00:00Hi there, my name is Benji. This is my audition for The X Factor. I think I would be good
00:11on The X Factor because I have a fantastic back story and dulcet tones every time I get
00:20told, shut up, shut up, turn that radio off. I'm just joking. But for my audition I'm going
00:27to play Wonderwall by Oasis. We've all been there, at an open mic night or 2am outside
00:45the kebab shop, singing in full force the words to Oasis's iconic song Wonderwall, for
00:51better or for worse. But what is it about Wonderwall in particular that's given it such
00:57a hallowed place in popular culture? And I don't mean that it's Oasis's biggest hit and
01:02most recognisable song, but from a completely music theory based standpoint, what's the
01:08formula that that song has in particular that's made it so endearing? Thankfully, Dr Jacob
01:17Downs, lecturer of music and BBC New Generation thinker, kindly explained to me from a composition
01:23perspective why we all love Wonderwall so much. He says, I think that one of the keys
01:30to a successful karaoke classic is landing on a melody that is both barely easy to sing,
01:36that is, fitting within a small range of pitches and not having too many difficult vocal jumps,
01:43but also satisfying to belt. This is partly where the success of Wonderwall lies. But
01:49also, that opening guitar riff is so iconic that it catches listener's attention immediately.
01:55And again, it's easy enough to play on the guitar if you know a few chords. For me, being
02:00the doctor, the most magical moment in the song's production is at the start of the second
02:05verse, just after where we think the first pre-chorus is going to come in, where the
02:10solo cello line enters. It's a genius decision to hold back the drums until the third bar
02:16of that verse. The guitar has been so percussive that, as a listener, you don't really notice
02:22that there aren't any drums until the drums themselves enter. It carries emotional weight
02:27as well as playing with how we hear tension and release as listeners. He thinks, anyway.
02:34The psychology of expectation is, after all, so important to how we experience emotion
02:39in response to music. I know it's become a bit of a Busker's cliche, but I won't have
02:45a bad word said about Wonderwall.
02:47Well, he might not knock it in terms of Buskin and Open Mic Night, but I will. I-
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