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Karen Carpenter's vocal perfectionism sometimes resulted in a fatal discrepancy between the way she sang and what
she was singing about. But 'We've Only Just Begun' finds a subject and a form that enable her unvarying control and
glassy vibrato to signify the optimism and courage of the newlyweds. They have had the "white lace" and made the
"promises" of the first line. They are entitled to their hope. They have earned it.
11—
The Temptations:
'Ball of Confusion' (1970)
Talk about 1960s protest and people will invariably mention Dylan and Baez. All too often Motown's last years in
Detroit are forgotten, and if Motown is cited it's usually Marvin Gaye and What's Going On that get the plaudits. But
the label also put out protest records such as Stevie Wonder's 'Heaven Help Us All', Edwin Starr's 'War' and The
Temptations' 'Ball Of Confusion'.
'Ball Of Confusion' is a typical Norman Whitfield "groove" song, with a repetitious two-bar C pentatonic minor bass
riff churning beneath the C major harmony. On top, guitars add strange licks with echo, notably on the dramatic
intro with Dennis Edwards's arresting count-in (listen to the CD on headphones and you can hear the amps buzzing),
and the brass section has the occasional jazzy flourish. Every now and then, there's an arpeggiated bridge using C, F
and G, with a punchy James Brown-type link – but the rhythmic drive of the track is relentless. The music can be
simple because of the aggression and the clever division of the lyric among the Temps' contrasting voices.
The lyric is an extraordinary set of snapshots of American society just after the riots of 1968 ("Cities aflame in the
summertime") and the King and Kennedy assassinations. Race, poverty, taxes, back to nature, drugs, politics,
religion, education, the moonshots, suicide, population growth, Vietnam... it's all there, with daring combinations
best caught in the line "Unemployment rising fast, The Beatles' new record's a gas". When did you last hear a line
that hip?
12—
10cc:
'I'm Not in Love' (1975)
10cc were a musically literate outfit with the ability to use pastiches of early pop and rock styles to make ingenious,
witty singles such as 'The Dean And I' and 'Rubber Bullets'. 'I'm Not In Love' probably has more depth than any of
their other hits and was certainly their boldest musical vision. The lyric was an excellent example of a speaker who
is undermining the very thing he claims, as he invents various excuses to hide his love for the woman.
The song has a superb arrangement that defied the technological limitations of the day. The intro features a complex
B11 to B change on electric piano and a sparse mix. The verse starts on A. The change from A to a sighing Am
perfectly expresses the speaker's attempt to cover up his feelings giving way, as does the melancholy rise to C#m via
G#. Notice the surprise when "It's because" lands on E, and the way the second bridge ("You wait a long time for
me") is in G. For the amazing middle section, the band recorded a reputed 240 vocal parts on a 16-track. The effect
resembles the work of the composer Ligeti, whose eerie vocal music was featured on the soundtrack of 2001 A
Space Odyssey. What is also striking is that 'I'm Not In Love' began life as a bossa nova, only later metamorphosing
into the form by which it became a No. 1 hit. This shows that if a song isn't working, don't be afraid to try a drastic
change of interpretation will transform it. (The same thing happened when George Martin told The Beatles to play
'Please Please Me' faster.)
13—
Bruce Springsteen:
'Born to Run' (1975)
Springsteen's first three albums offer plenty of insights into lyric writing,