Max Martin's Complement Chorus
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
oops!... I did it again Max Martin’s Complement Chorus Megan Lavengood (The Graduate Center, City University of New York) Example 1a: Britney Spears, “Oops!… I Did It Again” Form .BD94A9BC!2AC1081D-: - - - •Most of these tracks are a compound AABA form 1DB 59BC9 3B97BC BC 59BC9 3B97BC BC 3CD!7B .B8:9 A99D7BC BC D97BC •Each A section consists of a verse, prechorus, and chorus •The B section is the bridge. •The complement chorus is always introduced in the third A section, ' ' Example 1b: Backstreet Boys, “It’s Gotta Be You” after the bridge of the song (see Example 1a and 1b). .68::.BI 10B6.:5BG •The cumulative chorus enters after the complement chorus is 1AB - - - introduced. •Sometimes a repetition of the regular chorus separates the complement 3 76: 76:9 4:: 3:8 BG 4:: 3:8B BG 3B 8BG .9: BC::A GG6:8B 2GB and cumulative choruses (see example 1a). ' ' ' Example 2 Songs Using Complement Chorus The Complement Chorus Britney Spears, “Oops!…I Did It Again” C©m G© C©m B B/D© E B E B G©7/B© ° # # j j The complement chorus… Chorus & # # œ ‰ j ‰ ‰ j ‰ j œ ‰ œ Month/ œ #œ œœ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ#œ Year of •uses the same harmony, orchestration, and lyrics as the chorus Oops! I did it a gain. I played with your heart, got lost in the game. Ooh ba-by ba-by Title Artist release Comments •introduces a new melodic line that contrasts rhythmically with the Complement #### j j Chorus ¢& Œ œ ‰ œ ‰Œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ chorus œ “It’s Gotta Be Oops! I did it a gain to your heart, got lost in this game ooh ba- by ba- by. Backstreet Boys Oct 1998 You” C©m G© C©m B B/D© E G© ° # # j j j j & # # œ ‰ j ‰ ‰ œ œ œ j j j œ ‰ œ ‰ “Don’t Wanna The Cumulative Chorus œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Backstreet Boys Oct 1998 oops! You think I'm in love, that I'm sent from a- bove. I'm not that in- no- cent. Lose You Now” # # j j j j Soon after the complement chorus is introduced, it is layered over the ¢ # # Œ ‰ j ‰Œ œ œ œ j j j ‰ ‰ “I Want It That Rhythms don’t contrast & œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Backstreet Boys Apr 1999 regular chorus, creating a cumulative chorus. Oops! You think that I'm sent from a- bove. I'm not that in- no- cent. Way” as much “Don’t Want You The complement chorus uses rhythms that oppose the rhythmic profile of Backstreet Boys May 1999 Rhythms don’t contrast Back” the regular chorus, so that when they are layered, the cumulative chorus Example 3 has a quasi-contrapuntal hocket-like interplay between the two layers Backstreet Boys, “It’s Gotta Be You” “Oops! …I Did It Britney Spears Mar 2000 (see examples 2 and 3). B¨ Gm Am Dm B¨ Gm Am Dm Again” ° 4 Chorus &b4 Œ‰j œ œ œ ŒÓ œ œ œ œ œ ŒÓ œ œ œ ‰ j œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ “It’s Gonna Be Only partial layering It's got- ta be you all the way. Got- ta be you ev - ery day. I *NSYNC Jun 2000 Me” in cumulative chorus Max Martin Complement 4 j j j Chorus ¢&b4 ÓŒ‰j œ œ œ ‰Œ œ Œ‰j œ œ œ œ ŒŒ‰j Only partial layering œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ “I’ll Never Stop” *NSYNC Jun 2000 Max Martin is an extremely successful producer and songwriter. He It's got- ta be you all the way. You're all that I e - ver wan - ted It's in cumulative chorus currently has twenty-one #1 hits on the Hot 100 (only George Martin B¨ C F B¨ B¨ Gm A Dm has more). ° “Shape of My j j j Backstreet Boys Jul 2000 No cumulative chorus &b œ œ œ œ œ j ‰ j ™ j Heart” œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ #œ œ Martin enjoyed particular success while writing for the Backstreet Boys, pro - mise you I will be true, yeah, it's on - ly you. “Get Another Uses different lyrics *NSYNC, and Britney Spears around the year 2000. Martin still j j Backstreet Boys Jul 2000 ¢&b j j ‰ j j Boyfriend” than chorus produces music today for other pop stars such as Katy Perry and Taylor œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ #œ™ œ got- ta be you I will be true yeahœ it'sœ on- ly you. Only partial layering Swift. “Lucky” Britney Spears Aug 2000 in cumulative chorus Selected Bibliography “Stronger” Britney Spears Nov 2000 •Covach, John. “Form in Rock Music: A Primer.” In Engaging Music: Essays in Music Analysis, ed. Deborah Stein, 65–76. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. •Marvin, William. “Simulating Counterpoint in Broadway Musicals: The Quodlibet as Compositional Procedure.” Paper presented at the joint meeting of SMT/AMS, Columbus, Ohio, October 31, 2002. •Osborn, Bradley. “Beyond Verse and Chorus: Experimental Formal Structures in Post-Millennial Rock Music.” PhD diss., University of Washington, 2010. •Spicer, Mark. ‘‘(Ac)cumulative Form in Pop-Rock Music.’’ twentieth-century music 1/1 (2004): 29–64. •Summach, Jason. “Form in Top-20 Rock Music, 1955–89.” Ph.D. diss., Yale University, 2012. Britney Spears - "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" (2001). Descant, not complement chorus. F B¨ Gm C F B¨ j Chorus ° b4 Œ Ó Ó ‰ Œ Ó & 4 j œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ¿ I'mœ not a girl, not yet a wo - man.û Complement 4 j j j Chorus &b4 Ó ‰ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ¢ I'm not a girl, don't tell me what to be lieve. I'm just tryin' to find the Gm C Gm Dm Gm Dm ° b Ó Œ œ ‰ ≈ r œ Œ & œ œ œ œ™ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ All I need is time, a mo-ment that is mine, b œ Œ Œ œ œ ¢& œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ wo - man in me, yeah. Oh, all I need is time that's mine E¨ B¨ C B¨/D C/E F ° &b œ œ ‰ j œ œ œ œ œ ˙ œ œ œ œ ˙ while I'm in be -œ tween. I'm not a girl. b j ‰ œ œ œ ¢& œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ while I'm in be - tween. I'm not a girl. *NSYNC - "Bye Bye Bye" (2000)—NOT by Max Martin. G©m F©m E # Chorus ° # # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ & # # ‰≈ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œŒ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œŒ Œ œ œ œ œ œ Don'tR wan-na be a fool for you, just a-no-ther play-er in your game for two. You may hate me but it Complement # ## œ œ œ œ œ œ Chorus & # # Ó œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ ¢ I don't wan-na be a fool in thisgame for two, J so I'm D©5 G©m F©m # # ° # ## œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ≈ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œŒ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œŒ & œ J œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ain't no lie, ba-by bye bye bye. Don'tR real-ly wan-na make it tough, I just wan-na tell you that I've had e- nough. #### œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ & #‹œ œ œ œ œ Ó Œ ¢ lea - ving you be- hind. I don't wan-na make it tough, but I've E D©5 ° # ## œ œ œ œ œ & # # Œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Might sound cra - zy but it ain't no lie, ba - by bye bye bye. # ## # œ œ œ & # œ ‰ œ œ ‹œ œ œ œ œ ¢ had e - nough, J and it ain't no lie, bye - bye. 2 *NSYNC - "No Strings Attached" (2000) - NOT by Max Martin B B/A Gma7 Asus ° ## Œ Œ j ‰ j ‰ & œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ™ œ™ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Ba-by you're not the on - ly one, ˙ you don't have to be a - fraid to fall in love. ## j Œ j Œ & œ™ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ™ œ œ œ œ œ ¢ If you take a chanceœ with me I'll be ev - ery - thingœ you B B/A Em7 Gma7 Asus # ° # ‰ ‰ Œ & j œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ j œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Andœ I know that you've hurt in the past butœ if you want it here's my heart, ™ no strings at- tached.œ ## Œ Œ & œ œ œ œ œ œ w ˙™ ¢ need be - cause it's our desœ - ti - ny Backstreet Boys - "It's Gotta Be You" (1998) 3 B¨ Gm Am Dm B¨ Gm Am Dm ° b Œ ‰ Œ Ó œ Œ Ó œ ‰ & j œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ j It'sœ got-ta be you all the way.