A few more counterpoint songs

[resonant]

I knew I was forgetting something; early Jackson Browne is full of multiple melody lines.

By the way, my policy about music downloading and commenting? It's always nice to hear someone's opinion of the music, but since I'm using YouSendIt rather than my own server space, it's OK with me if you download without commenting.



Jackson Browne, Sleep's Dark and Silent Gate from "The Pretender."

The typical Browneian song of love and regret. Bonnie Raitt also has a lovely version of this. (I think I prefer hers, actually, but it doesn't have the counterpoint arrangement.)

Never should have had to try so hard to make a love work out,
I guess.
I don't know what love has got to do with happiness
But the times when we were happy
were the times we never tried.

Jackson Browne, From Silver Lake from "Late for the Sky"

I'm a little embarrassed at how much I love this song, because really it's got the seventies smeared all over it.

He's bound to go,
And the sun may find him sleeping in the dust
Of some ruin far away.
He's bound to go.

Jackson Browne, For a Dancer, from "Late for the Sky"

A beautiful song about a dead friend.

Keep a fire for the human race.
Let your prayers go drifting into space.
You never know what will be coming down.

Comments

[skuf.livejournal.com]

I took the first - hearing what it is :o)

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

The third one is actually my favorite of the bunch, the best-written song. I spent most of my early adolescence listening to Jackson Browne on headphones; it may have warped me somewhat.

[denyeverything1.livejournal.com]

Surfing flists and had to stop to read, because it's rare to see anyone talking about Jackson Browne these days. ;-)

But first, very interesting posts on counterpoint -- like many others who commented on the other post, "God Only Knows" is definitely one of my favorite pieces of music ever -- so powerful for something so short.

The most incredible *visual* illustration of polyphony I've ever seen is at the end of "Love, Actually," when the director uses the burst of multiple melodies at the end of "God Only Knows" as the screen splits multiple times, showing scene upon scene of people meeting and leaving at an airport. I have other issues with the movie itself, but that ending combination of music, words and visuals just gets me every time -- and its power rests on that incredible music.

Getting back to Jackson Browne, some of the stuff is very 70s, yes (the disco beat under some of the tracks on Running On Empty is kind of painful to listen to, for example. Even if it was used ironically it's still... disco ;-). But he created such a beautiful body of music, those occasional slips aren't a big deal.

I'm trying to think if Crosby, Stills & Nash (with or without Young) ever produced any good examples of polyphony -- they were so all about harmony, but I'm thinking they must have thrown polyphony into the mix at some point. Oh, I know -- In "Teach Your Children," there's a perfect example right in the middle.

Fun things to think about (and remember). Thank you!

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen Love Actually, and now I'm tempted to rent it just for that sequence.

I have some solo acoustic versions of Jackson Browne songs, and some of them I prefer to the originals because they're better arranged. He really was a formative influence on me, and occupied a whole lot of my time in high school, and so it pains me disproportionately when there's a flaw in one of his songs.

And you're right about Teach Your Children. There's some polyphony in the Hair soundtrack, too, on The Flesh Failures and Let The Sunshine In/Aquarius.

[ardent-muses.livejournal.com]

Oh, I love Jackson Browne. I get in moods where I leave him on repeat in the car for, seriously, days. I don't ever see enough about him. :)

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's so cool!

I was obsessed with him in high school, and I have all the albums through "Hold Out," but they're all on vinyl, so I rarely listen to them. And just recently I started acquiring the CDs, little by little, plus apparently he did a solo acoustic concert too, and I've been putting songs on my car CDs, and just enjoying the music all over again.