Superheroes
Preparations
The song I chose is called Superheroes and is composed by Danny O’Donoghue and Mark Sheenan of the Irish band The Script, together with songwriter James Barry. The band consists of lead vocalist/pianist Danny O’Donoghue, vocalist/guitarist Mark Sheenan and drummer Glen Power. Their albums are called The Script (2008), Science & Faith (2010), #3 (2012) and No Sound Without Silence (2014). Superheroes is in the last album, No Sound Without Silence, and is the lead single of this album. The music style of The Script is pop rock. (12)
First Impressions
My first impressions when I heard this song were that the song stays in your head after you have listened to it, and the lyrics, or at least the lyrics from the refrain, are quite easy. It’s a combination of singing and rap. Mostly I do not really like rap but in this song it is mainly real singing and the rap is on music. I also really like the piano pieces in this song, which changes into a beat with drums and back again.
The words that come into my mind are: rhythm, beat, piano, drums, voice.
Description
The song starts with an intro with piano music. After a few seconds the piano music changes into a beat with drums in a certain rhythm, including several instruments. After the introduction a voice starts to sing, again with piano music on the background, and later with drums. When the singing stops for a few seconds, you hear someone rapping a few words on the background. When the refrain approaches the music will turn a little bit louder. After the refrain you will hear a music piece with a voice on the background which is less loud than the main pieces of the song, and then they will repeat the singing at the beginning and the refrain. (The song still goes on for about two minutes) When the song is about to end, the tempo will slow down and the music gets softer.
Analysis
The music in Superheroes contains quite a lot of repetition, but variety is created by inserting new parts and changing the lyrics a little. Variety is also created because of the constant changing between piano and drums on the background, or both. There is also tension in the music, especially when the refrain is about to start. This also helps to catch the attention. The phrases in the refrain are the same, and the other pieces are repeated as well. Harmony is present during a large part of the song and you can also clearly identify the sections of the song.
Interpretation
What I really like from this song, is that if you listen to the lyrics, you can hear that the lyrics are not standard if you compare it to other lyrics from different bands or singers. Most of the times the lyrics are about being in love or breaking up. (Of course this is not always the case.) The Script really wants to tell people something with their song lyrics.
Gathering background information
Superheroes was the first song written by the band for their fourth studio album, setting a musical template for the production of the new album. (2)
When I searched on the internet, I also saw the video clip of Superheroes which made the song even better than I already thought it was. You see The Script playing this song for an audience in Johannesburg in South Africa and a little girl and her father play a role in their video clip. They try to show that she and her father are the ‘superheroes’ of this song. The father of the little girl goes to a landfill site, where all the waste is being dumped. He searches for useful things, and when he comes home his daughter runs straight into his arms. Danny O’Donoghue stated this: “We spent a few days there and spent a lot of time with the people in the township, because they are out superheroes.” (2)
According to the leading vocalist of The Script, Danny O’Donoghue, Superheroes is written for “the unsung heroes out in the world”. The song calls out “people who are going through the hardest times but can keep their head held high”. (2)
Informed Judgment
This song, which is part of an album which I listen to a lot, is one of my favourites. My opinion is still quite the same as when I heard it for the first time, but the video clip and the explanations on Wikipedia made me look deeper into this song, which I really like. This song really tells a story, and that is important for me as I am listening to this music. The song includes repetition and has a melody that stays into my head. I also like the introduction, because when you hear it on the radio, you immediately recognise the song. I am going to a concert of The Script in March, and I really hope they will play this song as well.
Sources
1 = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Script
2 = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superheroes_(The_Script_song)
The song I chose is called Superheroes and is composed by Danny O’Donoghue and Mark Sheenan of the Irish band The Script, together with songwriter James Barry. The band consists of lead vocalist/pianist Danny O’Donoghue, vocalist/guitarist Mark Sheenan and drummer Glen Power. Their albums are called The Script (2008), Science & Faith (2010), #3 (2012) and No Sound Without Silence (2014). Superheroes is in the last album, No Sound Without Silence, and is the lead single of this album. The music style of The Script is pop rock. (12)
First Impressions
My first impressions when I heard this song were that the song stays in your head after you have listened to it, and the lyrics, or at least the lyrics from the refrain, are quite easy. It’s a combination of singing and rap. Mostly I do not really like rap but in this song it is mainly real singing and the rap is on music. I also really like the piano pieces in this song, which changes into a beat with drums and back again.
The words that come into my mind are: rhythm, beat, piano, drums, voice.
Description
The song starts with an intro with piano music. After a few seconds the piano music changes into a beat with drums in a certain rhythm, including several instruments. After the introduction a voice starts to sing, again with piano music on the background, and later with drums. When the singing stops for a few seconds, you hear someone rapping a few words on the background. When the refrain approaches the music will turn a little bit louder. After the refrain you will hear a music piece with a voice on the background which is less loud than the main pieces of the song, and then they will repeat the singing at the beginning and the refrain. (The song still goes on for about two minutes) When the song is about to end, the tempo will slow down and the music gets softer.
Analysis
The music in Superheroes contains quite a lot of repetition, but variety is created by inserting new parts and changing the lyrics a little. Variety is also created because of the constant changing between piano and drums on the background, or both. There is also tension in the music, especially when the refrain is about to start. This also helps to catch the attention. The phrases in the refrain are the same, and the other pieces are repeated as well. Harmony is present during a large part of the song and you can also clearly identify the sections of the song.
Interpretation
What I really like from this song, is that if you listen to the lyrics, you can hear that the lyrics are not standard if you compare it to other lyrics from different bands or singers. Most of the times the lyrics are about being in love or breaking up. (Of course this is not always the case.) The Script really wants to tell people something with their song lyrics.
Gathering background information
Superheroes was the first song written by the band for their fourth studio album, setting a musical template for the production of the new album. (2)
When I searched on the internet, I also saw the video clip of Superheroes which made the song even better than I already thought it was. You see The Script playing this song for an audience in Johannesburg in South Africa and a little girl and her father play a role in their video clip. They try to show that she and her father are the ‘superheroes’ of this song. The father of the little girl goes to a landfill site, where all the waste is being dumped. He searches for useful things, and when he comes home his daughter runs straight into his arms. Danny O’Donoghue stated this: “We spent a few days there and spent a lot of time with the people in the township, because they are out superheroes.” (2)
According to the leading vocalist of The Script, Danny O’Donoghue, Superheroes is written for “the unsung heroes out in the world”. The song calls out “people who are going through the hardest times but can keep their head held high”. (2)
Informed Judgment
This song, which is part of an album which I listen to a lot, is one of my favourites. My opinion is still quite the same as when I heard it for the first time, but the video clip and the explanations on Wikipedia made me look deeper into this song, which I really like. This song really tells a story, and that is important for me as I am listening to this music. The song includes repetition and has a melody that stays into my head. I also like the introduction, because when you hear it on the radio, you immediately recognise the song. I am going to a concert of The Script in March, and I really hope they will play this song as well.
Sources
1 = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Script
2 = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superheroes_(The_Script_song)