Next to Me by Emeli Sande ~ A Musical Analysis 2

 "Next to Me by Emeli Sande"

Information 

Here is another song that had caught my attention immediately! I was working on a slideshow for my wedding anniversary, and this was a perfect fit. I've been blessed to have a husband who has been next to me since day one! Our relationship definitely fits in with the words for this song!

Next to Me is in the genre of R & B. Next to Me was composed in February of 2012 by a Scottish singer Emeli Sande and co-written by Hugo Chegwin, Harry Craze, and A. K. Paul. She wrote this song because all the men in her life have been loyal to her. Those men would include her dad, her manager, and her finance. This song spread across the world, first in Scotland, which made it to the #1 top charts and by April, was in the top 100s in the United States, Billboard Hot 100. There is no doubt that this song was a financial success because it has made the top 100 countries.

Lyrics

The lyrics again are universal because anyone from anywhere across the world can resonate with the story she tells in her song. According to song facts, in 2013 at the Ivor Novello Awards, this song was named the best song musically and lyrically, which I am not surprised! The lyrics flow very smoothly! Today, 16 years of marriage, I can still relate to this song, and is still one of my favorites!

Melody

There are a couple instruments played along with the vocal. The devices include the piano, drums, and the guitar. The melody starts off with an upbeat tune of the piano, a few seconds after, the drums, and she then starts singing. This is an upbeat song that immediately puts you in a good mood. The piano and drums are played throughout the song. 

Key Choices

According to Wikipedia, the key choices that are used is A Minor. She uses A Minor throughout the song by adding in some G and C keys during the chorus. 

Chords

According to Ultimate Guitar, the chords played with the guitar are Am, G /B, C, Fmaj7, G, and F. The chords seem a lot more complicated than the other song I chose, which was Control by Zoe Wees. 

Drums

The drums are played throughout the song with an upbeat melody. During the chorus, he just taps his sticks together, and after the ensemble is complete, he picks back up with the drums in an upbeat tune. I could not find the composition of the drums and the sites that I did find I would have to pay to look at the sheet music for the drums. 

Timbre

The contrast of timbre smoothly changes at the chorus. You can clearly hear the beat of the drum change from hitting the drums to hitting the sticks. I was able to clearly hear the difference. With this change, you can clearly hear the vocal, and it grabs your attention even more as if the teacher has gotten everyone's attention, and the students are all listening. I have enjoyed the changes in beats, and the lyrics really have me with this song since it resonates in my marriage!

Sources

“Next to Me (Emeli Sandé Song).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Sept. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Next_to_Me_%28Emeli_Sand%C3%A9_song%29.

 Songfacts. “Next To Me by Emeli Sandé - Songfacts.” Song Meanings at Songfacts, www.songfacts.com/facts/emeli-sande/next-to-me.

“Emeli Sandé - Next To Me (Chords).” Guitar.Com, 22 July 2016, tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/tab/1146075.

Control by Zoe Wees ~ A Musical Analysis

A handful of songs instantly catch my attention and Control by Zoe Wees is one of them! I had dealt with anxiety during my adult life and did not realize what fear was until years later from when I first experienced it. This is why it really caught my attention, and I instantly downloaded the song to my playlist. Anxiety hit after a few tragedies, and I feel at peace the most when I am outdoors.

Zoe Wees is an 18 year old from Hamburg, Germany. The song Control was her first single that spread across the world. I believe it has been a financial success for her if her music teacher quit his job and became her manager, as stated in an interview posted by Notion Magazine. 

Control - NOTD Remix

Lyrics

Bong Mines Entertainment describes the song as a universal feeling because everyone can relate to the lyrics. I agree with them because a girl from Alaska, all the way across the globe, can relate to these same feelings she describes in her songs. Although they are her own personal feelings, many others feel these same feelings during a certain point in their lives. Knowing she has overcome one of her struggles, the lyrics in her song tell a story and have given many others hope to look forward too in their own time. 

Melody 

There are a couple instruments played in this song, which include the piano and guitar along with vocal. It starts off slow and sad. The intro starts with the piano playing. The piano beat tends to repeat throughout the main choruses.  The piano beats speed up a bit but slows at each chorus. The vocals start out slow as she tells her story. After singing the intro, the guitar is introduced and plays at the same melody as the piano. It was hard for me to hear the guitar at first, but after listening to the song repeatedly to listen for instruments, I was able to listen to it. 

Timbre

The contrast of timbre smoothly changes after each chorus. I was able to hear the subtle change. I have enjoyed the subtle changes, and  I feel the beat has me hooked to the song. 

Chord Choices

The chords are repetitive throughout the whole song. This might actually be easy to learn for a beginner guitarist, such as my son, who is learning to play the guitar! Simple yet great for easy listening. 

Sources

Thomson, Zangba, et al. “Zoe Wees Releases a Lovely Debut Single, Entitled, ‘Control.’” Bong Mines Entertainment, 15 Mar. 2020, www.bongminesentertainment.com/zoe-wees-control/.

“Interview: Taking Control With Zoe Wees: Notion Magazine.” Notion, 22 Sept. 2020, notion.online/taking-control-with-zoe-wees/.

“Zoe Wees - Control (Chords).” Guitar.Com, 16 Apr. 2020, tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/tab/zoe-wees/control-chords-3092408.

One of the songs I like, Control by Zoe Wees

 

Hello

    Hello classmates, welcome to my blogger site for Music F200 Explorations to Music! I look forward to this different class set up the music class has to offer! My name is Hazel, and I am from St. Mary's, Alaska. My goal is to receive my AA General Arts Degree and once I complete that goal I will continue to take classes for my BA in Elementary Education. I am a mother of 3 boys!! They keep me on my toes!

    I love listening to music! I listen to music when I am cleaning, driving in the truck or out boating, and just about anywhere I can listen. I do not attend concerts because they don't have concerts in the village! If you consider a Fiddling Festival a concert then yes, but I haven't attended one in years! I also have never experienced going to a venue and I don't think I will. (Not one of my priorities at the moment). My latest favorite song is Control by Zoe Wees. I often like listening to Today's Top Hits on Spotify or Pandora. I have never used any other music site. I also listen to Mood stations. If I am feeling happy I listen to Mood Booster or if I am down in the dumps I listen to Alone Again. I like songs by The Fray and also love listening to songs from Grey's Anatomy Soundtrack.

I look forward to checking out everyone's blog post to see which type of music everyone likes and look forward to listening to songs that you listen to! Have a great day wherever you may be!

~Hazel

Spotify WebPlayer