barma --
Normally I would hesitate to post an answer that the paying customer
doesn't want to hear. But you seem like a really nice guy who won't
hold it against me. :)
To make it official, I will post below the relevant portion of the
comment I posted earlier. But first I will answer your question about
my search strategy.
I am a pianist and have a pretty good ear for music. When I heard
your MP3, it sounded familiar, especially that third phrase, but the
title didn't come to me immediately. So the first thing I did was
consult an interesting Web site called "Melodyhound." At that site,
you can search for the name of a tune by entering a musical passage in
something called "Parson's Code." It is a simple substitution code in
which you enter each note as a "U" (for a note that is higher in pitch
than the previous note), "D" (for a lower note) or "R" for one that
remains the same. It's fun; try it:
Melodyhound.com
http://name-this-tune.com/
Unfortunately, this was unsuccessful, which is not really surprising
since the site's effectiveness is obviously limited by the size of its
database of songs.
While I was doing this, I suddenly connected that third phrase that
stuck in my head with Kristofferson and came up with the title. (I am
old enough -- indeed more than old enough -- to remember the song when
it was released by Kristofferson in the early '70s.)
I then went to the reliable and comprehensive All Music Guide and got
a list of recordings of "Help Me Make It Through The Night." Here is
a link to that list:
All Music Guide: Song Search: Help Me Make It Through The Night
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=UIDMISS70311080805342637&sql=H555533
The rest of my work involved the tedious process of using that page to
link to the All Music Guide pages on the albums by different artists
who have recorded the song, then following the links on those pages to
Barnesandnoble.com. Links to that site are included when that
retailer currently offers the CD for sale. I then began listening to
audio clips of the CDs when such clips were available at the Barnes &
Noble site. I kept trying until I decided that the Kate Campbell clip
contained the most of the section of the song demonstrating the
similarity to your song that I was likely to find.
In case you are too young to be familiar with Kristofferson, here is
the All Music Guide's page devoted to him and his recordings;
All Music Guide: Kris Kristofferson
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=UIDMISS70311080805342637&sql=B2gjeeaw04xf7
Now here is the "official" answer:
"I'm afraid that I agree with your friend. To my mind, the last three
of the four phrases included in the MP3 you provided are very
reminiscent melodically of Kris Kristofferson's wonderful song, "Help
Me Make It Through The Night." Importantly, the third phrase of your
tune is exactly the same as one of the phrases in Kristofferson's song
that makes it so distinctive. And all four phrases have exactly the
same rhythmic pattern as the corresponding section of Kristofferson's
song.
Although the song has been recorded hundreds of times, I had trouble
finding an audio clip that contained all four phrases (eight measures)
of that section of Kristofferson's song. The closest I could come is a
clip of a Kate Campbell recording that contains the last three of the
four phrases. Listen especially to the phrase with the lyrics "All I'm
takin' is your time," which is an exact melodic and harmonic match to
the tune you provided. Here is the clip: Tower Records: Kate Campbell:
Twang on a Wire http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=2887360
"
At least we have confirmed that you have good taste in your
unconscious musical influences. Keep composing!
markj-ga |
