Track Teardown 3!!!

Artist: Yelawolf

Record label: Slumerican and Shady Records

Album: Trial By Fire

Song: Violin

Writers: Michael Wayne Atha (Yelawolf), Bones Owen

Producers: Yelawolf, Bones Owens, DJ Klever, Peter keys from Lynyrd Skynyrd

Song Tempo: 111bpm

Duration: 4min 25 sec

Key: Fminor

Time Signature: 4/4

Vocals: Yelawolf and Lee Brice

Trial By Fire is the third major label release album from Yelawolf. The Alabama native has truly found his style with this album. It is produced entirely by Wolf himself, with musicians hired to come in and record instruments. Yela has been slowly transitioning from pure Hip Hop to southern rock style infused Hip Hop. Instruments like acoustic guitar, banjo's, and most recently violin's now reign supreme in most of the rappers songs. It helps shape a completely new sound relatively unseen in traditional Hip Hop.

The following picture is a structural breakdown of the song. It read as follows:

Intro, Verse 1, Chorus 1, Verse 2, Chorus 2, Verse 3, Bridge/Chorus, Outro.

The song is 122 bars in length, translating into 4 minutes and 26 seconds.

Intro- The intro is incredibly melodic. It sets the mood immediately. The beautiful acoustic string picking melody captures a setting that is just fit for storytelling. For me, if a Hip Hop song has a melody as smooth as this, I know it's going to be deep lyrically. Another artist who has employed this tactic is Eminem. The clip below is his track 'Hailie's Song', on ode to his daughter. Wolf's intro lasts about 15 seconds to, which the song momentum changes in intensity.

Verse One- This is where we hear what sounds like a giant cello/bass guitar hit. In a previous blog, I have talked about the string technique of 'droning', where the musician plays relatively the same string/chord hit continuously. Then the listener hears the entry of the drum kit. It is very urgent. Toms, snare, kick hi hats all going off in almost a marching band like fashion. During chord progression of the acoustic guitar, we hear the cello/bass guitar change in chord for the first time too. I believe there is also a bass synth that runs in the background. It follows the flow of the acoustic well. It is used as a momentum builder. There are backing vocals from Yela also, which sound like a solo layered gospel choir 'woooaahhhh' following the acoustic guitar. They are heavily reverbed to keep the depth and tone of the song intact. It helps build the intensity for the upcoming hook. Yelawolf is preaching from the get go. He raps like it is a journal entry etched from the heart, a true MC.

Chorus 1- All percussion bar the thumping kick leave the song at the same time. This is the first time you hear country singer Lee Brice's amazing voice. It's almost like the chorus is meant to be a breather for the viewer after the first verse. The chorus still holds its melodic sound, but the lack of percussion allows Lee to show off his vocal talent. The southern twang to his syllables resonates with the listener. You know it is foreign. Pure southern country/blues rock. The possibility of layered guitar and reverb is high, as the strings ring out into the mix. Every flick of metal taking the one before its place. The guitar and Lee's voice consume the first half of the chorus, and the listener is then introduced to the first clearly identifiable offering of the track title; a 'violin'. Yelawolf can also be heard in the background providing an ad-lib effect with gentle ohhhh and ahhhsss that follow the melody of the guitar.

Verse 2- Immediately after the chorus finishes, we are back to intensity. The marching style drum percussion sets the mood for Wolf to rap again. There is a Violin synth present now, to help progress the song forward and noticeably change this verse two up from the first. Lyrically, the MC starts to paint the picture of an abused woman not standing up for herself and falling victim to repeating habits. Towards the end of the verse, the gospel choir harmonic background is placed into the mix to help signify the impending chorus.

Chorus 2- After every line Brice sings, a Yelawolf ad lib is present. It helps add to fill out the short lines delivered. The percussions are again removed all bar from the thumping kick. Again, this part of the song has been simplified so that the country singers voice is the most dominant element in the mix.

Verse 3- This part of the track begins like the two before it, but after 8 bars, the producers adopt the method of dropping all percussions apart from the kick. Now only the melodic strumming of the guitar a kick are present. It is a distinguishable change up and one that even a passive listener could notice. I believe this method was brought in to allow for the rapper to shine. The lyrical content is now focused on a self reflection of his life and troubles. Yelawolf raps-

(I have put commas into the lyrics below to try and help you break down the timing and delivery of each line, just take a pause at each comma and say it out loud!).

'The choices I've made are mine, But I swear, that all, can not be, the fault, of just me, I've tried to maintain, my wants and my needs, To work, and not see, the changes I've strived for, A better life for my family I would die for'.

The pronunciation and emphatic delivery of certain syllables in the lyrics above are important in the flow development. For instance, I will also put in capitals the word in the line that is delivered in a different tone/pitch in order to emphasise its importance- ' But I swear, that ALL, can not BE, the FAULT, of just ME, I've tried to maintain my WANTS and my NEEDS, to WORK and not SEE, the changes I've STRIVED for, a better life for my family I would DIE for'. The change in flow is from the vowel's that are pronunciated by saying each word.

The video below is an educational clip on YouTube I found, detailing the art of multi-syllable rhyming and how one would go about writing/arranging them-

'There's a prayer I'm saying 'Why lord?', Send me to a war without a sword I'll fight and fight more I'll travel a long road 'Cause I'm just a violin, My life is another cord'

... run in conjunction with the first Violin melody in any verse. It helps shape the tonal questioning and sincerity in Yelawolf's voice. The final two lines above are then repeated after Lee Brice begins the bridge by singing 'You Played me, You made me, Your Violin'. I believe this lyrical bridge is a round up of the song's meaning. Not being taken advantage of. It is the final lyrics that the listener is left with. It reminds me of the old saying, 'played him like a fiddle'. The country singer is really just showing off with the delivery of these lines. The last word in each line is held in a harmonic pitch that flatters the use of the violin.

Outro- As soon as Brice sings his final word, we are then re-introduced to the marching style percussions for the final time. Where in the beginning of the track it helped create urgency, now the percussions help take the song away. Like almost marching off into the distance. The guitar and violin now have slightly different chord progressions allowing you to differentiate the outro from any other part of the song. For the final 4 bars of the song, all elements other than the violin, are dropped out of the mix entirely. This allows the main element of the song, the violin, to ring out with a melodic chord slide.

The overall feel of this track is one of building. Every time a chorus closes a verse, you feel the momentum shift. It has more urgency than the last. The violin is saved for the hooks predominantly. This allows the song to break out into a melodic feeling during the chorus, and back to storytelling. The sectional addition/removal of elements in the full mix are a very aesthetic way of breaking up the track. Every single part of a track does not have to be filled with 10 instruments to be exciting. Songs like 'Violin' are proof that sometimes... less is more. With the incorporation of real acoustic instruments into his songs, Yelawolf is forging his own style and brand of hip hop. The melodies that he and the musicians around him are generating in his most recent projects are as soulful as can be. These melodies on top of more traditional Hip Hop percussions like kick, snare hi hat etc, are virtually unprecedented. Southern rock/jazz/blues style hip hop....now there's a mouthful!

References-

En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Trial by Fire (Yelawolf album). [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trial_by_Fire_(Yelawolf_album) [Accessed 8 Dec. 2017].

chords.tv. (2017). Violin (feat. Lee Brice) Key BPM Yelawolf | Trial By Fire. [online] Available at: https://chords.tv/b/yelawolf-trial-by-fire-violin-feat-lee-brice/ [Accessed 8 Dec. 2017].

Genius. (2017). Yelawolf (Ft. Lee Brice) – Violin. [online] Available at: https://genius.com/Yelawolf-violin-lyrics [Accessed 10 Dec. 2017].

YouTube. (2017). HOW TO RAP: The ART of The MULTI-SYLLABLE Rhyme. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBHAQfjzAsQ [Accessed 10 Dec. 2017].