I listen to a LOT of music. It’s part of my job. And one of the things that keeps me entertained is spotting similarities between different songs then trying to trawl my memory for which ones seem similar.
My wife played me Pharrell Williams Happy which is making radio rounds at the moment, and it instantly reminded me of another song called ‘Tightrope’ by Janelle Monae. Pharrell Williams Happy has catchy lyrics, catchy riffs, catchy harmonies… basically just all around catchy, though I definitely think the video version adds a certain something over the plain audio version.
Whilst not identical, I think they are both fun and groovy songs that I’d like you to have a listen to, enjoy, and let me know whether you think they sound similar.
Pharrell Williams Happy
I prefer the contrapuntal harmonies and interesting melodies in Pharrell Williams Happy compared to the slightly more hip-hop spoken word style lyrics of Tightrope…
Janelle Monae – ‘Tightrope’
… but I absolutely LOVE the bass movement in Tightrope! The video isn’t quite as eye-catching or as simple as Happy, but it’s certainly a lot of fun to watch. Incidentally, one of the dancers from this video is also one of Justin Timberlake’s backing dancers in the Saturday Night Live rendition of Suit and Tie… also a great video I plan to feature in a blog post sometime.
As an aside, I think that the visual element to these songs plays a big part in making them stand out over being just another catchy but ultimately repetitive style of song. I remember teaching a local student who used projected images and video clips as part of his performances to basically make his stage performances ‘live’ music videos – very cool! Many other acts out there are doing this, and certainly worth exploring if you’ve got the time and inclination (oh and the money!)
Anyway, have a watch/listen of these groovy songs, see what you think, and comment below to share!