Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?
Composer: Lamm
Key: G major
Meter: mostly 4/4
Lead vocal: Robert Lamm
Form: free-form piano intro, introduction, verse 1, chorus, verse 2, chorus, verse 3, chorus.
Instrumentation: trumpet, tenor sax, trombone, electric guitar, piano, bass, drums, three voices
Overall form and style: This is probably the most straightforward piece of music on this album in terms of form, except for the lone cover "I'm a Man". Once the vocals start, this is a simple pop song in form, with three verses and three choruses. However, before the vocals start, there is a somewhat extended opening which also serves as a transition from "Introduction".
Though there are several quick feel changes in the opening, the main body of the song features a relaxed, medium tempo shuffle with swing eighth notes. On an album of high intensity and no obvious slow songs, tunes with relaxing feels like this one keep the album flowing nicely.
Melody: For this tune, the melody is simple and mostly stepwise, with 3rds and 4ths sprinkled here and there. The beginning of each verse and the chorus have similar arch shapes, while the later parts of the verse tend to stick around D above middle C. The rhythm for the verses is almost entirely on the upbeats, while the chorus follows a natural speaking rhythm which may be difficult to notate exactly, but is quite natural to the ears. The song’s simplicity and its way of sounding almost like speech rather than singing makes it quite memorable and quite easy to sing along with, probably more so than any other piece on this album. Listen for the rhythmic pattern of the verse to return several times on this album - in “Beginnings” and “Someday”.
Harmony: Though in G major throughout, the verses here use quite a few borrowed chords from G minor. In fact, from the start of the verse: I - bVII - bIII - bVI, which contains within it two plagal cadences in a row. The lead in to the chorus (and to the first verse) uses a borrowed chord as well: V - vi - bVII - vi - I. The chorus (and the trumpet solo before the first verse) is much simpler, alternating between Imaj7 and IVmaj7.
Arrangement: Growing immediately out of the last crashing chord of "Introduction", this piece begins with a free-form piano solo. The solo contrasts with the previous tune by being calm and introspective. Beginning in free tempo, keyboardist Lamm gathers energy through the course of the solo, gradually becoming more rhythmic before letting the tempo dissolve once again. The harmony of the piano solo is very dense, but registers as liberating rather than intense due to the limited range used. Few notes in the solo stray far from the middle of the instrument. The instrument used is a bright-sounding acoustic piano. Once the ensemble enters, we hear a rhythmic figure based on triad with the 9th in the bass, a floating, somewhat suspended sound. A quick figure in 5/8 time follows, and its melodic shape is similar to that of the verse's main melody. The intro leads into the main body of the song with a few bars which reprise the piano solo (the part of the solo reprised is about the :22 mark).
The arrangement on this song is simple but effective. The winds sustain chords when the vocalist sings and punctuate the gaps in the lyrics with rhythmic figures augmented by the drum kit. The horn section leads into the chorus with a simple up-and-down arch of repeated quarter notes. Notice also the lovely percolating bass line from Peter Cetera under the second part of the verse ("A man came up to me…") and the way it is accented as well by Danny Seraphine's drums. Seraphine rarely just kept time, and frequently augmented the ensemble like a jazz orchestra drummer. This is a key component of Chicago's ensemble sound: Seraphine's drums so often support the rest of the ensemble in subtle ways beyond merely keeping the pulse. The chorus features a nice set of background vocals - Kath and Cetera, with plenty of reverb shunting them squarely to the background, sing a rising harmony line which runs in counterpoint to Lamm's lead.
There is a striking effect in the third verse - behind Lamm's vocal someone is speaking. (It’s actually Lamm in an overdub.) Mixed low, the words can be understood if you turn it up and listen, but it gives the effect of a conversation barely overheard, and plays into the song's overall message.
The main chording instrument here is Lamm’s piano. Terry Kath’s electric guitar is present, but far in the background as he mostly just strums a quiet chord at the start of each measure.
Other notes: This song is so well known and so overplayed that it is easy to forget that it is a really nice piece of music. "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" is also a lot more than what you hear on the radio! Try to listen to the album version (which is nearly twice as long) with fresh ears next time you get a chance.
There is some more of the album's loose concept at play in this song. Leading into the first verse there is a short trumpet solo, and on the last chord there is a short trombone improvisation. The two are still apart, but are now in the same setting.
PM
Key: G major
Meter: mostly 4/4
Lead vocal: Robert Lamm
Form: free-form piano intro, introduction, verse 1, chorus, verse 2, chorus, verse 3, chorus.
Instrumentation: trumpet, tenor sax, trombone, electric guitar, piano, bass, drums, three voices
Overall form and style: This is probably the most straightforward piece of music on this album in terms of form, except for the lone cover "I'm a Man". Once the vocals start, this is a simple pop song in form, with three verses and three choruses. However, before the vocals start, there is a somewhat extended opening which also serves as a transition from "Introduction".
Though there are several quick feel changes in the opening, the main body of the song features a relaxed, medium tempo shuffle with swing eighth notes. On an album of high intensity and no obvious slow songs, tunes with relaxing feels like this one keep the album flowing nicely.
Melody: For this tune, the melody is simple and mostly stepwise, with 3rds and 4ths sprinkled here and there. The beginning of each verse and the chorus have similar arch shapes, while the later parts of the verse tend to stick around D above middle C. The rhythm for the verses is almost entirely on the upbeats, while the chorus follows a natural speaking rhythm which may be difficult to notate exactly, but is quite natural to the ears. The song’s simplicity and its way of sounding almost like speech rather than singing makes it quite memorable and quite easy to sing along with, probably more so than any other piece on this album. Listen for the rhythmic pattern of the verse to return several times on this album - in “Beginnings” and “Someday”.
Harmony: Though in G major throughout, the verses here use quite a few borrowed chords from G minor. In fact, from the start of the verse: I - bVII - bIII - bVI, which contains within it two plagal cadences in a row. The lead in to the chorus (and to the first verse) uses a borrowed chord as well: V - vi - bVII - vi - I. The chorus (and the trumpet solo before the first verse) is much simpler, alternating between Imaj7 and IVmaj7.
Arrangement: Growing immediately out of the last crashing chord of "Introduction", this piece begins with a free-form piano solo. The solo contrasts with the previous tune by being calm and introspective. Beginning in free tempo, keyboardist Lamm gathers energy through the course of the solo, gradually becoming more rhythmic before letting the tempo dissolve once again. The harmony of the piano solo is very dense, but registers as liberating rather than intense due to the limited range used. Few notes in the solo stray far from the middle of the instrument. The instrument used is a bright-sounding acoustic piano. Once the ensemble enters, we hear a rhythmic figure based on triad with the 9th in the bass, a floating, somewhat suspended sound. A quick figure in 5/8 time follows, and its melodic shape is similar to that of the verse's main melody. The intro leads into the main body of the song with a few bars which reprise the piano solo (the part of the solo reprised is about the :22 mark).
The arrangement on this song is simple but effective. The winds sustain chords when the vocalist sings and punctuate the gaps in the lyrics with rhythmic figures augmented by the drum kit. The horn section leads into the chorus with a simple up-and-down arch of repeated quarter notes. Notice also the lovely percolating bass line from Peter Cetera under the second part of the verse ("A man came up to me…") and the way it is accented as well by Danny Seraphine's drums. Seraphine rarely just kept time, and frequently augmented the ensemble like a jazz orchestra drummer. This is a key component of Chicago's ensemble sound: Seraphine's drums so often support the rest of the ensemble in subtle ways beyond merely keeping the pulse. The chorus features a nice set of background vocals - Kath and Cetera, with plenty of reverb shunting them squarely to the background, sing a rising harmony line which runs in counterpoint to Lamm's lead.
There is a striking effect in the third verse - behind Lamm's vocal someone is speaking. (It’s actually Lamm in an overdub.) Mixed low, the words can be understood if you turn it up and listen, but it gives the effect of a conversation barely overheard, and plays into the song's overall message.
The main chording instrument here is Lamm’s piano. Terry Kath’s electric guitar is present, but far in the background as he mostly just strums a quiet chord at the start of each measure.
Other notes: This song is so well known and so overplayed that it is easy to forget that it is a really nice piece of music. "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" is also a lot more than what you hear on the radio! Try to listen to the album version (which is nearly twice as long) with fresh ears next time you get a chance.
There is some more of the album's loose concept at play in this song. Leading into the first verse there is a short trumpet solo, and on the last chord there is a short trombone improvisation. The two are still apart, but are now in the same setting.
PM
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