The Ton of Bricks Chorus

One thing that turns my crank in terms of music is what I call the “ton of bricks chorus”: a repeated simple phrase that becomes extremely powerful. It’s just an effect I love.

I guess because it hints at the possibility of perfection. Given Coleridge’s definition of poetry as “the best words in the best order,” a very simple short phrase could conceivably be absolutely perfect as a poem.

But it is also because extremely simple wording can somehow convey a great deal of emotion—just as music, completely non-representational, can.

Folk music generally is good at this. I like Leadbelly’s “Irene, goodnight. Irene, goodnight. Goodnight, Irene, Goodnight Irene, I’ll get you in my dreams.” (So the original, toned down by most singers to “see”). Makes you feel it; just those simple words.

Stan Rogers does it well. I love his “I’ll go to sea no more.” You got to love anyone with the nerve to rhyme “orange” with “born,” by the way.

Country and Western music is inclined to the same thing, to repeating quite simple phrases. But to my mind, it usually does not do it nearly so well. It lacks subtletly.

“Water—cool, clear, water.” This makes you feel the taste of water like perhaps nothing else ever written in English can. But thirst is not that much as an emotion.

“Ghost riders in the sky.” Nicely scary, but too obviously trying.

Ian Tyson has a good one: “Irving Berlin is a hundred years old today. The wind’s gone and blown my woman away.” A bit too complicated to be ideal, but pretty strong.

So does Jerry Jeff Walker: “Mr. Bojangles—dance.”

Johnny Cash had the touch. His best, to my mind, is “I still miss someone.” Kind of gets it across.

Creedence Clearwater Revival (John Fogerty) used to regularly try for this effect. “Who’ll stop the rain?” “There’s a bad moon on the rise.” “I put a spell on you—because you’re mine.” Not bad, but not the best. Again, too obviously trying.

Smokey Robinson’s “My girl; my girl, my girl; talking ‘bout my girl,” is surely in the running.

Who’s the best? I have three nominations: John Lennon, Bob Dylan, and Leonard Cohen. Also close to the three best songwriters since the Sixties, interestingly enough.

Lennon regularly tried for this effect, and usually fell short. “All you need is love.” “Nothing’s going to change my world.” Too abstract, too philosophical. But it is hard to beat this one:

“A girl. A girl.”

Leonard Cohen, a poet before he was a songwriter, is a master. There are many examples: “It’s closing time.” “Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!”—but sung in a tired tone. But his best, in terms of plain impact, is perhaps his simplest:

“I’m your man.”

Can’t make it plainer than that.

Unless, perhaps, you’re Bob Dylan.

Again, many examples. I love “And I know one thing:/ nobody can sing/ the blues like Blind Willie McTell.” Or, more simply, “Inside the walls/ the walls of Red Wing.” Or “Any day now;/ any day now;/ I shall be released.”

But you and even he can’t ever beat:

“I want you
I want you
I want you
So bad.”

Or does anyone else have another nomination?