This post is about one of the most powerful songs I’ve heard in a long time – ‘If The World Was Ending’ by JP Saxe featuring Julia Michaels. (And now, let’s face it, it’s timely too.) The two singers wrote the song (video below).

What grabbed me first was the lyric, combined with the intimacy of the production and vocal. JP Saxe sings the first Verse, Pre-Chorus, and Chorus.

I was distracted and in traffic
I didn’t feel it when the earthquake happened
But it really got me thinkin’, were you out drinkin’
Were you in the living room, chillin’, watchin’ television
It’s been a year now, think I’ve figured out how
How to let you go and let communication die out

I know, you know, we know you weren’t
Down for forever and it’s fine
I know, you know, we know we weren’t
Meant for each other and it’s fine

But if the world was ending, you’d come over, right
You’d come over and you’d stay the night
Would you love me for the hell of it?
All our fears would be irrelevant
If the world was ending, you’d come over, right?
The sky’d be falling and I’d hold you tight
And there wouldn’t be a reason why
We would even have to say goodbye
If the world was ending, you’d come over, right? Right?
If the world was ending, you’d come over, right? Right?

I often write and talk about – and try to practice in my own songwriting – the idea of appropriately raising the stakes in a lyric’s story or situation. How about this one for high stakes? An earthquake that feels like it could be the end of the world.

Probably part of why it appeals to me so much is that it’s a love song, but not a happy-ever-after one. And the Chorus ends with the repeated, ‘Right? Right?’. It’s a plea, a question, as well as a declaration.

It’s a great idea for a song. Who you’d want to be with if the world was ending is not necessarily someone you could live with or spend your life with.

I mentioned the production. It is once again, as was the song discussed in last week’s post, produced by Finneas O’Connell, Billie Eilish’s producer (and brother). This guy has to be recognized as a modern master of the extremely elusive art of minimalist intimacy in recording. Getting a close and confidential feeling, as he does here and on his sister’s songs, in a vocal and a recorded arrangement may sound simple… but believe me, it’s not.

The melody is all in a Db major scale. Its motion is unpredictable and has some nice twists and turns, and it fits the lyric perfectly (and vice versa). The Verse melody has the motion but the Chorus melody is repetitive, mostly just working over a few notes, but each phrase is brought to life anew by a different chord.

And those chords! It’s true that the most popular songs these days tend to have at most 4 or 5 triads in them. That’s not the case here. The harmony is careful and poignant, and takes the words and melody to another level.

Verse
||4/4 Db | Ebminor7(+2) | Gb | Ab | Db/F | Bbminor7 ||
Pre-Chorus
||4/4 Bbminor Ab | Db Fminor7 | Gb | Bbminor Ab | Db Fminor7 |6/4 Gb ||
Chorus
||4/4 Gb | Ab6 | Db/F | Bbminor | Gb | Ab6 | Db/F | Bbminor Fminor7(b5)/B ||
Tag
||4/4 Gb | Ab7 | Db/F | Bbminor(+2) Bbminor ||

Subtly beautiful touches in these harmonies. I especially like the attention that’s paid to the different flavors of the triad extensions – 6ths, 7ths – and suspended chords (Db/F, Fminor7(b5) over B).  Sometimes there’s an Ab… sometimes Ab6… then an Ab7. And the difference between these chord sounds is taken advantage of fully.

(These subtle but crucial differences in chord qualities – were they written in, or added by someone else… the pianist/producer? I wonder.)

And when’s the last time you heard a minor7(b5) chord in a hit song? It’s used very effectively here as a passing chord that adds emotional complexity to the melody (and the Title words).

Second Verse, sung by Julia Michaels (the Pre-Chorus and Chorus have the same words as before):

I tried to imagine your reaction
It didn’t scare me when the earthquake happened
But it really got me thinkin’, the night we went drinkin’
Stumbled in the house and didn’t make it past the kitchen
Ah, it’s been a year now, think I’ve figured out how
How to think about you without it rippin’ my heart out

The rhyming here is an excellent example of strong modern rhymecraft. Most of the rhyming words and phrases don’t rhyme in the traditional old-school way. But the words flow conversationally in the way most great lyrics always have, and the sounds match easily and naturally. Just, compared to what rhyming used to be, with a greatly expanded conception of what constitutes a rhyme. I’d say this song comes as close as any I’ve heard recently to defining good rhyming, 2020-style.

It’s also worth mentioning that, as modern as it is in many ways, it still has the classic ‘Chorus contradicts the Verse’ setup, adhered to rigorously. The Verses being about how they’ve gotten over each other. The Chorus then saying, ‘BUT…’. Classic.

As always, I encourage you to sing and play along (or play it by yourself). You’ll be glad you did. This is quite a song.

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