I'm a real fan of prog rock, so intricate compositions, out-there solos, deep lyrics, changes in tempo, signature and style all fit into what I like in a song. But I'm also aware that sometimes the opposite can be just as effective. Sometimes you don't
need all the hi-tech wizardry and mile-a-minute lyrics, the sagas and epics, the fiddly guitars and extended keyboard solos, ten changes of pace within one song. Sometimes, like the title says, it's better, even advisable to keep it simple.
This all came to me when I listened to a song I've loved for years, but only really listened to in terms of its composition recently. It's by a band called the Korgis: you probably know it. It was their big (only) hit single, but it's so simple and stripped-down it's almost amazing, when you start deconsructing the song.
Everybody's got to learn sometime --- The Korgis --- 1980
Music and lyrics by James Warren
It has only four lines. That's all. Four. In total. And one of them serves as the chorus. The whole chorus. The same melody plays throughout the song, and the only real deviation from it is in the middle, where the bridge is taken by a sumptuous sax solo. The first two lines are essentially the same, with the replacement of one word, and the fourth, the title, is the chorus. You wouldn't think it would work, but it does. One verse, one chorus, one verse, one chorus, bridge and final chorus. And that's it.
A simple, almost insanely simple piano line opens the song, then a little synth run, the addition of some guitar notes and a sitar (sounds like), the keys getting a little more solid as the piano fades a little into the background. Then you hear the drums for the first time (if they've been there previously they've been very quiet) and then the superb sax break with synth backing, and then keys and the sitar to fade. Just wonderful.
It's a short enough song, but the impression it leaves is long-lasting, and if any song is an exercise in peeling away the fat and only leaving the bones, this is it. But it's an incredible little tune, which really passes you by on most levels until you start to think about it, and then, wow!
Here it is, for you to sample, and remember how it's constructed, and then listen to how it turns out. Without question, as in most things in life, the simplest way is often the best.