Understanding Talk More Talk
Talk More Talk is the third track on McCartney’s 1986 Press to Play album. Even before tackling this work on a theoretical level, it is worth noting that it is one of McCartney’s more unusual tracks. It begins with a spoken-word introduction that features McCartney’s (then) young son, James over a wash of ethereal synth-pads in C minor. The song develops into a mid-tempo rock track that is suffused with 1980s-style production including an arpeggiator and a very 1980s-style “gated” drum sound. If you are not enamoured with 1980s-style production, it is unlikely you will warm to this song.
Futuristic References
Talk More Talk makes several references to both sci-fi and technology. In the song’s spoken introduction James McCartney recounts:
The window was open, outside was a spaceship. It took off into the sky, leaving a trail of smoke behind it.
Within the main body of the song Paul McCartney makes reference to both future and past music technologies, “Digital organ…analogue Gretsch” and also in “conventional drum”. McCartney mentions “biodegradable”, a word that was slowly gaining traction in the mid-1980s.
The song’s main refrain expounds the virtues of conversation:
Talk more talk oh I love to hear the gentle sound. Of conversation sprinkled around
However, there is an unmistakable theme of modernity throughout the song.
False Introduction
Talk More Talk features a false introduction. The synths are clearly in the key of C minor and end on a dramatic dominant chord of G major at 0:56. However, the verse begins on the chord of G major, and it is from then on clear that we are in G major.
McCartney utilises the false introduction device in numerous other songs, such as Wild Life, Maybe I’m Amazed, Only Mama Knows and Move Over Busker.
Secondary Dominant and #9th
Talk More Talk begins on the chord of G major. McCartney’s vocal is firmly anchored on the pitch of G4. Unusually, he double-tracks his vocal at the octave, between G3 and G4. In the upper part he employs his famous raspy timbre to enunciate these notes at the start of his upper vocal range or “head voice”.
At 1:04 the harmony moves to E7, which is a secondary dominant chord on the sixth degree of the scale in G major. At this point, McCartney continues to sing G4s on the words “conventional drum”. This use of G4 against the chord of E7 creates an overall harmony of E7#9, which is a common rock harmonic gesture, where the major third of the chord clashes with the minor third (or sharpened ninth). This type of chord is often referred as the “Hendrix chord” because of its use in Purple Haze.
Lydian Elements
As the harmony moves to A major at 1:06, there is a release in tension as the vocal pitch of G now forms a minor seventh above the chord. In this context of an overall A7 harmony, we might expect the next chord to be that of D7. fulfilling a VI-II-V movement in G major. However, at 1:11, the harmony returns to the tonic of G major.
The use of a major chord II (in this case A major) without its resolution a perfect fifth below is referred to as a Lydian II chord. The Beatles uses this chord in songs such as Eight Days A Week and McCartney used the chord in Sally G.
Although the Lydian element at 1:06 is not particularly notable, later on in the song, McCartney clearly moves into the Lydian mode.
In the song’s chorus, the melody employs a Lydian #4 in the melody on the words “Talk more talk” at 1:27. This is accompanied by the Lydian II chord of A major, which again does not resolve down a perfect fifth to D7, so is clearly not functioning as a secondary dominant.
The Effect of the Lydian
The Lydian mode is often used in a song to communicate a feeling of “other-worldliness” or remoteness. It is used in both the The Beatles song Julia (1968) and in McCartney’s own Hope For The Future.
The Lydian mode is commonly favoured by Hollywood film composers, as it encapsulates the sense of escape and fantasy in many blockbuster films. It is for this reason that the ident used by the Columbia film company is in the Lydian mode. Here, it modulates from C Lydian to E Lydian.
The use of both the Lydian II chord of A major and the raised fourth degree of the vocal melody in Talk More Talk helps to communicate the theme of modernity and sci-fi that forms a notable sub-theme in a song that on one level promotes the value of conversation.
The Lydian-Dominant Scale
As has previously been mentioned, Talk More Talk is a fusion of modernity/80s synth-pop and more traditional rock features.
The chords of Talk More Talk are formed from a fusion of several elements:
- Regular diatonic/major harmony
- The Lydian (#4) scale
- Secondary Dominant Chords (eg. E7)
- The Mixolydian mode
In terms of the Mixolydian mode, it is clear that McCartney uses chord progressions that have formed an essential part of song-writing since the The Beatles. Many of The Beatles songs make uses of the chord on the flattened leading note (also called the subtonic).
For example, in the song A Hard Day’s Night, the chord of F major is used in the context of the key of G major.
Such Mixoydian-based chord progressions are a feature of many of McCartney’s songs after The Beatles, such as Big Barn Bed (1973).
Talk More Talk also makes frequent use of the Mixolydian subtonic chord. Unusually, it is used right at the beginning of the song’s chorus
More unually still, the subtonic chord is used is used in the next part of the chorus, where the vocal melody falls stridently onto the Lydian # 4:
The use of both chords derived from the Lydian and Mixolydian scale means that the song’s harmony is based on the Lydian-dominant scale, a scale that musicians sometimes use as a basis for improvisation over a dominant seventh chord. In G, the Lydian-dominant scale involves the following pitches:
G A B C# D E F G
Conclusion
Talk More Talk is an overlooked song on the Press to Play album. It is likely that it has been dismissed by some listeners due to the 80s-heavy production values, achieved through McCartney’s work with the producers Hugh Padgham, who had masterminded the “gated snare” sound in Phil Collins’ track In the Air Tonight (1981). In addition, Talk More Talk does not have a strong melody line, but one that moves by step in line with the chord sequence.
However, Talk More Talk does have several interesting musical features, namely:
- A false introduction in C minor
- Double-tracked octave vocals
- The use of the Lydian II chord
- The use of the Lydian #4 in the vocal melody
- The combination of “futuristic” and rock gestures such as the Lydian scale, Mixolydian subtonic chords and “sharp-ninth” harmonies.
- An unusual chord progression based on the Lydian-dominant scale
Overall, the track provides an interesting fusion of old and new.
As such it is a unique offering in McCartney’s catalogue.
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