Sixpence None the Richer

A biography, history, and listening guide

Biography The band name was created by Matt Slocum and

was formed in 1991 by Slocum and Leigh Bingham (currently Leigh Nash).

First demo recorded in 1991 that led to be introduced to REX recording.

They released albums “Beautiful Mess” in 1994 and “Tickets” in 1996.

The album “Sixpence None the Richer” released in 1997 was “considerably” different from the previous two. It was re-released in 1998 with a few changes.

“Kiss me” received attention abroad in 1999.(sing365.com, para. 1-8)

Biography

Rhapsody.com (2012) does a good job at summing up the band with these words, “Heard everywhere from junior miss departments to royal nuptials (and every teen-geared movie and television situational drama in between), sleeper superhit Kiss Me has brought Sixpence None the Richer farther than their original, modest aim to be part of the Christian Pop movement. Recognition-wise, they've skyrocketed past Christian Contemporary Music (CCM) biggies like Michael W. Smith and have garnered wide Alterna-Pop and Adult Contemporary radio play.”

History

The three popular songs I have chosen to focus on are:

“Kiss Me”“There She Goes”

“Don’t Dream It’s Over”

History

“Kiss Me” “Kiss Me” was the breakout single for

the band in 1999 that put them into mainstream media. This song was featured in Dawson’s Creek (third season), awarding them TV time in several different countries. (Ankeny & Rovi, 2012, para. 2)

History

“There She Goes” The song “There She Goes” also

developed into a big hit, partly because of being added to the film Snow Day by Nickolodeon. (Ankeny & Rovi, 2012, para. 2)

History

“ Don’t Dream It’s Over” In 2003, the song “Don’t Dream It’s

Over” put the band back into popularity and being added to Warner Brother’s Smallville soundtrack was popular among teenagers. (Ankeny & Rovi, 2012, para. 2)

History

Characteristics of popular song- Major mode - Singable melodies - Simple meters - Performer popularity- Text - Simple, yet creative- Simple formal accompaniment

structures (Listen to the music- Homophonic texture (2012), Ferrin, Ch. 7)

History

I have realized from working with these three songs that the underlying subject is love. I think this is pa rtly why these songs are pop ular. Love is a common experi ence among all people, no matter race, ethnicity, background, etc. Many people can relate to the words and feelings the songs portray.

Listening Guide

“Kiss Me” (3:25)Click on link if you want to listen to it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N-qO3sPMjc(0:00) Introduction♪ This song begins with an introduction like many popular songs. The

introduction is 19 seconds long. This song is in quadruple meter/simple division. We notice that it is also in major mode because it is light.

♪ The introduction begins with the harmony by the acoustic guitar. At 10 seconds, the cymbal is added to the background at every 2nd beat. The bass drum is added to the background at 19 seconds and comes in on the first beat, and repeats every 1st beat. The use of acoustic guitar, bass drum, and cymbal tells us it is contemporary.

(0:20) Verse 1♪ This first verse uses the same music as the second, the difference are the

words. These verses tell the story of the song, which is a person’s first kiss. Poetry is found in line 2 and 4, with the words “grass” and “dress”. The vocalist comes in 1 second after the first downbeat by the bass drum, this is a good entrance for the vocalist and gives a smooth transition. At the end of the verse the chorus is set up by the drums, which is called a “fill”.

Listening Guide

“Kiss Me” continued(0:38) Chorus♪ The words are introduced very well by not being overrun by the hanging

tom that is also introduced. The first word starts on first beat, then hanging tom comes in at second beat. This is the same with the 3rd and 4th beat. This gives a comforting pattern that the listener will remember and the words are easy to understand. At the word “sparkling” the hanging tom is dropped and the acoustic guitar plays a catchy rhythm as intro to “so kiss me” which gives emphasis to the subject of the story which is the first kiss.

(1:01) Bridge♪ The use of the electric guitar is effective in helping the listener stay in the

moment of the “kiss”. The electric guitar is used at “offbeats”, which is called syncopation. The hanging tom returns at beat 2 and 4. In transition to verse 2, there is a quick stop and start on beat one of the instruments. This takes us back on the journey of the story.

Listening Guide

“Kiss Me” continued(1:10) Verse 2♪ The same music as verse 1 with a few differences. The first difference

from verse 1 are the words. Poetry again is noted by the use of “swing, swing, swing in line 3 of verse 1 and “bring, bring, bring” in line 3 of verse 2. The second difference is the addition of the hanging tom on beat 2 and 4. Another “fill” by the drums is used to set up the chorus again.

(1:28) Chorus♪ The same music is used as the previous chorus. To add variety, there is

one difference noted. At 1:38 the hanging tom is hit two successive times on beat 3 and 4. Again, as with the first chorus, at the word “sparkling” the hanging tom is dropped and the acoustic guitar plays a catchy rhythm as intro to “so kiss me” which gives emphasis to the subject of the story which is the first kiss.

Listening Guide

“Kiss Me” continued(1:51) Bridge♪ The music is similar as with the first bridge, helping the listener stay in the moment of the

“kiss”. The hanging tom is dropped. But there are a few differences. The harmonica is added to the “off beat” as well as the acoustic guitar. The electric guitar comes in as well like the first bridge in “off beat”. This combination of the 3 instruments gives the song another unique sound. There is one more difference from the first bridge. At 2:10 there is a piece by the electric guitar that has not been used before, thus giving more variety.

(2:20) Chorus♪ The music is the same as the second chorus. The only difference that I found is that they

left out the word “Oh” at the beginning.(2:41) Fadeout♪ I think the writer did a good job with this fade out because of the use of “So kiss me” three

times which has been the theme throughout the song. The same instruments as used in chorus 1 are used, giving us the familiarity music again. After the first “So kiss me”, syncopation is used again at 2:51 with the electric guitar playing the “off beat”. Then after the second “So kiss me”, syncopation is used again at 3:00 with the harmonica, instead of the electric guitar. The harmonica continues “off beat” after the third “So kiss me”, then the harmonica and cymbal fade out together simultaneously to finish the song.

Listening Guide

“There She Goes” (2:43)Click on link if you want to listen to it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMfXeuv4kZE(0:00) Introduction ♪ This song is in quadruple meter simple division. The song starts with the

acoustic guitar for the harmony and at 0:04 the electric guitar is added in the background and is “off beat” for the variety factor. The song is light, so it is major mode. The use of the acoustic guitar tells us this is contemporary.

(0:09) Chorus 1♪ Interesting about this song is the use of only chorus’s and no versus. At 0:13,

and 0:20 the electric guitar is added to the background again and is “off beat” for variety. At 0:28, the tom drum and acoustic guitar play quick beats together with the cymbal coming in at end to create a transition to the chorus 2. The chorus uses repetition with “there she goes” two times, in line 1 and 2. For variety, “again” is added at the end of line 2. Poetry is noticed with the “ain” words that continue at the end of lines 3, 4, and 5. Because of the repetitive use of the phrase “there she goes”, which is the plot of the story, the use of variety in the chorus’s is important.

Listening Guide

“There She Goes” continued(0:30) Chorus 2♪ The song continues to use the tom drum and electric guitar in the

background with the acoustic guitar continuing the harmony. This creates a great sound. I enjoy the tom drum’s 4 beat series between each meter, with the 1st beat “on beat”, the 2nd and 3rd beat “off beat”, and the 4th beat “on beat”. The words “pulsing” and “veins” replace the words “racing” and “brain” in line 3. At 0:51, another transition of quick beats by the acoustic guitar and drums with the cymbal prepares us for the upcoming bridge.

(0:53) Bridge♪ To add more variety, this section starts off with the electric guitar by itself,

with two quick beats of the cymbal at 0:56. The acoustic guitar is re-entered at 0:58 and the tom drum re-enters at 1:00. The arrangement of the electric guitar stands out in this section. At 1:08, the familiar transition with the acoustic guitar, tom drum, and cymbal is present to lead us into chorus 3.

Listening Guide

“There She Goes” continued(1:10) Chorus 3♪ The same music as chorus 2 is used here. Even the words are

identical. At 1:30, we are transitioned by the familiar piece by the acoustic guitar, tom drum and cymbal to introduce chorus 4.

(1:32) Chorus 4♪ For more variety, the cello is introduced for the first time. It is

combined with the acoustic guitar. At 1:39, the tom drum comes in with a quick 2 beat and cymbal pattern, and at 1:47 the cello plays a quick tempo. At 1:49, the electric guitar comes in at a quick tempo as well. With all this going on, it gives us the climax of the song. This chorus is the most different than the rest. It adds 2 more lines with the upbeat tempo. Familiar poetry is kept with the words “name”, “train”, and “pain” in lines 3, 4, and 5. At 1:55 we again receive the familiar transition into chorus 5.

Listening Guide

“There She Goes” continued(1:57) Chorus 5♪ The same music as chorus 2 and 3 is used here. A difference from

chorus 2 and 3 is line 3 that uses “chasing” and “lane” instead of “racing” and “brain”. Another difference is at 1:59, 2:03, 2:07, there are backline of vocals saying, “when she calls my name” in between each line to add more variety. At 2:16 we hear the same familiar transition into the fadeout.

(2:19) Fadeout♪ This fadeout drives the subject home with 3 “there she goes”

lines in a row. In between the lines another backline of vocals adding “there she goes again”. The familiar transition that we have heard at the end of each section is used each time the backline uses “there she goes again” to add emphasis.

Listening Guide

“Don’t dream it’s over” (4:01)Click on link if you want to listen to it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bdOefF_tyU(0:00) Introduction♪ This song is in duple meter/simple division. The electric guitar plays the

melody while the maraca’s play in the background at an offbeat pace. At 0:12 another electric guitar introduces the first chorus with a quick stroke of all the chords of the guitar. This song is contemporary because of the electric guitar.

(0:13) Verse 1♪ The Hi-Hat is introduced, played on each of the four beats. The tom drum is

also introduced at every 4th beat. At the same time, the bass drum is playing off beat. And very difficult to decipher is the electric piano in the background that is play continually on different notes throughout. As we listen, we understand the story is about not being separated from the one you love, no matter what happens. In line one, there are two rhyming parts, the same except for “within” and “without”. Two parts are also found in line 3 to keep familiarity with line 1, but different words are used. To introduce chorus one, a fill by the tom drum and crash cymbal are used.

Listening Guide

“Don’t dream it’s over” continued(0:36) Chorus 1♪ The music is the same as verse 1, just play louder. For variety, a backline vocal is

added from line 1 through line 6, singing simultaneously with the vocalist. This gives the song a more unique song than just one voice. Poetry is found in lines 1, 2, and 3, where they use “hey” and “they”. The tempo is slowed down to introduce the second verse.

(1:00) Verse 2♪ The music is the same as chorus 1, just play softer. Here they add variety to the

background by using the electric piano. The various sounds range from an echo to a marimba. Poetry is found in line 1 and 2 with the words “roof” and “proof”, and in line 3 and 4 with the “a” sound in “today” and “page”. Again, the same fill as in verse one is used with the tom drum and crash cymbal, except for the addition of fingers being dragged across an electric guitar for a “shriek” effect to introduce chorus 2.

Listening Guide

“Don’t dream it’s over” continued(1:23) Chorus 2♪ The same music, volume, words and fill as chorus 1 are used here.(1:45) Bridge♪ The electric guitar plays a lower tone solo that is off beat and creates a

syncopation effect. This solo is in minor mode, a dark feeling. At 2:08 the fill used in verse 1 with the tom drum and cymbal is used to differentiate between the two electric guitar solos. The second electric guitar solo is a higher tone that is off beat as well and creates the syncopation effect as well. This solo is in major mode, a light feeling. The contrast between the two is great because it reminds us that the couple in the story will not be separated in the end.

(2:25) Verse 3♪ The music is the same as verse 2, except for a different electric piano

arrangement and another electric guitar piece in the background. This verse has 4 lines like verse 2, but verse 1 has 5 lines. The same fill as verse 2 is used to introduce chorus 3.

Listening Guide

“Don’t dream it’s over” continued(2:48) Chorus 3♪ The same music and words as chorus 2.(3:10) Fadeout♪ I think they did a good job with the fadeout. Including the harmony, the

electric guitar plays a solo pattern. The first four lines of the chorus are repeated 3 times, with a backline vocal. On the 2nd time, the words and music slowly lessen in volume until they are gone by the end of the song.

References Ankeny, J. & Rovi (2012). Sixpence None The Richer Biography. Retrieved

from: http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Sixpence_None_The_Richer/Biography/ “Don’t Dream It’s Over” music video retrieved from:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bdOefF_tyU Ferrin, C. E. (2012). Listen to the Music. Chapter 7: The popular song.

Retrieved from http://webcom3.grtxle.com/musicapprec/index.cfm?pageid=15217

Image retrieved from: https://www.google.com/search?q=pictures+sixpence+none+the+richer&hl=en&tbo=u&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=Y8W3UIbwN-GgigLnv4C4AQ&ved=0CEQQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=513

“Kiss Me” music video retrieved from:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N-qO3sPMjc

Rhapsody.com (2012). Sixpence None the Richer. Biography. Retrieved from: http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/sixpence-none-the-richer

Sing365.com (2012). Sixpence None the Richer Biography. Retrieved from: http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Sixpence-None-The-Richer-Biography/9C4A5A5D1983A92B4825692A0022E095

“There She Goes” music video retrieved from:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMfXeuv4kZE