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My Top 40 Happy Rhodes songs, #’s 1 – 5

Happy Rhodes with Security Project

As we explore my five favorite Happy Rhodes songs, it becomes evident as to why Building the Colossus is my favorite album. In some ways it is Happy’s more accessible album, but I guess for me, it’s her most consistent album, where I enjoy nearly all the songs. I guess I can kind of see why Happy is disappointed with the production… it might be considered over-produced by some, but for me it’s just perfect. However Building the Colossus doesn’t take the top spot. In fact, that spot goes to a song that has had three different incarnations, with The Keep‘s acoustic version being the winner. Let’s start with #5, which goes all the way back to Warpaint.

#5 – All Things (Mia Ia Io) – Warpaint (1991) There is something simple and elegant about All Things, with a single musical passage that repeats through the entire song. It’s a slow burn, percussive, almost droning line with a gorgeous propulsive bass line to power it. When Happy’s voice slides in, the deep tenor with which she sings is just over a whisper; there’s something conspiratorial about it, and it draws you in. The chorus, which is just vocalizations without meaning is Happy using her voice as another instrument to add color and texture to the song. Simple. Elegant. For me, powerful. It also represents for me, the best of Happy’s early work after she branched out of her acoustic phase. A great exploration of electronics and the expanded use of her deeper register to really broaden her musical style.

Lyrically, it seems Happy might be exploring reincarnation, or perhaps cosmic beings commenting on humanity. The line form which the title comes, “All things exist at once seems more than we can bear,” seems to suggest that we live all our many lives simultaneously. Her question to her companion, “Tell me all the plans you have for the great beyond. Will you be physical again or be a cosmic vagabond?” is what makes me think about reincarnation. Return to the corporeal realm? Or travel through the cosmos as a soul? It’s funny that my Top 5 starts with a song about souls, because it ends with one too. In a 2018 interview, when Happy was asked if her music was spiritual, she responded:

“There have been so many things I’ve experienced in my life that I feel have to come from somewhere else. There’s something else going on. You could call it quantum mechanics if you wanted to. I feel all things exist at once. I believe time is simultaneous and non-linear. I also don’t believe that our bodies die and then that’s the end of us. I believe there are other things that happen, but I can’t put my finger on any of it.”

In addition to the studio cut from Warpaint, I’ve included a live version of the song from Happy’s 2001 concert at Ectofest West. She had badly cut a tendon in her left hand the night before and couldn’t play the guitar; only the keys, but she still went on with the show, and sounds great. I do like the way they use the guitar to substitute for some of the keyboard parts.

#4 – Big Dreams, Big Life – Building the Colossus (1994) There is something so gentle and warm about this overlooked song from Building the Colossus, that to me, harkens back to Happy’s earliest work, yet shows the maturity she has attained over the years of performing. It’s a simple song with a gorgeously sung vocal against a lovely finger-picking acoustic guitar. Monica Wilson’s lovely cello enhances to the beauty of this short but dreamy song. It’s one of my favorite vocal performances from Happy’s upper register. She lets her tremolo out and the song is sung with such tenderness.

Lyrically Happy is musing on her life, how far she’s come, what it took to get her here, and how while it was hard, she wouldn’t change anything. If you have big dreams, you need to accept that your life will be big as you attain them. There’s really not too much to say about this song other than I get lost in it every time I hear it.

#3 – Collective Heart – Building the Colossus (1994) It’s hard not to love this song, which Happy Rhodes about her e-mail discussion group, Ecto, of which I am a part. In some ways, this is a pretty straightforward pop song form Happy, but from the opening piano flourishes to the beautifully, generous lyrics where she sings about getting so much positive energy from her fans, particularly those of us who are/were part of our online discussion group.

It’s also the one of her songs that she carried over to her most recent project as lead vocalist for The Security Project, a Peter Gabriel tribute band. The live version I’ve included here is a special one, because I was at the performance, and my friend Laura recorded it from the table we were sitting at. While I love this song for its positive, upbeat melody and gorgeous harmonies, it’s a difficult one to reproduce live. Happy’s layered vocal tracks really make the track pop for me, and that great piano part, which Happy usually eschews when she performs it on her own, turning it into an acoustic guitar driven track. Although, re-listening to the acoustic version from The Keep, it’s still maintains its warm beauty. That said, I like the way The Security Project maintains the original orchestrations, but they just can’t reproduce the vocals. So I’ve included the videos for the original track off Building the Colossus, the acoustic version from The Keep, and the live version with The Security Project. Enjoy!

#2 – Building the Colossus – Building the Colossus (1994) And Building the Colossus completes its sweep with its 4th song in my Top 10 (and 9th in my Top 40), the album’s title track. I love so many things about this song. I love the varied uses of her voice. I love how prog rock it is. I love the Middle Eastern feel of the bridge, and the fantastic organ part that supports that segment. I love the gorgeous coda to the song right before the final verse where it slides into that gorgeous major key. I love the incredibly clever lyrics that sound like it’s describing the building of a massive architectural tower, but it’s actually about building your self. Scot always loved this song because she uses the word “underwear.”

Many of you know, I’m not really a lyrics person, but this one is so clever and smart that you can’t resist.

“Shoring up the sides, pillars hold me up
Mortar me here, mortar me there
Gonna need stronger underwear uh-huh
to keep this spine upright
Reaching to the sky, stone by stone
A character flaw will bring it all down
Gonna have to call the mason ’round uh-huh
and sturdy up the ground.”

Then…

“I know that up is the general direction of-a where I gotta go
to get the best view, there’s a lotta rotten beams that I gotta
get rid of, gonna sheetrock up, gonna order some steel
I try to build the perfect model of-a who I wanna be
There’s an ideal person hiding, lurking, waiting inside of me .”

Many hardcore Happy fans don’t love the album Building the Colossus, and I think it’s too pop sounding for them. Happy has gone on record as stating that the album is her least favorite and she can’t listen to it. She cites that she uses electronic sounds because they sound electronic, and on BtC, they tried to use electronic instruments to emulate instruments in a way that didn’t work for her. She also stated that the album includes a few of her favorite songs, and I’d love to know which ones those were. Listening to Building the Colossus alongside all her other albums to create this list, I find that while it has the most songs in my Top 40, and obviously, my Top 10, as an album, it’s not my favorite. For me, Happy’s songwriting improves with maturity, and I think my favorite would have to be Many Worlds Are Born Tonight with an honorable mention to Find Me (Equipoise is pretty dam good too), but I can’t deny the power of all those great songs from Colossus.

#2 – Save Our Souls – The Keep/Rhodesongs/Equipoise (1995/1993/1993) Save Our Souls has long been my favorite Happy Rhodes song, but it tops my list as a very particular version of the song, and that’s the acoustic version she recorded for The Keep. The song first appeared in 1993 on Equipoise, in a much more electronic form and featuring some gorgeous Happy vocal arrangements. An acoustic version next appeared later that on Rhodesongs, Happy’s compilation album, and that spare, stripped down version was just beautiful. But when she recorded it again for The Keep, she slowed it down, and poured even more emotion into her vocal, keeping the acoustic backdrop, but adding some lovely electric washes to really create a powerfully moving song that chokes me up every time I hear it.

Lyrically Save Our Souls is a cynical look at humanity’s search for aliens, seeking them as almost salvation, or the next step in our own evolution. Yet Happy turns it around on us, singing about how we have dominated and eradicated all other species on earth and now it’s lonely at the top so we look for salvation from the stars.

“We are the number one offender of specieism and yet
Here we are reaching out for aliens,
Looking for our salvation.
Pity our emptiness.”

It’s tragic, bitter and beautiful.

Instrumentally, there is something about the chord progression Happy uses in this song that I find so emotionally moving. The fantastic use of her upper and lower registers is perfection in this song… the verses song so gorgeously using her deepest voice, and the chorus hitting the stars, presumably where the aliens are coming from to save us. I think in many ways, Save Our Souls would be best song to introduce someone to Happy because it captures all the best of her.

Naturally, for video/audio selections, I went a little crazy for this one. We start with my #1 version from The Keep, because if you only listen to one version, it’s got to be this one. Then there is a hauntingly, beautiful, live version of the song from a 1997 show at the Tin Angel in Philadelphia. This is possibly the ultimate version of the song because it does nearly everything The Keep version does, but it adds the uncannily-Happy-sounding background vocals of Kelly Bird to really allow the song to soar. Then for completists, there’s the original version from Equipoise.

And that’s it… my Top 40 Happy Rhodes songs.

One last thing about Happy. After recording 11 albums from 1986 – 2007, she retired from music, no longer recording or performing. Then, nine years later, she re-emerged as the new lead vocalist for the band, The Security Project. The band performs Gabriel’s early progressive work, generally taking material from his first four albums along with some songs from early Genesis. Band members include drummer Jerry Marotta (who played on some tracks of the latter three of Gabriel’s first four solo albums, and toured with him for ten years), Bass guitarist Trey Gunn (former member of King Crimson) and guitarist Michael Cozzi (former member of Shriekback). When Happy became lead vocalist, they began adding Kate Bush songs to their set. Happy returned in great form, sounding fantastic and performing wonderfully. It is my hope that this return, now interrupted by the pandemic, has inspired her to record and perform her own material again. To close, I have included a couple of tracks from The Security Project.

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My Top 40 Happy Rhodes songs, #’s 6 – 10

Happy

Sorry for the lengthy since my last post. Back to work in person full-time, pandemic restrictions starting to lift, a recent project where I’m filling the gaps in my movie viewing history have all kept me away from the blog for a while, but I’m back, and hoping to finish off my favorite Happy Rhodes songs soon.

With this entry, we enter my Top 10 favorites. Surprisingly, five different albums are represented, even going all the way back to 1986, and Happy’s third album, Rearmament. We haven’t had a pre-Warpaint song show up since #32’s The Revelation from Rhodes II. The remainder are taken from each of her last four studio albums.

#10 – She Won’t Go – Find Me (2007) That’s three in a row from Happy’s final album to date, and I’m not sure why that should be such a surprise as I think she just keeps getting better. Perhaps it was the lengthy span between when she recorded the songs to when she finally released them, the album sticks in my head as a compilation, when it’s not. This #10 song is the final song from Find Me, however. She Won’t Go is not one of Happy’s pretty songs, in fact it kicks off with some discordant wailing that persists throughout the track, much like the “she” referenced in the title, throwing tantrums in Happy’s mind. It’s another one of those lumbering, chunky songs that Happy does so well, and I find it rather thrilling.

Happy says of She Won’t Go, “… is a very caustic, almost abrasive-sounding song. I’m not sure I personally would want to listen to that song. I don’t even know how it happened. However, it has some of the most difficult vocal accuracy singing on it that I’ve ever had to do.” Her singing is truly on point in the song, and I like to think the “she” is the bitter, angry girl in Happy’s head who may have evolved out of the bullied child in If I Ever See the Girl Again, Musically, I love the flutter of tom’s that come in after the wailing, that then launch into full drums. The verses are delightfully atonal, with s bouncing bass line that all resolves into the grim chorus. The wailing guitars are used to great effect to had highlighting to the verses while Happy’s voice ping pongs from discordant lows to highs. It’s pretty amazing, and pretty impressive, and maybe it’s not a pleasant song, but it’s certainly a compelling one.

#9 – I Have a Heart – Rearmament (1986) Reaching way back to 1986, and Happy’s third album, which was basically part of the back catalog of songs she had written throughout her youth, there is her tender, heart-breaking ballad, I Have a Heart. Gentle finger-picking of an acoustic guitar leads to Happy’s hesitant voice… a lost lonely voice that is wrapped in some lush synth-strings, before being joined by some gorgeous harmonies. It’s a simple, straight-forward song sung by a young girl dealing with suicidal thoughts. “All I can do is beg her to stay…” is the singer’s mournful plea to her heart, which has been broken and beaten and just wants to leave. It’s hard to deny the sad beauty of the song and it’s enough to make Happy’s Top 10 here.

I’m not sure if she re-recorded the song for her Rhodesongs compilations, or just remastered the existing recording, but i suspect the former. The song sounds like it was sung by a slightly more mature Happy whose voice and grown since the initial recording. So that’s the version I’ve included below.

#8 – Pride – Building the Colossus (1994) There’s something about Pride that’s reminiscent of I Have a Heart but tonally they are nearly opposites. There is such a lovely feeling of self-acceptance in Pride, clearly written and performed by a far more mature Happy who has learned many of life’s lessons. I love how the lyrics are so tied to nature, which seems to be where she finds peace and humility. There is such a gentleness to this song, it just touches my heart. And the instrumentation, a simple blend of acoustic guitar, bass, and electric guitar washes, is gorgeous.

Now for the confession. For years… until today, actually, when I read the lyrics, I thought the first line of verse two was, “Walk on out and catch a bee in my hand…” which I loved. The lyrics are actually, “Walk on out and catch a beam in my hair…:” Okay, so it doesn’t resonate quit as much for me as what I thought, but it’s still lovely. Enjoy Pride as taken from Building the Colossus, and then from a live show at the Tin Angel in 2005.

#7 – Proof – Many Worlds Are BornTonight (1998) From the opening drumbeats, the powerful bass, and the wailing guitar licks, Proof captures me instantly. Then Happy’s deep, commanding voice starts making demands, and the chunky rhythm drives us into the song. A standout in the otherwise largely atmospheric Many Worlds Are Born Tonite, Proof seems like it belongs on Building the Colossus. I love the sparse, nearly whispered verses in contrast to the chorus, and then there’s the soaring instrumental bridge that seems like it’s swooping in from a different song.

Lyrically this one’s pretty impenetrable to me. It could be how you have to justify your life more and more as you get older, leaving the carefree days of youth behind. I’m not certain, but as a piece, it’s certainly intriguing, and the closest thing to a follow-up single to Roy that this album produce. I’ve included the original studio version along with a nice live version from 1999.

#6 – Runners – Equipoise (1993) The first track from Equipoise, Runners has the distinction of being the first song by Happy Rhodes I ever heard, and it clearly had quite an impact on me, topping the lower half of the Top 10. Despite its subject matter (which we will get to) Runners is arguably the closest that Happy has ever come to “single” material. I mean, it’s even got a pretty straight forward kick-snare action to drive it forward. Add to that a fairly traditional verse chorus structure, and some nice synths to provide the color and you’ve got alternative single written all over it. I love the gorgeous guitar lines that weave in toward the end while Happy repeats the chorus and adds her ad libs. The whole close out of the song, maybe the last minute and a half, really thrills me. Her voice is strong and commanding, and I love those soaring high notes she wails as the song fades out.

Then there are the lyrics. Runners is about the race to cheat death. There is toxicity everywhere trying to kill us. In what is surely a first for pop music, Happy sings about carcinogens, toxic dumps and malignant lumps. It’s all around us “coming around to take your (sic) heartbeat.” But as the song shift to the halfway points, Happy sings about all the things she is doing to combat the inevitability of death, from diets, to doctors, to wearing a tin hat to protect herself from the ozone. 😉 Only Happy could take such a grim topic, add some black humor, and turn it into a pop song. First I ever heard, and it’s still sticking with me.

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My Top 40 Happy Rhodes Tunes: #’s 11 – 15

Happy Rhodes

Closing in on the Top 10, we kick things off with a couple more songs from Equipoise, before mining Happy’s latest work, Many Worlds Are Born Tonight and Find Me. I think this is a really great batch of songs that shows off the wide range of musical style Happy offers. From the sweeping majesty of Serenading Genius, to the to the gentle, gothic darkness of Temporary and Eternal, which takes on another aspect in its lovely acoustic version. Let’s see what Happy shows us as we approach the top 10.

#15.) Closer – Equipoise (1993) – I’m not sure what Happy is singing about in Closer but it’s certainly pretty intense. The lyrics suggest an inspiration from another art form, perhaps a character in book that shares some sort of symbiotic relationship with another… a rather cruel master. There are definitely science fiction-spawned themes running through this song and it’s haunting yet relentless. In broader terms it could certainly be a harrowing description of child abuse. Either way it’s chilling.

Musically, the verses are curt and clipped, Happy augments the staccato lyrics with sharp piano strikes, first in line, then at odds with the singing. Again, Happy’s amazing voice is used as a musical instrument adding more punctuation to the verses. When the chorus comes, it is in stark contrast to the verses despite having the same musical background. Happy’s multi-tracked voice washes over the music gently as she sings, “I’m closer, closer than before.” What is she closer to? Listening carefully to some of the background vocals that are sometimes difficult to make out, it’s clear she is trying to escape this cruel master, and she’s getting closer “to that open door.” Kelly Bird, who supplied uncanny background vocals on some of Happy’s concert performances adds some desperate sounding vocals as the song nears its conclusion. Closer packs a powerful punch.

#14.) Temporary and Eternal – Equipoise (1993) – Immediately following Closer on the Equipoise album is Happy’s gorgeous song about death. Yes, Temporary and Eternal explores the ending of life, and the crossing over to death, in a way that is illuminating and gentle. She follows the paths of two people, a man and a woman, who reflect upon their lives at the gates of the afterlife and ponder who things would have been different if they’d had the knowledge then that they had now… how after you cross over, everything becomes clear.

Musically this song comes vividly alive for me on The Keep, where Happy performs it acoustically. Both versions are gorgeous, but there’s something about the acoustic finger-picking and guitar washes on The Keep version that really pop. Happy’s voice is solitary on this version as well, and it allows for more depth of feeling. Both songs feature a riveting chorus, where Happy plumbs her deep register to represent the approach to the afterlife. Temporary and Eternal are great words to describe this song… and I would add gentle as well. I’ve included both versions of the song below, and the acoustic version is actually a video of the live recording.

#13.) Serenading Genius – Many Worlds Are Born Tonight (1998) – Closing out the album Many Worlds Are Born Tonight, Happy performs a sweeping lullaby of sorts, Serenading Genius. Almost a continuation of Happy’s homage to those who have inspired her in Feed the Fire, Genius reveals her search for genius. A lofty word, often misconstrued, Happy just wants to improve. Her creative process is a search to improve, to always grow in her art. It’s a fairly simple, straight-forward song, but the rolling melody and Happy’s yodel break just pull you in.

This song really utilizes Happy’s many voices to create much of the texture to the song. In fact, it’s one of the few Happy Rhodes songs that I think falls a little flat when performed live. In the studio recording, Happy fills out the song with so many vocals, and the basswork by Kevin Bartlett, especially on the verses, is stellar.

#12.) Here and Hereafter – Find Me (2007) – This is one of the only love songs Happy claims to have ever written — because she doesn’t like them. Here and Hereafter definitely is a love song, as Happy sings about her person she loves makes everything a little warmer… a little brighter… but Happy being Happy, she has to through in some lines about her love dying as well. That’s the hereafter part. She sings about how she wants to follow her lover wherever they go, here or hereafter. She also sings about “the harder you love, the harder you fall,” so “this love will definitely kill me.” Come on, you don’t expect Happy to write a love song that didn’t have a dark edge, do you?

Musically, the song is joyous. Happy sings with soulful emotion, and her vocals are high up in the mix, really focusing on that vocal strength. There’s a gorgeous multi-layered vocal break leading into each chorus, with a chorus of Happys providing an exultant back-up. The bass and guitars, electric and acoustic provide a grounding counterpart to the ethereal keyboards that provide the joyous lift to match the emotions. And a great guitar solo mid-way through the song completes the picture. It’s probably one of Happy’s most straight-forward and accessible songs musically, but it is presented with such honesty and conviction that it’s difficult to resist.

#11.) One and Many – Find Me (2007) – I mentioned the crunchy rhythms that Happy used in Queen (also from this album), and here is another song that uses that lurching style. There’s something about this category of songs that Happy has written later in her career; it’s almost as if the song itself is a juggernaut-like beast pushing its way through my ears. One and Many seems to be about multiple-personality disorder and what it’s like to endure that affliction. Vocally, like in Here and Hereafter Happy’s really pushing her voice, giving it more strength and power, and utilizing that lower register really well.

I really love how all the instruments work together to propel this song forward… bass, drums, and electric guitar form the power, often echoing Happy’s vocal lines. The drums even use the snare in a way that brings a march to mind, reinforcing that lurching movement. The keyboard flourishes add texture and brightness, and Happy’s backing vocals serve to do the same, but also bring to mind the varying personalities struggling with each other, especially in the third chorus, and the strangely gentle bridge, where she explains how difficult her life is because of her affliction. I really love the unified bass, guitar and vocals to deliver main couplet of the song over and over. It’s a powerful song with great use of drums, and that wailing guitar solo that soars over the final verse really adds a lot. I’d really love to hear Happy perform this live, full throttle with a band. It would be pretty powerful.

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My Top 40 Happy Rhodes Tunes: #’s 16 – 20

Equipoise

As we crack the Top 20 we’re seeing a lot of Equipoise. Three songs from that album appear in this batch, with several more still to come! Not much else to unite these five songs, other than the otherworldly beauty of Happy’s voice. We’ve got some lovely ballads, an upbeat pop song, an inventive homage to her father and a gentle acoustic number. So like Happy to keep things ineresting.

#20.) Mother Sea – Equipoise (1993) – A haunting and somewhat mournful paen to our Mother Sea, Happy’s voice drifts above a gorgeous, simple piano accompaniment by Martha Waterman, and lush keyboard washes to provide texture. I love the changes of mood that ripple through the song. The verses have a bit of longing, or yearning laced in them, then the chorus starts off builds, calling out the power of the sea and its glories, but then it ends on a minor note and a downward cascade of piano notes while Happy sings, “I remember now, how it goes.” It’s aurally reminiscent of some the ‘Twin Peaks’ score; filled with beauty, longing, and sadness.

Mother Sea is another track taken from Equipoise, which was my first Happy Rhodes album, but it wasn’t one of the breakout songs for me. In fact, I rediscovered it’s power and beauty during my research for this list. It’s the third of eight tracks from that album on my Top 40.

#19.) Look for the Child – The Keep (1995) – Look for the Child was first released on the Ecto album, but it is the version of Happy’s The Keep album, a collection of acoustic versions of previously released songs and rarities, that makes it to my Top 20. The Ecto version is quite different, with some heavy electronic drums, and lots of layered keyboards, while on The Keep, it is the acoustic guitar that drives the song forward, with some edgy electric guitar work, and some beautiful harmonics to provide the texture. Ultimately, what launches this gorgeous song into my Top 20 is the dramatic moment mid-chorus where the songs moves from a minor to major key with some dramatic acoustic guitar strumming. When that change occurs, it just feels like my body is lifting up into the sky and the emotion rises in my heart.

Lyrically, it’s simple and beautiful. If we want to be better people, better leaders, we should look to the child, before they are taught to fear, and to hate. Someone who is free of the influence, however loving, of the people around them. The purity and innocence of a child whose curiosity and wonder rule them, would be the qualities we would want in our leaders. Sadly, we very quickly learn to purge that out of our characters. I’ve included a live version of the song as well, because it features Kelly Bird, who toured with Happy for a while, recreating her uncanny vocal harmonies so beautifully.

#18.) Out Like a Lamb – Equipoise (1993) – Family relationships always make for good song-writing fodder, and with Out Like a Lamb, Happy explores the relationship she had with her father. It’s an interesting song, both musically and lyrically and certainly one of the many high points on Equipoise (there are still lots more to come). Lyrically, there definitely seems to be some ambivalence in the lyrics, and it’s definitely exploring the relationship from an adult point of view looking back on what seemed like an absent father situation. I like the fluctuations in the chorus, with the lyrics sometimes declaring, “He’ll call me when he’s back in town, this I know,” and alternatively, the less assured, “He’ll call me when he’s back in town, surely.” And other lyrics certainly imply an initial bravado that would lead to a hasty departure… the classic in like a lion, out like a lamb, scenario. What’s fascinating was reading one fan’s interpretation that the song is about a serial killer sung from the point of view of an admirer, or perhaps his next victim. Fascinating the different ways we can interpret a song.

Musically I like militant snare drum enhancing the mood and the subtle use of bagpipes must surely be representative of the family heritage, but it sounds cool, and avoids the traditional sound one might expect. The keyboard work is fantastic, with multiple textures to denote the conflicting feelings, the strong piano chords, the percussive opening, the airy synth washes. As ever, Happy fills the song with varies tones and moods, a perfect complement to what was clearly a complex relationship. It certainly speaks to the maturing of Happy’s talents not only as a songwriter, but as a musician and a recording engineer.

#17.) Hold Me – Building the Colossus (1994) – Life is hard, and despite mustering all the confidence you can, sometimes you get worn down and you just need someone to hold you. That’s the basic, but universal truth being stated in Happy’s Building the Colossus opener, Hold Me. There are lots of things I like about Hold Me, besides its intricate arrangements, and accessible melody (this is nearly a traditional pop song!), but most of all, this song is a really great showcase for Happy’s voice, featuring all three of her traditional modes of singing. I read that one person thought Hold Me was a duet between Annie Lennox and Kate Bush, which is fairly amusing, given I don’t think either of them could plumb the depths of Happy’s lower register.

Happy’s three voices include her elfin soprano, something that sounds like it should be coming out of the faerie folk, rather than a grown woman; her deep, otherworldly voice, that surely is far below an alto, or possibly even a tenor, approaching baritone levels; and finally, her bold, strong alto where she can string with strength and power, or with fragility and emotion. The opening verse and chorus feature Happy’s soprano, rolling over your hears like the chirps of a songbird. When the bridge hits, you have Happy’s alto boldly singing about her confidence, and being echoed back to her by that insanely deep, otherworldly voice. It’s hard to wrap your head around, but it’s a special talent that makes Happy so unique. On a side note, love David Torn’s ripping electric guitar solo towards the songs end.

I’ve included a live version of Hold Me as well, because it’s such a different arrangement, focusing more on the acoustic guitar than the keyboards, and shows off Happy’s skill as a songwriter as it still holds up remarkably well.

#16.) He Will Come – Equipoise (1993) – Here is Happy’s precursor to The Flight a duology about a vampire and his vampire hunter lover. He Will Come is the precursor to The Flight, which was #30 on my Happy Top 40, and it’s where an ancient vampire first sees Gabrielle, the woman who he recognizes will one day end his immortal existence and end his undying pain. Lots of beautiful imagery in the lyrics about these star-crossed lovers, with lovely music to match.

The keyboard washes and percussion provided by Rhodes and Kevin Bartlett sets the perfect tone, with the synths mimicking strings through the chorus. Add in some truly lovely acoustic guitar work by Chuck D’Aloia, and this gentle yet sweeping tune conjures visits of Gabrielle dancing while the Count looks on. Sweet and simple with delicate beauty.

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My Top 40 Happy Rhodes Tunes: #’s 21 – 25

Happy Performing Live

Sorry the longish break, but welcome to the newly migrated Justgiblets.com! Had to change my webhosting platform, but fortunately everything seems to have gone just fine. So we’re back looking at my favorite Happy Rhodes tunes, entering the Top 25 this week! Things almost start to get arbitrary here, with the order really reflecting my tastes of the day, I think. All the songs from here on in are just that good. This batch of songs also sees the first appearance of songs from Find Me, the last album Happy recorded of her own material, way back in 2007! (Too long, Ms. Rhodes).

#25.) Play the Game – Equipoise (1993) – I love the sincerity and earnestness that Happy tackles gender roles and identity in Play the Game. It’s pretty direct with its message, almost to the point of treacly, but the simple keyboard arrangement, and the gentle manner in which Happy delivers the melody are undeniably beautiful. I always liked how she points out the difficulties of both genders…

“If I have to be pretty to be liked
Then I think I’m dead in the water
I never want to have to be like the boys
To be allowed to play with the toys”

And it’s a bit of a throwback musically, with Happy on keyboards, and Kevin Bartlett on percussion, but it augments the simpleness of the song that belies the message.

#24.) Warpaint – Warpaint (1991) – It’s mind-boggling, that Happy Rhodes fifth album was recorded and released THIRTY YEARS AGO! I was still two years away from discovering her, but as I’ve mentioned before, Warpaint was the first album Happy conceived of as a piece, rather than just a collection of recorded songs from her past. It’s also the first album for which she used musicians other than herself, and you can feel the change, especially on the title track. Sure the tribal drums and percussion were handled by Ms. Rhodes (programmed or otherwise), but the sinuous guitar parts courtesy of Happy’s new producer, Kevin Bartlett, and that gorgeous fretless bass by Bob Van Detta add the perfect texture fo Happy’s keys.

The song, Warpaint is a powerful one, whether you interpret the lyrics that include references to warpaint, eagles, and the warpath, to apply it to the near genocide of Native Americans, and their resistance, or take it broader, and how experience and the past are represented as the lines on your face, and prepare you for the battles you will inevitably face as you move through life. I love the passion in Happy’s voice on this one too, especially the last few lines of the live version when she sings “I fight to the death.” In a sense, isn’t life one big fight? One struggle to survive? I’ve included a lovely live rendition of Warpaint along with the audio track. I love how so much of Happy’s work is keyboard washes, and when she performs lives, she often replaces those with acoustic guitar, and it still works.

#23.) Fall – Find Me (2007) – The first song to appear in my Top 40 from Happy’s most recent album is a gentle song about passing. Whether it’s about a person dying, or the passing of a season is up for interpretation. On first read, the lyrics seem pretty clear that something is ending, and it very well could be a person’s life. But there are a lot of references that could be pointing to a seasonal transition, spring/summer turning over to fall/winter. There is reference to gardens, cold, moss, moon… all referencing the cycle of time. I really love how Happy writes lyrics that can be open to many interpretations.

Musically, this one really grabs me. I always love a descending melodic progression, and Happy augments that falling melody that she’s singing with some lonely piano notes. (In fact, it’s very reminiscent of one of my favorite Emm Gryner songs, Visiting Hours – ranked at #11 in my Emm Top 40 – which is also about someone dying.) Fall has that same gentleness in the music and the way Happy sings it. I love the gorgeous interplay between the finger-picking of the acoustic guitar, and the spare and haunting, but somehow (for me) comforting piano part. And I love the tenor of Happy’s voice in the final verse.

#22.) Many Worlds Are Born Tonight – Many Worlds Are Born Tonight (1998) – The title track to Happy’s 1988 album, Many Worlds Are Born Tonight is a sonic epic. From the strange scuttling sounds that start the song, I just get drawn right in. Then Happy’s voice, used as a tapestry against which the song will be sung.The layering of the keyboards, Kevin Bartlett’s e-Bow, and the many vocal parts that Happy offers creates a gorgeous sonic pallet. The sounds she creates with her voice are so lush and full, supporting her vaguely inspiring, vaguely cautionary lyrics. In fact, the song ends with the growl of a beast, so I’m left with conflicting thoughts on its meaning.

The song starts off as an exploration of inspiration, or energizing, or a call to live and feel to the fullest, explore the wonders and scary spaces in your head — ‘If you want, then want a lot…’ Happy says, but embrace yourself in your alone time as well: ‘Turns the lights out for a while, and have a rock with the solitude.’ To me it feels like a very uplifting song, and so gorgeously constructed. It sneaks up on you though… I overlooked it for years before really discovering it’s beauty.

#21.) Queen – Find Me (2007) – Queen catches me right from the intro, with those intricate layered harmonies, and Happy’s declaration that she is my queen. Then the song launches into those crunchy rhythms… there are a series of Happy songs that have a similar rhythm that I refer to as crunchy. The song has the feel of a lumbering beast. There’s something about that feel that I love. Another stand-out about Queen are definitely Happy’s vocals. From the layered textures she constructs from her voice, to the afore-mentioned harmonies, to the ping-ponging between registers. Add to that those sustained electric guitar wails, and you’ve got a powerful song that draws you in and thrills your senses.

Lyrically there’s a lot going on, as usual. The narrator is professing her loyalty as a queen, and calling forth lost souls that she will support. Toward the end of the song though, she talks about how wearing it’s been and she can no longer do it. Not sure if this is about a particular character, or an allegory for Happy’s position as a musician with admirers.Either way it works well, but this one is all about the music and production for me.