Vance Joy's - Riptide
Vance Joy's Riptide is enjoyable little song whose key elements manage to work together to influence its distinct sound. The instruments are free to do their own thing, but never sound disjointed or confused; the melody and the harmony help each other along, at different points; the song is an outlet for expression for Joy, himself; and the song's main themes are of fear and film, the former being a main influence on the song's melody.
Riptide is both simplistic and enjoyable both thematically and melodically. The way the intruments move throught the song is what would be described as polyphonic. The vocals, are homophonic, with each voice following the lead singer. One thing I noticed is the sound of either a ukelele or guitar is very prominent through most of the song. The harmony helps guide the melody along at the start and then the melody takes over and guides the harmones.
According to the songwriter, Vance Joy, the first verse is autobiographical; he is credited with stating that he liked the first line, "I was scare of dentist and the
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For example, "I swear she's destined for the screen, closest thing to Michelle Pfeiffer that you've seen" (Joy); In addition, there is a theme of fear or apprehension, most likely regarding romance appearing within the song in first verse. The theme of fear can also explain why the song is a minor key. The theme of fear diminsh, as the song progresses, making it sound as if the singer gradually overcomes his fears- explained by the increasing volume of the final three repeats of chrous, as mentioned earlier- which in turn, creates the illusion of a narrative, within the song, despite there not really being one to speak