Great Moments in Song
Certain songs contain a specific moment - a poignant lyric, or monumental riff, or exhilarating key change - that signals a shift to greatness. It is a moment for which listeners wait, stilling their hands from turning the dial until . . . check it out, here it comes . . . rock ON!
Sometimes the shift is fleeting, a brief ascent to distinction in an otherwise mediocre composition; or the greatness purely subjective, resonating with only a few individuals who happen to experience it during a pivotal juncture in their own lives, imbuing the passage with sentimental import. Sometimes the moment is universally acknowledged as propelling a good song to great, or a great song to classic; occasionally even defining the band or, in rare moment, an entire genre. (Appropriate or not, the haunting pre-verse plucks and raucous 4-chord chorus in Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit are forever linked with the introduction of grunge to mainstream America.)
Just to get a list rolling, below are three song moments that transcend.
They were chosen with deliberate speed, mostly to avoid a belabored culling process but also to illustrate the expanse of the oyster bed from which these pearls are drawn. The selected moments have hardly achieved unanimous honor. Of course, purists might assert that the loss of obscurity is the first step towards declension, and general acceptance the last. (After all, was Bruce ever really the same after Born in the U.S.A. catapulted him from “the boss” to “The Boss”?)
Excluded from consideration are songs that are rock-solid start to finish. Who wouldn’t want to begin the day with the friendly voice of Geddy Lee, on the heels of Alex Lifeson’s tingling introduction to The Spirit of Radio, the words of the prophets sung to The Police-like reggae, all culminating in a series of inevitably air-mimicked Neil Peart-precise cymbal-crash finales? (Ok, ok, put your hands down in the back there; not everyone can be a Rush fan.)
- 1:11 of Mother Mother by Tracy Bonham. Bonham delivers a scratchy-throated shriek that rivals even PJ Harvey’s Long Snake Moan. The fierce introductory strumming of Mother Mother gives way to an ignited pre-chorus, then a moment of calm before that storm of a lyric “Everything’s fine!!” - belted in full ironic glory. Subsequent intonations of that line are impressive, but none match the intensity of the first.
- 3:59 into Red Hill Mining Town by U2. The iconic foursome have blessed fans with bleeding heart lyrics and earnest emotion long enough for us to know that this song was likely inspired by some nasty real-world experience. Sure enough, the Wiki entry indicates: “Bono has said that the song is about the 1984 UK mining strike and its strain on relationships at the time.” Even without the history, the driving beat of this track - off the near-flawless The Joshua Tree album - pulls the listener through blue-collar hardship, without a Hollywood ending in sight. The 2 lines at 3:59 - “Love, slowly stripped away/Love, has seen its better day” - just seem to stand a half-octave higher, if not in pitch then in sincerity. (And listen for Bono’s emotional inhale only a second earlier, at 3:58.)
- 3:15 of Starship Trooper by Yes. Steve Howe launches into a finger-picking giddyup for about a minute, providing legs in the middle of an epic composition which, at nearly 10 minutes long, must rely on dynamics. This may be the most subjective of the 3 selections; never failing to induce toe-tapping, head-nodding pleasure in your humble author. (And while I’m here, 8:24 of this song finds Howe releasing with clarity and precision, a crisp lead that slices through an increasingly complex buildup of rhythm guitar, organ and percussion. His guitar takes the baton and leads us with authority to the fade out.)
Please submit your own moments of lyrical transcendence by way of Comment or email. (Exact time marks are appreciated but not required; just give enough detail as to when the moment happens.) If a list begins to build, this post will be updated with your selections.
Sphere: Related Contentguitarblog @ July 16, 2007
Great Topic. There are probably a million other moments that have really affected me but here are a few examples that come to mind at the moment.
1. Amanda by Boston: At apporximately 2:16 into the tune a few call and answer lead guitars launch into the harmony solo at precisely 2:22. This four measure break is simply the chorus melody stated in Tom Scholz’ trademark, saturated tone, yet it is one of the most emotional moments in rock guitar.
2. Narcolepsy by Third Eye Blind: A little known song from their debut album. The first minute and a half of this song features a beautiful clean toned guitar and a wistful vocal delivery. At 1:26 the full band kicks in to a much quicker tempo and an agressive feel. It just keeps building and building.
3. One Way Ticket by The Darkness: The Queen like vocal harmony scream at 3:50 sends a shiver down my spine and makes me laugh every time I hear it.
4. Wings of the Storm by Whitesnake: This extended Steve Vai solo is really quite marvelous in it’s entirety, but he launches into this amazing arpeggio riff over the double time rhtymn that just lifts the listener right out of his chair.
thanks for the additions, jonsnow. i’m hoping this will bring out some of those deep album cuts.
Michael Hedges, “Aerial Boundaries” 3:19 At this is the point, the song takes flight. His two handed technique goes up the neck, and it’s all good after that…it’s actually good up to that point as well.
Don Henley, “Dirty Laundry” 4:17. Steve Lukather guitar solo to the end. This is an excellent example of Luke’s ability to squeeze every note into a solo he possibly can.
Guns ‘n’ Roses “Welcome to the Jungle” 0:01 the intro. Unmistakable guitar work here.
Sarah McLachlan “Angel” 2:39. This is the point when she sings in this “sweet madness, oh this glorious sadness that brings me to my knees” this part hits home for me. It was played at a funeral for a 4 year old family friend. I can’t listen to this song without thinking of that child.
I know its a bit sappy but Coldplay - “Fix You” 3:03 when the song finally hits the peak that is has been building too, simple little guitar riff but it gives me shivers every time!
2nd I would say Lamb - Gorecki, maybe another obvious one? At 2:26 is when it finally lifts off, such a beautiful voice.
lastly I’d throw John Butler Trio into the mix - “Funky Tonight” the breakdown at 1:27 has a great little 12 string acoustic riff that then launches into the distorted solo, jeez that Maton gets a workout!
Eric: Good call with GnR. So obvious in hindsight. Just a tearing intro.
Jon: I actually was going to use that exact Coldplay moment as another example. It is a bit sappy, especially with the whole “about Gweneth’s dad dying” backstory (assuming that’s true), but it gives me shivers too. That may also have to do with the video. That’s the moment he sprints onto the stage to a cheering arena.
One of the best bands in changing direction (in my optinion) is Phish. They are great at building and building tension, and then POW release into sweet melodic magic! I love the part in divided sky when trey builds tension by shifting up m7 chords switching off gion up a whole step and a have step, and then BAM sweet solo. You can see what i mean in this live video from 14:30-14:00 (it is counting downwards from 16 minutes). But i reccomend watching the whole video as it has tons of great moments of tension and release…