Match the Call to the Response
There is a long tradition to the call and response pattern within music. A song will have phrases talking and responding to each other in a way that forms a sort of dialogue. But let's flip that and think outwardly towards songs that end up being a call and then having another song that ends up forming a response.
Some songs are quite literally responses to each other like Ed Sheeran's Nina and Nina Nesbitt's Peroxide album (of which several are supposedly about him but she hasn't confirmed them and I'm not sure which ones they are). But c'mon, he literally named the title of his song with her, and she also creates music. This is definitely a musical conversation.
But there are other songs seem to match each other quite well in having opposing views of the same situation. I was listening to the new Lake Street Dive album and I heard the song You Are Free, which I really liked. Then as I was walking later, If I Fell by The Beatles popped into my head. As I walked, I thought about the lyrics in each, and they kinda seemed to play against each other in a way!
In Lake Street Dive's song, she's telling her guy that he's making things way more complicated than they needed to be, that she already knows his flaws and histories and that she already accepts him for it all. In the end, it is only him that is holding himself back, and she'd appreciate it if he recognized "you are free" so that they could see where their relationship might go. She accepts that maybe things won't end up being the right decision, but that it's okay if that happens.
On the other hand, If I Fell by The Beatles is a cautious and vulnerable approach to love. "If" I fell is the key indicator there. The song is a request for promises of love with a lot of discussion of and comparison to a previous partner. He wants to know that she won't abandon him and that she will love him more than his previous girl. He "must be sure" before anything happens.
Whereas Lake Street Dive's song is a request to take that step towards love, and a confirmation that it is possible, The Beatles' song is a question of whether it will be alright to take that step and a plea for it to be true. Despite being by different artists within different genres of music from different centuries, they seem to balance each other out in an unexpected way.
I'm sure there's plenty of other love songs coming from completely different places that unexpectedly match each other in a way that makes a lot of sense. Which songs converse with each other? What pairs have you found? I'd love to see more!
Some songs are quite literally responses to each other like Ed Sheeran's Nina and Nina Nesbitt's Peroxide album (of which several are supposedly about him but she hasn't confirmed them and I'm not sure which ones they are). But c'mon, he literally named the title of his song with her, and she also creates music. This is definitely a musical conversation.
But there are other songs seem to match each other quite well in having opposing views of the same situation. I was listening to the new Lake Street Dive album and I heard the song You Are Free, which I really liked. Then as I was walking later, If I Fell by The Beatles popped into my head. As I walked, I thought about the lyrics in each, and they kinda seemed to play against each other in a way!
In Lake Street Dive's song, she's telling her guy that he's making things way more complicated than they needed to be, that she already knows his flaws and histories and that she already accepts him for it all. In the end, it is only him that is holding himself back, and she'd appreciate it if he recognized "you are free" so that they could see where their relationship might go. She accepts that maybe things won't end up being the right decision, but that it's okay if that happens.
I'm tired of hearin' 'bout your flaws
And all the broken laws
And all the hearts you've left behind
Well, it's not up to you to make up my mind
And if in hindsight it's a mistake, at least we tried.
On the other hand, If I Fell by The Beatles is a cautious and vulnerable approach to love. "If" I fell is the key indicator there. The song is a request for promises of love with a lot of discussion of and comparison to a previous partner. He wants to know that she won't abandon him and that she will love him more than his previous girl. He "must be sure" before anything happens.
I must be sure
From the very start
That you would love me more than her
If I give my heart to you
Whereas Lake Street Dive's song is a request to take that step towards love, and a confirmation that it is possible, The Beatles' song is a question of whether it will be alright to take that step and a plea for it to be true. Despite being by different artists within different genres of music from different centuries, they seem to balance each other out in an unexpected way.
I'm sure there's plenty of other love songs coming from completely different places that unexpectedly match each other in a way that makes a lot of sense. Which songs converse with each other? What pairs have you found? I'd love to see more!
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