Track Teardown- Yelawolf 'Till it's Gone'

Song Info-

Yelawolf, real name Michael Wayne Atha, is a US rapper from Gadsden, Alabama.

Label: Shady Records

Album: Love Story

Country: United States of America

Released: April 21st, 2015

Genre: Hip Hop

Style: Southern Rock elements fused with Hip Hop

Producer/s: Mike Hartnett- Bass and Acoustic Guitar

Matthew Hayes- Mixing Engineer

William ‘WLPWR’ Washington- Keyboards, drums, pads, programming

Tempo- 129bpm

Key- E Minor

Bar Length- 146

Background-

Yelawolf is a country/rock/rap musician. He is one of the first hip hop artists to blend live recorded acoustic instruments with the sounds that are synonymous with hip hop; i.e. Thumping Kicks, Snares, Hi-Hats and snares etc. Wolf has taken years to really develop his own personal sound which distinguishes him from other artists. I have had the pleasure of following him from the very beginning of his career, long before he garnered international notoriety and critical acclaim.

This particular song is genre fusing at its best. The acoustic guitar in the song truly reigns supreme in the mix. It is both beautiful and haunting at the same time. You literally can't help but tap your feet, as Yelawolf lyrically gallops through the beat (I Like to rhyme sometimes too). I am going to try and break down this song as best I can with the minimal musical knowledge that I have!

First Verse-

I'm not the table you can come and lay your cup down on, now

I'm not the shoulder for a bag, the one that carried a heavy load

I'm not the road that you take when you looking for a short cut, uh

I ain't the stepping stone to be stepping on

I ain't nobodies crutch

I ain't the money man, with your money, man

You ain't looking at me

I'm not the cheap one, looking at me son

You ain't looking at free

I ain't the dish rag to come clean up all the shit that you dish out

Ain't got no check for em'

If you checking in, mothafucka, check this out

• The song starts immediately with Kick drum, finger strumming pattern, and a looped leg clap for rhythm- it creates a galloping feel throughout the song- aesthetically giving off a Southern American ‘Swamp’ feel. I found a video online where the producer goes into some basic detail of how the song was arranged and recorded-

• On bar 4, a Thunder Drum is brought in giving it an ‘explosion’ like sound, and is now present for the remainder of the verse, coming in on every other bar

• There is a sub bass pad or guitar present for the entirety of the song

• From bar 23-25 The single Kick drum is replaced with an 8 hit Kick drum, which sounds like almost a ‘run up’ to the hook

First Hook-

Ain't much I can do but I do what I can But I'm not a fool there's no need to pretend And just because you got yourself in some shit It doesn't mean I have to come deal with it You handle your own when you become a man And become a man when you handle your own Ain't much I can do, but I do what I can But what can I do if I do till it's gone? Oh oh Till it's gone. Oh oh [x3] What can I do if I do till it's gone?

• Comes in at bar 25, immediately a vocal background synth is present. I believe it is Yelawolf himself who has recorded the sample used, singing ‘ooo’s and ahhh’s’ giving the hook an incredibly melodic, yet haunting feel.

• The guitar now has a slightly different chord progression, with more emphasis on the finger picking. Most definitely EQ’d to highlight the string plucks. Dynamic range- Strings are heavily accentuated in the mix

• The Kick drum is now back to single hits also

• I believe the Hook is an 8 Bar loop, repeated once for 16 bar total

Hook Breakdown into Verse Two-

• This segment of the song breaks up the hook and verses nicely. It appears from bar 41 to bar 49.

• It has all the same elements to the verse, with the only difference being a siren has now been introduced. Going up and down in pitches, in tune with the song. You can also hear Yelawolf singing various ‘oooOOO’s to the pitch of the song and repeating the words ‘Till it’s Gone’, which I feel is pushing the listener to really focus on the songs message

Verse Two-

I'm not the the trash can. Not the last man at the finish line, now I'm not the new kid on the block that you can just follow and push around I'm not the fucking needle in the hay stack that you finally found This ain't no free rent, Come and pitch a tent You ain't tying me down I'm not a bus ride you can hop inside and just roll away clean Like the wheel on the wagon you wanna break Cause I hold up the weight for the team I'm not the gold watch and the new truck that your scheming to check out Unless your looking to check out (powpowpow) What a mess, now (come on)

• Starting at Bar 49-57, there is now a siren sound that changes the dynamic of the song. It creates a sense of urgency. I believe it was created with a sample, and played with a MIDI

• The rest of the verse is composed of the same make-up elements of verse one

Foley Bridge-

• For two bars there are Foley sounds present in the form of 3 gunshots. This is used to give the listener or offender the threat of violence if you were to push Yelawolf the wrong way.

• These gunshots also take the place of the multiple kick run-up from verse one

Hook Two-

Ain't much I can do but I do what I can But I'm not a fool there's no need to pretend And just because you got yourself in some shit It doesn't mean I have to come deal with it You handle your own when you become a man And become a man when you handle your own Ain't much I can do, but I do what I can But what can I do if I do till it's gone? Oh oh Till it's gone. Oh oh [x3] What can I do if I do till it's gone?

• From bar 66- 82, it is the same 8 bar loop repeated once; the same as the first Chorus.

Hook Breakdown for Verse Three-

• An 8 bar segment from bar 82.5 to 90.5 is another hook to verse breakdown with the same elements as the previous breakdown.

Verse Three-

I jump to the sky for my people I walk through the fire. I give love when it's equal Don't tell me not to complain about my money and fame When you come around me telling me I've changed Damn, right I've fucking changed When there's fucking change in my pocket hit the bucket It was a rocking all a sudden I went from shopping without nothing To going shopping for my cousins Now that the cops know that I'm buzzing, They wanna drop me in the oven Pull me over just to say "I'm a fan" Hip hop; gotta love it, but fuck it

• From bars 91- 100, The guitar present in this verse has either been amped or has been recorded with a bass guitar. It is not very prominent in the mix, but still helps paint the song well.

• The single kick drum hits are still present, as well as the galloping clap lead

• The Thunder drum crash is also still present

• Around bar 100 to 106, the acoustic guitar comes back in with finger picking but has a High-Pass Filter on it, for the desired effect of an almost ‘tinny’ sound.

• The multiple kick run up is now present again from bars 105-106 rebuilding the urgency of the song straight into the final verse

• I believe the desired effect of removing/diluting sounds in this verse was to put emphasis on the lyrics

Hook Three-

Ain't much I can do but I do what I can But I'm not a fool there's no need to pretend And just because you got yourself in some shit It doesn't mean I have to come deal with it You handle your own when you become a man And become a man when you handle your own Ain't much I can do, but I do what I can But what can I do if I do till it's gone? Oh oh Till it's gone. Oh oh [x3] What can I do if I do till it's gone?

• This chorus is the same as Hook one and two, an 8 bar loop repeated once.

Outro-

• The outro is evident when all instruments and sounds stop at once, letting Yelawolf sing one segment of the Hook to Verse Breakdown above with the oooOOO’s and ohhh’s ringing out.

• From bar 126 to 149, the same galloping acoustic guitar finger picking and lead clap is present, but there is no sub bass or kick drum present. Giving it a clear outro ‘tailoring off’ feel.

• From bar 130-146, a siren comes back in again to help mould the back end of the song

• The song then fades out over the next three bars with only the acoustic guitar and clap lead present

Conclusion/Reflection-

The song overall is a blend of country rock fused with hip hop. The verses are all played with a strum pattern that allows Yelawolf to really accentuate his syllables and deliver his thoughts in a controlled aggressive type manner. You really feel the message/story he is painting. The basic yet intricate arrangement galloping style of the strum pattern also allows the verses to be clearly distinguishable between the hooks. There aren't too many rappers who actually sing their hooks (he has a great singing voice). When the multiple run up kick occurs in the final two bars of every verse, it acts as a tension builder leading into the hook. Here we see Yelawolf change the tempo of the song, bringing in incredibly bright acoustic guitar string plucks, with a melodic vocal synth that sits slightly lower in the mix. Matched with his great singing voice, the chorus is delivered in a way that it cannot be ignored.

The vocals were recorded with Large Diaphragm Condenser mic with slight reverb on it. Also layered a few times to create a very full sound. Also a very low octave sung underneath the main vocals as well. This helps with added fullness to the vocals. Another unmistakeable element of the track is how clear and close the acoustic guitar sounds. It truly sets the mood to the song, and it almost creates a ballad type feel to the track. Positioning of microphones aimed at the guitar were pivotal in the success of the intended sound. Potentially a pair of high end pencil condensers were used to gain the clarity of the guitar, or even a AKGC414 aimed at the bridge and a pencil condenser aimed at the middle frets of the guitar. Either set-up would allow for very clear and bright low and high end plucks. The song is about not letting yourself getting pushed around/being used by the ones closest to you, or you’re going to hear my opinion about it. The track has a crescendo feel to it, which is quite apparent from verse to hook. I believe the hook is so melodic, that it really resonates with the listener, and the lyrics used in the song bend around the strings perfectly. In the words of Yelawolf 'Hip Hop ya gotta love it, Fuck it!'

Have a peep at the song and see if you can tell if I'm talking shit or not!!

References-

Song Key and BPM-

http://www.songkeybpm.com/Info/Till-It-s-Gone-Yelawolf/4FxkQzIhsLAkuiqX5puvU6

Background info-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Till_It%27s_Gone

Film Clip-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ndpryp2OlUQ

Producer Insight Clip-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS0GtlBDn7A