Could YOU be loved? - A Musical Analysis -

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Bob Marley is my subject for this week's analysis. I know most people are going to recognize this song; how could they not? His hit song "Could You Be Loved" has been rattling inside my head for the past few days. Goes to show how catchy it is! Let's take a look at some of the elements I pointed out together!

TIMBER - This song is a bright and upbeat piece right from the get-go. Even the most passive, nonchalant listener could not resist the sunny island nature of it. There is a cymbal playing a "tssts" sound that comes in around the 13-second mark, adding a brassy brightness that persists throughout the entirety of the song, remaining in the background. Not to mention the twangy guitar that sets off the tone of the song in the very beginning, which remains throughout the song concurrently with the cymbal sound I previously noted. Sometimes it's easy to miss many elements in the songs we listen to, but the twangy, brassy, bright, sharper sounds are usually the ones that you can point out the easiest.

ARTICULATION - A fancy word came to mind when I was listening to the track, staccato! The instrumentals filling the background have a very detached, tiptoe-y, light feel. The guitar, the percussion, and the keyboard used really accentuate that popping/snappy foot tappin' urge. In contrast, the vocals are very connected. "Could you be loooooved," for example, the vocals all lead into each other, creating a lovely, complex listening experience.

DYAMNIC - The very end of the song, I would like to note, has a perfectly placed decrescendo! The piece keeps a light and airy feel for almost the entirety of the song maintaining a steady volume and no notable crescendo or build of any sort. But at the very end leaves us, fading away as he sings the words "say something".

HARMONY - Marley was accompanied by a lady group called "The I Threes"; their vocal layering and harmonic sound is so enjoyable. The songs melody and it's harmony range from soprano to alto, so no dramatic jumps in vocal range. But the harmony does exactly what I think Marley was going for: calm, peaceful, island magic. I personally love the quiet chanting of "could you be, could you be, could you be loved" at the very end when the song begins to taper off.

TEXTURE - There are so many components to this piece, with the various instruments and the skilled vocal layering making its overall feel/sound very full and fleshed out. At no point can you hear a thinning section of the song; the fullness is consistent right down to the Brazilian cuica (making that high-pitched "Eee Ooo" monkey-like sound). It's got such a warm and complete melody that is hard to match.

Marley wrote, composed, performed, and produced all of his songs, including this one. "Could You Be Loved" was released in June of 1980 as a part of his final album called Uprising. Little did he know it would become one of the most widely known/used songs in his discography (along with many others), being featured in all sorts of commercials, movies, tv shows, etc. There are no viable public records telling us exactly how much money this track generated, but it was recorded that hundreds of thousands of Uprising copies were sold when it was first released. I can only imagine how much money it's made now, after being such a beloved worldwide hit for so long.

The message he wanted to convey through this particular track was one of peace, self love, and loving others no matter what is going on in the world. His wife being featured in many of his songs, attests to his vulnerability and willingness to collaborate on projects so close to his heart. I think we could all use a little bit more of that, wouldn't you agree? I hope you enjoyed this week's song choice as much as I did. Bye for now.