The Secret Life of Avril Lavigne's "Push"

   

 
     Tuesday was a very special day for me. It was the official release of Avril Lavigne's fourth studio album, Goodbye Lullaby.  My idol of 10 years had finally returned to her roots after a long hiatus.
     Now, I must admit, I was highly skeptical about this record. Sure, there was talk on the street that Avril would be going back to her old style with the new album, but the lead single, "What the Hell", was a bomb of a disappointment that left me dreading the rest. It's an obvious sell-out piece, trying to capture the semi 80's pop, square-sounding arrangements and chanted linear melodies a la Katy Perry and Ke$ha. That, and it's not the healing, epiphany-arousing beauty that Avril is capable of (to put it plainly, it's a song about being a slut). The fact that her label made her put this processed, preservative-filled piece of fast food on an otherwise organic and nourishing album is appalling to me. Alas, the pitfalls of the music industry.
     One of my favorite songs off Goodbye Lullaby is "Push" (others are "Wish You Were Here" and "Everybody Hurts"). "Push" is an extremely emotional and well-crafted song about what a waste it is when couples who truly love each other fight.
     When I discuss the secret life of "Push", I obviously can't know it like I know my own songs. For example, I don't know what sparked the idea, what section was written first, etc. But I can analyze it and tell you all why I think it is working and how we might be intuitively processing the very obvious craft here.
     One thing that makes this a grabbing song is how wonderfully quickly the chorus comes in. Many of Avril's old songs had a pre-chorus, which is absent here. This is part of the current aesthetic in pop music. When "Complicated" came out, which had a very long intro, double first verse, and pre-chorus, the aesthetic in pop was that the song would take you on a gradual journey and prepare you for the hook. This recipe has changed. The idea now is that the hook is everything, and the verses are only there because they have to be. And it's all about immediate changes now; nothing wants to happen gradually anymore. What better way to serve this aesthetic than to slam-dunk the listener right into the chorus without warning?
     Along with the absence of a pre-chorus, the verse has the illusion of whizzing by for another reason - there's no space in the melody. It's basically an ongoing list of thoughts; stream of consciousness. The anticipation is heightened even further by the lines in the verse all stopping (very briefly) mid-sentence, like so:

"Been seein' too much of you lately and you're
starting to get on my nerves this is
exactly what happened last time and it's
not what we deserve, it's a
waste of my time lately and I'm
running out of words..."

     If the lyrics had been laid out differently, the verses would not possess the impatience and uncontained energy that is the livelihood of this song.
     It's clear that a quick verse was a wise move when one hears the chorus. It's positively bursting with emotion. The first line, "Maybe you should just shut up" is delightfully bold and unrestrained, and what's more, these somewhat taboo words are chosen incredibly wisely and have never been better used in a song. She's not telling her boyfriend to shut up because he's annoying to listen to; it's much deeper. She's telling him to put a cork in it because he's risking ruining their relationship. And when she comes in with the line, she's drastically higher in her register and has a brattier tone to her voice. Your brain's subconscious translation: "Enter young woman arguing with her boyfriend." Fittingly, there is silence after the peacemaking line, "...cause this is love", a mid-point in the chorus which also marks the first time we hear real space. And then there's the literal sound of the words. Most pop choruses will rhyme more than one sound, but not this one. "Push" rhymes the "uh" sound for its entire duration - "Just shut up, tough, love, comes, shove, us, love." The consistency is refreshing, and the impact of the "uh" with all the rests gives the melody a percussive power.
     I haven't listened to the rest of the album enough yet to determine whether it has the staying power of her first two. I, for one, am still adjusting to this trend of purposeful clutter in pop music. For the most part, I'm not feeling the new lack of space. "Push", however, utilizes this technique so well and with such relevance to the lyrical content that I just may learn to like it.

- Jill <3

  

Song Element Hierarchy (According to Jill)

Songwriting Method/Songwriting Elements

     So, in light of a comment from one of my Conservatory buddies, I've realized I need to edit this post because some things weren't clear.

     What I am doing here is laying out my song element hierarchy.  If you're a songwriter or composer, yours may differ from mine (which is fine). All in all, I really feel that having set priorities is crucial to being a convincing, decisive songwriter.

     The following is a list of what goes into a song, organized according to what serves what in my writing. Starting with the top, you'll see that according to my hierarchy, Form serves Character, Melody & Lyrics serve Form and Character, and so on.

1) Character(s)
I took a creative writing class once, and my teacher shared with us some publication by some author that boasted the importance of building strong characters. The main point of the article was that if your character is strong, the plot will unfold on its own. To this day, I have extended that principle to my songwriting, and it's been working out really, really well.  
Strong characters are the great divider in the pop music world. A strong, multi-dimensional character is what separates a song that feels "real" and "true to life" from a song of the same style and proportions that should, logically, be strong, but feels overwhelmingly generic. You all know what I'm talking about - the type of song that's often written by pros for a guaranteed quick hit, but that no one ever listens to a year later because the song lacks a certain "je ne sais quoi". I can guarantee that the missing "intangible" in almost all of these situations is a deep, resonating character. The character is the song's core, so don't neglect yours!

      I have placed Character on top of Form because the Form should serve the Character.  However, I do think form is more important than Character, which is why I initially listed it first (before I edited this post). A strong Character, as I said, is the difference between a mediocre song and an unforgettable song. Form, however, determines whether a song stands or whether it simply confuses and alienates the listener.

2) Form
Form is the skeleton that holds the song together. Without it, everything - no matter how wonderful - falls like a poorly-built wall. This is why I often lay out the song's structure-to-be at the onset of composition. And I'm not just talking about the relationship in bar count between the verses and choruses; I'm also talking about micro proportions and ensuring that space is inserted correctly, and that melodies have the right variation points.

3) Melody (in all its components, including rhythm of the melody) & Lyrics
Only when Form and Character are in good standing can I have any faith in the Melody & Lyrics of a song. I've lumped them both into the same category because to me, they are one being. At times I'll look at them separately while composing, but they are still One, and both Melody & Lyrics carry the same weight when I am writing a song. Melody & Lyrics are the inner monologue of the character. The personality (as I mentioned above) is the core, and Melody & Lyrics are the air that the character breathes to survive.

4) Harmony (Chords) & Accompaniment
I originally listed rhythm here (before I edited the post), but what I really meant was rhythm section (drums, guitar strumming patterns, groove).  And it's not just them; guitar leads and chords are also elements I expect to serve my Melody & Lyrics.
Harmony & Accompaniment can really make or break a song. They exist to serve and to ground the Melody & Lyrics. Harmony and overall Accompaniment are the environment's response to the character as conveyed by his/her inner monologue (vocal line). They react to and reinforce what the character is feeling.

     These are my priorities that guide me as a songwriter. For others there will be stark differences. For example, in heavy metal, instruments that are merely accompaniment in my songs will carry much more weight. And that's fine and central to the genre. But as for me, I'm never going to write a vocal melody to serve a guitar riff or drum beat. Hip-hop is another example of a style that would contradict my hierarchy. Beats are just as central to hip-hop as are melody and lyrics, if not more. So, as long as we're clear that I'm not up on a soapbox telling everyone that this is the only way, but that this is simply what works for me and the type of song I write, what is your songwriting hierarchy? If you're not a songwriter, what elements are most important to you as a listener?

- Jill <3