I used to watch this video all the time, because I thought it was a clever parody and found the song really catchy, and then I realized what I really loved about it was the robot singing pi, and how, in addition to how lovely the different numbers sounded together, one of the voices keeps singing the same note while others move around (see: 1:18-1:39, 2:44-end). I mean, I'm sure this has been done in other songs, but not a single one comes to mind. Is this remotely common? Are there any other examples?
― Udon Nomi (Stevie D), Sunday, 6 December 2009 06:05 (3 years ago) Permalink
Steven Tyler hits a really neat single high note harmony on the "Love in an Elevator" chorus..
― "I get through more mojitos.." (bear, bear, bear), Sunday, 6 December 2009 06:13 (3 years ago) Permalink
Holy shit, that's really good. And the backwards guitar!!
― Udon Nomi (Stevie D), Sunday, 6 December 2009 06:23 (3 years ago) Permalink
Whoa, it's weird to me to think that there are people who haven't already heard Love in an Elevator a million times, but I guess it just happened to be a video that was on all the time right when we first got cable/MTV.
And it IS really good!
― Bay-L.A. Bar Talk (Hurting 2), Sunday, 6 December 2009 06:36 (3 years ago) Permalink
Although the video itself is a bit like the inside of a douchebag's mind.
― Bay-L.A. Bar Talk (Hurting 2), Sunday, 6 December 2009 06:37 (3 years ago) Permalink
Would that be called pedal point? Sorry, I can't think of any examples, except to say the first example sounds like The Free Design.
― B'wana Beast, Sunday, 6 December 2009 06:39 (3 years ago) Permalink
Yeah, I think that works - when harmonies move around a fixed note, that note is called a pedal point.
― Bay-L.A. Bar Talk (Hurting 2), Sunday, 6 December 2009 06:49 (3 years ago) Permalink
― Thus Sang Freud, Sunday, 6 December 2009 23:26 (3 years ago) Permalink
The Beatles did it all the time. This isn't the greatest example, but I saw this movie yesterday, and there's a really nice bit where John holds a note through the "love...was in vain" part.
― Thus Sang Freud, Sunday, 6 December 2009 23:41 (3 years ago) Permalink
Still cannot stop listening to "Love In An Elevator" and am feeling greedy and want more songs with this kind of harmony.
― 26 Mixes Focaccia (Stevie D), Wednesday, 10 February 2010 16:30 (3 years ago) Permalink
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1w8f0_depeche-mode-never-let-me-down-agai_music
― Michael Steele, the first black Superman (HI DERE), Wednesday, 10 February 2010 16:40 (3 years ago) Permalink
Try Charming Hostess's "Imam Bey's Mosque"
― Øystein, Wednesday, 10 February 2010 17:30 (3 years ago) Permalink
― Thus Sang Freud, Wednesday, 10 February 2010 17:55 (3 years ago) Permalink
xp WHOA!! That song!!
― 26 Mixes Focaccia (Stevie D), Wednesday, 10 February 2010 18:02 (3 years ago) Permalink
― meisenfek, Wednesday, 10 February 2010 19:00 (3 years ago) Permalink
A pedal point is usually something a little more specific -- when one voice moves while another stays on one note, that's oblique motion, as opposed to similar, parallel, or contrary motion. I feel like The Beatles did this a lot -- Please Please Me is a great example. weezer did it a bunch too.
― St3ve Go1db3rg, Wednesday, 10 February 2010 19:07 (3 years ago) Permalink
Now every time I sing "Love in an Elevator" I do so in monotone.
― gabourey voltaire (Stevie D), Wednesday, 24 March 2010 21:40 (3 years ago) Permalink
first 2 artists that came to mind are everly brothers and louvin brothers. could've sworn they do this all the time, but while quickly going through a bunch of their tunes i couldn't find any good examples.
"cathy's clown" by everly bros does this for a hot second?
good topic though!
― akaky akakievich, Wednesday, 24 March 2010 23:30 (3 years ago) Permalink
music doesn't tend to scare me, especially when it's intentionally scary, but listening to this song on headphones in the dark last night when I was half-asleep and hearing that ghostly, phased monotone voice chiming in on the chorus ("they will talk about you...") made me very grateful that I keep a lamp right next to my bed to ward off nightmares. I don't know if vocal harmonies with one voice singing in monotone are a common trick in "horror" songs, but they definitely should be.
― if you see her, say ayo (unregistered), Saturday, 26 June 2010 05:08 (2 years ago) Permalink
I think this is sort of happening here:
― the aztec mystic pizza (Stevie D), Tuesday, 13 July 2010 00:12 (2 years ago) Permalink
@ 1:10
― starfish succulents (unregistered), Saturday, 4 August 2012 21:44 (10 months ago) Permalink
there's a little bit of that in blur's "coffee and tv" :
― AlXTC from Paris, Sunday, 5 August 2012 06:51 (10 months ago) Permalink
In parts of the chorus, I mean.
― AlXTC from Paris, Sunday, 5 August 2012 06:55 (10 months ago) Permalink
― negative people on the internet. (instrumental) (unregistered), Thursday, 24 January 2013 13:32 (4 months ago) Permalink
Chorus of X's "The world's a mess (it's in my kiss)"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xMrmmDaocw
― Øystein, Thursday, 24 January 2013 14:14 (4 months ago) Permalink