NUR EIN
almost 5 years agopassed
2:16
The Only Way Out
Heid image
Heid

Entry from The Only Way Out in Nur Ein XVI.

Downward Modulation

LyricsShow lyrics

Heid
liner notes*In regards to the modulation, the verses are in Eb major and then the chorus moves down to C major.
Spoken section based on a true story (minus the part where I respond, of course)*

A world ensnared in unawareness
Parents staring absent and careless
Saving change for wasteful dreams
Everything's going to shit, it seems

The only way out is to scream and shout
The only way out is to scream and shout

(Soft scat)
spoken words
*The other day, I was doing my job at target, when a guest came up to me,
holding a plain blue toddler jacket. She seemed a little frantic and asked me
"could you real quick tell me if this is for a girl or a boy? Cuz I can't tell, but
it would be really bad if I got my son a girl's jacket."
I looked at her, and I said, *

Everything's going to shit, it seems
spoken words *
what the fuck difference does it make? You just admitted to me that you can't tell the difference, so what, is it some indescribable quality that only retail workers, the true oracles of gender, can perceive? Are you just gonna stand here and stare at me, a queer retail worker, and be like, "can you gender my child's jacket for me?" Like no, fuck off, gender your own child's shit, project your own shit, I'm busy doing my job... fades beneath music *

The only way out is to scream and shout
The only way out is to scream and shout
The only way out is to scream and shout
The only way out is to scream
And shout

Reviews

3 posted notes

Pigfarmer Jr

Forum post

I'm not a fan of the shorter chorus, but it works. Gang vocals at the end are done well and I like them a lot. Someone mentioned the spoken word bit could be polarizing and I could see it. For me this is a textbook way of handling it in a song. I loved how you used the music in the background. It's mixed pretty well.
Challengewise: Verse/Chorus key change. Pretty popular tactic and you've done it well. That transition chord into the chorus is tasty and works as a nice cadence into the new key. The vocal melody goes higher which gives energy while your music shifts down. That's a neat little trick and I'm making a mental note to try it out sometime. The almost meandering chord progression back to the verse is lovely, too.

JonPorobil

Forum post

On a first listen, I had this song at #1 again, the first time in this competition I'd have ranked the same person at the top twice in a row. Eventually, two other entries' sincerity stood up to repeat listens a little better than your cheeky retail gender rant, but you still stood tall in third place of my ranks. There's been some hay made about the spoken-word rant and how it was a risk, which I guess is true, but only on paper. Like, if you were to tell me that a competitor was going to include a spoken-word rant in their song that runs from the middle through to the end, but you didn't tell me who it was or anything about the context, yeah, I'd agree that sounds like a big risk and would warn against trying at this late stage. But your musical instincts have guided you well, and you clearly understood the way that rant plays in this song. I really like the move of letting the rant take the backset under the last reptitions of the chorus; I was still able to make it out, but the chorus in the foreground keeps it interesting to the ear even on subsequent listens after I've already absorbed the rant about genered clothing. "It would be really bad if I got my son a girl's jacket." That phrase is going to live in my head rent-free for years, I bet. "Really bad" how? For whom? What potential negative outcome so terrifies this poor mother that a blue jacket becomes cause for gender panic? Wow.

vowlvom

Forum post

lovely melody, the singalong chorus is super-catchy. I find myself wishing that the oohs after the chorus / leading into the spoken word had a harmony. The spoken word is admirably full of righteous fury and yet on repeat listens I found myself wishing there was more of the song part before it took over. But it's a bold choice and I'm pleased that you're taking risks (and seeing them pay off!)

Heid - The Only Way Out | Nur Ein