Dave Matthews Band, Glenn Ballard - "The Space Between" - mean speed=85 bpm - Counterintuitivity of the Emotion of Speed Expression in Popular Music

Meanspeed music theory is counterintuitive.

The Space Between is an excellent example of a song that defines the 'space between' - literally, between the speed of loneliness - songs between 79-84 beats per minute ("bpm"), and the speed of renewal, songs between 85-89 bpm.

Let's tackle the counterintuitivity. Many people who write about the speed of music are simply going through motions. Relying on wildly outdated Italian "tempo markings," one musicians Andante is the other musicians Largo. There is no logic behind this system. Problem: there has been nothing to challenge these so-called Tempo directions.

I am doing that. For a reason that will be settled by scientists younger and more intelligent than I, song expression at the *slower* speed of 70-76 bpm are full of grace. My favorite definition is the first in Webster's: Unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification - page 1054 of the 2006 Collegiate.

Intuition has told outdated theorists that the faster the song, the happier it must be. Not so. Songs between 79-84 bpm generally indicate a bitter loneliness, or such loneliness overcome. The songs are faster, but they drag - they are sad, desperate and full of perpetual despair.
Enter the speed of renewal, 85-89 bpm. All of a sudden, that dragged down pit of lonely self-victimization becomes true songs of renewal - to make like new: restore freshness, vigor or perfection.

Intended or not, this song by the Dave Matthews Band - and co-written and produced by Glenn Ballard, the song The Space Between literally in words and emotionally through expressive music the space between loneliness and renewal, and sits, as meanspeed music theory would predict, right on that line between the two mean emotions. So it does: average speed of this unintentional pop masterpiece? 85.00 beats per minute. I think you can download this song for 99¢ - anyone who does will hear exactly what I am talking about. If you download it and do not hear what I am talking about, and think you have wasted your money, please write me at ian@meanspeed.com, and your money will be refunded. I'm not playing - seriously, check this out if the 30 second sample does anything for you.

Speed summary -
song=The Space Between
composers=David J. Matthews, Glenn Ballard
performer=Dave Matthews Band
album=Everyday (2001)
total beats measured=3,360
total time measured=39 minutes, 31 seconds
mean beats measured per trial=336
mean time per trial=3 minutes, 57 seconds
average beat=706 milliseconds
mean speed=85.0 beats per minute
mean emotion=renewal

Wikipedia -
(URL=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_space_between)

"Music video

The music video, directed by Dave Meyers, was filmed on a pond near Orlando, Florida. The video starts out with Dave Matthews playing an acoustic guitar on a cloudy day on the dock of the pond. Right before the first chorus, an old man in a boat appears, as well as the rest of the band on the dock. The old man appears throughout the rest of the video.

Following the first chorus, a boy and girl sitting in the back of an old pickup truck (in the water) appear. The two appear to be dating, or in love. Also, a young woman in the water, played by actress Jaime Pressly, appears holding her baby. After the verse "We're strange allies with warring hearts, what a wild eyed beast you be," the song enters the rising action stage. Things become a bit more intense, and the music becomes a faster more upbeat rhythm. Also, dancers in the waters appear."

In regard to the loose use of the idea of timing, is Wikipedia wrong here? We think their use of "rhythm" is meaningless. Again, though, we see an area of music that has been overlooked and misunderstood for 100s of years which gives someone a sentence or two in "the pedia," yet has no meaning - and to the extent that it does have meaning, it is still such a vague use of the concept of "rhythm" as not to be spoken of at all. If you listen with care, and as indicated in the graphs, it is the speed territoriality of the space between, 85 beats per minute which pulls the song through. The underlying beat of the song never speeds up.

We looked at Simply Red putting out the same vibe earlier this week. Let's check them out together.

Ian Schneider
Meanspeed Music
July 23, 2007