It Ain't (Always) That Serious

Just because a record has a groove don’t make it in the groove.

--Stevie Wonder, “Sir Duke” from Songs in the Key of Life (1976), Grammy winner for Best Album in 1977

Last week, instead of musing on the social merits of the musical lamentation regarding how hard it allegedly is out there to be a pimp, Terry Teachout (subscription only) and Scott Johnson at Power Line discussed recording artists from a time when real talent was appreciated and marketable. The subject? Who was the best between Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. Terry picks Billie:

[F]or all their obvious differences, the two women [Fitzgerald and Vaughan] had one big thing in common: Neither was especially interested in the words of the songs they sang.

In Vaughan's case, this lack of interest was so total as to be startling. To hear her near-abstract rendering of, say, the first two lines of Carolyn Leigh's deftly crafted lyric to "Witchcraft" ("Tho-ose fingers uh-in my hairrrr/That suh-llie come-a-hitha starrrre") is to realize that for her, the words of a song, good or bad, had no meaning in and of themselves. They were merely a pretext for the emission of interesting sounds -- and, as Gustav Mahler wisely said, "Interesting is easy, beautiful is difficult."

Fitzgerald, by contrast, sang with the clean articulation of a swing-era canary who wanted her listeners to understand the lyrics, or at least be able to make them out. But did she care about them? I wonder. She got nothing, for instance, out of the juxtaposition of "roaming" and "Romeo" in the verse of Irving Berlin's "I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket," a neat half-rhyme on which Fred Astaire (for whom Berlin wrote the song) never failed to put the sliest of spins. It's as if she hadn't even noticed.

Well. I’m truly not an expert on old-school jazz, but I do own a CD or two in the style. I’m inclined to sort of agree with Mr. Teachout, since I own a couple of CDs of Ms. Holiday’s work and not any of the other two ladies.

However comma…

One of my other favorite music styles is seventies and early eighties danceable funk. You know who I’m referring to if you know the style: recording artists that could actually play instruments, but (and) could make you want to get up and dance. And, very often, the words—if there were words—were nonsensical or even silly; paleo-rappers you might call many of them, if most rappers of present-day could play instruments or produce original and/or discernable melodies. (For all of you who get a bee in your bonnets whenever rap is criticized, I will admit to tapping my foot and “singing” along during the playing of some of Outkast’s offerings. Okay, I’m throwing you a bone. Get over it.)

The point is that sometimes listening to and enjoying music isn’t always about meaningful or heart-felt words. Sometimes it’s about the styling of the vocalist: the voice, certainly, but often the phrasing. Other times it’s about the obvious joy (or pain) that the singer is feeling about the song (as Mr. Teachout asserts). Still others, it’s about tapping your foot, clapping your hands, shaking your behind or even laughing (see Outkast).

Occasionally a song may be a fine piece of work, but is so depressing that you have to turn to something else. (See much of pop artist Sade’s work, especially 2000’s King of Sorrow. Great song, but it makes you want to refer the very talented Ms. Adu to a good shrink so she can get on some anti-depressants. I submit that she is the latter-day Billie.)

The decisive factor for musical greatness isn’t (or shouldn’t be) about a singular item, but a combination of qualities. The result of those qualities is some variation on this declaration: “I like that.” How often and how widely that result is produced is still not the end of the matter, but neither is the purported feeling that the artist may put into his/her work.

Just lie back and enjoy it.

(Thanks to Pajamas Media)

Comments

[Malcolm Kirkpatrick]

I'm sure the lyrics of Bach cantatas and Heinrich Schutz'masses were sincerely intended when the composers wrote them, but I don't speak (much) German, and I don't care whether the singers do or not. The music is wonderful and it would be lacking without the vocals.

Billie Holiday is beautiful, anyway.

[DarkStar]

ConFunkShun.
Average White Band.
Cameo.
Loose Ends.
Tower of Power.
Slave.
Wild Cherry (early).
Rick James.

[DarkStar]

My goodness, why do I seem to forget:

War

[baldilocks]

Keep going...

[Nardo]

Mr. Teachout's discussion of Vaughn, Fitzgerald, and Holiday would lead you to believe that jazz vocals consist of nothing but sad ballads about how life stinks. He is correct that Holiday sings the sad ones like sad stories. But if you want swing, rhythm, time, and virtuosity, there is no one to compare to the other two. Bebop apparently does not interest Teachout who prefers the weepy Holiday. I love her too, but he enormously undervalues the other two.

[DarkStar]

BarKays (2nd generation. The first group was killed in an airplane crash. That first group was doo-wop)

Commodores (especially early. the later years, they were more popish as Lionel Ritchie became more known).

James Brown (if you ever get the chance, and you listen to secular music, you have to check him out. his band is TIGHT and you see the funk).

Parlament/Parlament Funkdadelic/Bootsie (Goes without saying).

Brothers Johnson

Trouble Funk (Yeah, they're go-go, but they hyped the track team I was on. Even got the "white boys" going).

Rick James (Goes without saying)

Gap Band

Zapp (borderline)

Ohio Players

Dazz Band

[DarkStar]

*SNAP*

Lakeside!!!!!

OH MY.... How could I forget LAKESIDE....

And why only now did I mention the Ohio Players....

"Fieeeeeee YAH...."

[justin]

Of the three, Billie really does it for me. Her vocal range isn't as great as the other two, but she has so much style and feeling in her vocals that I'm left speechless after listening to her. (That's what I think is a shame about American Idol, a singer like Billie Holiday would never make it past the first round).

A lot of great funky bands mentioned here (my favorite being Parliament/Funkadelic). I just "discovered" a great band from Detroit that made a couple of albums in the early 70s--Black Merda--they just reissued their first two (and I think only two) albums. They're in the vein of early funkadelic, but with much more of a straight blues influence and less distortion on the guitars.

http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid
/6834640/a/Folks+From+Mother's+Mixer.htm

[DarkStar]

I choose Vaughn, but I don't know why. Her style just does something to me.

Ella as well, but not like Vaughn.

Billie Holiday, now, she's felt the music but I feel so down after hearing some of her songs.

[baldilocks]

DS:

And why only now did I mention the Ohio Players....

That's what I was thinking too. ;-)

You hit all the top-notch funkateers. Every listen to Mandrill?

[DarkStar]

OH, now see...
I hang my head in shame.

That's why my kid doesn't like funk...

*SIGH*

Mandrill? Man, I forgot them...

"Fencewalk"...

Ohhh... If my cousin's learn about this, they will tar and feather me, literally, and disown me.

I'm already on probation because I don't like sweet potatos.

[David Anderson]

Ah, the name is Bootsy Baby!

[baldilocks]

Hmmm. Sounds like a post dedicated to the Funk is in order.

[OBG]

What about Dinah Washington?

[baldilocks]

DS: I hate sweet potatoes too. Be very afraid!:-)

Back on the jazz track: I love Dinah (singer of my unofficial theme song Mean and Evil Blues), but she's not quite up to the level of the Big Three, in my opinion.

[snuffyny]

I always enjoyed Ella. She was my mom's absolute favorite. Billy Holliday was special. But I fell in love with Sarah's voice, especially her work on the Michell LeGrande songbook album. (Which I can't seem to find anywhere.) Her vocals, his music and lyrics... bring tears to your eyes.

[T-Steel]

Ella! Ella! Ella! And I love Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughn. But Ella's voice is just so bright and full of sparkly things. :)

[Dane Bramage]

DS What?! No Brass Construction or Newbirth?

I love "Lady Day" and I have to give props to Sarah Vaughan, but Ella is the best. I am not sure I understand the concept behind "not care for the words" when a vocalist only has words to work with (and the occaisional scat!)

[baldilocks]

Someone should smack all of us for forgetting Sly and the Family Stone.

[Iron Mike]

J--
I love them all, Ella most of all (I'm Irish, like her). For Ella, buy the following off of iTunes, and if you hate it, I'll send you a check for 99cents:
Ella Fitzgerald's "Always true to you in my fashion"...very sexy and naughty. I love it.
Of course, I'd throw Etta James in there too...and can Rosemary Clooney be put in the group? I can still get my kids to dance like crazy people (which kids are) by putting her Mambo Italiano on. I don't know much about particular styles, I just know if I like something (which explains why I can say I don't like country, but watch me jam to Johnny Cash songs).
Smooches, J...

[Canelone]

I love Sade's singing, and she's very beautiful (although she looks like she could put a whole spaghetti squash in her mouth at once). The problem many people have with most soul music for the last, oh, thirty years is that it has... lost it's soul. In the 70s there was a genuine joy, freedom, and spiritual depth to the music, then in the 80's it pretty much died. Sade keeps the hope alive, but for every Sade, there's 50 Destiny's Childs.

[dick]

Nobody like Minnie Ripperton?

[Curious George]

Excellent post. I completely agree. This is why sometimes I enjoy rap-despite the vulgar lyrics-because the tune, foot-tapping, dancing around that occurs instantly with the song and causes me to completely lose sight of the stupid lyrics. And, other times, I simply cannot get around the lyrics, and have to lose total respect for the song.

[beautifulatrocities]

Bjork on Ella:

"I've always liked Ella because she's really happy. I've never been into all these suffering artists, I think it's a bit pathetic. You have your problems, but you have to go one step further, and see the funny side of it. Everybody has problems, not only Morrissey. That's why I've always preferred Ella to Billie, even though Billie is the singer of the century and all that shit, but I think it's much braver to be happy than to be suffering, taking heroin and all that. Ella was strong enough not to bore the audience with her own difficult life."

[Nardo]

The comment about how Ella does "not care for the words" tries to get at how some singers "sing the song" and how others take the song and make more of it. Billie sings the song. She tells the story of the lyrics dramatically. Ella sometimes takes the song and uses it as her vehicle for virtuoso vocal effects rather than to convey the meaning of the words. Teachout isn't entirely wrong in that observation. He just doesn't appreciate all that Ella does, and he is a poor critic for that reason.