Listening to Classic American Popular Songs by Allen Forte

Author:Allen Forte
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 2001-12-28T16:00:00+00:00

Ex. 3-38. “The Way You Look Tonight”: Bars 1–10

In the lyrics of the Bridge of “The Way You Look Tonight” alliteration holds sway, with “tenderness” (bar 17), “tearing” (bar 19), and “touches” (bar 27). Remarkably, these three words begin with the consonant “t” sound, clearly related to “tonight” in the titular phrase. Thus, while “tonight” remains unrhymed in the lyrics, it is brought into the sonic network through the alliterative “t” sounds. The rhymed pairs in the Bridge include the charming “grows” and “nose,” which refer back to the series “low,” “cold,” and “glow” of the opening music.

Fields repeats the “lovely” and “love you” association in Chorus 2 (bars 31–32 and 39–40) but introduces ostensibly new rhyme pairs, with “change” (bar 34) and “arrange” (bars 37–38). However, these vowel sounds refer back to “day” and “way” in Chorus 1. In short, she has created extraordinarily intricate and, yes, poetic lyrics, lyrics that I would compare with the best of Lorenz Hart’s.

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