Pop Ballads – AoS 2 – Shared Music
(Pop songs that tell stories) - don’t confuse with 70s 80s disco which can be similar
Ballads – of any kind of vocal music, pop or other tell stories. Remember German Lieder?
Well, they’re kinds of Ballads too. Wandering musicians (minstrels) in medieval time sang
ballads. It was like a way of spreading news or information before TV, newspapers and the
internet. May have important information, may be about love, may be about break-up.
Basically, Real Life.
So Pop Ballads do the same. They are about love or break-up, complaints against the
government, other people, any modern issue really.
While Pop Ballads have been around for a long time, they became a lot more popular in the
1990s with and by girl bands and lots of teenage followers. Think Take That and the Spice
Girls.
Take that - Million Love songs
Spice Girls - Two become one – Listen to these songs. What are they about? What do the tell
you to do. Even if you don’t like them, what are they about?
Often singer-songwriters write and sing their own things, maybe voice and piano, or voice
and guitar. It doesn’t have to be a full rock group accompanying. Think Bob Dylan and Sting.
Bob Dylan - Blowing in the wind – It’s an anti-war song. Major key. Easy harmony. Folk feel.
There is a message. Something you should do or think about. Basically he’s giving you
advice.
The Rose - Sting Fields of Gold - Sting Englishman in New York - Sting
Describe the songs above. What are they like. Analyse the structure. Think. Verse, Chorus,
Instrumental, Middle 8, Intro, outro (ending)
Another great performer is Elton John
Candle in the wind - Elton John – Tribute to Marilyn Monroe.
I’m still standing - Elton John
How about a bit more up to date – Snow Patrol or The Script
Set fire to the third bar - Snow Patrol
Man who can't be move - The Script
Both have clear vocals which are not hidden by an accompaniment.
In everything above, the accompaniment generally reflects the theme or mood of the
vocals. Lots of repetition and changes to the motives. (Leitmotiv??)
Dynamics – crescendos, diminuendos make it more dramatic.
Instrumental sections vary the tune.
Floods of Tears by Diary of Dreams
STRUCTURE
They love asking you about this in the exam.
Most go…
Intro – verse – chorus – verse – chorus – etc.
There will probably be an instrumental somewhere.
Verses have the same music, different words.
Chorus same music same words, though different music to the verse.
The “Middle 8” is to avoid a song getting boring. New words, new chords, just to have a
change.
Often a key change (modulation) near the end where it goes up a key.
Can you work out the structure in the next extract?
Westlife - you raise me up (can you hear the Irish influence with the Uilleann pipes in the
instrumental?)
Ok here are some features you will have to describe.
Vibrato – a little wobble in the singers voice.
Falsetto – Really high man’s voice – Beegees? Justin Timberlake?
Portatmento – slide form not to note
Riffing – decorating a tune, like up and down on the last note before ending (Mariah Carey?)
Lead singer – sings main tune
Backing singers - sing the harmonies in the background.
Unison – singing exactly the same tune as another at the same time.
Descant – an upper part above the main tune.
Harmony – notes that fit together from a variety of instruments or voices that sound good
together.
Modulation – a key change, usually up one.
Middle 8 – new section with different lyrics and chords
Instrumental – section for just instruments
Verse – same music different words each time
Chorus – same music and words each time.