Lip-synching in 1981
. . .
I’m always struck by how unaware musicians are about their greatness. Of course, greatness requires time and hindsight. But you see interviews with guys about some of metal’s most classic records, and they’re like, “We were just trying to finish the album and get on the road”. It seems incredible that they wouldn’t know they had some smoking jams on their hands.
Case in point: Motörhead’s “Ace of Spades”. This is Motörhead’s most well-known song. It has paid their rents and mortgages for decades. Yet they don’t think much of it. Here are quotes from Decibel’s Hall of Fame feature on Ace of Spades (Issue #67, Burzum cover, order here).
Eddie Clarke: At the time we were doing “Ace of Spades” we didn’t realize it was going to be such a big track. It was just one of those tracks that lent itself to a bit of extra work.
Philthy Taylor: Even now I don’t quite understand why “Ace of Spades” has become like an anthem for Motörhead, because I don’t think it’s such a great song.
Lemmy Kilmister: I keep telling people this, but they think I’m fucking lying, but I’m not: I didn’t think it was any better than any of my other songs and I still don’t.
They sort of have a point. “Ace of Spades” isn’t that different from other Motörhead songs. It has clever wordplay and a driving beat. The descending riff is catchy; it and Lemmy’s bass tone remind me of the airplane sounds of Snoopy fighting The Red Baron. But none of these things are slam dunks for greatness.
Here’s why “Ace of Spades” is great: it’s in how Lemmy says “spades”. The way he says it has become exaggerated in the cultural consciousness; it’s not quite “SPAY-EEDS”, as many believe. But it’s not just “spades”, and therein lies the magic. He makes the long A rise enough to make it stick in our craw. The word yearns upwards, like Lemmy with his ridiculously high-positioned microphone. That little bit of spice makes the song.
Off the top of my head, I can think of two similar examples, though neither are metal. The Offspring’s “Come Out and Play (Keep ‘Em Separated)” is colossally annoying. Why? Because of the falling pitch in how Dexter Holland says “hey”. It’s a big ‘ol hook, bigger than any guitar riff. Think of how Axl Roses says “knees” in “Welcome to the Jungle”. The word skews upwards, like a bent blues note.
The technical term for this is “melisma”.
The practical term for this is “personality”.
It’s what makes good things great.
In Flames say the same thing about “Blinded by Fear” in the Decibel feature on “Slaughter of the Soul”: it was a throwaway track they tacked on at the beginning because it seemed like a natural opener. I think it’s quite obvious why that track is so good, though: the main riff is killer…
Sorry, not In Flames, At the Gates… These Gothenburg bands…
In my opinion Blinded By Fear’s riff is absolutely awesome, though in most songs I agree that the way Lindberg screams through them gives them a distinctive tone. That combined with other great riffs in other songs makes of Slaughter of the Soul such a great album.
On Motorhead topic, I always wondered why they are such a good band, though their riffs are good, they are not masterpieces, but somehow they manage to get in your head and keep you listening to them. I think that Lemmy has also a very distinctive voice and way of singing and that’s what makes them special.
While reading White Line Fever (Lemmy’s Bio) I could tell how bored is Lemmy from this song. He’s totally honest when he says he doesn’t think this song is better than any of his other songs. Anyway he plays it every night since it’s what the crowd wants to hear after all, and these guys always deliver.
One of the things that made Metallica huge in the 90’s are Hetfield’s “Yeeaahh”’s.
also, it’s not a melisma, but one of the things that always made Slayer awesome for me is how Tom Araya spits out words that end with an “EE” sound at the end of sentences:
“The gates of hell lie waiting as you see
There’s no price to pay just follow me”
Those are all good examples of why lyrics ARE importent, not due to their meaning but due to the way they interact with the music and the feel.
This is a good post! I hope Cosmo won’t mind if we go in a bit more detail.
There are many compositional reasons why Ace of Spades is so good (and other Motorhead tracks also exhibit these qualities, sometimes not all of them together like with this song). And furthermore the seemingly simple thematics help a lot like I’ll say below.
Compositional notes:
1. Simple “counterpoint” (sorry Bach) introduced straight off with the bass guitar playing the two-note riff and the guitar coming in playing the four note variation. On their own neither is so strong as they are together and Motorhead revel in changing up the bass or the guitar bits alternatingly to create dynamic tension in the song. Neither melody line obscures the other, this is a compositional hook in that the listener can choose to follow either (or both if his listening comprehension is more advanced) without getting bored. Reveling in simple concise and repeated harmony like this is a staple or almost any hit in any genre. Also weirdly, girls will follow the bass riff predominantly and guys will be humming the guitar licks on top (something physiological about this).
2. Chorus/Verse/Chorus/Verse is an old rock and roll staple that paints this song as decidedly old-fashioned (I do not mean this to insult Motorhead). This schema of ’spearheading riff, then simple chords to sing on top of, then back to the riff’ can be heard on nearly every early Venom track as well. The two chords of the verse sound really apocalyptic because of the propulsion though, this isn’t singer songwriter Fmaj+Gmaj+Am.
The switchup between the linear riff and the open chords is a huge hook for more casual listeners that get fed up with constant horisontal guitar riff hooks that were the staple of Heavy Metal after 1983 or so. The only riff in the song plays and then Lemmy takes over and speak-sings the verses (another plus, anyone can sing along with Lemmy due to the easy vocal lines) over simplified chords and this alternates like an one-two punch with the riff that culminates to the chorus. Fast Eddie Clarke, being the genius he was, even added an alternate lick for use between the verses and before the chorus (the blues bend). Imagine the song without it for a second.
3. The song has a highly effective bridge/detour where the focus of the lyric is pushed in the forefront. And when the music winds back in that descending pattern you get the mega-hook of ‘and don’t forget the joker’ and blam, solo. This is pure songwriting magic.
4. The solo itself is expertly handled (it’s always been a shame that Motorhead’s workmanlike quality has been misrepresented sometimes as hamfistedness. Clarke was a VERY classy guitar player and one can only realize if they try to play and of his staple songs with all the licks and nuances intact). A bad solo here would have ruined the climax of the song. Worth mentioning also is the metaphysical weight of the animated solo coming right after the climactic defiance of “don’t forget the joker”. The fool’s chance to turn it all around, captured so beautifully. “Born to lose, live to win” etc.
5. Another verse/chorus alteration and the song is done. It doesn’t waste anyone’s time. Furthermore the song becomes more linear/simplified towards the way out, as if to drive the point home with maximum impact. This certainly contributes to this song being loved by anything between power pop fans to punk rockers.
About the thematics:
As anyone who’s read the lyrics knows this is a song about gambling, poker in particular (Lemmy can be found playing video poker a lot I’ve been told) however the reason the song is so successful I think is that, Lemmy being a great lyricist that he is, has allowed for the words to represent more universal meanings that “I like poker and I don’t care if I lose a lot of money”.
The music propels the lyric to a higher strata. Every line almost could be taken as a manifesto for living on the outside of society, of taking up one’s own path regardless of consequence. There’s something genuinely impactful, almost scary about “Ace of Spades” that thousands of metal bands singing about satan cannot capture. It’s the determination behind the point that makes this song so good. Though the lyrics could be taken as ‘cheesy’ I haven’t met a single person that has an ‘ironic’ appreciation of “Ace of Spades”. Everyone I talk with about it takes it as seriously as it sounds (and probably more seriously than Lemmy himself, given the comments in the article above).
I thought Melisma was the name of the girl Lemmy took backstage with him after the show. Seriously though, this is a great topic. All due respect to Dio, who really was one of the best, I thought the line in his obit about metal not having a lot of great singers was something of an overstatement. As evidenced by this video (and “Sanctuary” from the other day), the NWOBHM was driven by vocalists with lots of personality.
Also, Helm needs to go teach a metal music theory class at Julliard.
Interesting topic, and one can never go wrong with Motorhead!
Awesome article (both Cosmo’s and Helm’s). Motorhead probably has hundreds of “better” songs, but this one’s obviously special.
Speaking of Lemmy being bored with this song: Anyone notice the changes to the lyrics in recent years? (i.e. “I don’t want to live forever! …but apparently I am”) I always thought that was cool.
Gary Cherone says the same thing about More Then Words. The magic is in the way he says “More”.
Helm, you really need your own blog.
Oh, and this song fucking rules. I don’t care what Lemmy says. It’s perfect.
All the great catchy shit is, simply, simple. A riff, spoken bit, technical flourish, whathaveyou. These things stick with you, cuz your body feels it first–it’s fucking danceable. I think its important to note that many bands of this era, having grown up on early rock n roll, which is all about simple, memorably memorable songs, have this songwriting style/talent/gift in, ahem, spades. The Ramones is a great example, among others. It’s a template thats infinitely applicable too.
P.S. Helm just composed a college worthy music paper. Pretty good dude.
Thanks, Cosmo.
It’s the Warrant – Cherry Pie Syndrome. Write a song in five minutes, it becomes your #1 track, spend the rest of your life hating/loving it.
I’ve said it before, a band with a singer/bass player will always find the right recipe for a hit at some point in their carreer! And Ace of Spaces is indeed the one for Motorhead. What about Slayer? Not too sure about them. Check out Anti-Tank by Bolt Thrower, Gavin Ward was BT bassist back in the early days. I think Anti-Tank is a modern rendition of the Ace of Spades spirit, with, as Helm says, bass and guitar talking to each other, not trying to compete…
@Helm: “Also weirdly, girls will follow the bass riff predominantly and guys will be humming the guitar licks on top (something physiological about this).”
I’m a man, I play guitar, and I tend to follow along with the bass when I listen to driving, propulsive stuff like Motorhead. Looks like it’s time to reevaluate my sexual identity.
@UA: Did you really just compare “Ace of Spades” and “Cherry Pie”?
The Decibel feature makes clear that “Ace of Spades” took a lot of work in terms of composition, arrangement, and production before reaching its final form.
Wikipedia says “Cherry Pie” was written in 15 minutes.
It’s because you can do the hand-jive during the instrumental parts…that driving backbeat that makes all the kids go crazy.
>Wikipedia says “Cherry Pie” was written in 15 minutes.
I heard 5.
Cosmo, I thought you’d appreciate this – I remember hearing about this a few years back, someone putting together a fundraiser for hurricane relief or something where people gathered in a bar that played Ace of Spades repeatedly for 6 hours – like a pledge drive to see how long you’d last. I did some googling and believe I found the information here: http://www.zoilus.com/documents/in_depth/2005/000614.php
pseudonymous, I’m a male guitar player too. I don’t think being gay for Lemmy’s Rickenbacker thunder on occasion is any cause for alarm on your part. I tend to pay more attention when Fast Eddie is playing than with any other past or present Motorhead guitarist but yeah, some of the time it’s the Lemmy show for sure.
For me, it was always the percussive bass line that grabbed me – in the same way that in funk every instrument is a rhythm instrument, every instrument in this song is a rhythm instrument, even Lemmy’s voice.
I think “Ace of Spades” is an awesome song like most Motorhead songs, but my personal opinion of the true Motorhead anthem is “Overkill”…so awesome. I think Motorhead, I think “Overkill”.
I was going to post about the ringing open verse chords as contrasted with the main riff, but Helm beat me to it.
That, to me, is what makes the song great. Its deceptive simplicity.
Helm – Some interesting insight from a compositional theory point of view. I thought all those losers from the classes I took were busy listening to indie rock or jazz!
The best part for me is the opening line, “if you like to gamble, I tell you I’m your man.” No questions, just if you’re okay with me then let me take you on a ride. Always thought it was cool how that line invites the listener for the rest of the song.
Not that I’m calling you a loser, that came out wrong for some reason.
I haven’t taken any compositional theory classes. I considered my post very layman-friendly in that it’s very much sub-theoretical. I’d hope anyone with any interest in rock music can tell the difference between horizontal (melody) and vertical (harmony) aspects of a musical phrase, through experience at least even if they don’t know these terms. So it’s a bit surprising to read that some commentators think it’s college graduate level. It’s not.
Also don’t worry about the loser thing, I’ve been called worse and generally I subscribe to the concept that “winning is for losers” anyway.
Well that’s more or less the things we went over in composition, and it proves how worthless a music degree from a college can be.
Granted all the musical terms were used: refrain for chorus, etc.
I dropped out of art school two years in because I felt I could be learning that stuff on my own (and I went on to do just that) so yeah. I guess a basic music school course wouldn’t be that much more advanced but surely they sit you down and make you compose chorals and fuges and stuff, right? That can’t be as easy as spotting a refrain and a bridge in a Motorhead song surely.
Yeah it’s dumb. It’s the conservatory problem too; they teach you things that aren’t modern and then show you the ways they are used in modern music. Great idea on paper but it was impossible to sit through that class. Unfortunately metal is left on the backdoor and I got to worry about the newest indie loser or some stuffy piano player. I got halfway through the class and devoted my credits to a useful major. Never finished anyway. The best thing I learned was when there was a project that each person had to choose a song and then break down what makes it the song that it is. I kept it simple (not really) by choosing a The Thing That Should Not Be. That song is incredibly simple all around but the way it’s crafted is close to classical.
Anyway it’s the George Carlin bit. 2 cents will get you a library card an that’s all the education you need.
@Conduit:
“The best thing I learned was when there was a project that each person had to choose a song and then break down what makes it the song that it is. I kept it simple (not really) by choosing a The Thing That Should Not Be. That song is incredibly simple all around but the way it’s crafted is close to classical.”
Great choice.
I love that song.
Agree, great song. And the odd rhythmic choices of where “…is rising” “immortal” and “in madness you dwell” are uttered add to the occultry!
Helm, unlike the excellent, simple, to the point Ace Of Spades, your writing smacks of elitism and condescension. Its one thing to geek out on the magic and math that is music, but I find your writing just annoys the shit outta me. Really pretentious. Hey man, as a fellow metal fan, I dig that you have shit to say, and some of it is interesting, but you lack that every guy, down to earth touch that Invisible Oranges brings to his ideas.
Another thing, you claim that “Also weirdly, girls will follow the bass riff predominantly and guys will be humming the guitar licks on top (something physiological about this).” What the fuck is that? Says who? Where did you get this? Did you randomly sample 1500 females and 1500 males with some validated measure and control for sample error and bias? Statements like this one is what makes me think you are just full of shit on top of being annoying.
I’m going to just ignore that last comment by defleppin for a minute and say, perhaps redundantly, that this melisma business is what made Bon Scott such an enjoyable singer. The constant nuance (and innuendo) he inserted in every song is a major part of why I still really enjoy his recordings after all these years. I now have a new word Thanks IO! Finally; I often enjoy reading Helm’s comments but also wondered about his sample size and power however I see no need to be rude about it…
deflepplin, I’m sorry my tone of writing annoys you, it’s not my intention to come off of as elitist. However I’ve made my peace with that no matter what I do or try to say there’ll be people that will take offence so I no longer try specifically to preempt this by adding a lot of “it’s just my opinion”s and “I could be wrong”s. I was annoyed by wordy and ‘pretentious’ people in the past as well and some times I told them I thought they were full of shit and now I realize those reactions said more about me and my occassonal self-loathing than they said anything about the subject of my ire. I no longer consider pressuring other people to shut up/change their tune on the internet a worthwhile passtime, I sincerily hope you will arrive at the same conclusion eventually.
About my sample size yes of course it wasn’t a scientific one, a couple of girls and guys at a metal party where I’d asked about it and then remembered that I had read about an actual survey back when the rave culture was in its upswing where they have measured the physiologial response to loud bass and found it more effective on women than on men. I’m sure you can track down the data if you want.
There was a rave tune back in the day called “Women Respond to Bass”.
The Decibel article mentions how Lemmy would get angry if the recording engineer put too much bass on his bass. His tone suggests that it acted almost like a second guitar rather than a conventional bass.
Helm, wow, you are right. I will change my tune…thanks to you I’ve found out that by telling you I hate your prose, I’m really just a self loathing bastard.
And I didn’t even feel pressured by you, even though you stated “I no longer consider pressuring other people to shut up/change their tune on the internet a worthwhile passtime, I sincerily hope you will arrive at the same conclusion eventually.” Its interesting when people contradict themselves within the same sentence. Funny and interesting. That is a true art form right there. Let me try one…”I really cant stand elitist know it alls, because I’ve found that I’m smarter than just about everybody out there.”
I don’t know, deflepplin, I don’t consider the suffering from self-loathing to be a strike against you or anyone, it’s the most common issue in modern living, I certainly suffer from it, I just deal with it differently. I was extending a common ground and you saw an insult.
You probably didn’t feel pressured by me because I wasn’t pressuring you. I don’t want you to stop talking. I’m interested in what you have to say, which is why I’m engaging with you on the level. Being called ‘pretentious’ or full of shit and stuff like that doesn’t get to me, as long as I’ve had an opinion on the internet people have been letting me know what they think of me. I used to let them know what I thought of them back on the same terms but I found that’s a dead-end.
Calling someone pretentious is a huge presumption. It’s that you know what I’m about and can see through me. But you don’t know me. Sure, I give the tell-tale signs of presumption (verbose, opinionated, chatty, annoying) but how can you say for certain I’m full of shit without having met me? For all you know I might have dedicated a very real big part of me to Heavy Metal and speak from experience. If life teaches us to preemptively underestimate everyone around us then something’s gone really wrong, you know?
I didn’t insult you, you insulted me and then you insulted yourself too, so I don’t know what to take from that really. I don’t think you’re a bastard or an elitist or anything else, you’re probably a good guy and we wouldn’t be having this problem (or this conversation) if we were talking in person, I’m pretty sure. The internet’s the great dehumanizer, it’s so easy to just fly off the handle and call people this and that but it’s unwarranted most of the time. So, if you think I’m full of shit, fine, I hear you, take it easy.
Holy shit is deflepplin a class A dickhead and this is someone who doesn’t particularly like Helm’s prose but there are ways of going about it. What childish behavior…. probably from a child, not that surprising. Whining about an IO commentator not matching that of IO itself, holy crap that ranks up there on the stupid-meter. Congratulations sir, in the land of the internet you’ve managed to make yourself look like the shit-stained douchetop of the totem pole.