When I was a teenager, I used to make lists of "Summer Music" and "Winter Music." The songs didn't have to mention summer or winter, it was just based on their sound. "Owner of a Lonely Heart" was always on the Winter Music list. I can't explain exactly why it has such a cold feeling, but the echoey atmosphere; the effects, like the blur of sound around the words "the eagle in the sky," and the odd, scuttling jumps that sound like spider feet; the three-note riff at the end of each line in the refrain; and the descending bass line before the final refrain, make me feel like it's winter. I sort of get a picture of standing in front of my old house, seeing my teenage self in my bedroom winter composing lists of Summer Music and Winter Music.
Well, we're supposed to say what it means to us, right?
Oh and I think this one of Yes's best songs. Musically it's way ahead of its time in the use of samples/orchestra hits, the verses and the refrain are memorable, and the lyrics speak to everyone on their own terms.
When I was a teenager, I used to make lists of "Summer Music" and "Winter Music." The songs didn't have to mention summer or winter, it was just based on their sound. "Owner of a Lonely Heart" was always on the Winter Music list. I can't explain exactly why it has such a cold feeling, but the echoey atmosphere; the effects, like the blur of sound around the words "the eagle in the sky," and the odd, scuttling jumps that sound like spider feet; the three-note riff at the end of each line in the refrain; and the descending bass line before the final refrain, make me feel like it's winter. I sort of get a picture of standing in front of my old house, seeing my teenage self in my bedroom winter composing lists of Summer Music and Winter Music.
Well, we're supposed to say what it means to us, right?
Oh and I think this one of Yes's best songs. Musically it's way ahead of its time in the use of samples/orchestra hits, the verses and the refrain are memorable, and the lyrics speak to everyone on their own terms.