Evangeline – Matthew Sweet
Guest post by Michael J Roberts,
Author of “33 Great Songs 33 Great Songwriters”
Evangeline – Matthew Sweet
Matthew Sweet emerged from the same vibrant pop scene in Athens, Georgia that turned out REM et al. Sweet signed with A&M for his second album, but left for Zoo Entertainment in 1991, producing the wonderful Girlfriend, one of the best pop albums of the ‘90s. Amongst its many gems was this sparking effort, a pumping half time workout, full of chiming guitars, gorgeous harmonies and a killer riff. The album was affected by Sweet’s divorce from his wife, inspiring an outpouring of emotionally charged songs. Sweet later said of the songs, “It’s funny how the album ended up showing everything I needed to feel. Everything I needed as an antidote is there.”
Musically speaking…
The guitar riff has an edgy blues heart over pop-sweet chords and amazingly plays out in the very un-guitar friendly key of C#! (Tho’ I suspect the guitars have been detuned to incorporate open strings and ease of playing). The main progression moves from 1 to minor 2 to 4 to 1 (C# D#m F# C#) and the chorus rises to the minor 2 and the 4 before resolving to the turnaround pattern. It’s simple, effective and memorable, pure power pop.
This is an excerpt from my 33 Great Songs 33 Great Songwriters book available everywhere eBooks are sold.
