Introduction
This is a very Stevie-like solid and stable slow ballad enthusiastically sung out. All sounds are pretty rich and gorgeous. Although a bit recherche hook appears in the middle, the main melody is quite simple so you can hum it in a short time.
And just for your information, they say this song was dedicated to Stevie’s ex-wife, Syreeta Wright when she was suffered from cancer and battling with the illness.
Going through the lyrics, it makes me think the expression is rather straightforward like “When the final candle’s flickered out” and “Why me” is all you can think about”, but the gentle and great scale melody folds it in comfort. Anyhow, the song must be breadth and exceptional completion we can see there.
Then, let’s check the chords up!
Let me skip the intro chords because they just follow the 3rd verse exactly.
Account for chords, such relentless fraction chords!
1st Verse
See the following progression anyway while I know, the issue where the 1st verse and 2nd verse are divided into?
Seen from any angle, he heavily applied the fraction chords.
But that brings about an exquisitely floating as well as substantial feelings.
It’s not particularly difficult but you can play just following to the chords progression. However, lots of fraction chords are applied so I would add the keyboard figures as below.
How about the manner like this?
2nd Verse and 3rd verse
The chords Gmaj7/A Stevie is a master to handle is applied straight away. Series of the fraction chords still continue after that.
The melody is, no question top quality as always whether the chords are progressed with the fraction chords or not.
Let’s define the 3rd verse starts from “♪I’ll be your comfort~”.
Almost same progression is repeated, but a little trick that Bm7 chord is changed to B7 applies in the Latter half.
The above chords are written up to the point sounds like bridge.
The intro I skipped at the beginning of this blog corresponds to the part started from D#dim onward. The keyboard figures added as below, too.
Hook
After repeating the chorus of the 1st verse, 2nd verse and 3rd verse twice, the hook appears and momentum of fraction chords doesn’t slack off but still goes and goes forward. Let me write it down as below.
F chord is inserted in the middle to modulate to Key:C. That’s okay here because we can see such modulation with V# chord in many songs.
However, this song is somewhat particular because it doesn’t go back to Key:A but keep Key:C and run into the 1st verse going straight forward to the end whereas normally it goes back to the original key in most of the cases.
After hook
All you have to do is just transpose the 1st verse, but I write the chords progression figure down as below because I think you can understand the chords progression of this song more easily in Key:C.
Say, from Key:A to Key:C means “Three” keys go up in karaoke. But Stevie’s range is so wide as steady as a rock even for that. I guess the highest note in this song is about C5. I think the highest note on “For Your Love” was about D5 if I’m not wrong.
He keeps on singing it out enthusiastically until the ending warmed up by the gospel-style backing chorus, led by Kirk Franklin.
Oh yeah, let me add one point in the chorus. Cmaj7/G in the second row from the bottom of the above figure is arranged like Gsus4, but it’s just an arrangement for chorus, so let me out of the account around here…
Well, it’s a song so worth listening to like an exercise to be sweat.
In Conclusion
The song was released as a charity single for a dedication to the victims of “Hurricane Katrina” which hit Southeast U.S.A in the summer of 2005. Certainly, the lyrics looks fitting to cuddle close together with the people.
Then, please allow me to make a proposal.
For those of you who are getting married shortly, why don’t you use this song in your wedding reception? ” I think, the atmosphere of the song including the lyrics as ‘ll be you comfort through your pain, I’ll be your shelter in the rain”, the sonorous time pace and such high-quality sound can match the situation perfectly.
Thinking of the background Stevie dedicate it to Syreeta, a slight difference may be felt there, but the main message of the song is ” I’ll be your shelter in the rain” as a passionate
I don’t mean to say anything against “Beauty and the Beast”, though, it should give the feeling you choose a fitting song on your own rather than just following what a wedding planner suggests.
Hmmm? Young people nowadays don’t hold wedding banquets at all, do they, huh?
