Arrangement Reflections: Stars In My Eyes
Original song by Ball Park Music
Mixtape rehearsal Video
Mixtape recording on SoundCloud (better audio quality)
I did this SAB arrangement for Mixtape Chorus in March 2023. We've done quite a few songs by this band (Ball Park Music). What can we say? They write great songs.
My reading of this song: it's about the loss of innocence.
The singers muses:
I'm starting to wonder was it all a lie?
Was there ever a time I had stars in my eyes?
Wrap me in blankets, plan a surprise
Tell me that I've still got stars in my eyes
I decided to leave the fully-formed homophony until the first chorus (the above lyrics). During Verse 1, the sops and baritones sing gentle "oos" while the altos croon the plaintive memories:
There was a place that I used to go
There was a girl that I loved who lived there
This was a long time ago
Why did I start the arrangement this way? The original recording begins with solo guitar and voice - it's intimate, vulnerable, reflective. I wanted the sops and baritones to be involved from the beginning, but not to pull focus from the melody (altos). The texture changes at the first chorus (in the original, more guitars and backup vocals enter, in my arrangement, all voice parts switch to lyrics i.e. homophony).
The chorus chord progression goes:
vi, IV, V
vi, IV, V
ii, IV, V
vi, IV, V
The magical moment is on the ninth bar where the expected vi chord is replaced with a ii chord. adding poignancy to the vulnerable plea to be a child once more: "wrap me in blankets, plan a surprise".
This drum beat drops in at Verse 2. I had the pleasure of playing this (on my synth).
I did this SAB arrangement for Mixtape Chorus in March 2023. We've done quite a few songs by this band (Ball Park Music). What can we say? They write great songs.
My reading of this song: it's about the loss of innocence.
The singers muses:
I'm starting to wonder was it all a lie?
Was there ever a time I had stars in my eyes?
Wrap me in blankets, plan a surprise
Tell me that I've still got stars in my eyes
I decided to leave the fully-formed homophony until the first chorus (the above lyrics). During Verse 1, the sops and baritones sing gentle "oos" while the altos croon the plaintive memories:
There was a place that I used to go
There was a girl that I loved who lived there
This was a long time ago
Why did I start the arrangement this way? The original recording begins with solo guitar and voice - it's intimate, vulnerable, reflective. I wanted the sops and baritones to be involved from the beginning, but not to pull focus from the melody (altos). The texture changes at the first chorus (in the original, more guitars and backup vocals enter, in my arrangement, all voice parts switch to lyrics i.e. homophony).
The chorus chord progression goes:
vi, IV, V
vi, IV, V
ii, IV, V
vi, IV, V
The magical moment is on the ninth bar where the expected vi chord is replaced with a ii chord. adding poignancy to the vulnerable plea to be a child once more: "wrap me in blankets, plan a surprise".
This drum beat drops in at Verse 2. I had the pleasure of playing this (on my synth).
Here's the song form:
Intro
Verse 1
Chorus 1
Verse 2
Chorus 2
Bridge
Bridge Pt 2
Chorus 3
Ending
Pretty typical pop song format, however the bridge is extended and takes quite a detour texturally (in the original recording, a piano appears with quite a honky-tonk sound, some squealy electric guitar fills, and some audio effects are applied to the backup voices). I gave the piano riff to the alto and baritone parts and let the sops soar on top with the melody for a while.
I did this because for Mixtape Chorus we're usually working with guitar and drums as accompaniment. Other interesting instrumental parts are usually turned into vocal parts (in this case, the altos and baritones sing the piano riff as "doot doo, doo-doot doo"). The sops get a bit of melody for a while.
The bridge is in two distinct parts to my ears - it vamps between chord IV and I for a while, then resumes the vi, IV, V progression established earlier in the chorus (repeating the phrase "tell me that I've still got stars in my eyes").
A sweet drum fill (mostly toms) brings it all home into Chorus 3 (which begins with the magical ii chord this time). NEW LYRICS appear! "So tell me it's over, tell me a lie, tell me that I've still got stars in my eyes". It's enough to break your heart. Ball Park Music seem to know how to combine rock and roll with disarming poignancy and vulnerability.
Anyway, the Mixtapers seemed to really enjoy this song (as did I). I'll probably upload it to the ArrangeMe platform soon, so it will be available to buy on Sheet Music Direct and Sheet Music Plus.