Coming Around Again - Carly Simon

 

So beautiful song, beautiful singing in tune. Lyrics relating to everyone. According to the executive producer of this master song, Clive Davis,  hits have to have instantly memorable melody and lyrics that people relate to. [1]

The musical interval of major 9t appears so often. For example 1st word of verse. "Baby" note is D while bass is C. C (1) D(2) E(3) F(4) G(5) A(6) B(7) C(8) D(9).

For a reason in music was call this C to D interval a ninth rather than a second. C(8) of course is the Pythagoras octave coming from the Hellenic word οκτω meaning eight.

Also at 1:38 "scream" the backing vocalist sings G and bass is F. Also by the chord change from C major to F major the major ninth is implied as the 1st chord contains G. Then Carly confirms the major 9th "I know..", i.e. "G F". Exactly as Bach states in his manual that the 9ths must be prepared to the listener's brain. [2]

The is also Pedal Bass taking place on this song but on melody rather than bass. this was explained to me 10 years ago by pop music composer Mimis Plessas. Carly in verse keeps repeating the notes D C B C for every different bass. So for example when bass drops to F the interval is a so euphonic major 6th.

But perhaps we don't even need to know. It is great song. I could not believe what my ears were hearing when I fist heard it as a teenager. I went straight to the piano trying to play it.

Is this nice microphone doing justice to her lovely voice a Beyer ribbon in a magnetic field? Model M160 or M260?

The very big acoustic space helps also to avoid early reflections. 

But there seems to be a very euphonic artificial reflection. Just one made by a short delay. So possibly artificial double tracking. Or is the vocal microphone picking up a PA speaker? Sound delays to arrive back from speaker to microphone as sound travels about 343 meters per second in air.

What is the 1st chord? On the album version at least, D with F# with G?

references:

[1] The Soundtrack of My Life - Clive Davis - page 427

[2] General Bass Rules - Bach - ed. Norman Schmidt