There are a handful of songs that I wish I could listen to for the first time again, just to get THAT feeling. You know? That initial “wow, this song is fucking amazing” feeling. It’s that song that you know you don’t need to listen to more than once to assure yourself you like it. You were just instantly obsessed with the first verse or the guitar chord so much so that in a matter of minutes, you became a die hard fan of the song and band as a whole. It’s as if that one song had already proved the band’s authenticity, so regardless of what their other songs sounded like, you were automatically in love with those too. It’s that song that just GETS YOU. For me, that song is: Little Lion Man by Mumford and Sons.
Let's get right into dissecting it and its awesomeness. That’s right people, “awesomeness” is going to be seen as a legitimate word in this blog.
So, when listening to the first 15 seconds of this song, one could assume its just another singer/songwriter strumming on his/her guitar (not that I don’t love that, because I do.) But it’s at the 0:16 second mark where the drums, ukulele, piano, and electric banjo kick in, causing your heart to start thumping a bit faster with more intensity... that's when you know you’re going to be listening to something incredible for the next 4 and some odd minutes. It's a few moments after those instruments are introduced that… ahhh… yes ladies and gentlemen, the Brit, Marcus Mumford lets us hear his ridiculously attractive and raspy voice, which I swear will comfort you and break your heart all at the same time.
And let’s face it, any guy who can sing the word “fuck” with that much passion is automatically a total babe.
And let’s face it, any guy who can sing the word “fuck” with that much passion is automatically a total babe.
Shall we also take a minute to acknowledge the sound, the actual music? Hell yes, we shall. The pace, the breaks, the pauses, the rhythm, all these elements can either add to a song’s greatness or completely weaken it. In this case, it only added. If I had to choose, it would be the music—the various sounds meshing together so well, at such a quick pace that initially got me hooked. The speed that these instruments play in unison is so fast that it literally stimulates a body rush sensation every time they are heard at the chorus.
*Side note: It is necessary that we appreciate the electric banjo in this song. There is a sense of complexity and beauty that is added to a song when electric banjo is playing in the background. Take a minute and listen for it…you’ll see what I mean. It just makes the song sound cleaner and pleasing to the ear.
*Side note: It is necessary that we appreciate the electric banjo in this song. There is a sense of complexity and beauty that is added to a song when electric banjo is playing in the background. Take a minute and listen for it…you’ll see what I mean. It just makes the song sound cleaner and pleasing to the ear.
Now, for my favourite part of any great song: the orgasm. Or, in other words the true climax of a song. It's that point in the song where it just gets so god damn good that you want to freaking melt listening to it. Little Lion Man plays its climax perfectly. I’ll explain:
At 2:20, the song slows down into its musical interlude where each band member begins to tap on his instrument softly. And then… just a few seconds later…the build up begins. The instruments' sound gets a touch louder, and it builds and builds, with Marcus’s “ahhh’s” joining in perfectly. Then, it ALL gets louder and the momentum builds as the instruments get strummed faster and louder and your heart starts to pound to that same intense rhythm and all you can do is anticipate what’s next to come until finally! At 3:30 it all comes together in the most powerful chorus of the entire song. All you can think to yourself after that is “oh yaaaa, ummmm that was un-ha-real.”
That my friends, is the orgasm.
On a more personal note-- this song was and forever will be the soundtrack to my Asia trip this past summer. Not sure how it really came to be my "Asia go-to song". I could've stumbled upon it on shuffle for the 2 seconds that I was up during a car ride, or I could have subconsciously played it right after my three friends and I met our first pack of Brits in Chiang Mai. Regardless of what it was, it stuck with me after the first listen. On any and every bus, plane and train, that was the first song I played and every time I fell deeper in love with it. I'm not sure how or why, but for some reason whenever the interlude started, that would be my time to start going through the memories of my trip until that point. At first it would start slow. Either an image of our elephant ride, or us at the Laos bar popped into my head. And then, I’d try to get each memory to change to a new one at the same pace the song was going as if I was quickly flipping through a photo album of images. Try it. It’s hard to do. But so fun.
Songs have a way of transporting you back to a particular place, or scenario even if only for a few minutes. This is where this song takes me. I know, it's a fab song choice to do that.
Songs have a way of transporting you back to a particular place, or scenario even if only for a few minutes. This is where this song takes me. I know, it's a fab song choice to do that.
So, here's the bottom line:
1. This song is simple and complex all at the same time. The point is clear and the message is relatable. Sometimes that’s all you need for a song to be great.
2. I need to marry a Brit so I can stop swooning over Marcus Mumford… unless he reads this and wants to marry me. That'd be cool too.
Oh, and 3. listen to the song. It’ll change your life.
