"I Got Nerve", sung by Hannah Montana
To get us back into gear with music blogging, I'd like you to comment on the phrase structure of this song (verse 1 and chorus). One of the very interesting aspects here is the creative recurrent use of a particular phrase structure we had learnt last semester; the chorus is particularly fascinating in this regard. A video-clip is available at http://www.mymostwanted.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3170&styleid=4 (also at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQRwrOfAyls), and lyrics at http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/hannahmontana/ivegotnerve.html.
Have fun!
posted by ec @ Friday, January 11, 2008
11 comments
11 Comments:
PS: While the singer's website is the original source for the videoclip, to avoid annoying pop-ups, you may wish to use the U-Tube version.
Dear All, I find that for the phrases at the beginning of the song, the emphasis are placed at the last word of each phrase for example " We Haven't 'met' ", " And thats 'Okay' ", but then it comes to the chorus, the emphasis is on the first word of each phrase for example, " 'I' know where I stand", " 'I' know who I am". Thats my point of view for this piece of music. =)
Hmm..I don't really agree with Jinxing here. I think the emphasis on the last word applies only to these two particular lines (and also "don't want to wait") because that happens to be the shape of the melody. For the other lines ("..one day" and "in line"), the emphasis doesn't quite seem to be on the last word.
I'm a bit dubious about the chorus though, because the songwriter has used this hemiola sort of thing (is that the term?) to make it seem as if the emphasis is on the 1st beat of a 3-beat bar when the music, in fact, remains in quadruple time.
Having said all that, lest I be accused of being long-winded again, I'll just say that Verse 1 is more clear-cut, with a 2-sentence period until "believe me", followed by another sentence with 2-bar extension. To me, the chorus has 2 ways of looking at it. The first is as two 3-3-10 (number of beats) phrases with a 2-bar extension at the end. The other is as a double-period consisting of 2-bar phrases except for the last which is 4 bars. Anyone else see it the same way? :P
I haven't analysed the piece yet, but to start off, here is a link to my 'blog' which I will use to post music stuff in addition to what is already there.
http://achern.wordpress.com/
Thanks,
Alf
Hi all! My goodness, Hannah Montana! That's like the latest craze among young teenage kids, after High School Musical. It's so cool, analysing these music. Seen the TV series on Disney Channel and I can see why it's so appealing. Happy analysing :)
I actually did this on my personal blog, but here it is, copy and pasted:
This song is pretty new to me, and it's quite interesting to listen to the clip and review what I have learnt regarding it's phrase structure. As most of the verses are similar, the first verse and the chorus will be discussed:
The Big Picture:
What attracts me most to this music is mainly their emphasis on phrases which do not occur at the usual "first beat of the bar". I am taking this music in 4/4 common time, simple meter. In the last semester, we learnt that phrase structures having the "Short-Short-Long" subdivision or S-S-L, and this is definitely "rampant" in the whole song! However, the S-S-L feature do not always occur on the first beat. And as it moves along, the emphasis of the phrase in the meter changes. As it reaches the chorus, emphasis begins on the first beat already, and then changes again! I'll explain in further details...
First Verse:
I will categorise the 1st verse into two different sections, based on the place in the meter where the phrase starts. In the first section, phrase starts on the 4th quaver beat, which is a weak beat.
"We haven't met (S), And that's ok (S), 'Cause you will be asking for me one day (L),
Don't want to wait (S), in line (S), The moment is mine believe me (L)"
In the second section, phrase starts on the third beat, which is a relatively strong beat. The phrase then went back as before (4th quaver beat) for the (L) phrases.
"Don't Close (S), Your Eyes (S),
'Cause it's a chance worth takin' (L), And I think that I can shake you (L)"
Chorus:
The chorus is interesting in that the S-S-L phrase structures do not occur in a "predictable" fashion. For example, I would group the first portion as:
"I know where I stand (S), I know who I am (S), I would never run away when life gets bad, it's (L)"
The occurrence of the phrases differs by where it starts in the meter. The first (S) occurs on the first beat, the second (S) occurs on the 4th beat, and the (L) occurs on the 3rd beat in the following bar. It is also noticed that although the lyrics "it's" is not part of the previous sentence, it is being sung to complete the bar although the word itself is hanging individually in the phrase.
The second portion of this chorus then starts again in similar fashion.
I personally feel it's unpredictability and interesting emphasis attracts listeners the most. And not forgetting the pop nature and rhythmic feel by the band adds on to the colour of the song!
With regards to Ainsley's comment, it's not really a Hemiola, although there seem to be a feel to it. Hemiola occurs when you superimpose 2 notes in the time or 3 - e.g., In a 3/4 meter bar and having emphasis on the 1st and 3rd beat.
hey all, love that song.. its so catchy.. anyway, I also seem to realise the emphasis on the word of the first beat of the bar.. and that the chorus seems to be a double period. each period consisting of a antecedent phrase and a consequent phrase. and within each phrase is a short-short-long sentence. tt's just what i think.. =) let me noe if i'm wrong.. haha.. my phrase analysis isn't tt good..
My apologies. So it's not quite a hemiola, since by definition a hemiola is making a triple time bar sound like duple time. In this case, it's making a quadruple time bar sound like triple time. But essentially the idea's the same. :-)
Well done, guys! I think beween yourselves, you have basically discovered the interesting variety in the metrical location at which the subphrases of the recurrent sentence structure enter. I do wish to refine your hearing and understanding a bit more, so here are some specific questions:
i. JinXing, in light of Ainsley's direct response to you and Benji's spelling out of the melodic rhythm, can you now figure out which beat your last words (e,g, 'met', '-kay') fall on?
ii. Ainsley and Benji, both of you assume quadruple metre throughout, what if i suggest (since I don't have the score to confirm) that the chorus involves a change of metres. Can you or anyone work out all the metrical changes in the chorus?
iii. Having determined the metrical organization of the chorus, Ainsley please reconsider your two ways of hearing it and Benji please flesh out more the phrase structure of the second portion.
For all three questions above, Tabby or anyone may chip in too.
If this piece is written with changes in meter, the chorus would likely be:
3/4: I know where I stand
3/4: I know who I am
2/4: I would never
4/4: run away when life gets bad, it's..."
All in simple time still...
Hi everyone.
I'm one of the PGDE students at NIE and its really nice to see everyone getting into musical analysis.
Just thought i would mention that i think the chorus is actually in 4/4 time, which retains its identity as 4/4 due to the 4-beat a bar base line outlining the G-Ab-C-Bb notes. This gives the structure stability despite the confusing 3+3+2+4+4, 3+3+2+4+4 beat structure in the melody. That being said, it may very well be possible that someone has written it in different time signatures. Ah well. The problems of not having a score.
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