LISTENING FRAMEWORK
"Take on Me" by A-ha
LISTENING PHASE 1 (Rhythm)
Tempo [slow, medium, fast]
The tempo is very quick
Source [where is the rhythm coming from?]
Rhythm comes predominately from the drums and slightly from the keyboard.
Groove [describe how the personality of the rhythm]
The groove is very lively and uplifting, much like a modern “pop” song
LISTENING PHASE 2 (Arrangement)
Instrumentation [which instruments drive the song?]
The drums and keyboard drive this song completely.
Structure/Organization [how is the song built? Order, patterns, etc.]
Opens with the quick drum-beat, kept steady through entire song, keyboards are added, chorus builds up to an impressive falsetto high-note.
Emotional Architecture [Draw how the song build and drop?]
Each chorus consists of chords that build up to a climactic high-note, this stresses tension/release.
LISTENING PHASE 3 (Sound Quality)
- Height [high and low of frequency]
Generally low frequency, gradually gets higher
- Width [stereo panning left/right]
Keyboard part in the middle pans between left and right speakers
- Depth [layers of instruments - via loudness]
More instruments are continually added, adding more layers and making it louder.
LISTENING FRAMEWORK
"Take on Me" by Reel Big Fish
LISTENING PHASE 1 (Rhythm)
Tempo [slow, medium, fast]
The tempo is very quick
Source [where is the rhythm coming from?]
Rhythm comes predominately from the drums and slightly from the guitar.
Groove [describe how the personality of the rhythm]
The groove is very lively and upbeat, but slightly heavy, like a punk-rock song
LISTENING PHASE 2 (Arrangement)
Instrumentation [which instruments drive the song?]
The drums and guitar drive this song completely.
Structure/Organization [how is the song built? Order, patterns, etc.]
Opens with the quick drum-beat, kept steady through entire song, heavily distorted guitar is added, chorus builds up with brass instruments to an impressive falsetto high-note.
Emotional Architecture [Draw how the song build and drop?]
Each chorus consists of chords that build up to a climactic high-note, this stresses tension/release, added harmonies aid this
LISTENING PHASE 3 (Sound Quality)
- Height [high and low of frequency]
Medium frequencies, that quickly become higher ranged.
- Width [stereo panning left/right]
Guitar solo and some other minor instrumentation pans from left and right in middle
- Depth [layers of instruments - via loudness]
More instruments are continually added, adding more layers and making it louder.
For this little project I decided to choose a cover song, and it’s original. The song in question is “Take on Me”, originally performed by A-ha and released in 1985. The cover by Reel Big Fish is a ska implementation was recorded around 1998. Even though they are both the same song they have a lot in contrast as well. The original 80’s version sticks to layering the drums and keyboard in a simple manner, having the harmonies only come in during the “call/answer” section in the chorus. Reel Big Fish however, layers the drums on top of a bass and a distorted guitar, then throws in brass instruments for the harmonic “call/answer” section all while adding their own harmonies to the rest of the song. The added distorted guitar makes the groove a lot heavier than the original, changing it from a “pop” sort of feel to a “punk” kind of feel. Though the drums are the driving force for the rhythm in both songs, they have a few key differences. The first is that the drums in the Reel Big Fish rendition are slightly faster, which assists in giving the groove a heavier feel.
The other difference is that the kick-snare pattern in the Reel Big Fish version is accentuated by a high-hat on the off-beats. This also makes the rhythm feel faster and because the high-hat is open it provides a lasting sound to fill the space between beats. This detracts from the “pop” type feeling in the original piece. I strongly prefer the Reel Big Fish version to the A-ha version of “Take on Me”. My opinion might be a tad biased seeing as how my ska band in high school played the Reel Big Fish version, but aside from that I feel it is livelier. The original is great, but the added layers of the horns and harmonies make the melody stand out a whole lot more. It is a much more “danceable” version of the song (not to say the original was impossible to dance to), though to be fair, the original music video was a whole lot cooler.
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