Apr 30

Apr 30 Human, by Rag n Bone Man

Richer Sounds, No Rags to be Found

I was surprised to find that this song was first released in 2016. I associate it with things happening in my life in 2018 and it seemed to be constantly on the radio then and was perhaps in danger of wearing itself out. But I have yet to tire of it and there is still something in this music and its message that tugs at the gut. I find it a deeply passionate and emotional song.

How do they do that?

So, what’s happening in the music to represent passion and emotion in sound?

The singing style is very distinctive for a start, with actually quite an aggressive attack (nothing lazy and laid back about it). This, combined with the gravelly texture of Mr Rag n Bone man’s voice feels raw and suits lyrics that lay themselves bare. The start of the piece gives deserved prominence to the singer and the words by leaving them accompanied only by bass, some clapping, and then a strange, other-worldly screaming in the background, and a few simple string chords. The effect is of emptiness/aloneness.

The song is largely in a minor key, with clear Blues influences, which is a style always capable of delivering emotion in its most raw form (I wrote about this in a previous blog post: https://www.jenxlovesmusic.com/home-1/2020/oh-i-wept-by-free ). In other parts of the song (notably the chorus) the instrumentation fills out to include guitars, drums, vocals, increasing the volume and rhythmic complexity and heightening the emotional intensity overall.

The backing vocals are really worth paying attention to. On the face of it they are largely just a simple “Oh, Oh”, sliding up one note in pitch, but the harmonies and rhythmic energy they create, in my view, add terrific emphasis to the emotional content of the lyrics. There’s a lot of them and a lot going on with those backing singers if you really listen to them!

The middle section lifts and brightens to the words “I’m no prophet or Messiah” reflected in the music by a shift from minor key to major. Although we’re in a major key only briefly, the effect is suddenly a much more gospel, euphoric feeling to the music before it grinds bluesely (I’m sure that should be a word, but if being grammatically correct, in a bluesy fashion) back to the minor key.

The piece ends with just voice and piano and the repeated refrain “Don’t put your blame of me.” Simple, poignant, brilliant!

Hope you enjoy it or feel inspired to listen to something new today.

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