So. Loud.

I'm going to be kickin' it old school with these next two songs straight out of the late 60s. Now, the late 60's was when rock began to evolve into this hard, raw, and exposed sound. This is mostly what we hear today in "rock" music...except this early stuff is so much better than 90 % of the popular rock music that we hear today. The first song to be discussed is by one of my favorite bands of all time, The Who, entitled "I Can See for Miles and Miles." The Who for some reason hold a very special place in my heart. I was pretty much raised on listening to the Who, so perhaps that's why I love them so much. This isn't the last time I'll be writing about them, by the way. This song is from the album "The Who Sell Out" released in 1967. I don't really remember the first time I heard this song, but to this day, it still give me chills. Anyways, here it is.



Lyrics to I Can See for Miles and Miles:
(A-Section)
I know you've deceived me, now here's a surprise
I know that you have case there's magic in my eyes

(Chorus)
I can see for miles and miles and miles and miles and miles
Oh yeah

(B-Section)
If you think that I don't know about the little tricks you've played
And never see you when deliberately you put things in my way

Well, here's a poke at you
You're gonna choke on it too
You're gonna lose that smile
Because all the while

I can see for miles and miles
I can see for miles and miles
I can see for miles and miles and miles and miles and miles
Oh yeah

(b-Section)
You took advantage of my trust in you when I was so far away
I saw you holding lots of other guys and now you've got the nerve to say

That you still want me
Well, that's as may be
But you gotta stand trial
Because all the while

I can see for miles and miles
I can see for miles and miles
I can see for miles and miles and miles and miles and miles
Oh yeah

(A- Section))
I know you've deceived me, now here's a surprise
I know that you have cause there's magic in my eyes

I can see for miles and miles and miles and miles and miles
Oh yeah

(b-Section)
The Eiffel tower and the Taj Mahal are mine to see on clear days
You thought that I would need a crystal ball to see right through the haze

Well, here's a poke at you
You're gonna choke on it too
You're gonna lose that smile
Because all the while

(Coda- Repetition of the Chorus)
I can see for miles and miles
I can see for miles and miles
I can see for miles and miles and miles and miles and miles
And miles and miles and miles and miles

I can see for miles and miles
I can see for miles and miles
I can see for miles and miles
I can see for miles and miles

This song does not waste any time from the get-go. It automatically picks up with an intense driving motive. The interesting part about this song instrumentally is that each instrument is rather independent (motivically speaking), but they work together cohesively. Though they are all in some kind of rhythmic unison, there's a sense of "organized chaos" amongst the instruments. It's important to mention the incredible technical facility of the band, most notably drummer Keith Moon. The drums are fascinating. They are SO powerful, and they are able to both disappear and explode out the texture without completely overwhelming the rest of the ensemble. Pete Townshend (guitar) is rather impressive, too. Though this isn't much of a guitar-piece (absent of solos-etc.), his ability to merely create "noise" on the guitar to compliment the drums is really cool. For example, he'll play repeated notes at a slightly lower pitch with each articulation. However, I still believe that this song is all about the drums. This is one of the things I love most about the Who: they are able to make interesting/complicated-sounding songs that are not only pleasing to listen to, but are incredibly virtuosic and exciting.

This song starts of in a minor-ish type key, but by the end, it dabbles in the major. We see a sense of this gradual move to the major near the beginning, in the middle part of the B/b-section ("well here's a poke at you, you're going to choke on it too). In terms of the song's form, it's a little complicated and rather difficult to divide up, mostly because the chorus shows up everywhere. So in this case, I divided the song into rather long sections. It's interesting, because the two occasions where the A-Section shows up, it remains intact, whereas the the B-section differs at each entrance. Also, the harmony in the B-Section (in the chorus) changes. The chorus itself is not really an individual section, except for the end where becomes repetitive coda that just ends the song.

In this song there isn't really a constant build up to a certain point. It really just starts off at this incredibly fierce tempo. The only points where there's a notable build is at each entrance of the chorus where the drums help to push the momentum forward. It is then carried on by the repeated notes in the guitar. The harmonies within the vocals are so cool because they harmonize both major and minor chords in multiple inversions. This creates this amazing, open harmony.

Even though all this technical stuff is appealing to a certain few (or hundreds, I don't know), I mostly like this song because of the way it makes you feel, or more specifically, how it makes me feel. It's such an upper/confidence builder song because it's so powerful. In terms of the lyrics, I believe it's about someone being deceived by a lover. However, this person is able to see past this deception and and see this lover for who they really are. No matter how deceiving someone may be and how much pain this deception involves, the smarter person always wins in the end. According to The Who, this clear but unpleasant portrait of someone that you once loved allows you to see for miles and miles and miles. This deception is no longer painful or valid, but liberating.

This next song I want to talk about is by my all time favorite group ever, The Beatles. Now, I don't like to play favorites with bands, but the Bealtes (like the Who) have a special place in my heart. I will go through phases of which bands I like/don't like, but these two (and a few others) will always remain constant. "Helter Skelter," from the "White Album" release in 1968, is a very interesting song because it is very unlike anything the Beatles have ever done. It's actually meant to be a reaction to the previous song "I Can See for Miles and Miles." Pete Townshend (The Who) mentioned that "I Can See for Miles and Miles" was the "loudest, and rawest" song that The Who had done up to that point. Of course, being a fierce competitor, Paul McCartney reacted by writing a song just as loud. Here it is:



Lyrics to Helter Skelter:
(A-Section)
When I get to the bottom I go back to the top of the slide
Where I stop and I turn and I go for a ride
Till I get to the bottom and I see you again
Yeah yeah yeah hey

(B-Section)
Do you, don't you want me to love you
I'm coming down fast but I'm miles above you
Tell me tell me tell me come on tell me the answer
Well you may be a lover but you ain't no dancer

(Chorus)
Now helter skelter helter skelter
Helter skelter yeah
Ooh!

(b-Section)
Will you, won't you want me to make you
I'm coming down fast but don't let me break you
Tell me tell me tell me the answer
You may be a lover but you ain't no dancer

(Chorus)
Look out helter skelter helter skelter
Helter skelter ooh

Look out, cause here she comes

(Bridge-guitar solo)

(A-Section)
When I get to the bottom I go back to the top of the slide
And I stop and I turn and I go for a ride
And I get to the bottom and I see you again
Yeah yeah yeah

(b-Section)
Well do you, don't you want me to make you
I'm coming down fast but don't let me break you
Tell me tell me tell me the answer
You may be a lover but you ain't no dancer

(Chorus)
Look out helter skelter helter skelter
Helter skelter

(Coda)
Look out helter skelter
She's coming down fast
Yes she is
Yes she is coming down fast

[My head is spinning, ooh...

Ha ha ha, ha ha ha, alright!

I got blisters on my fingers!]

Like I've said before, this song is unlike anything the Beatles have ever written. It's so incredibly heavy, but at the same time, it maintains a certain charm that the Beatles always seem to incorporate into their music. Like the previous song, it instantaneously starts out with a driving musical theme. However, the guitar is clearly the driving rhythmical force at the beginning of the song rather than the drums. There is a gradual build that is only enhanced by the vocals, bass, and drums until it finally reaches the end of the A-Section ("and I get to the bottom and I see you again"). This kind of build happens throughout the song.

As previously mentioned, I believe that the guitar has the main rhythmical precedence over the drums, which is interesting (it's usually equal, or drums over guitar). There's also a small guitar solo before the second appearance of the A-Section. The guitars are so heavy, it sounds like there's about 3 playing (which is very plausible, because J, P, and G, of course, were all proficient guitar players). The vocals are just as raw as the guitar, and you can literally hear Paul's voice begin to break from screeching. This crunchy, loud song just goes to show how much range the Beatles actually had. It's notable to mention that the "White Album" was probably the most tense Beatles album, almost breaking them up. You can hear their frustration by the end of this song and how they just loose all control. John even bitterly stated that this song was, "Paul's completely ... It has nothing to do with anything, and least of all to do with me." As you can see, this song has a very angry history.

Both the history behind this song and the lyrics are interesting. The term "Helter Skelter" is another word for a playground slide ("when I get to the bottom, I go back to the top of the slide"). Charles Manson even interpreted this song (and many others from the "White Album") as prophecies of a race war between blacks and whites. The recording session of this song was extremely chaotic (for ex. George burning an ashtray and running around with it, Ringo throwing his sticks across the room, etc.). The original cut was 27:11 long (much of that being screaming and pure noise), but they were able to cut it down to 4:37. In many ways, this song was just an emotional release from all this tension. To read more about it in detail click HERE. Even though all of this tension was a sign of things to come, it sure did culminate in an incredible song.

This was a rather long, in depth post, but both of these songs are incredibly interesting. They're both so loud and raw, and in many ways, planted the seed that was to become the future of rock.