Tag Archives: song analysis

White Paper: The Quiet Weight Beneath the Piano: Melancholy as a Structural Thread in the Lyrics of Billy Joel

Posted on December 18, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Billy Joel is often remembered for buoyant melodies, radio-friendly hooks, and a public persona associated with wit, storytelling, and New York bravado. Yet beneath this accessible surface lies a persistent, carefully managed melancholy that runs through his lyrics … Continue reading →

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White Paper: “Sleeping Satellite” by Tasmin Archer (1992): Authorial Intent, Documented Meanings, and Critical Reception

Posted on October 10, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive summary Drawing on published interviews with Tasmin Archer and her co-writers as well as contemporary retrospectives, this white paper finds that “Sleeping Satellite” is explicitly about the achievement and aftermath of the Apollo Moon landings and the disappointment that … Continue reading →

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Set the Night to Music: A Long-Form Essay on Authorship, Interpretation, and Reinvention

Posted on September 30, 2025 by nathanalbright

Introduction In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Diane Warren’s ballads were unavoidable on American and international radio. Her songs were cinematic in scope yet crafted for intimacy, built on broad themes—love, longing, reconciliation—that made them adaptable across genres. Few … Continue reading →

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Desire, Happiness, and Recognition: The Characteristic Tensions in Natalie Imbruglia’s Songs

Posted on September 11, 2025 by nathanalbright

Abstract This essay explores the lyrical and thematic tensions in Natalie Imbruglia’s songs, particularly Wrong Impression (2002), Identify (1999), and Want (2009). These songs articulate the difficulties of reconciling three interlocking desires: wanting intimacy, wanting happiness (for self and other), … Continue reading →

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We Said Hello, Goodbye

Posted on January 11, 2025 by nathanalbright

Phil Collins’ “We Said Hello, Goodbye” is a poignant song about transitions, moving on, and finding a sense of home within oneself. While it wasn’t a major hit or a central piece of any particular album, it’s a well-regarded track … Continue reading →

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Fancy

Posted on September 15, 2023 by nathanalbright

Why would a mother name her daughter Fancy? I have heard some strange names for children in my time, to be sure, but Fancy is not one of them. I want to stick a pin in this question because I … Continue reading →

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Was It Something I Said?

Posted on July 25, 2023 by nathanalbright

In the early 1990’s, in the aftermath of an acrimonious breakup between its two founding creative members, the rump band under Andy McCluskey attempted to go on as a dance band for a few years, and in the first album … Continue reading →

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Read ‘Em And Weep

Posted on December 10, 2022 by nathanalbright

This evening as I was heading off to dinner, I found myself listening to satellite radio, which was playing the top 40 for this week in 1983. 1983 is recognized as one of the greatest years in music history, and … Continue reading →

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Can You Come Out To Play In Your Empty Garden?

Posted on July 22, 2021 by nathanalbright

For many years I have been familiar with the song Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny), which was a moderate hit for Elton John in 1982, peaking at #13 on the Hot 100 and making the Year End chart for that … Continue reading →

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Last Train Home

Posted on June 18, 2021 by nathanalbright

The first single of the upcoming album SOB Rock by John Mayer has a bit of a strange pedigree to it. A few months ago the first segment of the song was released to widespread interest among the musical community … Continue reading →

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