Musical Analysis- Blog 2

“Chicago” - A Musical Analysis

Finding a song that resonates perfectly with the situation that you are going through can sometimes be a daunting or seemingly impossible task. However, if you are lucky enough to stumble upon a song or a set of lyrics that you find yourself deeply connected with, it is never a bad idea to further your experience by doing a little ‘research’ on the song.  This song Chicago, as stated by a listener of the song, is an "ode to growth and am optimistic push towards new horizons."

I was not able to attach the official version of the song, so below is the same song just performed unofficially!

Beat & Tempo

This song has almost a 60 second instrumental interlude before the lyrics actually begin. The beat that occurs throughout the interlude is a simple 4 beat scale (1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4), but remains on this beat for the entirety of the song. However, despite the consistent beat, the tempo alternates. The 60 second interlude in the beginning starts the song off with a soft and average speed tempo, but as the song progresses, the tempo begins to speed up. This is specifically seen as the chorus begins, and helps to support the aggression of chorus.  The tempo change is not dramatic, but it is a noticeable difference. The drumbeat is used as a supporter to add this progression in tempo. The tempo slowly goes back to the original speed  when the bridge begins towards the end of the song, but then speeds back up when the bridge ends and the final chorus begins. 

Timbre

The timbre of the instruments is pretty soft overall, but the drumbeat helps to give it a hint of intensity. The voice from the lead singer, Dillon Basse, adds a 'rustic' sound to the song which helps to give the song its uniqueness. Basse's voice is one of the main attractions that I have towards this song, as well as Flipturns other music. Basse has a soft overall tone but still manages to add a rough vibrato to the end of his lyrics. This roughness is not very common in male vocalists that I have heard, especially when it is incorporated into high-tempo songs like Chicago. 

With this song, not knowing much about the technicalities of drumming/drummers, I am only able to describe the uniqueness of the drumbeat by how it appeals to my ears. The changes in the drumbeat, which is not typically noticed when listening to this song for the first time, is amazing. Without it, it would be extremely difficult to get the full effect of the intensity that the singer is trying to achieve. The drums, for the majority of the song, maintain at a steady beat while the singer is singing the pre-chorus, but adds in quick drum 'ticks' between the main beat during the chorus. These ticks add the slight aggression to the timbre of the song, which helps switch up the tempo. 

Lyrics

Like I quoted at the beginning of this blog, this song is about an optimistic push towards new horizons. However, in order to make this obvious, Flipturn had to explain how what they were doing is different from the people that they are trying not to be like. 

                                        "We all play pretend, like it's something that is real.

                                                    Like we want to get away, learn how we can feel."

These opening lyrics show that everyone has the same original intentions: fantasizing a life that you will one day achieve. When we are children, we use our imagination to create lives that could only happen once we get older, and as we grow, this dream becomes our 'goal' to achieve. However, for some people, imagination is as far as they get; they never actually make their dreams come true. We fantasize about a place where the air is cleaner, the grass is greener, and there is less stress, a place away from 'home'. These next lyrics express the reality that the majority of people experience. 

                                    "Well different air, from what we already breathe.

                                                So we tell ourselves we'll go, but we never ever leave."

The first line shows that we dream about a place that will be so different, even the air will feel easier to breathe. This, place, is where we spend our whole early lives trying to get to; we begin to talk about leaving so often and to so many people, that we lose track of the road that we need to take to actually get there. The second line expresses the harsh reality that usually follows these dreams; we never ever leave. Flipturn does an excellent job at writing these lyrics to offset each-other with dreams versus the reality. This technique helps to emphasize the main inspiration for this song, which was, "not to live the structured life", said the lead singer, Dillon Basse. 

Sources: 

“Flipturn – Chicago.” Genius, 8 Apr. 2017, genius.com/Flipturn-chicago-lyrics. https://genius.com/Flipturn-chicago-lyrics