Musical Analysis

Following my introduction to Shaw at the Kanye concert in Oakland, I decided to look more into her music once I fell in love with her beautiful rendition of Kanye’s “Only One.” I came across a piece by her that is as challenging as the many projects and ideas Kanye has taken on himself.

8 voices. 1 beautiful piece. There is no word other than “mesmeric” that can better describe Caroline Shaw’s “Allemande” from Partita for 8 voices. The many harmonious layers in the sound, the left and right movement of the voice when wearing headphones, along with the persistent drone-like voice in certain parts of the piece come together to form a piece that is mesmerizing to a listener. For me, the initial strangeness, a deviation from music I am normally acquainted with, lured me in to better understand the piece. Shaw’s “Allemande” stretches the limits of the human voice, utilizing it as a tool, stretching and shaping it to create sounds more beautiful than those of instruments.

Allemande is a French word for “German dance”, which was popular during the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The piece itself seems to aim at creating a scene of an allemande dance. The song opens with phrases such as “to the side” and “through the middle” being repeated, with the sound being layered one on top of another. The words create a sense of instruction yet chaos; Shaw is guiding the dancer on how to move within the dance but there seems to be no coherence amongst the individual dancers. Finally, we see a sudden shift with a voice that starts an eight count. It is at this moment, that the phrases become more complex and the sound becomes powerful. The voices sing “through the midpoint” and “of the line drawn”, which are much more descriptive in nature. The voices rise in unison to the rising level of instruction and now a harmony is found. The voices come together in a mesmerizing climax of the voice; it’s much easier and almost inevitable to having a visualization of individual dancers moving in unison within the patterns of a square. The combination of the voices and the word painting as a result from it, help to highlight Shaw’s ability in painting a vivid scene with nothing more than eight human voices.

Following the loud and powerful part, the voices once again give more detailed phrases like “ a square divided horizontally and diagonally.” Once again all the voices and the individual dancers come together in unison in a beautiful layering of voices. After this, the voices are still in unison but lose power. The sound begins to sound divine like, almost out of this world. It’s as if you can quite literally hear the singer change his mouth from an “ahhh” to a more “ohhh” sound. At around 1:45, this is when the phrase “The detail of the pattern is movement” is repeated numerous times and this helps to give insight into the meaning of the piece as a whole. I believe Shaw is attempting to suggest the beauty in the voices and the dance in unison. With a background drone like sound persisting for a while, ultimately stopping and then picking back up again, it’s as if the dancers are coming to a rest, and finally to a complete rest when the drone disappears. “The detail of the pattern is movement” is used to show how even when the dancers have come to almost a “freeze”, the overall image of the dancers is still one full of movement. The dancer, who were dancing in a rectangle-like shape, as the voice instructed, must have frozen in that shape as well, thus showing movement through the lines and shapes they create. The movement of the piece and the voice of the singers come together in unison to create a surreal visualization. The voice and visuals seem to be able to find a way to combine stillness and movement.

Following this, we hear a similar union of the voices but the more drastic change occurs around the 3:28 mark. The tone and mood of the piece seem to have changed and the rhythm has changed to a slower persistent sound. Whereas in the beginning there was a consistent layering of the voices, now there seems to only be persistent male drone voice in the background with female voices dominating in the foreground. The phrase that is repeated is “round and around” and it seems that the voices have once again found a union that is different than the previous one. The first one was a powerful energy driven one, yet this one is a more surreal and calm union. It’s the beautiful climax of the piece, with everything falling into place before the close.

The conclusion is a persistent drone-like, very low-level noise, which comes after a complete pause for air. The voices seem to be tired and failing; Shaw has stretched and manipulated the human voice beyond the limits we are normally used to. Visually, I see it as the dancers once again coming to a stop, the dance is over and the image I see is a slow descent of the dancers to the ground. The sudden breath of air near the end is the moment at which the dancers have come to a complete rest, with the very short drone sound that follows symbolizing that while the dance has ended, it is nonetheless still beautiful.

While strange to listen through for the first time, the piece definitely has certain parts of it that are reminiscent of pieces I have heard in my Music 27 class I’m currently enrolled in. One of the first comparisons I found is to the medieval chants I listened to. The ending of Shaw’s piece, with the divine and drawn out notes, along with the drone like sounds, sound very similar to the sounds in “In Paridisum.” Both pieces sound very holy and divine with lots of drawn out notes and are used in order to show the harmony and beauty in the human voice. They are both very smooth and have a spiritual quality—passionate yet serene. The song also has qualities from “Rector Potens, Veras Deum”, where there are multiple voices singing together, yet we are surprised near the end where even more voices come together in unison to create a powerful sound.

In my discussion section for Music 27, I learned about Robert Schumann’s “Carnaval”, which brought together 21 different “characters” in order to speak about gender issues. In the same way, Shaw seems to have brought together 8 voices in order to paint a scene. Both pieces use more than one voice to help paint the scene or develop a theme. What’s interesting about both of them is that they leave a lot of the interpretation to the listener. While I may have this interpretation of the piece, another listener may see Shaw’s piece as meaning something completely different. The same goes for “Carnaval.”

However, one of the biggest differences is the style of the piece as a whole. There aren’t concrete lyrics that tell a story; instead, it’s more high level and artistic. If one were to read some of the lyric sheets for other pieces I listened to in my music class, they might get a good idea of what the piece is about but with Shaw’s “Allemande”, it’s almost impossible to understand without hearing the eight voices. Another style that is new is the break from tradition. A lot of the pieces I listened to in my class seemed to be “safe” and didn’t challenge drastically the conventions of the time. Whereas, Shaw’s piece does exactly that.

This song stuck out to me in a strange way. I normally would have never even considered listening to Shaw’s music, had I not gone to the Kanye concert and see her beautifully perform one of my favorite Kanye songs. Shaw has shown that in an era where we’re so accustomed to loving songs for the beat and rhythm they have, we’re missing what makes a song beautiful: the voice. Shaw forces the human voice to its limit in a way that is new to people. It certainly is provocative and not something that everyone may enjoy; yet for those who have even the slightest interest in music, it speaks levels about the role of voice in music. It’s different. It’s strange. It’s unique. Yet, it’s powerful. Shaw’s “Allemande” uses musical techniques, such as layers and repetitions, to allow the voice to paint pictures and create the mood. While chaotic at first, the voice and the movement of the dance come together as one by the end of the piece, creating a beautiful and mesmeric piece.

Contrary to the numerous other shows in his tour, Kanye seems to have deviated from what is normal at his shows and for the first time, he brought out a supporting artist at his show. The singer, known as Caroline Shaw, performed a rendition of Kanye’s “Only One” and I have to say it was absolutely beautiful. Never before have I seen a human voice be able to communicate such emotion and it fit the emotions of a song so perfectly. I’m intrigued by her voice and interpretation of the piece and look forward to looking more into her music and see why my favorite artist might have possibly chosen to collaborate with her, instead of someone more well known to the average listener, on his tour.

I recently learned that Shaw provides the vocals to the ending of “Father Stretch my Hands Pt. 2.”

I also found this remastered version released by Kanye himself last year of his song “Say You Will”that was released 8 years ago on his album 808’s and Heartbreak. The song features vocals and production credits from Shaw.

I’ve attached some images by and of me from the show below to the readers who requested some shots from the show.

Look out for a feature blog post including more information of Shaw’s work. It’ll be interesting to see how Kanye collaborates with her in the future.

 

“Blood on the Leaves” is more than just another song by an artist. The song is a daring social commentary about slavery, society, relationships and death. The song features a sample of “Strange Fruit” by Nina Simone.

West was quoted as always wanting to use that specific sample in a song but was never sure how to until Yeezus came along. The sample beautifully ties together aspects of hate and racism with slavery and death. Just as the song is a cry about past and failed relationships, it also addresses the relationship between slavery and society today. Lyrics from the song can be found on the other track of the album, “New Slaves”. West is depicting how society, specifically African Americans, are still slaves to the corrupt corporations so they can show their wealth.

In the opening verses of the song, West describes a crippling relationship that fell to fame. West fell in love with a woman before she gained the fame of being with him. His lover had to go and tell everybody about their love and he is reflecting upon how he enjoyed the love they had before the whole world was consumed by and aware of their relationship. The cry “We could’ve been somebody”, is nothing more than West yearning for what could have been. Unfortunately, their love had succumbed to materialism and now what was once two people showing one another off, it is now to slaves showing off their materialistic things.

“Blood on the Leaves” is an energy packed song. The very elements of its music and rhythm, a calm and mellow opening, reflects the relationship before the fame and society before materialism gained momentum. The drop symbolizes the demise of the relationship and built up frustration West had towards his woman. It also portrays his critique of society for falling in submission to materialistic wealth when it has no value beyond in the eyes of others. The end of the song is reflective and not upbeat compared to the middle; it is West feeling alone and lost in this world, yearning to find the love he once valued before the fame.

“Hell of a Life” sounds absurd on purpose. On My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye shifts between insecurity and ego, confession and spectacle, but this track dives straight into excess. The production is loud and distorted, almost industrial at points, borrowing more from rock than traditional hip hop. From the first few seconds, it feels aggressive and slightly out of control, which matches the mindset he is portraying.

The premise is deliberately outrageous. Kanye fantasizes about marrying a porn star and living out a hyper sexual, fame fueled dream. At face value, it plays like pure indulgence. But the hook, “Have you lost your mind? Tell me when you think we crossed the line,” complicates that fantasy. There is an awareness that something about this lifestyle is unstable. The phrase “hell of a life” carries two meanings at once. It suggests excitement and luxury, but it also hints at chaos and consequences. That tension gives the song depth.

The sexual imagery is extreme, yet it fits the aesthetic of this era. Around the release of the album, Kanye leaned into dramatic visuals that mixed classical art influences with blatant nudity and controversy. The song reflects that same mix of high concept and paparazzi energy. It feels glamorous and reckless at the same time, which mirrors the album’s larger portrayal of fame.

There is also a connection to 808s and Heartbreak in the way he frames intimacy. Even in this exaggerated fantasy, relationships feel unstable. Desire comes across as obsessive rather than romantic. The excitement is real, but so is the sense that it cannot last. Whether listeners read the lyrics as referencing specific women in his life or as fictional exaggeration, the emotional pattern stays consistent.

Within the context of MBDTF, “Hell of a Life” represents the most extreme version of celebrity indulgence. The album constantly questions whether fame elevates a person or simply amplifies their flaws. This track leans toward amplification. The success is bigger, the pleasure is louder, and the consequences feel heavier. By the end, there is no clear moral or resolution. The fantasy remains thrilling and destructive, and that unresolved tension between the two ideas is what makes the song ultimately stick.

Personally, this track includes one of the greatest sample flips of Kanye’s career, a masterclass in production.

No title of any song in all off Kanye’s discography better sums up the overall mood of not only the album to which it belongs but also the time feelings Kanye had when composing the album, “Welcome to Heartbreak” is a song of self-realization, one that reflects on Kanye’s past and future; it’s a realization that fame isn’t what he painted it out to be when he was still a rising star.

The song begins with Kanye recalling an encounter with a friend of his, in which he is shown pictures of his children, or in general, family, buy Kanye is only able to show pictures of his material possessions like cars and houses. The friend, who may not even be rich, has the joy of raising a family, something that Kanye seems to yearn for at this point in his life. With his recent breakup and the death of his mother, Kanye is at a point in his life where he realizes that what made him happy wasn’t the success of his albums or is wealth, but rather the supports from the people he loves. This type of mindset is evident in his later albums and especially The Life of Pablo, where Kanye prides himself on his family and the support they have given him through the years.  

The hook of the song features Kid Cudi singing “and my head keeps spinning, can’t stop havin these visions”, indicating that Kanye is in a dark time in his life. Even though he understands what he may truly want in his life now, he can’t seem to get over the losses he has endured. The song is titled “Welcome to Heartbreak” because heartbreak involves more than just one’s heart breaking due to a certain event, it involves self-blame, self-realization, and the struggle to recover. As the second song of the album, it sets the tone for how the rest of the songs should be listened to in the album; the album isn’t concert music or feel good music but rather poetic and therapeutic. It’s a cry from Kanye to his listener to understand his pain and try to avoid the depression he has encountered.

On Graduation, a lot of the songs are designed to feel massive. They are loud, polished, and clearly meant for arenas. “Everything I Am” stands out because it pulls back from that scale. The beat is simple and almost muted compared to the rest of the album, which makes the lyrics feel more exposed. Instead of chasing a huge hook or dramatic production, Kanye lets the song breathe, and that shift in tone makes it feel more personal.

The hook, “Everything I’m not, made me everything I am,” sounds simple at first, but it carries a lot of meaning. It reflects years of criticism about what Kanye supposedly lacked as a rapper. He was never the stereotypical street figure, and he did not present himself that way. Rather than trying to correct those perceived shortcomings, he reframes them. The very traits that made him an outsider in certain rap circles are the ones that shaped his identity and success. There is pride in that realization, but also a sense that it took time to reach it.

When he says, “Now I don’t usually rap this,” the line acknowledges the boundaries that exist within hip hop. Authenticity has often been tied to specific life experiences, especially narratives centered on crime or poverty. Kanye does not share that background in the same way many of his peers do, and he is aware of how that affects how he is judged. Instead of manufacturing credibility, he addresses the gap directly. That choice feels intentional. It suggests he would rather be transparent about who he is than conform to expectations that do not fit him.

The line “But I got the facts to back this” reinforces a pattern that shows up throughout his career. Kanye often presents his success as evidence, almost like he is building a case for himself. Awards, sales, influence, cultural impact, these become proof of legitimacy. Even in this relatively understated track, there is still that underlying need to justify his position. The confidence is real, but it exists alongside a defensiveness that makes the song more layered.

The third verse is especially strong because it expands the focus beyond his personal story. He critiques the rap industry and the way certain images of “ghetto America” are packaged and sold. At the same time, he places himself outside of those narrow representations. He is neither fully aligned with the traditional street narrative nor with a completely mainstream pop image. That in between space has always defined him, and here he embraces it rather than fighting it.

Ultimately, “Everything I Am” feels less like a celebration and more like a reflection. It captures Kanye at a moment when he is still ambitious and competitive, but also aware of his contradictions. The song resonates because it treats growth as something complicated. It suggests that rejection, misunderstanding, and criticism are not distractions from success but part of how identity is formed.

“Bittersweet Poetry” is one of Kanye’s most underrated songs, as it failed to receive the exposure it deserves since the track was a Japan exclusive for the album Graduation. This song features a hook by Joh Mayer. The main theme of the song is about an ex-lover that Kanye has dubbed as “Bittersweet”. This word is commonly associated with food that exhibits both properties of sweet and bitterness. The hook describes how Kanye proclaims to his lover that he “doesn’t want you, but I need you”, which is indicative of a struggle he has with letting go.

The song shares many themes and idea with Kanye’s later released song “Gold Digger”, in which he struggles to let go a woman who clearly is in it only for the money, “Gold Digger” contains the line “I don’t care what none of y’all say, I still love her” which emphasises his struggle with letting go of what isn’t good for him.

However, the song can be interpreted in a completely different way as a poem that speaks about Kanye’s struggle with alcohol and the problems that it has caused for him. He acknowledges how the in the moment “feel good” sensation of alcohol is sweet but the prolonged effects of it negatively impact his relationship with his family, friends and himself. Kanye tells us that “we’ve been generally warned, that’s what the surgeon says”, which is an allusion to the warning labels commonly found on liquor and cigarettes written by the “surgeon general”. Kanye describes how in his self-struggle, he “mixes [his] emotions with tequila” and how his current problems have lead to him to “drinking again”.

One of the strongest lines in the song is when Kanye exclaims “I’d never hit a girl, but I’ll shake the shit out of you”, which is a reference to Chris Rock making a similar statement. Kanye could be struggling with alcohol addiction and understands how in his drunken state, it could lead to domestic abuse and fights. Considering both interpretations of the song, it’s interesting to consider the line “”and this relationship it even got me back to drinkin” could be a statement about how his drinking causes problems with his bittersweet lover, and this conflict, in turn, causes him to drink away his problems again. Kanye is in an endless loop he can’t seem to get out of.

Overall, “Bittersweet Poetry” is just another proclamation of Kanye’s struggle with his inner self and his surrounding environment. It’s clearly a cry to better himself, a proclamation to god to “help him now” during Kanye’s “emergency”. The song is one that doesn’t necessarily seems to fit in the scope of Graduation, an album about self-accomplishment and self-worth, but at the same time, it does. It shows how beneath the success and his new found fame, at the end of the day, Kanye is still an individual like all of us struggling with his own conflicts in an effort to better himself.

In one of his most emotionally direct tracks, Kanye West reflects on social injustice, family, and the darker side of fame. “Roses,” one of my favorite songs on Late Registration alongside “Hey Mama” and “Diamonds from Sierra Leone,” centers on the idea that celebrities deserve privacy and compassion because, at the end of the day, they are human like anyone else.

The song opens with Kanye describing his grandmother lying sick in a hospital bed. One of the most powerful lines is, “You telling me if my grandma’s in the NBA, right now she’d be okay?” Through this, he questions the unequal treatment in the healthcare system and expresses frustration that wealth and status can determine the quality of care someone receives. He references Magic Johnson’s HIV diagnosis to highlight how access to resources can dramatically change outcomes. Kanye’s point is clear: material wealth does not make one life more valuable than another.

A central theme of the song is the tension between personal tragedy and public attention. While his family was grieving and his grandmother was fighting for her life, hospital staff and others were asking Kanye for photos and autographs. This moment underscores how fame can strip away basic empathy, turning even painful experiences into public spectacles.

One of my favorite lyrics is, “And so instead of sending flowers, we’re the flowers.” Rather than offering distant sympathy, Kanye and his family show up in person. They become the roses, physically present and supporting their grandmother. This reinforces a theme that appears throughout much of his discography: family is deeply important to him. On later projects, including The Life of Pablo, he continues to reference his children and loved ones as central to his identity.

Overall, “Roses” fits seamlessly within Late Registration, an album filled with social commentary. The track critiques materialism and flaws in the American healthcare system while remaining personal and vulnerable. Kanye uses the album as a platform to speak about an issue he experienced firsthand, giving the song both emotional weight and broader cultural relevance.

In his song, “All Falls Down”, Kanye addresses an issue that almost every individual faces, but is too scared or nervous to openly admit: being self-conscious. The song opens with a prolog in which Kanye states that this is “the real one” since he sampled Lauren Hill’s track “Mystery in Iniquity” for the hook of the song (whosampled.com).

The first verse begins with Kanye addressing a woman who has no idea what she’s doing in college, however, as the title of the album and many other songs in the album (especially the skit about diplomas) suggests, the true audience of this statement is Ye himself. The following line about how she won’t drop out because her “parents will look at her funny” resonates strongly with me. I was encouraged to pursue a degree I had no interest in, but in the end, I made my own decision to study what I wanted. Kanye is speaking to the pressure that many students face about only studying something that their parents want them to study or something that will make them money, rather than doing something that makes them happy. The song throughout resonates with this common theme about being worth more than you are perceived to be.

In one of Kanye’s most iconic lines, he raps “ Couldn’t afford a car so she named her daughter Alexis”, which is a brilliantly crafted pun addressing the issue of materialism. To compensate for something someone may be missing out on in their life, or to create a better image of oneself, the line speaks on how people will turn to material things to fill an empty gap in their life.

Kanye addresses his own insecurity in the final verse of the song, talking about how “ [he]’ll buy a lot of clothes”, how we went to “Jacob with 25 thou” and how he has “a problem spendin before [he] gets it”. To contradict all this, however, he states “I got a couple past due bills”, showing how to compensate for his insecurity, he’s buying all these materialistic things to feel as if he fits in. All of this, however, is designed to make African-Americans feel insecure and use their money to benefit the “white man”.

Ultimately the song addresses the tendency for lower class individuals to compensate for the losses in their life with materialistic items. Kanye is showing everyone that insecurity is within all of us, the only difference is how each of us chooses to cope with it or even accept it at all.