What is Best in Life

I always have to stop myself when I say I like “all kinds of music”.  Because, honestly, that just isn’t true, there is really only one kind of music I like.  No, not [just] Black Metal, I’m talking about music in a minor key.  I mean, I’m a pretty happy guy, but there is something about sad, sad songs that just does it for me.  I don’t dislike Vivaldi’s “Spring” and “Fall”, but I far prefer “Summer” and “Winter” (guess which seasons he writes in a minor key).  “Satisfaction” is a fine song, but I’d rather listen to “Paint it Black” any day…you get the idea.  Basically, it don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that sting [of soul crushing sorrow and sadness].

So I’ve decided to make the third Monday of every month “Minor Key Monday” and discuss some of my favorite songs in a minor key. I’m no music expert, but who wouldn’t want to create an outlet where they can inflict their favorite songs on the world at large?  And to prove that Minor Key Monday will not be “all Black Metal, all the time”, I won’t start today with Darkthrone’s Hank Amarillo, but rather with Hank Williams Sr. and my all time favorite country song “Ramblin’ Man”:

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Hank played a specific subgenre of Country Music  known as “Honkytonk”, a style that was raw, stripped down and pretty closely related to blues.  Honkytonk wasn’t always sad (in fact, I haven’t listened to a lot of it, but it seems like it usually wasn’t) but Ramblin’ Man is more sad than a dungeon master with no dice.  Ramblin’ Man is a simple song, only two chords and three verses sung on a few notes, but it is a powerful one.  Hank’s plaintiff wail cuts through the simple chord progression, resonating with sorrow as he sings/yodels each poignant word.  I don’t plan on making lyrics a primary focus of Minor Key Monday, since, while most sad sounding songs are in a minor key, not all sad sounding songs have sad lyrics (and, in the case of most metal songs, they usually also have stupid and/or indecipherable lyrics).  Still, the lyrics of Ramblin’ Man are a nice compliment to the feel of the song, so check em out:

I can settle down and be doin’ just fine
Til I hear an old train rollin’ down the line
Then I hurry straight home and pack
And if I didn’t go, I believe I’d blow my stack
I love you baby, but you gotta understand
When the Lord made me, He made a Ramblin’ Man.

Some folks might say that I’m no good
That I wouldn’t settle down if I could
But when that open road starts to callin’ me
There’s somethin’ o’er the hill that I gotta see
Sometimes it’s hard but you gotta understand
When the Lord made me, He made a Ramblin’ Man.

I love to see the tow-owns a-passin’ by
And to ride these rails ‘neath God’s blue sky
Let me travel this la-and from the mountains to the sea
‘Cause that’s the life I believe He meant for me
And when I’m go-one and at my grave you stand
Just say God called home your Ra-amblin’ Man.

But again, the lyrics could be about gumdrops, rainbows and puppy hugs and the song would still drip mournful sadness. Since the vocals aren’t specifically minor, the song derives much of its “minor key” sadness from the minor chord that alternately plays in the background and the blue notes Hank is so adept at hitting (not to mention the steel guitar  and fiddle accompaniment).  Of course, what would the inaugural post of Minor Key Monday be without a nice clear cut minor third to look at?  Well [spoiler alert] look no further than the last part played on the steel guitar to end the song–if the second to last notes had been a half step higher this song only would have been a 10.5 on the epic sorrow scale!