, going i (F#m), V7 (C#7), i (F#m), iv (Bm), V7 (C#7), i (F#m) and that progression gets played twice. The pre-chorus follows a i, V7, I pattern (F#m, C#7, and F#). Notice the second F# in the pre-chorus is an F# major, not an F#m (minor). The chorus modulates from F# minor to F# major and uses a I, V, I pattern in the first line (F#, C#7, and F#), a IV, I, V7, I, pattern (B, F#, C#, F#), getting played 3 times, with the last time ending on the IV (B) chord. The solo gets played over the verse back in F# minor.
Structurally: The song uses a verse, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, solo, verse format. The last verse follows more of an ending format, saying, “Tengo, tengo la camisa negra,” rather than the “Tengo la camisa negra,” in the first two verses. The song utilizes an ABAB rhyme scheme in the first two verses, as well as the chorus. The third verse has a relatively irregular rhyme scheme, where the first line stands alone, then the next 3 lines rhyme. After that, the next three lines do not rhyme (though it’s relatively unnecessary when you have the “cama cama c’mon, baby” earworm), and the line, “dismulo” (meaning “dissimulation”), rhymes with the last line, “disfunto” (“deceased”).
“La Camisa Negra” is embedded below.
3. “Green” by Andrew Cabigao
Lyrically: This song was written by Andrew shortly after he quit his day job to do music full time. He knew it was a leap of faith, but also knew it was necessary, if he was going to be at his happiest, professionally. The first verse of the song details that slight doubt about the future, but the chorus concludes that “Sometimes it’s okay to be a little green.” Like “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” the color green can make us think of a couple different things. You can be green with envy, but in this case, “green” represents naivety, and how it will eventually pay off “When everyone’s screamin’ your name.” The amount of times I have told people, out of context, that sometimes it’s okay to be a little green, is far too many to count.
Melodically: The song is written in the key of Bm. The intro and verse use Bm and E, which are the i and IV chords, and those get played 3 times. The chorus uses A, B, A, B, A, B, D, E, which is a VIIb i, III, IV pattern. Instrumentally, the song uses guitar, bass, and drums
Structurally: The song follows a verse, chorus, verse, chorus, ending format. The first verse is twice as long as the second. With each part of the song, the narrator grows more and more confident about his choice, eventually concluding that all the hard work will be worth it, “When everybody’s screamin’ your name.”
After you listen to this song, I guarantee you’ll be screaming Andrew’s name. “Green” is embedded below.
4. “Purple Rain” by Prince
Background: If you thought you were getting out of this blog about “color” songs without reading my analysis of “Purple Rain,” you are out of your mind. In preparing this blog, two Prince songs popped into my head: “Little Red Corvette” and “Purple Rain.” The former song is fabulous for a thousand different reasons, so we will almost certainly revisit that one in another blog, but for now, let’s chat about the title track to Prince’s 1984 film.
Lyrically: “Purple Rain” is an apology song, lamenting the fact that the narrator let his lover slip away. The first verse talks about the pain and sorrow he caused her, the second verse talks about wanting something everlasting, rather than wanting to “be (her) weekend lover,” while the last verse deals with going back to that person, when the rest of the world is in shambles. Prince said in an interview that the concept of purple rain is a visual for the end of the world, with the blood red sky (mixed with its original blue color), you get purple. Interestingly, this concept was briefly mentioned in the title track to his previous album, 1999: “The sky was all purple, there were people runnin’ everywhere.” So don’t listen to his sister, who once said Prince’s favorite color was actually orange – he definitely had a thing for the color purple!
Melodically: The song is written in the key of Bb, with the capo on the third fret. The intro uses Bb, G7, F, and Eb, I(add9), vi7(sus4), V, IV(add9) pattern, which repeats twice, with the verses following the same pattern, save for the last chord, which is a G7. The chorus uses Bb, F, Gm, and Eb (a I(add9), a V, vi(sus4), IV(add9) progression), and the solo outro is played over that same progression. In addition to the guitar, “Purple Rain” contains piano, strings (including a violin, viola, and cello), synthesizers, drums, and bass. In a previous blog, we talked about “writing on assignment,” and how that can sometimes take the form of writing for a movie. In this case, the title track existed before the movie did. In its original form, “Purple Rain” was a country song that Prince sent to Stevie Nicks, for a potential duet. Nicks felt so overwhelmed by the track that she told Prince, “I can’t do it.” So the song was reworked for about 10 hours by Prince, Wendy, and Lisa into the arrangement we now know so well.
Structurally: The song follows a verse, chorus, verse, chorus, verse, solo/outro format. Since the song is a form of lamentation, his expressed desire to be with his ex-lover again, does not call for a long and complicated chorus–especially since the verses are sung in a somewhat rambling fashion. The scream at the beginning of the third verse tells us we’re in for a monster of an ending, and the solo (one of my two favorite Prince solos, the other being his live version of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”), fits so perfectly with the calmness of the rest of the song, as does the ringing out of the other instruments after the solo finishes. It’s a gorgeous piece from start to finish, that still gets me in my feelings every time I hear it.
Since Prince’s death, “Purple Rain” always puts me in a trance, and makes me all kinds of sad. But if you’re up for it, it’s embedded below for you to enjoy.
