Weekly Billboard — Meant To Be
About a year ago, a record label vice president told me, “Country is the future”. He was on to something. Let’s not waste any time and start looking at what he was talking about by looking at “Meant To Be”.
Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line
Key: Eb Major
Tempo: 77 BPM
Last week I had mentioned how I’d do a short write up. It didn’t really happen. But this time that’ll probably actually happen! Anyways, let’s talk about why I heard that “country is the future”. He was referencing how country music songs are to the point. This is something I’ve been writing about for months but quit wasting my time and trim the fat! Yes, one of my all-time favorite songs is just shy of six minutes but we are talking about chart-toppers here. Pop music and hip-hop move incredibly fast these days so you’re getting the highest ROI possible by making a shorter song. “Meant To Be” clocks in at 2:44. Love it. Need it.
Ya know how I used that fancy business term up there? Well let’s take a look at the chords of the song as well. What are some of the most common chords that I’m always talking about? I and IV, definitely. Guess what, they’re there. As a matter of fact, every gosh dang phrase ends ends with IV then I. This is a plagal cadence. A cadence is like a period for a musical sentence a plagal cadence is a specific type. This is an easy way to tie everything together and make things VERY digestible. There’s three main chord patterns throughout the song. I’m not going to bother notating them out because they’re all pretty similar and if you really want to learn them here’s a great video for ya. When I say “they’re all pretty similar” I mean that they use the same several chords in a different order. This is smart musical recycling and a great way to make a lot out of a little. Once again, great return on investment.
Another reason that this song is such a money maker? I find it to be one of the most successful combinations of country and hip-hop. Don’t get it twisted. I LOVE “Cruise”. And “House Party”. That song rips. But “Cruise” is a country song with Nelly slapped onto it and “House Party” is a country / top 40 masterpiece. But we’re here to talk about “Meant To Be” so that’s what we’ll do. I think this song excels at floating between the two genres because of the piano intro. When you think country, do you automatically think of piano? No, but it’s absolutely appropriate. When you think hip-hop, does your mind go to piano? Probably not, but there’s plenty of example where it works. With “Cruise” and “House Party” we IMMEDIATELY hear some type of twangy guitar. This firmly establishes us in country land. “Meant To Be” takes a different route and is successful because of this. Yes, I understand that one of the dudes from Florida Georgia Line (I don’t know the difference) starts singing and we’re dragged south of the Mason-Dixon Line but we it doesn’t seem like we’re forcing hip-hop elements into a country song. The kick / snap pattern feels appropriate. Heck, the song is halfway over when we get that trap hi-hat pattern.
Most of “Meant To Be” is simple. Simple melody, simple lyrics, simple concept. But simple WORKS! Simple is catchy, simple is memorable, simple is relatable. If you listen closer to the song you’ll notice more guitars, organs, vocal harmonies and counter melodies. The song progresses brilliantly and this is a rare case that I think this song could be longer. Toss a rap verse in before that final chorus? Huge market for this song. It’s no surprise that it’s a hit.
Okay, this was actually a short one. I haven’t been listening to much music this past week but I got to see Lydia over the past weekend and they’re as great as they ever were so you should check them out.
Not gonna lie. I audibly said, “Woo yeah baybay!” when I looked at the charts to see what I’d be writing about next week. Drake, Ed Sheeran, and Bruno Mars are still one, two, and three. This should be no surprise. What IS surprising is that “Meant To Be” passed Post Malone! Truly shocking. But what is next at number six? “The Middle” by Zedd. This song rips. I had actually recommended listening to it a few weeks ago. So next week I get to dive into why I like the song so much! See ya then!
