I Don’t Know How to Love Him Analysis
The song comes from the Rock Musical Jesus Christ Superstar and I Don’t
Know How to Love Him’ is sung by the character Mary Magdalene. She
sings throughout in the popular Folk Rock style, this is an example of
characterisation as Mary Magdalene is sweet and gentle and popular.
This song is typical of a popular ballad as it is in 4/4, uses a block chord
accompaniment and simple folk instruments; guitar and flute as well as
orchestral instruments in the climax of the song; percussion, strings and
synth. The use of the orchestral instruments reminds you that it is a
show song and not just a pop ballad. However the opening sound is not
dissimilar to the popular folk singers of this decade (1970’s). The song
was first heard on the album Jesus Christ Superstar before it became a
Broadway Show.
The piece opens in D Major with a tonic chord, in the bass there are
minim D’s to affirm the key. After two bars introduction the vocal line
enters singing the melody from the opening introduction bar. The texture
here is thin and the only instrument playing is the guitar which strums
block chords switching in the first two bars between the root D and chord
IV G, the bass continues to play the root of the chord.
The vocal line follows the natural inflection of a speaking voice that is
despairing of a situation, each phrase/sentence ending goes down, giving
the impression that these words are the thoughts of Mary Magdalene and
she is not singing/talking to anyone in particular. The melodic line is
mostly moving by step, which again represents a speaking voice and
keeps the song in the simplistic, folk style.
After the initial 4 bars of melody the chords move to switching between V,
A major and I with inversions of chord I being used. The accompanying
chords throughout this verse section follow a quaver accompaniment
which is sometimes changed with the addition of semi-quavers to
decorate long held notes in the vocal line. The bass moves away from the
use of simple minims and adds a syncopated rhythm at times as well as
descending scales in unison with the melody.
Many of the bass rhythms can be found within the melody or treble
accompaniment, which keeps the piece very simple and stops the texture
and themes complicating and overpowering the lyrics. This is intended to
be a simple song, sung by a simple girl and this shows the character of
Mary implicitly.
You can also see in the section above that the chords have now changed
to F#m (chord III) and Chord (VI) Bm before returning through the
progression IV, Ic, II, I and ending on a perfect cadence. This creates a
minor feel which enhances the depressive feel of the lyrics, ‘In these past
few days, when I’ve seen myself, I seem like someone else’.
This first verse is followed by a second verse which is exactly the same
except for the addition of three tonic note quavers and a dotted minim at
the end. Which is a rationale of her turmoil throughout the first two
verses.
The next section is the climatic chorus which follows an ascending
sequence which crescendos as it moves up. It reaches it pinnacle on a C
natural chord giving the impression that the key could modulate when she
reaches her vocal climax before gently dropping back into D major with
the ascending chord sequence. To add to the climax the orchestral
instruments are added, with a full string section doubling the melody and
adding power and depth to her words. This section shows her, tension
and emotion and is the loudest and highest part of the song.
The music returns to the verse which is exactly the same as when it is
first heard. It then returns back to the chorus (above) however there is
no vocal line the second time until she sings ‘I never thought I’d come to
this’. This ensures the climax of the song is again reiterated but with
even more gusto and passion. The words are also made ‘bigger’ by the
vocalist adding some stylistic features such as slides, and turns, but these
are improvised to add the climax.
The piece ends with one more verse thus making the structure AABABA
which is ternary form and again typical of the pop style.