Jangle

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A Rickenbacker 360/12, identical to the model commonly used to produce "jangly" guitar sounds in the 1960s 1967 Rickenbacker 360-12 12 string electric guitar owned and photographed by Greg Field.jpg
A Rickenbacker 360/12, identical to the model commonly used to produce "jangly" guitar sounds in the 1960s

Jangle or jingle-jangle is a sound typically characterized by undistorted, treble-heavy electric guitars (particularly 12-strings) played in a droning chordal style (by strumming or arpeggiating). The sound is mainly associated with pop music [1] as well as 1960s guitar bands, folk rock, and 1980s indie music. It is sometimes classed as its own subgenre, jangle pop. Music critics use the term to suggest guitar pop that evokes a bright mood. [2]

Contents

Despite forerunners such as Jackie DeShannon, the Searchers and the Everly Brothers, the Beatles and the Byrds are more commonly credited with launching the popularity of jangle. The name derives from the lyric "in the jingle-jangle morning, I'll come following you" from the Byrds' 1965 rendition of Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man". Although many subsequent jangle bands drew significantly from the Byrds, they were not necessarily folk rock as the Byrds were.

Since the 1960s, jangle has crossed numerous genres, including power pop, psychedelia, new wave, post-punk, and lo-fi. In the 1980s, the most prominent bands of early indie rock were jangle pop groups such as R.E.M. and the Smiths. [1]

Definition and origins

Roger McGuinn of the Byrds playing his 12-string, 1972 McGuinn 1972 cropped (2).jpg
Roger McGuinn of the Byrds playing his 12-string, 1972

"Jangle" is a noun-adjective that music critics often use in reference to guitar pop with a bright mood. [2] The verb "to jangle", of Germanic origin, means "to sound discordantly, harshly or unpleasantly". [3] The more modern usage of the term originated from the lyric "in the jingle-jangle morning, I'll come following you" from the Byrds' 1965 rendition of Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man", which was underpinned by the chiming sound of an electric 12-string guitar. [4] [2] According to academic/musician Matthew Bannister, the term "implies a more pop, mainstream approach" that is heavily connoted with "indie pure pop". He writes:

Jangle can be understood as a subspecies of drone: trebly, relatively clean (undistorted) guitar sound played in (often) a chordal style: either strummed or arpeggiated (sounding each string in a chord separately) but generally repeating notes (pedal) over the top of a chord sequence. Pedals are normally open strings that also resonate overtones ... This style was strongly identified with 1960s guitar bands, especially the Byrds [and has since] characterised the sound of acts like R.E.M. and The Smiths ... [1]

It is also deployed in the context of its own music subgenre, "jangle pop", [4] which is characterized by trebly, ringing guitars (usually 12-string electrics) [4] and 1960s-style pop melodies. [5] The Everly Brothers and the Searchers laid the foundations for jangle in the late 1950s to mid 1960s, with examples including "All I Have to Do Is Dream" (1958) and "Needles and Pins" (1964). [4] John McNally of the Searchers speculated that the Byrds may have been influenced by the guitars in "Needles and Pins" and said that the sound of the song "was a total mistake, and it wasn't even done with 12-string guitars. We used two regular six-string guitars playing the same riff and added a little echo and reverb ... and everyone thought we were using 12-strings." [6]

Popularization

Despite coming after the Everly Brothers and the Searchers, the Beatles and the Byrds are commonly credited with launching the popularity of jangle pop. [4] In the mid-1960s, the Beatles inspired many artists to purchase Rickenbacker 12-string guitars through songs such as "A Hard Day's Night" (July 1964), "Words of Love" (October 1964), "What You're Doing" (December 1964), and "Ticket to Ride" (June 1965). [7] Rickenbacker guitars were expensive and rare, but could create a clear, ringing sound that could not be reproduced with the more "twangy" Telecaster or the "fatter, less sharp" sound of the Les Paul. [7] Lead guitarist George Harrison's use of the Rickenbacker helped to popularize the model, [8] and its jangly sound became so prominent that Melody Maker termed it the Beatles' "secret weapon". [9]

Harrison appeared playing his Rickenbacker in the Beatles' 1964 film A Hard Day's Night ; upon seeing the film, Byrds guitarist Roger McGuinn immediately traded his 6-string acoustic for a 12-string Rickenbacker. [10] The Byrds modeled their sound on the Beatles and prominently featured a Rickenbacker electric 12-string guitar in many of their recordings. [7] What would become popularly known as the "jingle-jangle" [11] or "jangle" sound [12] was unveiled with the Byrds' debut record "Mr. Tambourine Man", released in April 1965. [13]

By June, the single had topped the national charts in the US and UK, helping to spark the folk-rock trend. AllMusic critic William Ruhlmann writes that, following the song's success, "it seemed half the recording acts in L.A. either raided the Dylan repertoire for material ... or wrote and recorded material that sounded like it". [13] Harrison himself copied McGuinn's playing style for the Beatles' song "If I Needed Someone", released on the December 1965 album Rubber Soul . [10]

The Byrds' technique

To create the Byrds' jangle, McGuinn drew from his prior experience as a banjoist and played a picking style of rising arpeggios. [14] According to him, the other crucial component was the heavy application of dynamic range compression to compensate for the Rickenbacker's lower amount of sustain. [12] [15] He explained:

[Compression is] how I got my "jingle-jangle" tone. It's really squashed down, but it jumps out from the radio. With compression, I found I could hold a note for three or four seconds, and sound more like a wind instrument. Later, this led me to emulate John Coltrane's saxophone on "Eight Miles High". Without compression, I couldn't have sustained the riff's first note. [16]

In addition, McGuinn did not usually play solos, and instead played the 12-string continuously throughout the arrangement. Of other elements in the overall piece, vocals were sung in an impersonal, detached manner. [1] He also spoke of the Byrds' music as exploring "mechanical sounds" such as jet airplanes. Bannister acknowledges that the "continuity of sensation of drone/jangle combined with emotional detachment may give an affect that can perhaps best be compared to travel, a defining experience of modernity. ... The idea of continual movement connects to young men, associated in modern culture with fast cars, just as rock music and counterculture is associated with 'the road'." [1]

Legacy

The jangle sound has since become regarded as emblematic of the 1960s [14] and of the decade's folk rock movement. [17] In 2018, Guitar World contributor Damian Fanelli cited McGuinn's "distinctive 12-string Rickenbacker jangle" as among the "most influential and imitated guitar sounds of the past 53 years." [10] Bannister writes that the sound became ideal for bands with one guitarist who wished to fill out their sound and affect a sense of continuity throughout their music. [1] However, few of the subsequent Byrds-influenced jangle bands were folk rock as the Byrds were. [18] Since the 1960s, jangle pop crossed numerous genres, including power pop, new wave, post-punk, psychedelia and lo-fi. [4]

In the 1980s, the most prominent bands of early indie rock were "jangle pop" groups such as R.E.M. and the Smiths. [1] "New Sincerity" was also loosely used for a similar group of bands in the Austin, Texas music scene, led by the Reivers, Wild Seeds and True Believers. [19] Interest in the jangle sound came to be supplanted by a preference for pure drone, a device that became common to grunge. This type of drone was regarded as more "authentic" for rock music. It is exemplified mainly by the Pixies' technique of contrasting a song's minimalist verses with loud guitar drones in the chorus. [1]

In the early 2010s, the term "New Melbourne Jangle" was coined to describe a proliferation of indie pop bands in Melbourne, Australia, including Twerps and Dick Diver. These and other Australian groups were subsequently branded as "dolewave", jangly guitars being a defining characteristic. [20] In a similar way, the term "pop de guitarras" (guitar pop) was used to brand the indie scene of Santiago, Chile, during mid 2010s. [21]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger McGuinn</span> American singer-songwriter and guitarist

James Roger McGuinn is an American musician. He is best known for being the frontman and leader of the Byrds. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his work with the Byrds. As a solo artist he has released 10 albums and collaborated with, among others, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Chris Hillman. The 12-string Rickenbacker guitar is his signature instrument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Byrds</span> American rock band

The Byrds were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member. Although their time as one of the most popular groups in the world only lasted for a short period in the mid-1960s, the Byrds are today considered by critics to be among the most influential rock acts of their era. Their signature blend of clear harmony singing and McGuinn's jangly 12-string Rickenbacker guitar was "absorbed into the vocabulary of rock" and has continued to be influential.

Folk rock is a genre of rock music with heavy influences from English folk and American folk music. Combining the elements of folk and rock music, it arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers such as Bob Dylan and the Byrds—several of whose members had earlier played in folk ensembles—attempted to blend the sounds of rock with their pre-existing folk repertoire, adopting the use of electric instrumentation and drums in a way previously discouraged in the U.S. folk community. The term "folk rock" was initially used in the U.S. music press in June 1965 to describe the Byrds' music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twelve-string guitar</span> Fretted string instrument optimized for richer sounds

A twelve-string guitar is a steel-string guitar with 12 strings in six courses, which produces a thicker, more ringing tone than a standard six-string guitar. Typically, the strings of the lower four courses are tuned in octaves, with those of the upper two courses tuned in unison. The gap between the strings within each dual-string course is narrow, and the strings of each course are fretted and plucked as a single unit. The neck is wider, to accommodate the extra strings, and is similar to the width of a classical guitar neck. The sound, particularly on acoustic instruments, is fuller and more harmonically resonant than six-string instruments. The 12-string guitar can be played like a 6-string guitar as players still use the same notes, chords and guitar techniques like a standard 6-string guitar, but advanced techniques might be tough as players need to play or pluck two strings simultaneously.

The Dunedin sound was a style of indie pop music created in the southern New Zealand university city of Dunedin in the early 1980s.

"Mr. Tambourine Man" is a song written by Bob Dylan, released as the first track of the acoustic side of his March 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home. The song's popularity led to Dylan recording it live many times, and it has been included in multiple compilation albums. It has been translated into other languages and has been used or referenced in television shows, films, and books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Hillman</span> American musician

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raga rock</span> Microgenre of rock music

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<i>Mr. Tambourine Man</i> (album) 1965 studio album by the Byrds

Mr. Tambourine Man is the debut studio album by the American rock band the Byrds and was released on June 21, 1965, by Columbia Records. The album is characterized by the Byrds' signature sound of Jim McGuinn's 12-string Rickenbacker guitar and the band's complex harmony singing. The material on the album mostly consists of cover versions of folk songs, primarily composed by Bob Dylan, and originals written or co-written by singer Gene Clark. Along with the Dylan-penned single of the same name, Mr. Tambourine Man established the band as an internationally successful act and is widely regarded by critics as representing the first effective American challenge to the chart dominance of the Beatles and other British Invasion bands during the mid-1960s.

<i>Turn! Turn! Turn!</i> (album) 1965 studio album by the Byrds

Turn! Turn! Turn! is the second studio album by American rock band the Byrds, released on December 6, 1965, by Columbia Records. Like its predecessor, Mr. Tambourine Man, the album epitomized the folk rock genre and continued the band's successful mix of vocal harmony and jangly twelve-string Rickenbacker guitar. The album's lead single and title track, "Turn! Turn! Turn!", which was adapted by Pete Seeger from text in the Book of Ecclesiastes, had previously been arranged in a chamber-folk style by the Byrd's lead guitarist Jim McGuinn for folk singer Judy Collins' third album, but the arrangement he used for the Byrds' recording of the song utilizes the same folk-rock style as the band's previous hit singles.

<i>Byrds</i> (album) 1973 studio album by the Byrds

Byrds is the twelfth and final studio album by the American rock band the Byrds and was released in March 1973 on Asylum Records. It was recorded as the centerpiece of a reunion among the five original band members: Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby, Chris Hillman, and Michael Clarke. The last time that all five members had worked together as the Byrds was in 1966, prior to Clark's departure from the band. During the reunion, the current, latter-day lineup of the band continued to make live appearances until February 1973, with McGuinn being the only member common to both versions of the group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">If I Needed Someone</span> Song composed by George Harrison

"If I Needed Someone" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by George Harrison, the group's lead guitarist. It was released in December 1965 on their album Rubber Soul, except in North America, where it appeared on the June 1966 release Yesterday and Today. The song reflects the reciprocal influences shared between the Beatles and American band the Byrds. On release, it was widely considered to be Harrison's best song to date. A recording by the Hollies was issued in Britain on the same day as Rubber Soul and peaked at number 20 on the national singles chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eight Miles High</span> 1966 single by the Byrds

"Eight Miles High" is a song by the American rock band the Byrds, written by Gene Clark, Jim McGuinn, and David Crosby. It was first released as a single on March 14, 1966. Musically influenced by sitar player Ravi Shankar and jazz saxophonist John Coltrane, the song was influential in developing the musical styles of psychedelia and raga rock. Accordingly, critics often cite "Eight Miles High" as being the first bona fide psychedelic rock song, as well as a classic of the counterculture era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rickenbacker 360/12</span> Model of 12-string electric guitar

The Rickenbacker 360/12 is the Rickenbacker company's 12-string variant of their 360 electric guitar model. Mainly known for producing "jangly" sounds, it was among the first electric 12-string guitars. The 360/12 was given worldwide attention when George Harrison used it on many Beatles recordings, introducing the distinctive new sound of this guitar on "I Call Your Name", which the band recorded in March 1964. In the late 1960s, the company made alternative models such as the Rickenbacker 370/12, which became the favored instrument of Roger McGuinn of the Byrds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better</span> 1965 single by the Byrds

"I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" is a song by the Los Angeles folk rock band the Byrds, first released in June 1965 on the B-side of the band's second single, "All I Really Want to Do". Despite initially being released as a B-side, the song managed to chart in its own right in the U.S., just outside the Billboard Hot 100. It was also included on the Byrds' debut album, Mr. Tambourine Man.

"The Bells of Rhymney" is a song by folk singer Pete Seeger, which consists of Seeger's own music accompanying words written by Welsh poet Idris Davies. Seeger first released a recording of the song on a live album in 1958, but it is the American folk rock band the Byrds' 1965 recording that is the best known version of the song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McGuinn, Clark & Hillman</span>

McGuinn, Clark & Hillman were an American rock group consisting of Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, and Chris Hillman, who were all former members of the band the Byrds. The group formed in 1977 and was partly modeled after Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and, to a lesser extent, the Eagles. They were reasonably successful commercially in the United States, with their debut album reaching number 39 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tapes chart and the single "Don't You Write Her Off" reaching number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Knew I'd Want You</span> 1965 single by the Byrds

"I Knew I'd Want You" is a song by the folk rock band the Byrds, written by band member Gene Clark, and first released as the B-side to their 1965 debut single, "Mr. Tambourine Man". It was also later included on their debut album, Mr. Tambourine Man.

<i>Limited Edition</i> (Roger McGuinn album) 2004 studio album by Roger McGuinn

Limited Edition is the seventh studio album by American rock musician Roger McGuinn. It was issued in April 2004 as an exclusive Internet release. The album marked McGuinn's return to his signature instrument, the Rickenbacker 12-string electric guitar, after several projects focusing on folk and other traditional musical styles. The opening song is a cover of the Beatles' 1965 track "If I Needed Someone", which McGuinn recorded as a tribute to George Harrison. The album's other tracks include seven songs written by McGuinn and his wife and longtime collaborator, Camilla McGuinn, and traditional songs arranged by the couple.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jangle pop</span> Music genre

Jangle pop is a subgenre of pop rock or college rock that emphasizes jangly guitars and 1960s-style pop melodies. The term originated from Bob Dylan's song "Mr. Tambourine Man", whose 1965 rendition by the Byrds became considered one of the genre's representative works. Since the 1960s, jangle pop has crossed numerous genres, including power pop, psychedelia, new wave, post-punk, indie rock, and lo-fi.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Bannister, Matthew (2013). White Boys, White Noise: Masculinities and 1980s Indie Guitar Rock. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. pp. 71–72, 87, 124–125. ISBN   978-1-4094-9374-7.
  2. 1 2 3 Kamp, David; Daly, Steven (2005). The Rock Snob's Dictionary: An Essential Lexicon Of Rockological Knowledge . Broadway Books. p.  54. ISBN   978-0-7679-1873-2.
  3. ↑ Hanks, Patrick (1986). Collins Dictionary of the English Language (2nd ed.). London. Bibcode:1986cdel.book.....H.[ page needed ]
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 LaBate, Steve (December 18, 2009). "Jangle Bell Rock: A Chronological (Non-Holiday) Anthology… from The Beatles and Byrds to R.E.M. and Beyond". Paste . Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  5. ↑ Wilkin, Jeff (August 19, 2015). "British band Life in Film sounds off on 'Jangle Pop'". The Daily Gazette . Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  6. ↑ Brinn, David (July 30, 2016). "THE SEARCHERS STILL ON 'NEEDLES AND PINS'". The Jerusalem Post .
  7. 1 2 3 Kocher, Frank (September 2012). "Jingle-Jangle Revolution: How Rickenbacker Guitars Changed Music" . Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  8. ↑ Babiuk, Andy (2002). Bacon, Tony (ed.). Beatles Gear: All the Fab Four's Instruments, from Stage to Studio (Revised ed.). Backbeat Books. p. 120. ISBN   978-0-87930-731-8.
  9. ↑ Leng, Simon (2006) [2003]. While My Guitar Gently Weeps: The Music of George Harrison. SAF Publishing Ltd. p. 14. ISBN   978-1-4234-0609-9.
  10. 1 2 3 Fanelli, Damian (October 17, 2018). "Roger McGuinn Talks Byrds, Rickenbackers, New Album and Touring with Chris Hillman". Guitar World . Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  11. ↑ Baine, Wallace (September 30, 2015). "Hey, Mr. Rickenbacker Man: Roger McGuinn's lasting influence on popular music".
  12. 1 2 Toh, Christopher (April 1, 2014). "Roger McGuinn: The full interview". TODAYonline.
  13. 1 2 Ruhlmann, William. "Mr. Tambourine Man". AllMusic . Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  14. 1 2 Brabazon, Tara (2016). Thinking Popular Culture: War, Terrorism and Writing. Taylor & Francis. p. 29. ISBN   978-1-351-87949-1.
  15. ↑ Kubernik, Harvey; Calamar, Scott (2009). Canyon of Dreams: The Magic and the Music of Laurel Canyon. Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. p. 68. ISBN   978-1-4027-6589-6.
  16. ↑ Bob Mehr (February 14, 2009). "Byrds' Roger McGuinn gets to root of his music passion at folk conference". Space Times News. cripps Interactive Newspapers Group. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  17. ↑ Einarson, John; Furay, Richie (2004). For What It's Worth: The Story of Buffalo Springfield. Cooper Square Press. p. 43. ISBN   978-0-8154-1281-6.
  18. ↑ Unterberger, Richie (2003). Eight Miles High: Folk-rock's Flight from Haight-Ashbury to Woodstock . Backbeat Books. p.  293. ISBN   978-0-87930-743-1.
  19. ↑ Caldwell, Rob (June 1, 2014). "Spindizzy Jangle: The Reivers' "In Your Eyes"". PopMatters.
  20. ↑ True, Everett (28 March 2014). "How dolewave put Australia's music writers to work", The Guardian . Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  21. ↑ Villanueva Vergara, Javier (November 2019). Proyectos de identidad sociomusical en la escena indie-pop santiaguina (2015-2018) (Thesis) (in Spanish). Universidad de Chile. pp. 31–32. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
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