Date: July 18, 1964
Weeks: 2
I didn't care for the last 4 Seasons song I did, largely because it felt like an assault on my ears. This one is more restrained and more pleasant, although I can't help feel like maybe they overshot the mark and made a song that was too bland and gentle. I suppose it's kind of unfair of me to demand that these guys hit some kind of mysterious, narrow sweet spot, but I can't help it, that's just how the song catches me.
I think Franke Valli's falsetto is better contained and better used here than in "Sherry." It's not constantly oppressive, but it is still featured. I enjoy some of the embellishments he does late in the song. Maybe that's his strength, carrying random, melodic tones as part of the overall song, rather than trying to belt out the lyrics and grab your attention away from everything else in the song. The vocal harmonies throughout the rest of the song are pretty appealing, as well. It's not just Frankie Valli belting out a tune, it's a vocal group that works well together.
The backing music is a little lazy and simple. The bass, guitar, and drums are all right, but then there's a xylophone, a tambourine, and a hand-clap section that just feels like they were trying to pad out the soundscape with whatever instruments were handy in a studio in the 60s. It's not bad, and it doesn't conflict with the vocals, and in a relatively complex vocal song like this that's probably for the best, but it doesn't elevate the material.
There aren't a lot of lyrics, but the general gist is that this guy is in love with a girl who is poor. A pretty girl who is poor. "Rag" for her clothes, "doll" for her looks. So that leads to lines like "such a pretty face should be dressed in lace." Part of me wants to be bothered by the fact that he only wants to rescue this young woman from poverty because she's pretty, but I suppose I can let the line "my folks won't let me 'cause they say that she's no good" persuade me that he's really just lamenting the difficulty of romantic relationships when there's a severe economic disparity. It could feel too much like charity for one side or the other. So I guess my initial reaction was negative, but I'll give the lyrics the benefit of the doubt and credit them for observing a regrettable aspect of modern society.
My verdict: Like it. It's not that deep, and it's not that spectacular, but it's pleasant enough to listen to.
Showing posts with label The 4 Seasons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The 4 Seasons. Show all posts
Monday, January 23, 2012
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Song #78: "Sherry" by The 4 Seasons
Date: Sept 15, 1962
Weeks: 5
Although I complained about falsetto vocals before, 50s do-wop like this is the kind of music where it has its best chance of working. It fits with the music here, in a way that it just doesn't when we move into the 70s.
I'm not sure it works all that well in this particular song, though. Lead singer Frankie Valli's seems to make it his style to test the limits of the listener's tolerance for nasally, whiny falsetto. He makes some unconventional pitch changes that border on unpleasant. I have to give him the benefit of the doubt, though. Every time he seems to hit a wrong note and makes my ears want to scream, he then moves to the next pitch in the sequence and releases the tension built up by the "wrong" note. This is particularly evident when he sings and stretches out the word "Sherry" in the chorus. It's clever and stylistic and challenging for the listener. Unfortunately, he kind of ruins it when he sings "bay-ay-by," because his tone just gets whiny, and there is no tension relief from that. There's also a terrible bass part ("Why don't you...") that sounds like it's beyond the singer's natural range. It sounds fake and goofy.
The music is all right. It's basic guitar and bass chords performed over a percussion section that sounds like it consists mostly of hand claps and tambourines. I think the sound is intended to evoke street musicians using a capella percussion, and it's fairly successful at that, even if it doesn't commit to it.
The lyrics seem like basic 1950s "hey I like you so go out with me" stuff. "We'll dance the night away. I'm gonna make you mine." It seems to get a little more raunchy and like he's just admiring her body later on, though. "Why don't you come out with your red dress on. Mmm you look so fine." That's really just about how she looks. There's nothing wrong with that, of course, but it seems backwards. The lyrics should first talk about how great she looks, and then get into his desire to go out dancing with her. It would be nicer.
My verdict: Don't like it. It's close to likable, and I'm looking forward to trying another 4 Seasons song. But this one doesn't quite work for me.
Weeks: 5
Although I complained about falsetto vocals before, 50s do-wop like this is the kind of music where it has its best chance of working. It fits with the music here, in a way that it just doesn't when we move into the 70s.
I'm not sure it works all that well in this particular song, though. Lead singer Frankie Valli's seems to make it his style to test the limits of the listener's tolerance for nasally, whiny falsetto. He makes some unconventional pitch changes that border on unpleasant. I have to give him the benefit of the doubt, though. Every time he seems to hit a wrong note and makes my ears want to scream, he then moves to the next pitch in the sequence and releases the tension built up by the "wrong" note. This is particularly evident when he sings and stretches out the word "Sherry" in the chorus. It's clever and stylistic and challenging for the listener. Unfortunately, he kind of ruins it when he sings "bay-ay-by," because his tone just gets whiny, and there is no tension relief from that. There's also a terrible bass part ("Why don't you...") that sounds like it's beyond the singer's natural range. It sounds fake and goofy.
The music is all right. It's basic guitar and bass chords performed over a percussion section that sounds like it consists mostly of hand claps and tambourines. I think the sound is intended to evoke street musicians using a capella percussion, and it's fairly successful at that, even if it doesn't commit to it.
The lyrics seem like basic 1950s "hey I like you so go out with me" stuff. "We'll dance the night away. I'm gonna make you mine." It seems to get a little more raunchy and like he's just admiring her body later on, though. "Why don't you come out with your red dress on. Mmm you look so fine." That's really just about how she looks. There's nothing wrong with that, of course, but it seems backwards. The lyrics should first talk about how great she looks, and then get into his desire to go out dancing with her. It would be nicer.
My verdict: Don't like it. It's close to likable, and I'm looking forward to trying another 4 Seasons song. But this one doesn't quite work for me.
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