Of Cho(rus)!

As you might have surmised by now, I like to take a song that I enjoy and pick it apart from a songwriter’s perspective, hoping that my analysis will give you (and me!) insight into why the song works.

But sometimes, I dig deep to figure out why l like a particular song just to find out the reason is staring me in the face. Such is the case for the song “Helen Wheels” by Paul McCartney & Wings.

Every time I hear this song, I feel like jumping up and down, dancing and singing along like I’m in the first row of a live concert, hands in the air, wearing an authentic souvenir tour T-shirt.

But why? Well… maybe I’m just a rock girl at heart. I dunno. Maybe.

And this song is quintessentially rock. Lyrically, it’s pretty much fluff, although there are some clever rhymes. But it’s the drive (no pun intended) of this song that really intrigues me.

Allow me to go through the usual academic exercise (or as some would say, break it down!).

As I alluded to above, the lyrics are cute but nothing profound. I gather that the song is about driving (maybe?) or being driven (not sure?) but, in any case, there’s a car (or a bus?) involved. Example (third verse):

Got no time for a rum and lime, I wanna get my right foot down

Shake some dust off of this old bus, I gotta get her out of town

Spend the day upon the motorway, where the carburetors blast

Slow down driver, wanna stay alive, I wanna make this journey last

OK, whatever.

The arrangement: guitars, drums, bass, keys. Moving on.

Song form: standard verse and chorus. Nothing to see here.

Melody, harmonies, chord progression: Nothin’ special. Nice little echo on the chorus.

Rhythm: OK, now we’re talkin’. Right out the gate, this song just pounds with a strong backbeat that is (IMHO) reminiscent of early Beatles Merseybeat songs but with a whiff of punk thrown in for fun. I dare you to listen to this song without moving. I guarantee you’ll nod your head or tap of your toe.

The culmination of this relentless driving song pulse is in the chorus where, to contrast nicely with the word-heavy lyrics, we are treated to nice, long syllables and a little word play, too (“Hel-eeeeeeennnnnn, hell on wheels!”).

Whenever I listen to this song, I’m like, OK, get through the verse so we can hear that awesome chorus! Yup. A single, albeit important, aspect of the song form - the chorus - makes this whole song work.

I honestly don’t feel like I pay enough attention to the chorus when I’m writing a song, and this is something I really have to focus on a bit more. Not every song needs a chorus, but if it’s gonna have one, I’d like to make it as monumental as the one in “Helen Wheels”.