The Determinism of the Speed of Music - Annie Lennox - "Why" - The Speed Establishes the Confidence Behind The Introspection - meanspeed=91.0 bpm

A few years ago, Annie Lennox and Sting played together in concert. meaning - Annie Lennox played for about an hour - played, always, as far as I know, the song "Why" as her final encore. I have to be frank - I had come to see Sting, and thought that by television and visual standards that Annie Lennox was more a product of the "MTV Village" than she was a great per former in her own right.



I was *way* wrong on that! Her version of "Why" live was one of the best solo performances I have seen in Madison Square garden - up there with John Mayer's daring and emotional "Stop This Train" - played with just vocal and guitar. Phil Collins has come out and played "Groovy Kind Of Love" with just vocal and piano and in the same way, simply stopped 19,000 people. You get that "peak experience" one is always looking for at a concert. Especially because most shows don't get there. The Fab Faux recently did a gig where their Penny Lane trumpet solo was *so* Beatles that I closed my eyes for a second and I thought I was in Abbey Road Studio - I think everyone at the show in Philadelphia felt it - including the trumpet player himself - who freaked himself out by being SO on that he seemingly messed up a note or two, or just missed a rhythm - just as a tribute that doesn't try to copy exactly. Almost superstitious as per John.

I have never heard this song fail. It falls under the meanspeed music theory pattern of songs at the speed of enthusiasm, 90-97 beats per minute - yet there are many words of a relationship coming to an inevitable, sad, "it was nobody's fault" end - harsh. Yet, the song is *confident*. The chorus raises the same harmonic progression from C major to D major - and the speed remains exactly the same. The *lift* of that one step up back down. The speed movement, as you can see on the charts, are basically an illusion, as she does the best of the drum machine that is set at 91.0 beats per minute, but Annie is able to stretch time - literally borrow from one measure to elongate another to give the song a human touch - from as low as 88 to as high as 94 beats per minute in a four-beat measure.

The song is sung with confidence that comes with enthusiasm, for all the acknowledgement of loss. Yes, she is telling at herself to "keep her big mouth shut!" - "I'm sorry for the things done" - she asks with confidence - "Let's go down to the water's edge. where we could cast away those doubts! Some things are better left unsaid, But they still turn me inside out-
Turning inside out, turning inside out! tell me -
Why!"

With all of the drama, the emotion is one of enthusiasm, in my opinion.





















Meanspeed Music Summary
song="Why"
composer=Annie Lennox
performer=Annie Lennox
trials=9
total time elapsed=2,515.76 seconds
beats calibrated=3,816
mean speed=91.0 beats per minute
average beat=0.6593 seconds
mean slow phase=1.51666 beats per second
mean emotion according to meanspeed music theory=enthusiasm
corresponding pitch=388.27 Hertz





James Manning
Hunter Newman
November 11, 2007