Order of Songs on Albums
Order of Songs on Albums
This has probably been discussed before, but I'd be interested to know how Leonard chooses the order of the songs on his albums. A case can be made on some of them that the most commercial song is first, but other than that I have no idea.
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John Etherington
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Re: Order of Songs on Albums
Good question, and I can't remember it being discussed before. I have never heard how Leonard chooses the sequencing, but I suspect that he spends a lot of time geting it exactly how he wants it. The opening track tends to either be a classic song (Suzanne, Bird on a Wire) a song that leads you into the theme of the album (Avalanche, The Guests) or later the surprise element - Dance Me To The End of Love (a "cheerful" opening song?!), First We Take Manhattan (synthesisers and drum machine?!), The Future (shock, horror!). With "In My Secret Life" it's back to strongest/most commercial song. The biggest mistake commercially it seems was "Is This What You Wanted (though I suspect Leonard may have used the vehicle of album to make a strong statement to one lady).
The second track is usually something much less obvious (rarely a concert favourite). So we get Master Song, Story of Isaac, Last Year's Man, Humbled in Love, Iodine, Coming Back to You, Waiting For the Miracle, A Thousand Kisses Deep.
Track three is rarely a concert favourite either - i.e. Winter Lady, A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes, Dress Rehearsal Rag, Paper Thin Hotel, The Window, The Law, Be For Real, That Don't Make it Junk.
By the time we get to the fourth or fifth track, we are looking at what was the last track on the first side of an LP, so this is usually a classic or something that rounds the side off in a memorable way. Examples - Sisters of Mercy, Seems So Long Ago Nancy, Diamonds in the Mine, Memories, I'm Your Man, Anthem, Love Itself.
Apart from So Long Marianne, the opening song on side two was (up to a point) a less obvious one and one you'd rarely hear live. So we get - The Old Revolution, Love Calls You By Your Name, A Singer Must Die, I left a Woman Waiting, The Traitor. After that however, maybe Leonard decided to put something that would make listeners want to turn the album over, so we get Hallelujah, Take This Waltz and Democracy.
Regards everything else there's obviously a balancing of tempo and a mix of "commercial" (in a Leonard sense) and less obvious.
One pattern that I have noticed, however, is that the last song is usually a leaving/ending song or prayer. These are as follows - One of Us Cannot Be Wrong (farewell to Nico or prayer?), Tonight Will Be Fine (Marianne? "If I've got to remember that's a fine memory..."), Joan of Arc (Nico again?), then the more obvious - Leaving Greensleeves, Ballad of the Absent Mare, Death of a Ladies Man, If It Be Your Will, Tower of Song, Always (Intended as a possible last song at the time?) The Land of Plenty and the Faith.
Obviously there are exceptions and sometimes overlaps. I haven't covered everything, here.
All good things, John E
The second track is usually something much less obvious (rarely a concert favourite). So we get Master Song, Story of Isaac, Last Year's Man, Humbled in Love, Iodine, Coming Back to You, Waiting For the Miracle, A Thousand Kisses Deep.
Track three is rarely a concert favourite either - i.e. Winter Lady, A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes, Dress Rehearsal Rag, Paper Thin Hotel, The Window, The Law, Be For Real, That Don't Make it Junk.
By the time we get to the fourth or fifth track, we are looking at what was the last track on the first side of an LP, so this is usually a classic or something that rounds the side off in a memorable way. Examples - Sisters of Mercy, Seems So Long Ago Nancy, Diamonds in the Mine, Memories, I'm Your Man, Anthem, Love Itself.
Apart from So Long Marianne, the opening song on side two was (up to a point) a less obvious one and one you'd rarely hear live. So we get - The Old Revolution, Love Calls You By Your Name, A Singer Must Die, I left a Woman Waiting, The Traitor. After that however, maybe Leonard decided to put something that would make listeners want to turn the album over, so we get Hallelujah, Take This Waltz and Democracy.
Regards everything else there's obviously a balancing of tempo and a mix of "commercial" (in a Leonard sense) and less obvious.
One pattern that I have noticed, however, is that the last song is usually a leaving/ending song or prayer. These are as follows - One of Us Cannot Be Wrong (farewell to Nico or prayer?), Tonight Will Be Fine (Marianne? "If I've got to remember that's a fine memory..."), Joan of Arc (Nico again?), then the more obvious - Leaving Greensleeves, Ballad of the Absent Mare, Death of a Ladies Man, If It Be Your Will, Tower of Song, Always (Intended as a possible last song at the time?) The Land of Plenty and the Faith.
Obviously there are exceptions and sometimes overlaps. I haven't covered everything, here.
All good things, John E
Last edited by John Etherington on Sun Jan 11, 2009 3:27 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Order of Songs on Albums
Very interesting John. Thank you. Especially as, in this era of CDS, it's been so long since I've played any of Leonard's LPs, that I've forgotten the side 1/side 2 decisions that had to be made.
Malcolm
Malcolm