Sarah McLachlan, Possession - A Classical Musician’s First Listen and Reaction
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- Опубліковано 29 кві 2024
- #sarahmclachlan #virginrock
In a different context I might be quite critical of the music, but with this topic, and knowing the story behind the song, we find a wonderfully scathing musical portrayal of the character(s) who inspired this song!
Here’s the link to the original song by Sarah McLachlan:
• Sarah McLachlan - Poss...
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Amy Shafer, LRSM, FRSM, RYC, is a classical harpist, pianist, and music teacher, Director of Piano Studies and Assistant Director of Harp Studies for The Harp School, Inc., holds multiple degrees in harp and piano performance and teaching, and is active as a solo and collaborative performer. With nearly two decades of teaching experience, she teaches privately, presents masterclasses and coaching sessions, and has performed and taught in Europe and USA.
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Credits: Music written and performed by Sarah McLachlan
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I was a pacific northwest grung early listener, and at same time fell in love with Sarah. She still can break me at my core.
You've no idea how much Sarah's music meant to me as an adolescent/teenage boy. Her music brought me solace... :)
I think a lot of 90s gay kids like me experienced her music, as well as that of Tori Amos, Bjork, & Portishead, as a revelation of the validity of desire.
@@synaxarionAh, yes. Tori Amos and Portishead were fantastic as well. I was never much a fan of Bjork. Although for me, My appreciation of their music had nothing to do with my sexual preferences and more to do with being an individual outside the narrow confines of what it is to "be a man".
I "randomly" bought Fumbling off BMG music service, just because I couldn't pick anything else. I loved it and then suddenly, she became famous. Big surprise (not). She literally got me through college!
Sarah McLachlan was born on 28 January 1968), and adopted in Halifax, Nova Scotia. As a child, she took voice lessons, along with studies in classical piano and guitar.
Then she's older than me. As a child, I was given a guitar, but no lessons.
When attending a performance by McLachlan last summer, she said in between songs that her label wanted more aggressive percussion and her preference was for all her songs to be "slow and depressing".
Some songs have a better fit than others, and she knew that. She didn't dislike doing songs like this.
@@eboethrasher Her version in concert was quite different and she said she preferred that. I have no reason to doubt her own words.
The first time I saw her perform made me an instant fan. She has so many great songs such as Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, Angel, Building A Mystery, Will You Remember Me, etc. Although as you read, helping other female artists with Lilith Fair I believe kind of stalled her own career. Also, that crack in her voice on occasion is intentional and one of her trademarks. And she usually has another female singer doing the top harmonies. She is unique.
“Into The Fire” off the Solace Album was my introduction to Sarah McLachlan … A video on teletunes to be exact …Fumbling Toward Ecstasy is one of the most Played almubs in my collection I used to fall asleep listening to Sarahs voice … Her sound is definatly a stark contrast to the Rock Contemporary I grew up hearing til that point in my formative years … I still don’t understand why more people aren’t drawn to listen to a female rock vocal?!
One of the "fans" who inspired this song actually stalked Sarah, and had a restraining order against him. When this song became popular, he then had the nerve to try to sue her for breach of copyright, because she'd quoted some lines from his letters to her in the lyrics!
As much as I love Sarahs music, writing a song with this kind of a sensual vibe is weird reaction to being stalked.
But I guess artists process things a little differently.
@@maxpayne232 Ha, never thought of that. It's more of a "dark" sensual vibe though to be fair. Haunting and almost "creepy", which is why I liked it back then. It was "Edgy" but in a sincere artistic way, not forced. She used a bad experience to create something beautiful. I was kind of bummed when Surfacing came out and it was more typical "light" music, I wanted more of "dark" Sarah. Still a great album though.
Sarah's musical skills are very legit. There's a video online of her doing a rendition of "Building a mystery" with no accompaniment except her playing on an acoustic guitar while she sings and no editing.
She's also a good person. She a series of musical schools in Vancouver, Surrey, and Edmonton Canada dedicated to providing musical education at no cost to aspiring musicians both young and older (ie. 55+).
She used to busk with her harp on the Granville bridge in Vancouver, BC.
Memories of a sweeter time.
I was lucky enough to see her in the UK some years back. This is one of my favourite songs, but I would suggest listening to the piano version. There is so much more emotion in that one.
I find Sarah’s live performances of songs to be even better than the studio versions.
I like this analysis, as a much younger man I was very prone to crushes and this kind of echo chamber thinking. It took me some personal work and I finally got off my butt and out the door. Your surmise on the purpose of the arrangement "feels" right on to me. Thanks!
Right there with ya, buddy. =:o1
The insights you dropped at 19:45 were absolutely searing! Thank you for this deep analysis of how the music is making meaning!
I love it when a band and its production are so next level tier, that even a classical musician can be perplexed by it.
One of my favorite all time concerts is Mirrorball.
Very talented musicians, indeed.
Mirrorball is incredible.
Brandi Carlile has followed in Sarah's footsteps, promoting female artists in her shows and especially in her curated Girls Just Wanna and Mothership Weekend events. In fact, she often tells the story of seeing Sarah at the first Lilith Fair at 16 years old , strongly influencing her musical career and her activism.
Sarah performed with Annie Lennox, Allison Russell, Wendy and Lisa, and Sista Strings (Monique and Chauntee Ross) during Joni Mitchell's first live concert in 20+ years at The Gorge Amphitheater in Washington, day 2 of Brandi Carlile's 3 day Echoes Through the Canyon concert. Day 3 featured Tanya Tucker and the country supergroup The Highwomen (Maren Morris, Natalie Hemby, Amanda Shires and Brandi).
One of my very favorite Sarah McLachlan songs. As a guitarsist, I tend to focus on guitar and bass parts and tones but her vocals make this song special.
I'm waiting for your first Alanis Morissette listen..
Yes indeed Uninvited, Ironic, You outta know! Etc etc
It's hard to hit stop on her best songs. Yes, I'd say that's her signature style, and people love it. I imagine you will do Angel next, or Building a Mystery. They are well worth the listen.
Nah, "Ice Cream" should be next. Not one of her famous hits, but utterly delightful. =:o}
I'd imagine she won't do anything based upon how shittily she reviewed it. This song is one of her best songs and she panned the fuck out of it.
This is one of my favourite tracks. I think that the swirling effect is done using the Leslie speaker that uses revolving bass and treble speakers and is commonly used with the Hammond organ. I have a set of these. They can be connected to microphones, guitars or whatever too. The Beatles used this speaker quite a bit, as did a lot of musicians. They still do. Pink Floyd use them too. The revolving speed of the speakers can be varied. Liked your review a lot. Do try to listen to The Eurythmics, a duo with the female singer Annie Lennox. A good starting point might be 'Sweet Dreams. Good luck. I really enjoy the tracks that you both pick and review.😊
Your reviews are extremely enjoyable to experience. Thanks for doing them.
Many times in Rock music the instruments are on a equal footing with voices and sometimes above.
The main element of her music is the singing and the instruments accompany her voice .
Please do Kate Bush the 9th wave.
The Ninth Wave is THE BEST suite of music written in the past 50 years. It is absolute perfection.
I agree that would be a great choice, and that something from Kate is long overdue, but I’m not sure I’d want to see it chopped into 7 different videos, I feel like it should be experienced whole. Lots of great choices for a first Kate song, I feel that Breathing, Sat in Your Lap, Get Out of My House, and Rocket’s Tail lead the list.
"Will we burn in Heaven, like we do down here". Love that song. Witness.
Sarah really is something special.
Yes. And so is this song, There's nothing else like it.
I love this song so much. It's rare to hear something that is equal parts beautiful and creepy. Given the subject matter, I think this song was amazingly realized. I can recommend anything by Sarah McLachlan, but especially her earlier albums _Solace_ and _Fumbling Towards Ecstasy._
For another beautiful-and-creepy song, I highly recommend "Bury My Lovely" by October Project, with vocals by Mary Fahl -- a rare contralto in pop music.
There are a lot of amazing Sarah Mc Lachlan songs you should check out such as : Angel, Building a mystery, Fallen, World on fire, Adia, I will remember you, Sweet Surrender, Good enough, The path of thorns (Terms) and Vox.
Sarah is fantastic live. There are two great live versions of this track on UA-cam from the Mirrorball and later Afterglow tours. I recommend checking them out. Also check out the live versions of Fear and Fumbling Towards Ecstasy.
The way she holds (and ups) that last note in the Afterglow show is simply phenomenal - she clearly had top vocal training. I'll get to the Mirrorball video soon, cheers.
@@JacoWium Mirrorball is her at the top of her game, IMHO.
Great reaction and analysis, Amy! I've always thought that Sarah had an amazing voice.
If you are going to look at female performers, can I suggest Alison Krauss? She is in the country/bluegrass genre. Until recently, she held the record for the most Grammy wins by a female artist. Her count of 27 grammies was surpassed by Beyonce.
Spot-on, brilliant analysis of one the most disturbing -- and achingly gorgeous - songs of the 20th century.
I've seen Sarah McLachlan sing live in many settings. The first time I saw her was when she was promoting her second album. It was just her and a guitar in a record store in Vancouver (A&B Sound on Seymour Street). Although at different times (through the past 30 years) I've loved different songs from her, most recently I've found myself going back to listen to her cover of RIVER by Joni Mitchell.
A Sarah McLachlan é a melhor! E essa música então... uma ótima escolha. Um abraço do Brasil 🇧🇷
The drummer, Ash, was her partner and future husband when the song was recorded, considering the subject matter I've always liked the image that the aggressive drumming is his voice rising to defend or protect Sarah.
Interesting take! I always thought the driving drum arrangement seemed almost like a hip-hop rhythm, or at least a rhythm that was very popular in R&B songs of the time. The [then] contemporary beat drew you in...and then the lyrics and vocals made you say "Whoa".
@@Johnny_Socko It is certainly a drum loop for the most part.
I've always loved the song and her singing!
Most of the song suggestions you're going to get for Sarah are her international hits, but I think some attention needs to be paid to her early stuff, which I think has more potential for interesting analysis, at least regarding composition and arrangement. Specifically "Steaming" and "Vox".
Sarah was the first artist that made me fall in love with music as a teen.
I don't know if this is an unpopular opinion, but I think Sarah's first two albums are her most interesting and worthwhile works. Musically speaking, everything she's done since then has been "good", but very stock, very predictable, very (dare I say) commercial. I'm not saying she sold out, I'm just saying that her music seemed to become more of a consumer product than an artistic endeavour. I was glad that she got an international audience, but I'm saddened that it didn't happen until she started to water it down.
Pretty unpopular, yeah. To say Fumbling Towards Ecstasy is not good is quite an unpopular opinion.
@@eboethrasher Fumbling deserved the Grammy's much more than Surfacing imo, but she wasn't well know yet. It's a perfect album. Her earlier work was incredible, especially for her at that age, but Fumbling was when the genius talent all came together. After Fumbling, her sound did get a little more typical. Great songs, but less of the artistic edge and risk-taking. I remember back then a bunch of "light" female singers were getting big hits with songs used for shows like Dawson's Creek, so it was probably tempting to try to shift in that direction. Sarah's music is way above that stuff though.
There are very few singers who have a good enough voice to make me like them just for their voice. I mainly focus on the instruments. I generally listen to heavy and/or complicated music. But Sarah McLachlan's voice is one that I just LOVE. I only ever listened to the album that contains this song. There are 3 or 4 other great songs on that. You will recognize it is her, but they do sound different. I would suggest that most solo singers who don't play an instrument are not going to please you, Amy, with the musical sophistication. One exception of an artist many people think fall into that camp is Tori Amos, and that is because she isn't just a singer. She is a pianist, and a brilliant one. It always annoyed me that people would lump her in with the female solo singers who mainly were melody based, and just had some session players hopefully putting a few decent chords and basic drum beat behind their songs. Whoever produced this Sarah McLachlan album did a far better job than average for a solo singer of the time. But still, it's all about the voice, not about the music as a whole. The instruments are there just to support her. I always thought of it as "a song" versus "music". I LOVE the song "Ice" from this album, but it's so far removed from rock music, that I can't recommend it here.
Amy,
I think that your analyses of why the music sounds the way it does, how it is tailored to the message of the lyrics is spot on. Sarah McLachlan is an astute study of music and her music is, most of the time, far more than merely stylistic choices and emotional impact. She writes songs very cleverly. On this song I need a few more listens as I am not sure about artists who express lesser regard for their fans.
McLachlin is a great artist and she is phenomenal in live performances, she grabs and captures audiences in intense ways but I agree somewhat with the comment below, a statement by her label that too many of her songs are sleepy and slow.
For Vlad I return to comments I made several times when this channel started. All be it that this is a great sounding song, perhaps a very interesting one, introducing Sarah McLachlin to an unknowing person is to play the song "Angel", this song is the representation of who she is and her music, this is the song that catapulted her and put her on the map and it's an iconic song. I know you guys want to approach things a bit differently, and it serves all of us and the channel very well and we thank you, and that you don't want to cover the staple songs that all the other UA-cam reactors cover but this is a case where one song displays to Amy the music that this artist makes. And I realize that Sarah's port folio has grown to be quite diverse over three decades.
I am still thankful to you guys for the video though.
At that point drum machines were becoming more mainstream in pop music at least in the eyes of the producers in the industry. Now the norm but then still fairly new. Not a fan of the trap beat sound but look past it in Sarah. Her voice and lyric writing transcends all of that and this album was one of the best albums of the 90's. It hit a chord at the right moment I guess. This song does have a better version that was a hidden track at the end of the album. It is just her voice and a piano. It is my preferred version to listen to.
So many good tracks from her. Just from this album alone I could recommend,
Wait, Good Enough, Ice, Mary, Elsewhere, Fumbling Towards Ecstacy, and my favorite which is, Hold On. Based around a true story of a woman whose husband was dying of HIV and her staying by his bedside until he passed. Each day hoping for one more day with him. Powerful song.
"Hold On" is indeed a powerful so g.
Yea Fumbling is a great album start to finish and agree the hidden track and Hold On are extraordinary.
From what I understand, the lyrics are based on a letter McLachlan received from a deranged fan. 😮
Oh my I love this song and a lot of her songs. "Adia" by Her is a beautiful song ❤
sweet song sweet video
Like you, I'd never head of her before, so I am still learning through this channel, which is great. However although I found this track lyrically fairly interesting I didn't like the production much. Overall it seems fairly middle-of-the-road to me. Hopefully she has another to provide an example of her range.The 'crack in her voice' is very reminiscent of Dolores O'Riordan (of the Irish rock band The Cranberries) and even Sinead O'Connor. Good that you are investigating influential women singers/songwriters; it's true that men used to dominate in terms of chart sales but that has changed a lot since the 1990s. In fact even then I can remember when all the top 5 singles on a UK chart were all female.
I think you've listened to Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Jnais Joplin and Bjork. Also influential in rock/pop has been Sandy Denny, Tina Turner, Debbie Harry and Amy Winehouse. I think you have done Tori Amos, but not one of her influences, Kate Bush! (Kate the first UK singer to have a self-written song reach No. 1 in the UK). Also interesting would be your analysis of a couple of songs by Susanne Sundfor who can jump an octave very effectively and is very creative though under-appreciated (despite several people doing reactions to her work - you'd be alright there with copyright). And Loreena McKennit, another Canadian who draws on Celtic themes for her inspiration.
Great post. Re this song, the piano-only version is both more delicate and stronger (in my opinion), so if you see the link, it's well worth clicking on it. Her live versions are also recommended. This studio version does not do the song justice, I certainly agree with that.
I cherish every Sarah McLachlan song and especially the live performances of McLachlan and others from Lilith Fair. You'll find lots of her live Lilith Fair performances here on UA-cam. These are songs to nourish the soul. ua-cam.com/play/PLed12iyS7Ay9TmQ60uBxUYVDBNMRXYeN8.html Sorry for the link. I know you don't want to listen to them until they are part of your program here.
I find pianists as percussionists themselves always have a great understanding of all percussion.
And always have the best drummers and bass players Elton John
Billy Joel
carol king
That "percussion" you're hearing is called a delay effect on her voice.
I'm voting for "Very well chosen stylistic technique specifically for this topic." Thanks for giving this tune a listen!
Nah this is what she sounds like.
Is this one of Sarah's best songs ? Ho hum - at least it has guitar in it .Although they are lost in the mix as Amy points out :)
Sarah McLachlan is one of my favouritte vocalists ever. Her voice...just...I don't know, sends me. Incredible artist. This song is so hauntingly beautiful, but takes on an extra layer of darkness once you know what it's about. I always love that.
I think one of the big reasons the arts are so often dominated by men is the same old "Great Male Variability Hypothesis." The mean average between men and women is the same, but women cluster around the mean while men show a flatter distribution. The result of the latter is more men representing in the extreme ends of the distribution, even though the average is the same. More male geniuses, but also more male idiots. Since we don't tend to lionize the latter, it can appear skewed only one way if you don't look deeper.
This isn't limited to humans, either. This We see it all over, such as the tails of Rhesus monkeys in one notable example. In pretty much any way you care to measure them, length, shape, fluffiness, the tails of the males vary more and the females cluster around the mean.
This can effect perceptions, of course, but that's whole other can of worms!
James Hetfield sang uncredited backing vocals on this track
Sarah of course wrote the song, but to really sing it, I imagine Eddie Vedder signing this - I think it would give a chilling feel to it.
I knew about this female singer when she was still in high school. Her parents demanded she get an education first before continuing her music career.
For a completely stripped down and raw version of this , try Sarah singing this with just her piano on Later With Jools Holland
I knew Sarah but in a New Age phase. I like her voice and her composition. Never heard this song though. The voice is still good. The arrangements, the production, and the harmony are pleasant, but to me, something is missing in the song.
I saw her on Much Music in the 80s before she became a huge celebrity.
Sarah is one of my favourite artists and yet the criticism is interesting because there is no song from Sarah that I ever hum to myself like Yesterday from the Beatles. Sarah has a good voice of course but not some sort of acrobatic vocalist. Yet I always like listening to her and in particular this album. My favourite song from her is Fumbling Towards Ecstacy. And again can't at all hum that to myself.
Interesting that you first mentioned a super of conflict between Sarahs voice and the drummer! I imagine someone has already mentioned to you that the drummer on that song, Ashwin Sood was married to Sarah for a little while. I think he also produced some of her songs...hmmm.....interesting. I wonder at what point in their relationship this was!?
Sarah McLachlan AKA Miss Heavy Breathing 🙂
Are you ever going to conclude 'The Wall' ? I've been waiting for 'The Trial' for what seems like forever.
So.....why do you think that it MATTERS ......!?
.... She'll get there ....just don't get run over by a bus.......!
Now please, please hear her song with Delerium, it's called Silence. xx
Agreed, the piano version is much better..
I would so love to see your take on Queensryche's Silent Lucidity. And Traffic's The Low Spark of High-heeled Boys.
She's actually done Low Spark and enjoyed it!
Cool! I will look for it@@mikeconway9849
I agree with other commenters, try 'Building a mystery'. It is great.
Since folks have started listing female artists for Amy to listen to can I just throw in my vote for the woefully under-recognised Tina Dico. I recommend starting with "Count to Ten", or for a dramatic musical soundscape try "True North".
It gets creepier
She woke up one morning and found a note...left by her stalker...and she used his words as lyrics. She discussed this when the album was released.
My favourite newer siren is Aurora, an insanely talented singer/songwriter from Norway. She fits in nicely with the great female artists before her, including Sarah. Tori Amos is another such talent and, of course, we have the Queen Kate Bush.
Yet everyone ignores Cocteau Twins... because they can't understand the words and so don't feel some sort of connection. Which is silly if you are simply admiring the singing ability.
@@eboethrasher Good call! Heaven or Los Vegas and Treasure are still favorites for me.
Me: I’ve known about and loved Sarah and her music, since the early 1990"s.
Everyone:
Umm.. she guilt tripped me into adopting a puppy.
Fantastic female singers who have not yet been featured on your channel: Suzanne Vega, Nina Simone, Tracy Chapman, Carole King, Laura Nyro, Natalie Merchant.
Surprised and confused about your assumption that the obsessive person is a male. I love this song and I have never heard it that way. Sarah is all about strong empowered women and feminism in general.
Some of the lyrics for this song came from a note that had been written to her by her stalker. The stalker was a man. I think he tried to sue McLachlan, because she’d used his words in her song, but ended himself before the lawsuit went anywhere.
The stalker killed himself before the court case went to court about Sarah using his threatening letters to her as the basis and insperaration for the lyrics
Hm, her voice(and maybe his music too) somewhat similar to Beth Orton, isn't it?
Nothing creative in the bassline? The bass DRIVES this version of the song. I realize my comment doesn't actually contradict your comment about it just pulsing along. But it is very creative. It moves all around in circles. It cuts out and kicks back in. It walks in places and then holds steady in others. I love that bassline.
The success of the Lilith Fair is good, but it does a disservice to a listener if thats all they have ever heard of Sarah. Went to a concert of hers with a full band tour in the 2000s, and that was only 1 degree of separation from a straight up rock concert, and not wall-2-wall delicate stuff like what got radio play out of Lilith Fair.
If any of you avoided Sarah because of not really feeling the rest of that stuff from Lilith Fair, you should totally give her another listen or goto a concert when she has a full band.
Love Sarah. Saw her at Lilith Fair in the 90’s. However, her beautiful song Angel was ruined for me by its constant use for an SPCA-sponsored animal anti-cruelty campaign that ran for years late at night on high rotation.
The vocal and piano only version on the album is much better in its simplicity.
You're not being harsh. I find this music also going nowhere. Elevator muzak. Ambient background sounds to avoid silence.
As you said, it's not bad. It's just not memorable. I forgot the melody the second after the fade out had faded out.
There is dissecting songs, and then there is just being plain rude when you feel they are beneath you.
Check out "Letting Go" by Suzy Bogguss.
You had to see Sarah McLachlan onstage at the Lilith Fair when she and the audience achieved synchronised ovulation -- Sarah was positively GLOWING!
I`m almost 60 and female singers/musicians have always been represented and pioneers in all types of music in every year and decade.
Ya totally destroyed my Ministry “lay lady lay” let’s see what you do with another favorite of mine….
Imo, you underestimate modern musician, arregement is more important than you realize…
I always considered McLachlan as an excellent song writer, but her music often suffers from being over-produced. This is a good example of studio production dominating musical creativity with the annoying tinny drum machine just chugging along with no groove to make it a truly notable song. Amy, please begin selecting bands and songs to analyze that were undoubtedly influential in the evolution of rock music and its many genres and not simply based upon how many awards or record sales they get. You've barely scratched surface. Frankly, for older folks who followed Pink Floyd since the late 60s ,we consider The Wall a huge disappointment. For many reasons I would rank it in the top 10 most overrated albums of all time, aside from the fact it was at a time when Floyd were ridden with internal strife and no longer coherently working as a group to produce great music comparable to Dark Side, Echoes and Atom Heart Mother, Piper or even Wish You Were Here.