# Songs where you like the harmony/background more than the melody/lyrics **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [April 18, 2021, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-you-like-the-harmony-background-more-than-the-melody-lyrics/940234 "2021-04-18T04:15:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![blabbermeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9a140/32.png) [@blabbermeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blabbermeister)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-you-like-the-harmony-background-more-than-the-melody-lyrics/940234/1 "2021-04-18T04:15:08Z")
I’m listening to “Bette Davis Eyes” by Kim Carnes now and I’ve always _loved_ the harmony more than anything else about this song. Love how each phrase of the harmony ends “unresolved” except at a couple of points in the song where it unexpectedly resolves into a comfortable F major chord - gets me every time. In which songs, for you, does the harmony make the song? Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-you-like-the-harmony-background-more-than-the-melody-lyrics/940234/2 "2021-04-18T05:06:14Z")
Not wild about the Poco song “Angel”…except for one word. A breathy [“_aaaangelll…_”](https://youtu.be/51T6Y86nwrI?t=177) sung behind the bridge at 3:07. The trick is being backed by two of the smoothest voices in country rock: Rusty Young and Timothy B Schmit (same voice as the Eagles’ “I Can’t Tell You Why”) Same guys doing background _Nah-nahs_ at the four minute mark. eta: I found a live version, to make the point that so many songs with smooth backup singing don’t come close live[… but this one did!](https://youtu.be/IsfaDdOq1us?t=155) I cued it up before Rusty Young’s blistering slide guitar solo. The “aaaangelll…” is right after that. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-you-like-the-harmony-background-more-than-the-melody-lyrics/940234/3 "2021-04-18T05:13:15Z")
Journey’s “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’”, obviously. Not that it’s not a decent song but the harmony on the na na naa’s is what makes it. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-you-like-the-harmony-background-more-than-the-melody-lyrics/940234/4 "2021-04-18T06:10:16Z")
I would say most songs. Lyrics are usually the worst part of any song once you read them. The voice can be a good instrument of course, but the words are usually fucking stupid. There are exceptions, tho. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-you-like-the-harmony-background-more-than-the-melody-lyrics/940234/5 "2021-04-18T07:54:18Z")
> [@blabbermeister](#): > > I’m listening to “Bette Davis Eyes” by Kim Carnes now and I’ve always _loved_ the harmony more than anything else about this song. I must be misunderstanding what you mean by “harmony”. I normally think of a harmony as being other voices singing a complementary tune to the melody. Do you just mean the music? Personally I tend to think of a song as a whole so there may be parts I particularly like but often I like those parts because of the contrast with the parts I supposedly don’t like as much. Example, _Comfortably Numb_ by _Pink Floyd_. I really like the chorus sections but what makes them particularly enjoyable for me is the way they stand out from the verses. If it was just the chorus over and over I wouldn’t like it so much. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-you-like-the-harmony-background-more-than-the-melody-lyrics/940234/6 "2021-04-18T12:34:43Z")
By “harmony,” I think the OP is specifically referring to background vocals parts sung in harmony\*\* (i.e., more than one voice sung together). This can be done in various ways: nonsense syllables (e.g., the Beatles’ “Michelle”), or actual words — and the words might echo the main melody lyric (e.g., the Beatles’ “Help”), or be a different lyric altogether\* (R.E.M.’s “Fall on Me,” which has two superimposed backing vocal parts). My answer might be the Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows,” both the nonsense-words break (bridge), and the three-part polyphonic coda whose words echo parts of the main melody lyric. Both these sections are stunningly beautiful. (I know, it’s been said a million times already). (\*The “Frere Jacques” fragment that John and George sneak into “Paperback Writer” is a goofy little special case!). \*\*Or not. As has been pointed out, this seems absent from “Betty Davis Eyes.” ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-you-like-the-harmony-background-more-than-the-melody-lyrics/940234/7 "2021-04-18T12:57:30Z")
I take it back. The OP is about harmony in the larger sense — basically, the sequence of chords (and possibly key changes). ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-you-like-the-harmony-background-more-than-the-melody-lyrics/940234/8 "2021-04-18T12:58:15Z")
I don’t think there necessarily has to be an actual countermelody to create “harmony”. This video covers common techniques: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/nFqubZ7it3A/maxresdefault.jpg "The 7 Levels Of Vocal Harmony (feat. A Capella Science)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFqubZ7it3A) Even a key change or chord change can be dramatic, but I am blanking out when it comes to choosing the best example (I think of something but then I either actually like the vocal lines, or there aren’t any lyrics at all…) ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-you-like-the-harmony-background-more-than-the-melody-lyrics/940234/9 "2021-04-18T13:34:26Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > Not that it’s not a decent song but the harmony on the na na naa’s is what makes it. Except for the fact that the na na naas never end. And I like the song too. ---
**Author:** ![blabbermeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9a140/32.png) [@blabbermeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blabbermeister)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-you-like-the-harmony-background-more-than-the-melody-lyrics/940234/10 "2021-04-18T14:01:40Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > I take it back. The OP is about harmony in the larger sense — basically, the sequence of chords (and possibly key changes). Yes. This. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-you-like-the-harmony-background-more-than-the-melody-lyrics/940234/11 "2021-04-18T14:19:53Z")
I’d put California Dreamin’ by the Mamas and the Papas on this list. Cass Elliot’s and Michelle Phillips‘ voices make for some uplifting harmony. Does this song fit the OP’s intent of harmony in the larger sense? [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/N-aK6JnyFmk/hqdefault.jpg "The Mamas & The Papas - California Dreamin'") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-aK6JnyFmk) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-you-like-the-harmony-background-more-than-the-melody-lyrics/940234/12 "2021-04-18T15:35:08Z")
“California Dreamin’” is a great choice. The Beach Boys would be an obvious choice. “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “California Girls,” “Good Vibrations,” or [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mky-UhxUKoM/hqdefault.jpg "The Beach Boys- Cool Cool Water") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mky-UhxUKoM) Cool, Cool Water And many, many more. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-you-like-the-harmony-background-more-than-the-melody-lyrics/940234/13 "2021-04-18T17:21:42Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > The voice can be a good instrument of course, but the words are usually fucking stupid. Steve Allen used to have a schtick where he’d read the lyrics to songs of the day as if they were poetry. One time he did Lieber & Stoller’s “Drip Drop” _The roof is leaking and The rain’s falling in my head Drip, drip Drippity drop_ _Well, the roof is leaking and The rain’s falling on my head Drip, drip Drippity drop_ _I cried so hard Teardrops soiled my face Drip, drip Drippity drop_ Mom laughed and said, “See how stupid songs are today?” I just looked her in the eye and in my best William Shatner imitation said, _Mairzy doats… and doz… y doats and liddle lamz… y divey_ That’s when she hit me. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-you-like-the-harmony-background-more-than-the-melody-lyrics/940234/14 "2021-04-19T00:48:45Z")
Yeah that’s what I was thinking. I listened to the OP’s example and it doesn’t have a vocal harmony so I was unsure what I was listening for. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-you-like-the-harmony-background-more-than-the-melody-lyrics/940234/15 "2021-04-19T00:51:16Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > I don’t think there necessarily has to be an actual countermelody to create “harmony”. This video covers common techniques: Yeah I didn’t mean “countermelody”, I was trying to describe a vocal harmony as opposed to the harmony of the music. All cleared up now. ---
**Author:** ![blabbermeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9a140/32.png) [@blabbermeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blabbermeister)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-you-like-the-harmony-background-more-than-the-melody-lyrics/940234/16 "2021-04-19T01:09:36Z")
California Dreaming is a great example: I like the repeated riff and have no clue what the lyrics are about. Also “Nightswimming” and “Find the River” by REM, I think the harmony is more interesting than the melody in both. I never should have looked up the lyrics to the latter; it damaged my enjoyment of the piece and I was content when I couldn’t decipher it and the voice sounded like another instrument. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-you-like-the-harmony-background-more-than-the-melody-lyrics/940234/17 "2021-04-19T01:50:34Z")
> [@blabbermeister](#): > > Also “Nightswimming” and “Find the River” by REM, I think the harmony is more interesting than the melody in both. I never should have looked up the lyrics to the latter; it damaged my enjoyment of the piece and I was content when I couldn’t decipher it and the voice sounded like another instrument. Very astute. I was going to post an interview with Michael Stipe where he said he doesn’t care about lyrics, and often sings different ones at each live concert. His rationale is that he considers his voice just one more instrument. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-you-like-the-harmony-background-more-than-the-melody-lyrics/940234/18 "2021-04-19T11:35:50Z")
One more Beatles comment (sorry!): While both John and Paul were of course masters at both melody and harmony, generally Paul’s specialty was great melody, while John’s was great harmony. John’s melody lines tended to be within a restricted range, while his chord sequences were usually inventive and memorable. “Strawberry Fields Forever” is a good example. (Though one of John’s most celebrated compositions, “Tomorrow Never Knows,” is pretty much the opposite: an interesting, bugle-call melody, and groundbreaking sonic textures, but almost no harmonic movement, deliberately.) ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-you-like-the-harmony-background-more-than-the-melody-lyrics/940234/19 "2021-04-19T15:44:58Z")
To me, an interesting thing about this thread is how the OP more or less equated “harmony” (sequence of chords, etc.) with “background.” This is neither “right” nor “wrong;” rather, it reveals how some people perceive the melody of a song as primary, with other components secondary. Personally, I don’t perceive it that way — a pop song that uses the same chord sequence as Pachelbel’s canon will sound boring to me, even if the (sung) melody is different (though I suppose a REALLY interesting melody might shine through as special even for me). (The standard blues chord sequence — “harmony” — varies little, but like many do, I give it a pass, for various reasons. Maybe that’s the subject for a different thread). ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-you-like-the-harmony-background-more-than-the-melody-lyrics/940234/20 "2021-04-19T15:56:04Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > _Comfortably Numb_ by _Pink Floyd_ . I really like the chorus sections I came in here to post that one. Before I learned the words in the melody, the harmony in the chorus just grabbed me and I was humming along with that for weeks whenever it was on the radio. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-you-like-the-harmony-background-more-than-the-melody-lyrics/940234.md?page=2)