Introduction
For this first musical analysis, I decided to choose a song that I recently discovered and fell in love with. “I Loved You Then (And I Love You Still)” is a tender, sentimental song written by an Australian band called Woodlock. The three band members made themselves known by busking on the streets and later buying a caravan to travel around in and tour Australia. They eventually produced their first EP, Lemons, in 2014 and have been gaining an audience ever since.
From what I have heard of their music, Woodlock has mastered the ability to convey a feeling of both sadness and hope through their voices and instruments. “I Loved You Then (And I Love You Still)” is supposedly about the passing of a beloved dog, and though I could not find much about the song elsewhere, the accompanying music video seems to tell its story perfectly.
Since I have three dogs of my own, I have inserted a picture of my lab below, which has a serenity about it that seems to accompany the song well. I have not yet lost a dog, but I find myself extremely sad to imagine life without them, a feeling Woodlock’s song depicts well.
“I Loved You Then (And I Love You Still)”
Lyrics
This song seems to be written from the perspective of a dog:
You hear me out in the backyard
Trying to find my way back in your arms
The lyrics are simple and few, yet still powerful and placed together with such care. I’ve often found that a song with fewer words can leave a greater impact than that of a song with many words, and draws close attention to each phrase. This song contains three verses and a repeating half-verse, with some change in melody between each verse.
Meter
“I Loved You Then (And I Love You Still)” is written in ¾ time, with an emphasis on the first beat, followed by two lighter beats. I usually find waltzes to be relaxing, as they carry a smooth rhythm and remind me of a ballroom dance. It adds to the overall loveliness of the song and helps to establish a feeling of calm.
Melody & Timbre
The melody and timbre of this song seems to me to be the most important elements when analyzing the song as a whole. It is sung with a mildly small range, and therefore does not surprise the listener with any extremely high or low note. The melody stays relatively calm, which is once again important for the theme of the song. I would describe the main vocalist’s timbre as smooth and clear, providing the audience with both melancholy and hope.
Dynamics
Lastly, the volume of the song is quite significant, as it would be in most songs. “I Loved You Then (And I Love You Still)” remains quiet, and almost holy, with an increase in volume after the third verse in an uplifting interlude. The intensity dies away again with the last two lines, and continually fades with the outro. Overall, the song’s dynamics seem to provide a clear beginning, middle, and end, rising in a steady slope and falling for an effective and sweet closing.
Conclusion
As I mentioned before, I have yet to lose one of my dogs, but I still feel that I resonate with this song on a small scale. I love its endearing composition, and admire the writer’s ability to make something so beautiful and sad all at once.
Sources
Feel like this is a bit of a cheat because of how much everyone loves dogs. I've lost a lot of dogs but I have never been closer than any to my current dog who I don't think I could ever let go of, so this song really made me feel things. It is very pretty, and I like the way you analyzed the lyrics as simple but touching. I felt calm during this song but I never realized that the meter was made in a way to make people feel calm. That does make sense though.
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