Ladies and gentlemen, it's time we faced a sad fact that has been plaguing the musical world for quite some time: there is not equality among instruments. Not all are held in the same esteem, not all are regarded with the same amount of reverence. Oh sure, you've got your almighty guitar and your keyboards and bass and hifalutin drums, but what about the so-called "lesser" instruments? What has happened to them?
I'll come to the point: the harmonica gets a bad rap. In the social hierarchy of musical instruments, it's one step above the kazoo. And while many people will stick to their guns and continue hating it, I insist that it is merely misunderstood. Well, tonight all this is going to stop. I have brought out three songs (Lea roughed me up in the gym and told me that if I exceeded my limits again, I would pay in what she calls "moderately important body parts"; she also took my lunch money) that not only accentuate the harmonica's importance within the structure of a popular song, but in some cases suggest that it may even be an integral element.
We start with an obvious choice.
Culture Club - "Karma Chameleon" (mp3|3.90MB)
I fully expect this to get zero downloads (yes, I do monitor this, so if you ever want to make me feel REALLY good about myself, download something twice). Not because it's bad or because you know all about Thing George and his old band, but because you have it already. Come on. Let's face it. You love this song. You love everything about it. You love how catchy it is. You love how rebellious you feel when you dance to it while no one's around. And, most of all, you love that damn harmonica.
(from the 1983 album Colour By Numbers)
Doves - "Rise" (mp3|5.13MB)
2009 is, at least in conventional numeric terms, the end of a decade (yeah yeah there was no year zero stfu). This means that, come December, I -- the compulsive listmaker -- will be faced with the unenviable task of ranking my favorite songs of the decade. Luckily for me, the job has been made 1/25 easier, because I'd say there's a very strong chance Doves' gorgeous, ethereal "Rise" will find its way onto the list somewhere. Maybe it's just the fact that the first time I ever heard it was on a lonely summer night back in '07, but this more than any other song I can think of perfectly captures that lonely summer night feeling. It's haunting, it's lovely, and it has one of the most legitimately tasteful harmonica solos I have ever heard. Seriously, the harmonica elevates the song; it would certainly not be as good without it. The solo is so perfectly placed, so seamlessly integrated, that I honestly didn't even hear it the first few times. It's just a necessary extension of the music. It's an asset. "Rise" singlehandedly makes the case for the harmonica as an acceptable musical entity. And, yeah, it's also a fantastic song.
(from the 2000 album Lost Souls)
Bob Dylan - "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" (mp3|15.57MB)
Ah, but of course. Mr. Zimmerman is the king of the harmonica. I had to include him. But he gets a bad rap, too. Sure, he's an icon and all that, but I get the feeling these days that he's more iconic for being "that batshit son of a bitch" than for being a true musician. True, he probably is insane; and yes, he does have the most distinctive (read: highly irritating -- yes, even I think so) voice ever put to tape. But that doesn't mean he wasn't a prodigious talent in his time. "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands," while not among his super-famous songs, may be the finest thing he ever wrote. Written for his wife, it's a love ballad that quite simply puts most other love ballads to shame. And if you think it's too long, that it drags, that he should've somehow edited it down: I'm sorry, but you're wrong. It's just so good.
(from the 1966 album Blonde on Blonde)
(If you really want a fourth song, though, check out The Beatles' "I Should Have Known Better." I'm sure it's in your personal library already. Anything by the Fab Four is wonderful, of course, and it's also one-fourth the length of "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands." So there.)
... aaaaand I'll see you folks next week!
Posts
1 comment:
this is sooo cool.
Post a Comment