Tuesday, June 29, 2021
"Hawaii"
A couple days after I listened to the live version of "Hawaii" on 1967: Sunshine tomorrow, I was thinking about the song again, and I realized that in the line "I heard about all the pretty girls with their grass skirts down to their knees," the phrase "down to their knees" is sung to a descending group of notes (F Eb Db C), musically giving a sense of that "down."
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Hawaii
Monday, June 28, 2021
"Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow"
In the line "Well, I heard this sound ev'rywhere I go" in "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow," "go" is sung with a melisma (F# G F# E, I think), musically giving a sense of movement.
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Papa Oom Mow Mow
Sunday, June 27, 2021
"Hully Gully"
On Brian Wilson's birthday, I started re-listening to all of the Beach Boys albums in my collection (going alphabetically). While listening to Beach Boys Party! (actually the Uncovered and Unplugged edition), I noticed a couple of small features.
In the line "You just shake your shoulders, and you wiggle your knees" in "Hully Gully," "knees" is sung with a melisma (A G A C), giving a sense of that "wiggl[ing]." "Most" in the line "Well, when me and my baby do it, child, we do it the most" is sung with the same melisma, this time giving a sense of degree or amount.
I also noticed that "coast to coast" in the line "Well, there's a dance spreadin' 'round from coast to coast" is a merism.
Labels:
Hully Gully
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