WHAT IS A SONG?: SONGS, PERFORMANCE PIECES & IN DEFENSE OF LED ZEPPELIN

SONGS VS. PERFORMANCE PIECES: PART ONE-

THE WORLD OF MUSIC ACCORDING TO JON BRION

Early one morning, while poking around You Tube, I found myself listening to a 2006 radio interview conducted with the masterful singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/producer and undisputed musicologist Jon Brion on a Chicago based program called "Sound Opinions" hosted by music writers Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis.

I found myself compelled to listen to this interview simply because I feel that Jon Brion is truly one of music's greatest secret weapons working today. His deep resume is the definition of "impressive" as his production work has included collaborating with the likes of Aimee Mann, Fiona Apple, Kanye West, Rhett Miller, Macy Gray, The Wallflowers and more too many to mention. Beyond his production work, Brion has appeared on countless albums as a session musicians and trust me, if you look through your own music collections and read the credits, I am certain that you will find Brion's name somewhere among the list of musicians.

On his own, Jon Brion has released only one solo album, the glorious "Meaningless" (released in 2001), and if you scour through the internet, you are also bound to find many unreleased recordings as well, to tide you over until he ever gets around to releasing his long rumored second album.

Beyond that, Jon Brion has made a name for himself as a film composer working repeatedly with equally idiosyncratic filmmakers like Writer/Director Paul Thomas Anderson on his film scores for "Hard Eight" (1996), "Magnolia" (1999) and "Punch-Drunk Love" (2002) as well as Writer/Director David O. Russell for "I Heart Huckabees" (2004), Director Michel Gondry for "Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind" (2004) and Writer/Director Charlie Kaufman for the outstanding and heart breaking "Synecdoche, New York" (2008).

But what has really cemented Jon Brion's status as a musical force unlike any other working today is his legendary decade plus long residency at a couple of Los Angeles nightclubs where he performs every Friday evening completely with out a net, so to speak. Working entirely without a set list and all by himself, Jon Brion weaves a reportedly extraordinary spell as he travels from instrument to instrument, creating loops upon loops of his own performances as he builds songs upwards piece by piece right before your eyes. Additionally, Brion utilizes his encyclopedic musical knowledge to play musical games with his audiences who toss out requests to play cover versions of treasured music in entirely different musical styles and genres-like playing a piece by Thelonious Monk but in the style of The Sex Pistols and even vice versa.

Returning to the radio interview, the excerpt I listened to featured Jon Brion waxing philosophically about the nature of songs and exactly what songs are and aren't, according to him. The following section (below the photograph) is a transcription of his comments and viewpoints.

JON BRION 

     "I think songs are astonishing things and I also don't think most people really even know what they are. I distinguish between...for lack of better terms...I call songs and performance pieces. And what most people like are specific performances as we've grown up in an era of recording. And one of the very things I love...recording...has killed people's ability to hear songs purely as chord change, melody and lyric. It's a very strange and beautiful art form but when it's right, boy do you know it!
     But, what we have sort of lost is...uh...the best example I can give would be Led Zeppelin. Those things are the ultimate performance pieces and the way I can illustrate it is...well, here's the thing...I'm a big fan! I think they are just absolutely astonishing and the sort of dynamics they had are sorely lacking in music today. The record making is great! They are a true band in the sense that you really could tell who the individuals were. Remarkable thing. But...I don't consider most of those things songs. And the way that I can sort of prove my point is have you ever listened to anybody else play a Led Zeppelin song and gone, 'Oh, that was a great satisfying experience!'?  What people like is that specific guitar sound, that specific performance in concert with that specific drum sound with that specific drummer playing that specific part...um, and it's beautiful!
     There's all different types of art and creative expression. However...look I know it could sound like a snobbishness but it's not. I tell ya, I LOVE these records. They're great. However, there's a difference between that and say, a Gershwin song that you could actually play in the style of Led Zeppelin and have a completely satisfying experience. But when you start playing Zeppelin songs in the style of say...1920's music, suddenly it's laid bare that...no, it was about those people and those people were in a room and it was great and I love it. But I consider it a performance piece and I consider a lot of rock that people listen to to be performance pieces. They're not necessarily songs."

PART TWO: A SONG IS...

Just so you fully understand the tone in which Jon Brion spoke during the interview, I can easily attest to his character that his statements were not said out of snobbishness as the fullness of his earnestness was clearly audible. Even so, his statements did give me pause as it did indeed force me to really think about what a song actually is and even moreso, what is a song to me.

On the one hand, I can indeed understand where Brion is coming from in regards to his definition of a song existing as "chord change, melody and lyric" as those are indeed the foundations of what a song actually is and what constitutes as "classic" songwriting. I have indeed acknowledged that aspect in some ways or another throughout this site, most recently in my posting for the new and excellent Nine Inch Nails album "Hesitation Marks" (released September 3, 2013) where I did remark that the album sounded like Trent Reznor's actual songwriting is at its tightest to date, especially from an artist and musical figure who has made astounding "performance pieces" throughout his career through his studio wizardry and seemingly endless inventiveness.

But on the other hand, I don't entirely agree with Brion and I even took a bit of umbrage at his statement about Led Zeppelin, despite his love for the band. If I were ever fortunate enough to meet the man himself and had the opportunity to talk with him about music, like kids jawing over baseball cards, I would absolutely, positively love to have a healthy, friendly debate with him over his philosophy, especially in regards to Led Zeppelin.

Truth be told, I can see how Zeppelin classics like "Dazed And Confused," "In My Time Of Dying," "Kashmir," "The Song Remains The Same," "Rock And Roll," "The Ocean," "Trampled Under Foot" and others in that vein could be considered "performance pieces," especially as so many Led Zeppelin songs sound as if they were dynamically and majestically built upwards from and surrounded by Jimmy Page's hypnotically mesmerizing guitar riffs. But I challenge Jon Brion to explain to me how tracks like "What Is And What Should Never Be," "Going To California," The Rain Song," "Over The Hills And Far Away," "That's The Way," "Ten Years Gone," "Down By The Seaside," "All My Love" and for the love of Pete, "Stairway To Heaven" are not considered to be songs in his book.

Returning to his question of whether any of us have ever felt to have a "great, satisfying experience" hearing Led Zeppelin songs performed by anyone other than Led Zeppelin, I can honestly say that I have and that was at a treasured friend's wedding many years ago when a string quartet performed "All My Love" as the couple's wedding march theme. To hear the state of the art electronic power of Led Zeppelin transformed into a delicately elegant string quartet piece was as blissful as it was unexpected. So, yes, I do believe that it is possible, as far as this group is concerned.

Yes, I do agree that I love Led Zeppelin because of those four specific people--Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, the aforementioned Jimmy Page and the late, great John Bonham-playing those specific parts with that specific instrumentation, arrangements, collaboration, sonic quality and production. But then, I do have to ask if those specific elements make the musical pieces of Led Zeppelin cease to exist as "songs"? If so, then what of the music of the artists that constituted the eternally classic Motown era? Or how about the entire genre of hip-hop? Or even greater, what of The Beatles? Certainly no one would even begin to argue that the songs of The Beatles, as credited to the songwriting team (such as it was) of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, as well as the songwriting of George Harrison, and even Ringo Starr, produced some of the finest songs the 20th century had to offer. Yet, even so, The Beatles were indeed The Beatles solely because of those four specific people, singing and playing those specific parts with that specific instrumentation, arrangements and so on. And I must ask of you how many times have you have a "great, satisfying experience" listening to anyone other than The Beatles play those songs? Yes, it has been done of course, but not terribly often I don't think. Furthermore, if any of you have ever seen any Beatles themed episodes of "American Idol," it is highly apparent how extremely difficult that particular body of work actually is to re-interpret. So, going by Jon Brion's definition, do those qualities make the music of The Beatles exist as anything other than "songs"?  

Are songs considered to be "songs" not only because of chord change, melody and lyrics but also just because they can be performed by anyone anywhere? Or are songs something else entirely and what do they mean to us who adore music? I asked you, my dear readers and listeners, and I think the best answers are just the simplest. Amy expressed that a song is "an expression of the writer's inner self in some way," while Leslie mused that a song is "a form of expressing feelings." Sonya exclaimed that a song is "a piece of a person's soul shared" And then, the inimitable Nina proclaimed that in regards to a song, it's all about "sex, drugs and rock n roll" and also that those qualities have "worked for many" so "don't change what's not broken." Amen to all!

But as I ruminate, I think that I have arrived at the conclusion that after all of the definitions, reasoning and explanations, when it comes down to the nitty gritty, a song just is. And what it IS depends upon each and every soul that is listening. What Jon Brion has accomplished through the words he spoke in a seven year old interview is to provide us with a spark as to further understanding essentially what we already know but somehow cannot help ourselves to try an uncover new revelations anyway. Jon Brion's entire stage show is one where he is simultaneously teaching, learning, seeking, searching, playing and entertaining as it is a culmination of BRILLIANT performance pieces that illustrate, uphold and honor the art and artistry of songs.

Everything about music is gloriously intertwined whether it is accessible with an instantly catchy tune that we can sing along with or if it is something more esoteric. If it speaks to the soul, then it IS...it just IS. And that IS what a song IS to me.

And so, for now, that's all there IS...until next time.