Blues Song Analysis

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Recommended: History of the blues music genre

Blues, a genre of music originated by African Americans around the end of the 19th century. This genre used many musical aspects from African-American work songs, African musical traditions and folk music. In order to determine what characteristically is deemed a ‘blues song’, stylistic components of blues as well as mood or emotion are the main corresponding influential factors to illustrate the blues musical genre. Blues form is also characterised by call-and response, meaningful lyrics of hurt or sorrow and a specific chord progression known as the 12-bar blues. Solomon Burke’s live performance of “If you need me”, a song originally written by Wilson Pickett and popularised by Solomon Burke, has definitively captivated the blues musical …show more content…

The texture in “if you need me” varies in density for the duration of the verse and other verses after. It is evident that there are only three starting layers performing which are the vocal, keyboard and percussion layers (0:41). At this point it is clear that the lax environment developed at the start of the song is continued to fulfil this aspect of a blues performance. With multiple layers joining throughout each verse (0:30), this allows tension in the song to build alongside the melodic layer in conjunction with the lyrics. Lyrics in blues musical form typically consist of messages involve heartbreak or personal anguish. “If you need me” incorporates specific phrases such as ‘if you need me call me’ (0:40) implicitly suggesting a longing or heavy emotion by the singer, successfully fulfilling a core trait of the blues musical genre (1:59). The use of different lyrics from another popular song from the artist “tonight’s the night”, that occurs at whilst utilising the same melodic and harmonic layers for the original song. A heavy emphasis is placed on the blues musical form in terms of lyrics as well as the defining features of timbre to create a blues song. Timbre of similar genres such blues, roots or folk are clearly defined by the characteristic style of instruments that can be deemed by the general public as out of pitch. Solomon Burke has allocated layers with a mix

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