"That's Not Me"

This morning, I read the lyrics from "That's Not Me" in The Beach Boys (page 211), and I had a small realization about the line "I went through all kinds of changes, took a look at myself, and said, 'That's not me.'"  The line exhibits internal rhyme ("took a look"), and this matches the introspection that the line itself describes.

"That's Not Me"

Backdated, archival post

[link to original on tumblr]

---&---

I was playing through the guitar parts for "That's Not Me" last night, and I realized that the two parts I figured out are in two different keys.  The six-string guitar part is in A major (and I think most of the rest of the song is too), but the twelve-string part is (I think) in Db major (or at least something with a handful of flats).

Two years ago, I read Kent Hartman's The Wrecking Crew, and I remembered that he mentions a Brian Wilson song that has two parts in different keys.  I just looked that up, and it's not even "That's Not Me."  According to the book, "Wouldn't It Be Nice" has parts in D major and A major, but from what I've figured out so far, it's in F major.  In any case, it shows the complex tonality of Wilson's songs.

"That's Not Me"

Backdated, archival post

[link to original on tumblr]

---&---

Last night, I figured out the second guitar part for "That's Not Me."  I didn't notice until I figured it out, but I think it's actually on twelve-string guitar.  That's what I used, and it sounds right, anyway.

I listened to the third disc of The Pet Sounds Sessions this morning (about which I'll have more posts later), and I realized that "Sloop John B" has a similar structure, just with flutes instead.  In the later choruses of "Sloop John B," there's a flute phrase and then about two measures of rests before an-other flute phrase.  That same pattern is here: guitar phrase, two measures of rests, and then an-other guitar phrase.

When I was recording this though, I discovered that the first two phrases don't follow that structure.  There's the first phrase, then three measures of rests, and then the second phrase.  I'm pretty sure that's a deliberate departure since the line immediately before that phrase is "You needed my love, and I know that I left at the wrong time."  There's a wrong time in the music and in the lyrics.

"That's Not Me"

Backdated, archival post

[link to original on tumblr]

---&---

I knew I hadn't posted anything on here for a while (I didn't know it was three months though!), so I picked out and learned a part after listening to the second disc of The Pet Sounds Sessions to-day.  It's one of the guitar parts from "That's Not Me."  I'm pretty sure I have the whole thing (there's a string of F# notes near the end that I didn't include because I thought it would be boring to listen to without any other instruments), but there might be some more variation in the part when it's repeated.

In learning this, I've discovered that there's a key change on the "soon" in "I soon found out that my lonely life wasn't so pretty."  It adds a kind of musical jolt to accompany the realization mentioned in the lyric.