FEEL THE GROOVE

The music of language: Do you know these 10 phrases with musical origins?

Image: Jens Thekkeveettil

Music is truly an essential part of our daily lives. Think about that amazing playlist that helps you get to work, or that soundtrack that gives you goosebumps when you watch your favorite movie. You don’t really need to go far to find a way in which music impacts your life. In fact, can you do the exact opposite? Can you think back to a time when music wasn’t there for you? Probably not.

Music influences almost every single aspect of our modern world, and our language is no exception. We have gathered ten of our favorite musical terms that have found their way into becoming everyday words.

Image: John Matychuk

We are starting this list with a rather well-known word. The word "gig" refers to a job, usually a single-time event for which a musician or performer receives payment. Nowadays, the word is not only limited to the world of music: the phrase "gig economy" is commonly used by economists to refer to a labor market heavily influenced by freelance and part-time jobs.

The first use of this word comes from the Roaring Twenties and the world of jazz, used to refer to clubs and spots where bands would regularly play. However, should you check in a dictionary, you would find at least three more definitions for "gig", including a two-wheeled carriage, a fast and narrow boat, and a fishing device similar to a harpoon.

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Picture a sappy soap opera that maybe turned into somewhat of a guilty pleasure, or on a throw pillow filled with flowers sewn by your grandma. The word schmaltz, meaning something extremely sentimental or florid, could be used to describe these things.

Curiously, schmaltz comes from shmalts, the Yiddish word for clarified fat, a common ingredient in traditional Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine. The word found its way into the English language in the 1930s. It was first used by musicians and journalists to refer to music "thickened" with over-sentimentality.

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We have all done this, from the fresh-faced intern trying to impress his unmoving boss, to a five-year-old yelling, "Look how fast I can run!" The idiom "to toot your own horn" speaks about humankind’s need to be liked, which inexplicably drives us to speak boastfully about ourselves.

Before this idiom took the form we know now, it was phrased as "blow your own trumpet", and its first use comes from the King James Bible. Historians believe that the trumpet in the saying was blown to indicate the arrival of royalty with a fanfare of horns. In the United States, the phrase became popular after it was used in the letters between John Adams and James Warren.

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The adjective "far-out" describes something excellent or unconventional. Most of the time, it is used for something truly groundbreaking that encompasses both meanings. The first recorded use of this word comes from the 1950s, in journalistic pieces related to daring jazz musicians. These magazines tried to include the new lexicon used by the jazz world and made words like "cats" and "far-out" available to the general public.

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We all wish that old age finds us "fit as a fiddle": energetic, robust, and in good health. We marvel at the inexplicable vigor that a senior relative of ours seems to pull out of thin air, but have you ever stopped to consider what that expression actually means?

We all know that fiddle is another word for violin, but what does this four-string instrument have to do with good health? Well, the explanation comes from a change of meaning in the word "fit." Variants of this phrase can be traced back to the 17th century when the word "fit" meant "suitable" or "fit to be used."

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You might be surprised to learn that a word you probably used as a kid to describe how you felt about broccoli comes from jazz music. Used both as an adjective and as a noun, "icky" was used by jazz aficionados to describe sentimental or sappy pieces, while an icky person was someone with controversial taste in music. Over time, the word evolved to include everything that we consider disgusting or offensive.

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This idiom might transport you to the warm and dazzling streets of Buenos Aires. You might even hear the music that carries both you and the dance partner of your choosing through the synchronized beauty that is tango. While this is truly a pleasant image, it is worth mentioning that this idiom is used to convey a feeling of responsibility: like in tango, both parties are equally responsible for the outcome of a situation.

The arrival of this idiom to the United States can be traced back to the 1952 song "Takes Two to Tango", made famous by American actress and singer Pearl Bailey. Thirty years later, President Ronald Reagan brought the phrase back into the spotlight after a news conference in which he used the idiom to refer to American-Russian relations.

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Confronted by a broken vase or window while you were a kid, you might have been advised by a sibling to "face the music" and confess to your parents about this mishap. This idiom means accepting the consequences of your actions, and its origins are still disputed. The most accepted theory believes that it comes from the theater, particularly from New England actors during the 19th century. These actors would face the orchestral pit while performing: facing the music (and the audience) could be interpreted as a way to describe stage fright.

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This idiom, which means to overdo something or to spare no expense, doesn’t really seem to come from the musical world. The image it brings to mind seems closer to a speeding car and overlooked stop signs, so you might be surprised to learn that this phrase comes from pipe organs. The stops in question are in fact a series of knobs that control the volume of an organ. Therefore, pulling all the stops would raise the instrument to maximum volume, and produce a powerful blast of sound.

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A square person is, to put it simply, someone boring: A square might dress conservatively, and have a conventional taste or demeanor. It was first used in the 1930s, as a derogatory term for those that don’t enjoy jazz music. More recently, the band Huey Lewis and the News brought this term back into fashion with their 1986 hit song "Hip to Be Square."

ECHOES OF GENIUS

10 Hit Songs That Sound Suspiciously Similar

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They say that bad artists imitate, but it takes a great artist to make something new out of the work of others. In the world of music, the thin line between inspiration and plagiarism is often full of controversy, even when the similarities were not intended.

Whether it's a coincidence or something more deliberate, these 10 hit songs bear striking resemblances to each other, making us wonder if imitation truly is the sincerest form of flattery.

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Is a sample plagiarism? Well, this iconic case brought the discussion to the mainstream in the early 90s, when there still wasn’t any legal protocol established to let artists reuse portions of others' recordings. To the bemusement of Queen members, Vanilla Ice lifted the entire bass line from Queen’s hit "Under Pressure" for his single "Ice Ice Baby." After the ensuing legal battle settled, Brian May declared that the whole thing might actually have been good in the end for the band, as it exposed them to a younger audience.

Image: Danny Lechanteur, CC BY-SA 3.0

Another early case of sampling gone wrong, The Verve brought the ire of the Rolling Stones on themselves after using a part of an orchestral rendition of The Rolling Stones' "The Last Time" for their hit song "Bitter Sweet Symphony." The songwriter was actually denied any royalties for two decades due to the dispute. Kind of a tragic outcome since the band turned out to be a one-hit-wonder.

Image: Jim Summaria, CC BY-SA 3.0

This one was mostly hyped by the media, but the similarities between the two songs got fans wondering if the legendary rock band would take legal action against the popular boy band. Both songs feature the same chords and a prominent synthesizer riff that drives the melody, creating an anthemic feel. But the Who were quick to dismiss the drama, arguing that all pop music sounds similar since its beginnings, and even joked on their website:

"It’s unlikely that die-hard Who fans will consider ‘Best Song Ever’ to be the best song ever, even if it is. Nor, though, is it likely that many will cry or raise an eye at this story. It is, after all, only Tweet Age Wasteland."

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Bruno Mars's "Locked Out of Heaven" is more a case of channeling the spirit of a beloved band than of plagiarism. Critics were quick to notice the similarities, and Bruno Mars outright admitted to being a fan of Sting’s electrifying songwriting, but stated that he didn’t intend to sound like him. And being influenced, at least in part, by the same musical genres - reggae, pop rock, new wave, and funk - comparisons were natural.

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Sublime's "What I Got" quite obviously draws inspiration from The Beatles' 1968 single "Lady Madonna," particularly in its rhythm-driven structure and main melody. However, while The Beatles' track exudes a vintage rock 'n' roll charm, Sublime infuses their ska punk sensibilities into the mix, resulting in a fresh yet familiar sound. In any case, they weren’t the first nor the last band to be heavily influenced by the legendary Fab Four.

Image: Leeann Cafferata from Washington DC and Akershus, Norway, CC BY 2.0

Though it may come as a surprise to many, Dolly Parton is actually a big fan of Led Zeppelin.

The lead chord progression of her 1975 hit "We Used To" mirrors Zeppelin’s most famous song, "Stairway to Heaven", even sharing some of the melancholic themes of the original song. Fortunately for Parton’s fans, the band never took legal action against her, and in 2002 she received the band’s blessing to record a cover of the song, showing that they are on good terms.

Image: Takahiro Kyono from Tokyo, Japan, CC BY 2.0

While Tom Petty's "Mary Jane's Last Dance" and Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Dani California" differ in lyrical content and vocal style, both tracks share a gritty, bluesy rock sound. But what raised some eyebrows is the fact that Frusciante’s guitar part sounds highly similar to the Heartbreakers piece. However, Tom Petty himself put the matter to bed soon after the song was released, doubting that there was any malicious intent behind the similarities, and pointing out that a lot of great rock songs sound alike.

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Right after release, Coldplay's anthemic "Viva la Vida" drew comparisons to Joe Satriani's "If I Could Fly," leading to much speculation and a subsequent lawsuit. The case received a lot of attention in the media, and Coldplay straight out denied any intentional plagiarism, going as far as to say that Satriani’s song was the one that lacked originality. Ultimately, the demand was settled under an unknown arrangement, with Coldplay not having to acknowledge Satriani’s song as an influence, suggesting that the similarities were likely just a coincidence.

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Both Madonna's "Express Yourself" and Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" are anthems of empowerment and self-expression. Gaga's track, however, drew criticism for its similarities to Madonna's hit, both in terms of musical structure and thematic content, sparking heated online debates about the difference between a homage and a ripoff. While the Queen of Pop teased Gaga for the similarities on a few occasions, she eventually recognized that it was likely more of a loving nod to her work than any form of plagiarism.

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Shania Twain's "C'est la Vie" quite clearly echoes the infectious disco groove of ABBA's "Dancing Queen," with both songs featuring an almost identical hook. However, this was hardly concealed by the artist, a huge ABBA fan herself. As a matter of fact, she even reached out to Björn Ulvaeus, one of ABBA’s original members, to co-produce a musical out of her songs.