Understanding Carry On Wayward Son

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Carry On Wayward Son is one of those songs that's both totally unique and perfectly emblematic of a larger musical movement. There's nothing quite like it, but it still captures the sound of rock music in the mid '70s, and that blend of the unconventional and the iconic singlehandedly changed the fortunes of a struggling rock band. Kansas had built a following, but Carry On put them on the map, and almost 50 years later, it still stands as one of the greatest classic rock anthems ever recorded.
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Script: tinyurl.com/n9...
Huge thanks to our Elephant of the Month Club members:
Susan Jones
Jill Jones
Duck
Howard Levine
Brian Etheredge
Khristofor Saraga
Len Lanphar
Ken Arnold
Elaine Pratt
William (Bill) Boston
Chris Prentice
Jack Carlson
Christopher Lucas
Andrew Beals
Dov Zazkis
Hendrik Payer
Thomas Morley
Jacob Helwig
Davis Sprague
Alex Knauth
Braum Meakes
Hendrik Stüwe
Dan Bonelli
Kevin Boyce
Kelly Christoffersen
Scott Howarth
Luke
Warren Huart
Donal Botkin
Kevin Wilamowski
Symmetry
Grant Aldonas
Stephen Cook
Dhruv Monga
Ken Jones
Obadiah Wright
Kobalent
David Bartz
Jason Nebergall
Carlos Rendon
Aleksandar Milojković
Kylie McInnes
Daniel Reaman
Tom
And thanks as well to Henry Reich, Gabi Ghita, Gene Lushtak, Owen Campbell-Moore, Eugene Bulkin, Logan Jones, Oliver, Anna Work, Adam Neely, Rick Lees, Dave Mayer, CodenaCrow, Nikolay Semyonov, Arnas, Caroline Simpson, Michael Alan Dorman, Michael McCormick, Blake Boyd, Luke Rihn, Charles Gaskell, Ian Seymour, Trevor Sullivan, Tom Evans, Elliot Jay O'Neill, Lamadesbois, JH, David Conrad, Chris Borland, Chris Chapin, Alex Atanasyan, Elliot Burke, Tim S., Elias Simon, Todd Davidson, Jake Lizzio, Jerry D. Brown, Ohad Lutzky, Peter Leventis, James A. Thornton, Brian Dinger, Aaron Epstein, Blake White, Chris Connett, Stefan Strohmaier, Shadow Kat, Adam Wurstmann, Kelsey Freese, Kenneth Kousen, James, h2g2guy, W. Dennis Sorrell, Angela Flierman, Richard T. Anderson, Professor Elliot, Kevin Johnson, Ryan, Rodrigo "rrc2soft" Roman, Jeremy Zolner, Patrick Callier, Danny, Francois LaPlante, Volker Wegert, Joshua Gleitze, Britt Ratliff, Darzzr, Joshua La Macchia, Roming 22, Charles Hill, Alexey Fedotov, Alex Keeny, Valentin Lupachev, John Bejarano, Andrew Engel, Gary Butterfield, Peter Brinkmann, Steve Brand, Rene Miklas, Red Uncle, Doug Nottingham, Nicholas Wolf, naomio, Alex Mole, Kaisai Morihito, Robert Beach, ZagOnEm, Betsy, Tonya Custis, Dave Shapiro, Jacopo Cascioli, Mathew Wolak, S, Lincoln Mendell, CoryC, Rafael Martinez Salas, Walther, Doug Lantz, Sam Rezek, Destros, Beth Martyn, Lucas Augusto, Graeme Lewis, Jake Sand, Evan Satinsky, James Little, RaptorCat, Jigglypuffer, leftaroundabout ., Jens Schäfer, Mikely Whiplash, Austin Amberg, Aditya Baradwaj, Yuval Filmus, Francisco Rodrigues, Elizabeth, Michael Tsuk, Juan Madrigal, Jim Hayes, ThoraSTooth, Brandon Legawiec, Scott Albertine, Evgeni Kunev, Hikaru Katayamma, Alon Kellner, Rob Hardy, רועי סיני, Conor Stuart Roe, Patrick Chieppe, Eric Stark, David Haughn, Gordon Dell, Byron DeLaBarre, Matty Crocker, anemamata, Brian Miller, Lee-orr Orbach, Eric Plume, Kevin Pierce, Jon Hancock, Dragix PL, Gary Evesson, Kottolett, Dylan Vidas, Jason Peterson, Peggy Youell, EJ Hambleton, Jos Mulder, Daryl Banttari, J.T. Vandenbree, Carlos Silva, David Taylor, John Castle, Lyan Porto, Wayne Robinson, Gabriel Totusek, Brian Davis, Eric Daugherty, SecretKittehs, Mnemosyne Music, AkselA, Pamela O'Neill, Philip Miller, Sam Plotkin, David MacDonald, Nellie Speirs Baron, Charles R., Josh, Thomas Morgan, Ludwick Kennedy, The Gig Farmer, Sam, DialMForManning, Wayne Weil, Michael Wehling, darkmage, Brandon Peckham, Ridley Kemp, Mark James, James, David Peterson, Bryan C. Mills, Adam Ziegenhals, Mark Meckes, Amelia Lewis, sonicolasj, PatSandmann, Bean, A Devoted Servant of the Holy Water Bottle, Milan Brezovsky, Edmund Horner, Daria Gibbons, TJ FUNCTION, NinoDoko, XCompWiz, Michael Blaby, Kristofer Hill, William Merryman, Ryan Mayle, J Denton, M. Bock, Daniel Joseph Moynihan, William Robert Tabb, Niles Loughlin, Josh Witkowski, Clever Patreon names are a waste of perfectly good cleverness, Graham Orndorff, Michael Sacksteder, Mark Lacey, Justin St John-Brooks, Jaren Tilford, Catherine Berry, Watch Harder, Will Derr, Jason McPherson, Chris Robson, A.J. Yates, Mitch McConeghey, and Matt Moulder! Your support helps make 12tone even better!
Also, thanks to Jareth Arnold for proofreading the script to make sure this all makes sense hopefully!

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3 окт 2024

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Комментарии : 789

@12tone 3 года назад

Some additional thoughts/corrections: 1) I hope I don't have to clarify this, but knowing the dad rock crowd, I probably do, so just to be clear, the "six guitar riffs in a trenchcoat" thing was a joke. Carry On Wayward Son is a real song. Please don't yell at me, I made a whole 20 minute video for you about a thing you like. 2) On the F# in the main riff, it's tempting to call the whole thing Dorian, and sure, I could see that, but the intro vocals feature a prominent F natural so I don't think the song as a whole feels Dorian. If you want to read the riff itself that way though, I won't stop you. 3) Similarly, you could read the Bb chord in the verse as indicating Phrygian, but considering all the B naturals we hear in both the harmony and melody that seems like a stretch. 4) In the chorus progression, they don't play the F chord the second time, instead hanging on G for a bar. I didn't have anything to say about that and the video was long enough already so I skipped it, but wanted to at least acknowledge in somewhere. 5) On the second bridge riff, there's this really interesting microrhythmic adjustment where Livgren rushes the last note before the 16th-note one pretty significantly, spreading out the anticipation effect across a couple notes. You can actually hear that in the quantized version I presented, 'cause I removed that as well. 6) On the C# thing, yes, you could just call it the major 3rd, which would make that riff in A major, although there's a G too so I guess it's A mixolydian, but that doesn't sound right to my ears. It's kinda like the Bb in the verse progression: It's just doing the same thing but adjusted by a perfect 4th. (In this case down, but same idea.) 6) Another thing I didn't really have room for but wanted to at least mention is that all the vocal melodies throughout the song start on beat 2. To my ears that makes everything feel more like a continuation than its own definitive statement but I didn't feel like that thought was developed enough to be worth putting in the video itself.

@MyButtsBeenWiped 3 года назад

05:31 Bowties Are Cool !

@lucianodebenedictis6014 3 года назад

thanks for the additions, I wanted to talk about that C#. major? minor? mixolidian? why not just for for blues pentatonic? feels appropriate to me

@HeimburgerMusic 3 года назад

There's another purposely rushed part in that ending riff that plays under the final 2 guitar solos, at the end/beginning of the 1st/2nd measure in that riff that adds a ton of momentum and energy to those last 2 solos. You can especially hear it in most of the live recordings of the song where the 2 sixteenth snare hits that Ehart does at the start of the second measure in the phrase are quite early. Wonderful video of a fantastic song! I also got a kick near the beginning when you were talking about the unusual things happening in the song and how weird is good when this is arguably Kansas' most normal, non-weird song.

@Richard_Jones 3 года назад

How dare you....blah blah blah....young man, in my day....blah blah...we didn't even have riffs, had to make do with a lick and a couple of figures!

@nugboy420 3 года назад

I’d love to see Nowhere Man taken apart

@bryede 3 года назад

The coolest thing about this song is that it changes so abruptly that it almost feels like you're flipping through radio stations.

@epicgeek9147 3 года назад

That's what I'm gonna say, we played it in a battle of the bands but its an old song that why many millennials don't know the song and we messed up. We became champions because of how beautiful the song is.

@Iamthesuperest 3 года назад

@@epicgeek9147 bullshit anyone and everyone should know this song

@epicgeek9147 3 года назад

Only the OGs know it here in the Philippines@@Iamthesuperest . The youngsters mostly doesn't.

@bickleyjonas6145 3 года назад

It's pretty dramatic and artistic. I believe it's supposed to represent conflicting emotions, in the form of guitar riffs. Kind of gives you the chills in a good way.

@bickleyjonas6145 3 года назад

@Heinous Anus Yeah, the two intro riffs dueling it out makes me imagine the classic image of the angel and devil on your shoulders both trying to persuade you.

@HopeRunsDeep22 2 года назад

Ill never forget the night I was singing this song while walking to the bathroom at one of my Highschool football games I was at, and as I walked through the doors I sang "Lay your weary head to rest !" and the entire bathroom with like 20 dudes in it ages like 16-50, yelled "DONT YOU CRY NO MORE!" and we all busted out laughing. Legendary song.

@mrz80 2 года назад

That just made my day :D

@Redbatcave 2 года назад

BRO YOU HAD YOUR OWN HALO BATHROOM MONENT! LUCKY BOY

@SpongeMagic 2 года назад

Damn that must've been a huge bathroom

@ja60123 Год назад

Legendary

@DebbieTomkoSUNSHINE Год назад

Thank you...:-)

@motomike71 3 года назад

"Kansas was in a rough state." SMH

@bmac4 3 года назад

Thats dumb and hilarious lol

@motomike71 3 года назад

@@bmac4 Wait until he does a story on Chicago and says, "Chicago had to build some bridges."

@queenannsrevenge100 2 года назад

That’s nothing - did you see 16:33 where he used a picture of a tent for “intense”? 😃👍👌

@TheSuzberry 2 года назад

@@queenannsrevenge100 - yes. It was the illustration I didn’t have to think about.

@realShadowKat 3 года назад

The best thing about acapella intros of songs from the 70s.... DJ's would ordinarily talk over the instrumental opens (I don't listen to much commercial music today, admittedly so I don't know if this practice is still done). They would know how long the instrumental was and blather on until the lyrical mark. Can't do that when the lyrics start at the zero.

@austinhernandez2716 3 года назад

That's a smart move

@stevenmorgan5954 3 года назад

Excellent point!

@theoxne3166 2 года назад

yes they still do that and its FUCKING ANNOYING

@torunsmok5890 2 года назад

@@theoxne3166 I've heard so many great instrumental intros ruined like that.... Down with the Sickness and In the End commonly get that treatment :/ and one of my favorite bands, Starset, had a radio hit with Monster on their second album which had a lovely instrumental intro that always gets talked over. DJs who do that are just bad at the job frankly. To the DJs out there: YOUR JOB IS TO PUT ON MUSIC. NOT DROWN OUT THE MUSIC WITH YOUR BLABBER.

@mrz80 2 года назад

I forget which station it was, but one rock station when I was back in college used to make a big deal about not doing voiceovers. Their commercial tagline was "WE don't talk while the music's playing!" :D

@rruhland 3 года назад

We went from making the emo kids cry to making the Supernatural fans cry. I wonder who’s next!

@p.g.v.3765 3 года назад

emo supernatural fans:

@dudeman5303 3 года назад

I was waiting for a supernatural mention, I didn't think it'd be the 3rd comment I read though lmao

@dudeman5303 3 года назад

I guess it was the 2nd if you exclude 12tone's own comment.

@moonglaive 3 года назад

My s/o out this on very loud while I was in the other room to see what I'd do. Apparently, barreling into the room while yelling, "did it win?! Is there a SPN reference?!" was the correct thing to do.

@chair547 3 года назад

pretty sure the last 10 seasons of Supernatural made Supernatural fans cry

@happycamperds9917 3 года назад

4:36 If I had a nickel for every hard rock song that that was about Icarus, I'd have 2 nickels. Which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice.

@dhrevrogers 3 года назад

You need three nickels: Icarus: Borne on Wings of Steel, Carry on Wayward Son, and Icarus II, all by KANSAS.

@kristofkubina4105 3 года назад

Not classic rock but there’s also Daedalus from post hardcore band Thrice (at that point they were more of an indie act though) and Icarus lives from modern metal / djent band Periphery. I am sure there’s more I just really love these 2 😊

@Hambone3773 3 года назад

Did you just leave out Iron Maiden?

@amdraglover 3 года назад

Would you like your nickleback?

@opaljk4835 3 года назад

I don’t know if I feel worse for Icarus or for Sisyphus

@amandastevens1117 3 года назад

Supernatural has conditioned me into having an emotional reaction the second I hear this song

@seashorerumble1380 3 года назад

It's you and me both

@yunamchill9169 2 года назад

It's you and me too.

@JariSatta 2 года назад

Winchester

@SlavoidUkr 2 года назад

Exactly

@Azaghal1988 2 года назад

It's not tears, it's eyesweat!

@femthingevelyn 3 года назад

I literally don't know anything about music other than "sometimes sounds are good when they go into my earholes", but by god this channel always makes me feel like a medieval peasant listening to someone who actually knows how to read explain to me a story I thought I knew. In some ways, when you're talking about the feel of a song and some of the way you talk about the purpose a section serves, I kinda understand it, but it's coated in a language I barely understand. You have this way of talking about music that actually kind of makes a kind of sense even though I don't understand the technicals of the subject at all.

@emilyrln 3 года назад

I often have that experience when I watch Mathologer…

@austinhernandez2716 3 года назад

I'm getting my BA in music, 5 year in college, and sometimes he throws me off a bit. We didn't study modern music that much.

@Matuterocks 2 года назад

I didn't study music formally, but I've learned a lot out of sheer curiosity and pleasure. A lot of what he talks about has to do with "tension". See, when you put two notes together they have some level of affinity together, they could either basically be dissonant or consonant, if you use dissonance you are adding tension, and when you go to a less dissonant sound you are resolving it. So for example, when someone plays a note outside the scale they add dissonance and tension, and when they go back to the root of the scale they go back "home" and it feels good to the listener. Not ending in the root usually implies that there is still more to come. There are more technical aspects but I think if you understand this you will get a better grasp of this and his other videos.

@Matuterocks 2 года назад

@@austinhernandez2716 Is it because of the vocabulary or he just straight brings concepts foreign to you?

@femthingevelyn 2 года назад

@@Matuterocks I really appreciate the effort you're putting forth, and odds are it's probably at least decent information, but it is like you are speaking a foreign language to me, most of what you said means nothing in my musically untrained brain

@emmbeesea 3 года назад

Ah, a cappella intros, you know how intrigue us. Another go-to example for me is "Renegade" - Styx. Another fantastic analysis of a classic song!

@WhatSmada 3 года назад

good example i added this to my compilation

@ConnorR.mp3 3 года назад

i love the intro of renegade, it's probably one of my favorite intros of all time

@TheMister123 3 года назад

Yep. And yet another one that starts on the second beat of the measure rather than the first. :-)

@gregoryhenry8464 3 года назад

I love this song!

@InfiniteAnvil 3 года назад

Also Road to Nowhere by Talking Heads

@doctorsteveb4906 3 года назад

Between you, Polyphonic and Rick Beato, I've never been so entertained, while being taught so much, maybe ever. Please keep doing what you do. We REALLY appreciate it.

@NowhereMan7 3 года назад

How many people are behind this account? First you said "I" and then you said "we". Whats going on here.... ❓🤔🔎

@doctorsteveb4906 3 года назад

@@NowhereMan7 I was speaking for the masses. 18 thumbs up votes agree.

@doctorsteveb4906 3 года назад

Any Major Dude would understand 😉

@coachcro7722 3 года назад

Neely is also really fun

@doctorsteveb4906 3 года назад

@@coachcro7722 Love Neely

@sjdanthem 3 года назад

Really, really good stuff. The "Icarus" reference is a good one. I'm a lifelong Kansas fan and I am embarrassed that I never really put that motif together with "...Borne On Wings of Steel."

@paulvillarreal1588 3 года назад

Shame on you! Turn in your Kansas card! Kidding. That's the true mark of how deep the music is, there's no end to the nuance and discovery. I hear a few different chromaticisms in the isolated riffs that I never picked up on before too. I arranged an acoustic guitar version of this, just because it's a great song, but honestly I'm not a great guitarist, so I look forward to tweaking that and making the way I play it more accurate. Back to Icarus, though. Some my favorite Kansas music!! Both parts 1 and 2! Also, great irony here...for the uninitiated... the song not named for Icarus (Carry On...), is more about an Icarus-like figure, and makes the literary allusion directly....but the songs actually CALLED Icarus, are completely metaphorical and are about WWII pilots. Haha

@teemusid 3 года назад

If this is the last song written for the album, then Kerry reused the "moving emotion" line from "Opus Insert," which I always thought was making a callback to "Carry On Wayward Son," not vice-versa. This way , it's more of a redundancy.

@sjdanthem 3 года назад

@@paulvillarreal1588 Oh hey, that's cool and makes sense -"wings of steel." If you haven't seen Rick Beato's "What Makes This Song Great" episode on "Carry On," it's definitley a must-see. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-v_Jqt9DyjMs.html

@sjdanthem 3 года назад

@@teemusid Hey, nice catch there.

@wyattstevens8574 6 месяцев назад

Someone else pointed out "Icarus 2" as well!

@thegreatgambeeno 3 года назад

The new girl at work just heard this on my speaker and says, "Oh, the Supernatural song" and started singing it, and now I'm in love with the new girl from work.

@zachlewis9751 3 года назад

She only knows the song from Supernatural. It’s not worth it.

@guyincognito5663 3 года назад

Meh, I didn’t even know some show used it.

@whitedogblues09 3 года назад

So you fell in love with her because you also like "Supernatural"?

@thegreatgambeeno 3 года назад

@@whitedogblues09 yes, and I am okay with her not knowing all about it. Not every person younger than me is going to know the music I grew up with, and that's okay. It's about finding a spark to start the fire. We can nerd out about Supernatural. It's a start.

@mihneazoican2479 3 года назад

Let us know when you hit, king

@alacnaythegreat1054 3 года назад

6:53 Alfur being your short hand for "being harder to see" is excellent

@ltraina3353 2 года назад

@alacnaythegreat1054 2 года назад

@@ltraina3353 the elf he draws is from Hilda, a cartoon where he's invisible until you sign a contract with him.

@BassManDan1018 3 года назад

‘six riffs in a trench coat’ is my favourite genre

@TheMister123 3 года назад

1:12 - Representing The Yes Album by the chair that no one was sitting in on the cover is a nice touch. :-)

@Armakk 3 года назад

"To rise above the noise and confusion… and above all…" obv KEEP ON ROCKING

@jennylovesjoe1224 3 года назад

*I studied Music Theory for 4 years and THIS video and your execution of literally every single moment of the song, was by far...better, more informative and riveting than anything I learned in those 4 years. The way you presented this was like a performance of a piece of music in itself! So freaking well done!!! (This was my first of your vids and I subbed about 45 seconds in!)* 🎶🎼🎵

@slushpuppie19 3 года назад

I think studying Music Theory for 4 days would melt my brain haha

@jennylovesjoe1224 3 года назад

@@slushpuppie19 🤣😆😂

@louishewett2633 3 года назад

@@jennylovesjoe1224 Please thank a music teacher (even if the theory was a bit dull) for making sure you could understand and enjoy this :D

@dscarmo 3 года назад

I doubt you would have the same perception before your 4 year music theory course

@jennylovesjoe1224 3 года назад

@@louishewett2633 Oh I did! I loved all of my music teachers! Some of the biggest influences in my life! 🎶

@MightyMinecraft 3 года назад

My favorite part is when he said, “weird stuff is cool” and drew a bow tie. I see you 👀

@phoenixfritzinger9185 Год назад

I spent years trying to figure out where the Sherlock reference was But I guess me spending years trying to figure out a mystery that is the Sherlock reference

@lp-xl9ld 3 года назад

Someone asked me once "If you had to pick one song, and only one, that you'd want playing if you were tearing down a highway at high speed with very little traffic, what would it be?" I only had to think for five seconds before saying "CARRY ON (MY) WAYWARD SON" by Kansas. Now I know why.

@nihilvox 3 года назад

It's a strong contender, but I think I might have to go with "The Kid's American" by Matthew Wilder.

@killerbug05 2 года назад

"Ghost division" by sabaton for me.

@pretendthisnameisfunny2197 2 года назад

Maybe “Danger Zone” or “I’m free” by Kenny Loggins.

@Genjokoan 2 года назад

Owner of a Lonely Heart. Do not listen to this while driving unless you want a speeding ticket.

@lihzzahrdspeed6631 2 года назад

@@Genjokoan getting a speeding ticket would still be much better than a broken heart

@joshuacervenkamusic327 3 года назад

I just want to say for guitar players out there, this is a great song to learn. Its not too challenging but because of all the different sections it makes it a really fun tune to play. Plus, it work on a bunch of different techniques. Highly recommend for intermediate players

@Bone1996 3 года назад

It's also great for intermediate bass players too. Hope mostly follows along with the guitars, so it's a very fun collection of bass melodies. I'm also just a giant sucker for bassists like Hope/Chris Squire/Geddy Lee who just cranked up their treble and amp gain.

@gergoretvari6373 2 года назад

While my favorite genre is modern metal, this song is has a very special place in my heart. I'm a Supernatural fan too.

@bonecanoe86 3 года назад

When I was a kid in the 90s, the Classic Rock stations my dad listened to talked about this as the ultimate classic rock song. It was routinely at the head of the annual countdown they used to do on WMGK in Philly. It's still one of my favorite dad rock songs of all time, and Kansas in general is a great band that blends American heartland rock and prog rock in a fairly unique way. Also, it's worth checking out the GWAR cover of this song they did on ADVClub a few years ago, it's an interesting take on the song!

@yamomwasthebomb7159 3 года назад

This might honestly be the worst recommendation I've ever received.

@orionssfl9491 3 года назад

@@yamomwasthebomb7159 if you listened to gwar's version, just go ahead and listen to NEONI's version to bring you back to earth lol

@TheEndKing 3 года назад

@@yamomwasthebomb7159 GWAR is always the best recommendation.

@ThatFanBoyGuy 3 года назад

I loved listening to WMGK's Top 500 countdown every year when I was a teen!

@paxhumana2015 2 года назад

@@TheEndKing , on this song, no, because if you had a version of the song to choose other than the original one, I would recommend First to Eleven and their cover of the song. One of the news stations was mentioning that group and had an interview with them a few days ago, Fox 9 in the Twin Cities, if I do recall correctly.

@heathurban9217 3 года назад

This song is definitely stuck in my head again.

@zacharyclemens6313 3 года назад

Another harmonized Acapella intro is 7 bridges road by The Eagles, such a great song!

@thegreatgambeeno 3 года назад

And the "mountain music" song. Many bands who come through the club I worked at used that to check their vocals.

@benjaminbrockway5998 3 года назад

@@thegreatgambeeno "Mountain Music" by Alabama?

@thegreatgambeeno 3 года назад

@@benjaminbrockway5998 sure

@WhatSmada 3 года назад

@@thegreatgambeeno opens with an instrumental - so i assume no

@thegreatgambeeno 3 года назад

@@WhatSmada I don't think I've ever heard the recorded version, I just hear it a bit as many cover bands through here with multiple vocals do it at some point, and it sounds great. And now I know the name, and who sings it.

@ospero7681 3 года назад

5:39 "And that may seem counterintuitive" *draws the Monty Hall problem* I, indeed, see what you did there. Carry on, wayward son.

@jakelawson1 3 года назад

Love this. I'm going to go listen to Talking Heads' "Road To Nowhere" now.

@notoriouswhitemoth 3 года назад

I love this song! On the subject of complex rhythms in classic rock, I'd love to see you cover some of Rush's music at some point

@Bubdiddly 2 года назад

La villa strangiato PLEASE

@mrz80 Год назад

@@Bubdiddly Alex LIfeson said in an interview once that that song took FOREVER to record because they were bound and determined to get it all in one take, no overdubs, no punch-ins, no edits.

@seashorerumble1380 3 года назад

How strange. I feel the sudden urge to drive around in an Impala

@CriticalAfricanThinkers 2 года назад

🤣🤣

@yunamchill9169 2 года назад

And gather up my ghost hunting stuff and save some people.

@wyattstevens8574 6 месяцев назад

@@yunamchill9169Ghostbusters?

@yunamchill9169 6 месяцев назад

@@wyattstevens8574 Supernatural

@mxadema 3 года назад

I love the way this song can change depending on the situation. From sad to total badass

@billribas 3 года назад

great analysis. this was a pretty big deal when it came out in the 70's. I was never crazy about it, but appreciate it the way you take it apart. I was kind of wishing you drew an elephant skeleton for " carry on (carrion)" but that's me. keep these vids coming, great stuff.

@tennispromf 3 года назад

I could've sworn 12tone was gonna hit us with "to keep moving, rise above the noise and confusion and above all, to keep on rocking" *cut to black*

@p.g.v.3765 3 года назад

SAME

@Rubrickety 3 года назад

Me too, PBS Spacetime style. (I wonder how many crossover viewers we have.)

@wyattstevens8574 6 месяцев назад

Or "and above all... carry on." Edit: Never mind- that's almost *exactly* what he did! He did that right before, but I expected him to stop there!

@skullys 3 года назад

I saw Kansas on August 2nd 1978, tickets were $8.00, what a awesome show! I guess that makes me part of the "dad rock crowd", okay, carry on wayward son, oh and nice job on the video!

@Steveofthejungle8 3 года назад

Another incredible a capella harmonized intro: Shadows of the Night by Pat Benatar

@WhatSmada 3 года назад

good example i added this to my compilation

@BrFAB 3 года назад

I once saw a strong man in the circus bend a car

@wingracer1614 3 года назад

Great song. And a great video featuring a young Bill Paxton and Judge Reinhold.

@baylinkdashyt 3 года назад

Ok, now I gotta make an entire album of these...

@taylorbee4010 3 года назад

YESS

@markhalm9889 Год назад

This has been in my watch later pile forever but The Elite using this as their new theme song made kick it to the top of the list.

@loveloss8590 3 года назад

I wonder if they didn’t use a ghost piano or guitar for tone reference when tracking this stuff. Have the key board player comp the chords in their headsets and then obviously don’t include that in the final mix. It’s how I would do it.

@room34 3 года назад

Yeah, I don't see how there's any way they didn't have reference pitches in their headphones. I wouldn't even be *entirely* surprised if they just spliced the vocal tracks from later in the song onto the beginning. (Yes, I realize how much harder that would be to do in the tape era, but… uh… "In a Silent Way" and "Bitches Brew" have looped/reused sections, and "I'm Not in Love" has some *crazy* tape manipulations for those wordless vocals, so there was a lot that could be done with tape.)

@bryanirvine6169 3 года назад

This was back in the 70s, when musicians were truly musicians. Walsh did not need a reference tone, he was just that good. So was Robbie. I like to use Highway to Hell by AC/DC as an example. Play the track from the original release and try to play along with it. You will be off tonally. It is not a tuning down, either. Angus stated they did not tune up or down, it was supposed to be played in standard tuning. The best he could figure is that one person was off, unkowingly, and everyone else tuned off them. True musicians pushing the envelope?

@space_men_8675 3 года назад

You just have to have decent pitch memory and then it’s honestly not that difficult. If you practice something enough times, you should be able to recall the pitch no problem

@romancultist6089 3 года назад

@@room34 There weren't tuners lying around everywhere in those days. It's more likely each part was counted in with the starting note played on piano... Ya know, the way it was done before pitch correction software.

@room34 3 года назад

@@romancultist6089 Why do you think this is not exactly what I meant?

@deongeiss12 2 года назад

It's crazy to think my favorite song was an after thought to the album. I've loved the song my whole life and never knew they hadn't even practiced it before recording. Almost like the crazy learning curve made them kill it in the studio

@awookieandagerman 3 года назад

Spot on everywhere. I loved your points about rock's interesting relationship with a capella intros (and your examples). I tend to view the last "riff" (the slow rising triplets that end on F major) as a theme, a motif of sorts. Given that Kansas in the 70s was a progressive rock band, prone to writing long, winding compositions with more story based lyrics, I think Kerry Livgren had a natural instinct for including themes and motifs in their music.

@533hornet 3 года назад

This is one of those songs i wish i could experience for thw first time again

@MattWinkler1 3 года назад

This is the song that finally made me pick up the guitar. Every part is just so damn good.

@bickleyjonas6145 Год назад

Yo smack them crispy notes

@gabe_s_videos 3 года назад

I know I'm not a patron, but I'd love to suggest a video about "Fat Lip" by Sum 41. I just listened to it recently and it blew my mind how many different parts that song has despite being fairly "economic" with the amount of notes. I'd say more, but that's your job. :P

@Greg-om2hb 3 года назад

Maybe your best video yet. I first heard Carry On in 1976, and countless times since then. Heard with 21st century ears, it still takes the listener on an exciting journey. But for someone who might know this song only as an “oldie”, it might be hard to grasp what a revelation to hear it’s debut on the radio: the acapella opening, the huge riffs, the crushing guitar tone, the soaring vocals and guitar solo, and the perfect ending. It was quite unlike anything that had come before, and far heavier than typical charts toppers. Thank you for breaking down the elements that make the song distinctive, and explaining how the interplay between the rhythms and melodies create their emotional impact.

@DumblyDorr 3 года назад

Growing up (90s) I never knew"Carry on"... but Kansas *were* still known for "Dust in the Wind", which was seemed to be the most popular before retro-rock came back in style.

@masoncamera273 3 года назад

This is in my opinion one of the most well composed songs ever created; and being from Kansas, it gives me something to be proud of!

@sopasopasson5563 5 месяцев назад

I really like these nerdy analys of great songs. You do it so well. Thanks !! It’s a mix of technical structure and how that connects to emotional content.

@Hair8Metal8Karen 3 года назад

6 Riffs in a Trenchcoat is my new prog metal band

@thetimebinder 3 года назад

"That note isn't in the scale." Did 12Tone just discover accidentals and it blew his mind?

@jerimow8400 3 года назад

The musical scientist strikes again! Amazing, insightful and way beyond the abilities of the vast majority of mere humans… musicians or not! Most of us just know we love a good riff! Thank you for sharing your mind blowing perceptions!

@p.g.v.3765 3 года назад

21:00 i was so convinced you were going to drop the "keep on rocking" right there

@DaedalusYoung 3 года назад

Instead, he carried on.

@lindsaygroves9188 2 года назад

Im a classical musician, not compositionally creative, and this is fascinating & incredible! Thanks!!!

@iamSkiidd 2 года назад

The production and mix is so tight (especially the drums and keys) I would have never guessed this was all done as a last minute effort. As much as I'd love to credit the engineers, I'd like to think that's a testament to the musicianship

@alejandroalvarez5755 3 года назад

Finally, hace been waiting for someone to talk about this song

@augmentedfourth 2 года назад

I did this song as part of a marching band halftime show in high school (about 25 years ago). It was really awesome to march to all these interesting phrase lengths.

@lev7509 3 месяца назад

Great analysis! Perhaps one of your best that I've seen! I'd actually peep in that the tempo speeding up could've been 100% intentional, not as a byproduct of lacking rehearsal time, but to enhance the raw emotionality of the first verse. Impatience may very well be part of it.

@dancook1118 3 года назад

I notice the commentary also works the the a compelling song does. Very satisfying

@dancook1118 3 года назад

The way a compelling song does (stupid spell check)

@R-Tech 3 года назад

kudos for the last airbender reference, made my day!

@maglen69 3 года назад

All this analysis and the artist is just like "I was high as f*ck and it simply sounded awesome, nothing more"

@Drogon7102 2 года назад

Yeah, this just explaining why it sounds awesome

@jonpage4029 2 года назад

Yes you can overthink things. What if we were to do this with an Emerson Lake and Palmer album or Close to the Edge by Yes? We would never be done with it

@michaeltaylor6118 3 года назад

I have never heard (nor SEEN) music theory explained so well. THANK YOU!!!

@BonaparteBardithion 3 года назад

I know this song is guitar riffs heavy and the video can only be so long, but I kept waiting for you to mention the organ. It's a near-constant presence acting as a response to every riff and punching energy into every space between and finishing phrases. It even gets its own counter riffs later in the song.

@jeannod5534 Год назад

Exactly !!

@jeffmansfield914 3 года назад

Fantastic video, with only one giant omission. It’s completely worth highlighting that the upbeat riffs leading into the guitar solo establish and legitimize (through repetition) their existence as standalone riffs only to be elevated further when the solo starts by entering with a descending staccato line on the downbeats. I’ve always loved this ping-pong interplay between the two guitars. 🏓🎸🏓🎸😍😍😍😍

@baconpancakes5353 3 года назад

I keep coming back to watch these videos, and still I have no idea what he's saying. Keep up the good work

@neekerbreeker 2 года назад

I've been listening to rock music for several decades and had no idea until now what I was missing! This was my first listen to your channel and I've subscribed. Great info presented in a fun way (love the art!) Thanks ❤️🎶

@weirdofromhalo 3 года назад

Wow, it's Sideways! This was a cool analysis of Kansas's most famous song these days.

@douglasklekar4015 3 года назад

You should do hawaii part 2, I think it is a good album that tells a nice story with some interesting music choices

@pvcmedia 3 года назад

This is one of the best things I've seen in a long time. So good! I shared with all my bandmates. Great job and very good analysis.

@matthewbrownguitar 3 года назад

I swear I remember you from my MI days. I just saw you in another video with Adam Neely and had an “a-ha” moment.

@NickCutroneo 3 года назад

I find an important point is being missed in guitar based rock writing. The reason for the Bb chord on the verse is because the whole chord progression is brought to Dm, which is the “4” chord. But the idea is to mimic blues music with a shift to the subtopic. So the 2nd half of each verse is created in the idea of Dm, thus using b6s rather than the Dorian M6. Also - rock music will use modes, especially in late 60s/70s. To ignore that the riffs are Dorian based ignores the tools used in the composition of the song. Dorian makes the minor keys bit brighter and is probably deliberate usage in the writing process. This M6 is a note which can be used (along with the b3 and M3) to make blues music a bit darker or lighter depending on if they are playing in major or minor. Very common in blues music.

@devinjeffrey275 Год назад

One of the best rock songs ever!

@theoxne3166 2 года назад

This channel is fun. I dont know shit about music beyond "sounds cool" but i still enjoy the breakdowns

@giantpinkcat 3 года назад

Hear me out: "Understanding Two Trucks"

@connorshea9085 3 года назад

@wingracer1614 3 года назад

Understanding Derek Trucks?

@shibolinemress8913 Год назад

I love that many songs of that time actually told stories, and the changeovers often signalled that a new chapter was coming. The clearest example is Bohemian Rhapsody. Others that come to mind are Wings with Band on the Run, and of course this song. For me it meant a spiritual progression that touched me on a very deep level that I can't explain. To this day I think it's one of the most beautiful songs of all time.

@TheTobesOfHades Год назад

Excellent break down, thank you.

@jjones503 3 года назад

This album was the first album i stole from my dads collection, not even knowing what i was taking. I still to this day listen to this song anytime i need a good memory.

@kelleyfamily2636 2 года назад

Interesting analysis. I definitely learned some stuff. A couple of things to mention that I think are important: - The chords in the first part of the verse aren't just Am G F G, they're Am Em Dm Em, with some leading tones. The bass plays A G F G which implies Am G F G, but the acoustic guitar plays Am Em Dm Em. Em has a G note, and Dm has an F note. The Am Em Dm Em gives the first part of the first a sadder, more pensive feel than Am G F G IMO. - The vocal harmonies are three part, not just two. I sounds like Robbie Steinhardt and Steve Walsh sung the low and middle parts together, then Walsh layered on the high melody (which to me is clearly the melody). Also super important to the sound of the harmonies, there's some cool movement of some of the harmonies, particularly Steinhardt's (the lowest). For instance, in the first phrase, Carry on my wayward son, "-ward" is sung over a G chord. The melody is a G4, and middle harmony is a D4, but the low harmony moves from A3 to B3 giving it a bit of a country vibe for just a moment because the A3 creates a Gsus2 chord then resolves to a G. Robbie Steinhardt sung some killer harmonies on those albums. He has kind of a nasally voice, and his highest note was around an F4, but his pitch is so, so solid and the lines he sung are so cool. He often sang a sixth under Walsh, who was often singing E4 to B4. Steinhardt's harmonies are a significant part of the Kansas sound. - The last chord before verse 1, and the last chord in the song, is Fmaj7, not just F maj. Generally Kansas has lots of extended chords. Here's a little guitar based extra: in the triplet breakdown in E at the beginning and end of the song, there's a part where one guitar plays a E power chord (B3 and E4), and the other guitar plays a G power chord (D4 and G4). Together they make Em7. Thanks for this analysis. Hope my comments were helpful.

@ConvincingPeople 3 года назад

12:36 Oh god, references to two of the formative films of my early childhood in immediate succession. What a weird flash of nostalgia.

@boldfella8199 3 года назад

Brilliant! Thank you!

@GlobalMiles 3 года назад

Excellent analysis.

@mcwulf25 3 года назад

A lot more to this song than I imagined. It was in a clutch of US rock songs in the mid/late 70s we used to listen to. Also Toto, Boston, Eagles, Van Halen and Foreigner.

@wingracer1614 3 года назад

Keep in mind this and Boston's debut came out the same year. 1976 was a good one.

@1972LittleC 3 года назад

My wife learned this song from Supernatural and loves it now. Problem is we don't call it Supernatural, but Pudding! (S05E11)

@MyButtsBeenWiped 3 года назад

What are you boys doing in here ?

@michanowak7060 3 года назад

Legendary vocal intro? Let the bodies hit the floor Let the bodies hit the floor Let the bodies hit the floor Let the bodies hit the... (tss tss) FLOOOOOOOOOOOOOR!!!

@fingolfindamelkor6230 2 года назад

Tbh this reminds me a little bit of bach: The metric displacements, the lines that walk up and down in 8:35 and the moving and variating melody

@liquidsolids9415 3 года назад

Fantastic, as usual. Learned a lot from this one. Thanks!

@tofu5690 2 года назад

man i love your videos , i wish you made comics like this , also i really wanna know what sharpie you use

3 года назад

”Weird stuff is cool” YES!

@millennialwhoop 3 года назад

Hey man, you know there's three parts in the chorus vocals, right? I was super surprised to see you only notate two of em... it's like so clearly three, like any classic rock from that era (Fleetwood Mac, CSNY, etc). Vocal stacks on stacks! Not that it matters too much to your analysis, you were more focused on contour anyway, it was just surprising to see. I was like just looking forward to actually seeing a transcription of it haha! Other than that, love the vid as always, great work! Love your analyses that point back to lyrics :). Big fan.

@kookeekwisp 3 года назад

5:56 The first time i didn't really pay mind to it, but i'm notorious for spotting the off note in familiar songs so that was kinda surprising

@gregoryhenry8464 3 года назад

If I knew someone who had never heard of classic rock and I had to pick 10 songs to get them into it, this would make the cut

@toxxicdutchie232 Год назад

AND RENEGADE. MY ABSOLUTE FAV ACAPELLA INTRO

@epicgeek9147 3 года назад

The song feels like you are flipping disk or changing radio stations. We played it in a battle of the bands but its an old song thats why many millennials don't know the song and think we messed up. We became champions because of how beautiful the song is.

@ReZhorw 2 года назад

18:50 Jesus that wolf/dragon? dragonwolf, came outta no where and scared me

@rosskendall3310 Год назад

I've never heard or seen a class in "form and analysis" for this song. I mean, I don't hear rock players say "motif". Classical guys, yes. But, I did enjoy your commentary for sure.

@aziel9141 3 года назад

This song is the perfect classic rock song

@spindriftdrinker 2 года назад

The Who's "A Quick One While He's Away" (1967) has a harmonized a capella intro.

@bickleyjonas6145 3 года назад

And did Kerry Livgren think this all out before writing it? No and he didn't need to. In his words: "I just sat down with a guitar and out it came, and one note lead to the next note" ...The inspiration inside musicians just comes out and theory seems to follow after, in the best songs.

@bwhammm 3 года назад

That's definitely an interesting point to think about. I feel like it's partly the years of immersion in the craft, mastery of the instrument(s), and musical giftedness coming together to form brilliant songs which sometimes come to be with little apparent effort. And partly it's things being read into it...

@bickleyjonas6145 3 года назад

@@bwhammm Yes, and I partly believe there's things artists don't tell us about the songs they write. Because it would spoil the subjective meaning each listener gets from it.

@EricBridges 2 года назад

"A little harder to see" = Alfur. Genius.

@justanotherenthusiast1550 3 года назад

do you think you could do an analysis on the band Car Seat Headrest? They are currently my favorite band, and I really want to hear what you would have to say about them!

@keepitrealoutdoors7549 2 года назад

Idk if he meant to but there seemed to be quite a few intentional or unintentional supernatural references between crossroads and a devil's trap. Either way love the video and the knowledge keep doing classic rock songs please😊 Edit: crossroad is at 4:55 and 5:20 is devil's trap