Meanspeed™ Music Journal: Many Musicians are Called but Few are Chosen - "The Tide Will Rise" - Bruce Hornsby's song of Musical Speed Irony and outstanding use of the Metronome

A Speed Analysis of "The Tide Will Rise"
by Ian Schneider, meanspeed music

The Tide Will Rise was written by B.R. Hornsby wand John Hornsby.

The singer is declaring that despite problems he is going to try his best to work through it all.

With songs at the speed of loneliness, songs at the speed of 79-84 beats per minute according to meanspeed music theory, this is an example, as the last review of "Say" by John Mayer for the motion picture The Bucket List. Take a look at the songs at this speed - look at bpmdatabase.com, bpmlist.com or the, uh, better list meanspeed.com. We discriminate - we pick the better songs, the songs especially by singer/songwriters where the emotional expression is coming directly from the composer to your ear. What do you see? I would think you can see see the predictability of "poor poor me! "- " I am so sad and lonely!", or, my favorite, as in Foreigner's "I Want To Know What Love Is" - where the message is I WAS lonely, brother, but no more! I have face and I have moved on, BROTHER! I can handle love love now, MISTER!!!" Wow. Those are the songs where anyone with a heart and hearing can say: That man may say he is not lonely, but his groove gives him away. As we say, listen to the *melody*, then the lyrics. Most of the time, the lyricist her or himself has no idea what they "meant" by a lyric. Or, they come up with a song at the speed of loneliness - accidentally - this theory has still not been accepted by any "mainstream musician - gee, wonder why! Might it be because they make money by convincing you that they cannot understand what I write because, "hey, music is all about the art, man." Sure. Those are the same people who say you OWE ME 5 million dollars for sampling [an excellent popular song] - and I can prove it is my song because of the tempo. the *precise* speed. I think: My God, they really want it both ways. They always did, and look where they are now: NOWHERE! We the people have taken music back through the internet. That is what I would call karma and greed. You get that, right?

This is a prime example of a song at the speed of Loneliness that says: Ok, I accept these present bad times—but times will get Better. That theme is helped immensely by the sitar solo by Pat Metheny, which I hear as joyously optimistic—making for a timeless, fantastic piece of music.

I have calibrated over 15,000 songs - a few stand out. The exceptions to the speed predictions. Eventually I rationalize the musical ironies. Yes, the is joyous, optimistic and hopeful - that is what rhythm and groove is all about. The 79.0 beats per minute is drum machine all the way - the song neither accelerates nor decelerates *except for notes withing a measure*. The timing of Bruce and Pat Metheny is already amazing. When both were over 15 years old, the drum machine took over. Instead of, as they easily *could* have, said "Screw the machine, my rhythm is my own and any click track will ruin my spontaneity." Nope - they learned to play on top of machines so well that these virtuosos play and there is no possible way to tell whether they have a click or not - time is their friend. How did Phil Collins remain a superstar? Same thing - went with the new technology wherein 99% of music is on a drum track by click drum machine. If Phil had stayed "artsy" - well, he'd be stubborn, bitter and obscure.

Other songs that stand out? "Wonder" by Natalie Merchant that is simplistic and happy - and is at the speed of foreboding - giving the song a musical irony I have not tired of after 13 years of listening to the song. Here are two that upset me and upset John Denver fans alike: *Both* Take Me Home, Country Roads and Rocky Mountain High are solidly withing the mean emotion according to meanspeed music theory of loneliness. I wrote an article about that I make easily accessible on the "Reviews" drop down screen above this writing. Neil Young also does some interesting things with this speed.

Also, let me stress again that songs which *express* loneliness do not make you lonely - they simple are the artistic expressions, which as mentioned above and Paul McCartney and Dave Matthews and Michael Stipe and Phil Collins: ["*I* have no idea what I 'meant' by those lyrics! make out from them whatever you will."] I have heard Stipe say, "You know, I was mumbling into microphone, and I have to admit this, many, most even, of the interpretations of our fans is *superior* to anything I had in mind." Dave Matthews, in his DVD/CD Live at Radio City Music Hall with guitarist Tim Reynolds, expresses similar exasperation: "It means whatever you want it to mean!"

Oh - why do I stress the power of meanspeed music theory anyway? Know that song by Daniel Powter, "Bad Day"? A line in the song, sung at the speed of grace, 70 beats per minute, has a suggestion for turning around a 'bad day' "You take a sad song just to turn it around." In writing this article, I had my iTunes set according to descending order of speed in the BPM column, as below. These songs have made me very happy! I have listened to Eminem's Stan, both the Elton John at the Grammy's on Curtain Call and the originally sampled Dido version, uh, 5 times now!

Meanspeed Music Summary
meanspeed=79.0 beats per minute
average beat=759 milliseconds
mean slow phase=1.317 beats per second
corresponding pitch=337.07 Hertz, 38 cents above E4=329.628 Hz and 62 cents below F4=349.228 Hertz
recording source=iTunes
Album='Hot House'
background vocals=Bonnie Raitt,Debra L.Henry “bona cheri wells”, Laura Creamer Dunville, Jean McClain
horns=JohnD’earth, George A. Gailes III, Roy Muth, Tim Streagle, Glenn Wilson
French Horns=George Harple, Philip Koslow, Adam Lesnick, Alan B. Paterson
Lead & Rhythm Guitar=Patrick Metheny
intellectual property rights=BMG, © 1993
Kind=Protected AAC audio file
Size=3.7 MB
Bit Rate=128 kbps
Sample Rate=44.100 kHz
Volume=-9.0 dB
Profile=Low Complexity
Channels=Stereo
FairPlay Version=2
Macintosh HD User File=Music:iTunes:iTunes Music:Bruce Hornsby

This link goes to an international thesis on songs of this type is taken from a Google search. I noted this article because of its singulatity of descrption of emotive expression - a difficult thing where more than 50% of "scientists" do not believe in emotions at all. But we know who they are, and we don't take them very seriously!
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MUSIC TAPE

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Transmitting a culture, transmitting a set of hard-won meanings, gained through ... The Tide Will Rise / Bruce Hornsby / Harbor Lights (CD) / BMG (1993) ...
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