- Words: John Pierce O’Reilly, Joe Bennett
- Audio mashup: Joe Bennett and Rafi Waters
This week Gordon and I tuned in to the world of harmonies! Vocal harmony has been an important part of Western music since the introduction of melodies harmonised in thirds and sixths during the Renaissance, and the popularisation of Lutheran chorales arranged in four and five-part harmony (most famously by J.S. Bach). Western art music, however, forms only one of many traceable vocal traditions; the pairing of one human voice with another is a phenomenon that is as old as music itself. Tonight we heard examples of vocal harmony from across a wide spectrum of folk, rock, gospel, soul, R&B, and pop.
The Everly Brothers are among the most influential harmonisers in the history of pop music. All I Have to Do is Dream (1958) demonstrates Don and Phil’s close harmony, usually in thirds and sixths, and use of intricate homophonic and polyphonic textures. Importantly, the song was the only single ever to be at No. 1 on all of the Billboard singles charts simultaneously!
It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye (1991) was written by Motown husband-and-wife songwriting team Freddie Perren and Christine Yarian for the 1975 film Cooley High. We heard Boyz II Men‘s a cappella rendition tonight, which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number one on the Hot R&B Singles chart in December 1991. Boyz II Men were at the vanguard of the 1990s movement that brought gospel-inspired and harmonically intricate R&B back into the mainstream.
Now I know that you can hear me…
Queen‘s The Prophet’s Song was released on their fourth studio album A Night at the Opera in 1975. Guitarist Brian May wrote the song, which is the longest in Queen‘s catalogue, exceeding Bohemian Rhapsody by 2 minutes and 22 seconds. The Prophet’s Song includes a vocal canon sung entirely by Mercury, and created with the help of a tape delay set to ~1.6sec. The vocal is centre, then left, then right. It’s a remarkable achievement, sung with passion and perfect intonation (more than 20 years before autotune too!).
One Voice by Canadian group The Wailin’ Jennys (2004) adds one voice per every verse of the song, and builds to a poly-vocal climax filled with rich harmony – “This is the sound of all of us”. For those unfamiliar with the techniques of vocal harmony, it’s a great introduction, because you can hear each voice so clearly as it enters, verse by verse. In verse 2 the harmony is lower than the melody; in verse 3 there is a harmony part above and below the main melody. It’s a lovely lyric, too, that I think everyone can get behind!
Jacob Collier’s Moon River is a technical marvel, blending advanced music theory with modern Digital Audio Workstation production. We could devote an entire show to analyzing the vocal techniques here – the recording includes over 600 vocal tracks, meticulously layered to achieve a soft, otherworldly texture that redefines the song. Collier’s version won the Grammy for Best Arrangement in 2020. As most people no doubt know, it was first made famous in Audrey Hepburn’s ‘fire escape’ performance in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Apparently the song almost didn’t make it into the movie; Paramount considered cutting it, but Hepburn insisted it stay, reportedly saying, “Over my dead body!” It received both Oscar and Grammy wins in 1962.
The Parting Glass, recorded in 2023 by boygenius and Irish duo Ye Vagabonds, brings new life to a song with roots in 17th-century Scotland. This traditional tune, expressing themes of camaraderie and farewell, was once the main goodbye song in Scotland before Robert Burns’ Auld Lang Syne became the popular choice. It later became a staple in Irish music, often sung at wakes and gatherings as a final toast, or “parting glass,” offered to departing guests. This version was recorded as a tribute to Sinead O’Connor, who passed away in July 2023, with all proceeds donated to Dublin’s Aisling Project, supporting children’s after-school programs. Listen out for the cello and harmonium under Bridgers, Baker and Dacus’s block 3-part harmonies. Possibly the final release from boygenius? Hope not.
The Rubinoos vs Avril Lavigne
In 2007, Tommy Dunbar of pop-punk band The Rubinoos sued Avril Lavigne, claiming her hit “Girlfriend” borrowed heavily from their 1979 song “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend.” The Rubinoos’ song, with its chorus “Hey! You! I wanna be your boyfriend!” was (argued to be) strikingly similar to Lavigne’s “Hey! You! You! I don’t like your girlfriend!” chorus, prompting allegations of plagiarism. Lavigne denied copying, with her manager stating the melodies and rhythms were coincidental. The case was further complicated by the fact that both songs also shared similarities with older tracks like the Rolling Stones’ “Get Off of My Cloud,” blurring the lines of what was original. They settled out of court, and although the terms are unknown, it’s pretty clear (to me) that Dunbar didn’t have a case. Here’s the statement he released after it was all over.
“We are satisfied that any similarities between the two songs resulted from Avril and Luke’s use of certain common and widely used lyrics. We therefore completely exonerate Avril and Luke from any wrongdoing of any kind in connection with the claims made by us in our lawsuit.”
And as the Gen-Z-ers say, just for lols, here’s our mashup of all the songs mentioned in the dispute, which I’m calling “Hey, You, Get Off My Boyfriend”.
Bonus tracks
Sadly, not everything made the runtime. Joni Mitchell’s astonishing Help Me and Ariana Grande’s powerhouse Dangerous Woman both have fantastic vocal arrangements that had our whole research team deeply immersed for days.
As ever, you can find the playlist of everything we ever featured on the show here (680 songs and counting!).
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