all we need is love?

I thought the best way to start a new blog out is by telling you why I’m qualified to write one. To be honest, I’m probably not. But, this blog is about music. It’s a blog for me to post my opinions about songs from various genres and time periods. I have some musical training, so I hope I’ll be offering more than just a simple opinion. I took music lessons for most of my childhood/teen years and have taken college level music theory classes as an adult. And, recently, I have completed my Master’s degree in Library Science. But, above all, I just like listening to music.

Since this is my first blog, I thought I’d write about a classic song, one we all know. How about the Beatles? Everyone’s heard “All We Need is Love”. If you haven’t, I’m sure you can turn on your tv and find it playing in some form or another on a commercial. It’s been the theme song for cell phones, food, clothing brands and more. But, I think it’s best known for being the song played during whimsically emotional moments or moments where you’re supposed to feel that love brings people together. Remember the ending to Imagine That with Eddie Murphy when his daughter sang this song for the school choir? And, you know you’ve heard it played on advertisements for charity organizations.

But, is the song really a bastion of peace and love that proclaims love as the answer to all life’s problems? Well, not really. The verses seem all well and fine, telling you there’s nothing you can’t do and that you shouldn’t give up hope. But, then we hit the problem. The chorus. “All you need is love…. wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah.” What’s with the wah-wah’s? It actually sounds like the brass is mocking the lyrics. It’s kind of genius. This guy is singing about all the things you can do, and how all you need is love to do it. Then, in comes the instruments to add that tongue-in-cheek vibe. I think a lot of covers and remakes forget to add that expressive sound a lot of times. They quiet down the laughter that the brass adds and make it kind of cute.

So, what’s this mean? Maybe the brass is just a musical response to the melody line? Maybe the mocking tone has some socially philosophical meaning, like that it stands for people who mock the idea of love? My point isn’t to give it a meaning. My point is to notice that it’s there and then question why it was arranged that way. What do you think the music means? Listen to it again, and this time, find out what the music means, not just the lyrics.

Comment if you have an opinion!

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