On paper, the lyrics read a bit too cute. With heavy alliteration and counting-based puns, Helplessly Hoping reads almost like a nursery rhyme, or at least something Carole King might have included on Really Rosie—you know, kids' stuff—and the reference to a "harlequin" doesn't help, either. But you're not looking at the lyrics on paper, you're hearing them. And that other thing you're hearing are Crosby, Stills and Nash harmonizing, making the process of singing in chords seem so effortless it almost sounds like it's coming out of a single instrument. A organ whose pipes are forged from the lungs of hippie singer-songwriters, if you will. And the gorgeous delivery is what makes Helplessly Hoping poignant rather than merely an exercise in wordplay. With the vocals, you hear a song about confusion, misunderstanding, the strain of loving relationships—imperfections—delivered with sweet perfectitude. Now you're hearing about a girl who chokes on hello and a guy who trips at the sound of goodbye, and feeling an ache in the pit of your stomach and a warm space swelling in your heart at the same time, set to the patient finger-picking of a single acoustic guitar.Friday, October 2, 2009
999,976: Crosby, Stills & Nash — Helplessly Hoping
On paper, the lyrics read a bit too cute. With heavy alliteration and counting-based puns, Helplessly Hoping reads almost like a nursery rhyme, or at least something Carole King might have included on Really Rosie—you know, kids' stuff—and the reference to a "harlequin" doesn't help, either. But you're not looking at the lyrics on paper, you're hearing them. And that other thing you're hearing are Crosby, Stills and Nash harmonizing, making the process of singing in chords seem so effortless it almost sounds like it's coming out of a single instrument. A organ whose pipes are forged from the lungs of hippie singer-songwriters, if you will. And the gorgeous delivery is what makes Helplessly Hoping poignant rather than merely an exercise in wordplay. With the vocals, you hear a song about confusion, misunderstanding, the strain of loving relationships—imperfections—delivered with sweet perfectitude. Now you're hearing about a girl who chokes on hello and a guy who trips at the sound of goodbye, and feeling an ache in the pit of your stomach and a warm space swelling in your heart at the same time, set to the patient finger-picking of a single acoustic guitar.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment