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.
