Tension/Release

The pairing of tension and release is the soul of music. The key of a song begins with the tonic. The tonic is a comfortable place by the fireplace and all the other tones are the experiences that build character and give you something to think about when, later, you get some time to relax by the hearth.

I heard Donald Fagen say in a radio interview that sometimes when he writes music the lyrics sort of begin to appear, suggested by the tones, harmonies and melodies in the instruments. I think a lot of musicians have that experience. In Fagen's music the instruments produce as much tension as has ever existed in popular song. Incidentally - maybe consequently - the words of Steely Dan songs probably demonstrate the possibilities for the use of lyrical tension and release better than any others.

Fagen's lyrics do seem to mirror his music, especially, in that his songs have a veneer of cheerful beauty, but there are so many dark tones. Considered carefully, the darkness often subsumes the light. So the lyrics themselves have a tension and release. But, wherever the vocal adventures take you, there is a tonic. If you wish and so long as you are willing to be selective, you can remain in the light.