I know it’s been played to
death, but there’s a case to be made that Boston’s More Than A Feeling might be the best rock song ever written.
OK, maybe not, but – like
Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony– it could
be held up as the best example of the genre, worthy of study.
Screaming guitars and fancy
acoustic pickin’. Nice. An unforgettable hook. Lyrics that grab your emotions without
actually going too deep. Smart. Another great hook that acts as a bridge to
the chorus, showing you that this ain’t no simple 3 chord rock song. These people were MIT students; they have depth.
So make that two
unforgettable hooks. Wait! Make it three, since the chorus somehow
manages to steal a power chord riff that’s been done to death and make it sound
new.
A soulful melody. Sweet harmonies. Another genius bridge on the way into the
solo. Oh ya, and you can sing the solo. You do
sing the solo. No mindless shredding
here; this is music.
All of the elements are
simple, but the relative complexity of the structure, and the number of elements
subtly add to your enjoyment of the song.
“Like this? Great. Here’s a little something more.” It’s like chocolate sauce and sprinkles on
your ice cream.
Listen: I like raw
three-chord rock and blues, but a lot of masterpieces have the kind of added complexity
and intelligence described above.
It’s too bad the lawyers got
involved so early in their career. I
always felt Boston could have given us so much more.
No comments:
Post a Comment