Musical Analysis #2: Speak Life
My thoughts: Speak Life is probably my favorite song by TobyMac. It never fails to have me singing or moving along with the beat, whenever it happens to come on my playlist. The song is from the 2012 album: Eye on It, which was an experiment with electronic music and dubstep (Wikipedia, 2022). I do not recall ever hearing of the dubstep style before doing some research into the musical style and background of this piece. Apparently, it originated in South London during the early 2000s, but also has roots in Jamaica (Wikipedia, 2022).
Click here to listen to Speak Life by TobyMac - 2012, USA.
Meter: The meter in Speak Life seems to be in 4/4 time, and remains steady throughout the duration of the song. Drums provide the steady feeling, with the loudest beats of each measure being on beats two and four. There are many songs that use this same pattern, rather than having the loudest beats on one and three. In music, this is what is known as a "backbeat". I think this helps to keep the music moving along and it is a pattern that is easy to clap along with while you are listening and/or singing.
Rhythm: Trying to figure out the rhythm was both interesting and challenging at the same time. I think I discovered a section in each verse of the song where there is an instance of three-against-four. Personally, I prefer the three-against-two rhythm, but with that being said, I really do like Mac's choice of rhythm to accentuate the lyrics that talk about opposing actions (do, don't, will, won't...etc.) in this section.
Timbre: The timbre changes between each verse and the chorus. After listening to the song, it is easy to hear that Mac's voice during each of the verses is calm and more contemplative, as compared to the chorus and the bridge-like section that is more of a resolution and call for action. This section has a higher pitch and the tone is more direct than earlier in the song.
Melody: Overall, the melody is somewhat repetitive, which is the result of the verses followed by a chorus. There is also a bridge or bridge-like section towards the end of the piece and it is noticeably different from the rest of the song. I think that the melody has a positive feeling to it, as if it is in a major key. This song was written in A Major; however, there are F# minor chords scattered throughout. There is actually a fairly wide range in the melody, spanning well over an octave (Sheet Music Direct, 2022). I actually found this information by looking at the sheet music for this song on the website for Sheet Music Direct. They have some great sheet music for all different genres!
Lyrics: I think that the lyrics to this song are especially meaningful to me, when I consider my interactions with my family and friends. Essentially, words are a powerful tool and every conversation that I have with other people is an opportunity to share either encouraging or discouraging words. In a short interview with Toby Mac regarding this song, he said that "hopefully this reminds us all that we have an opportunity in every conversation we have" ("tobyMac: Story Behind 'Speak Life;"). I once heard someone say something to the effect of: "kind words don't cost anything, so give them often". I think that this is so important, because everyone has hard days and it only takes a second to say something positive and encouraging to help brighten their day.
References and Additional Sources:
"Dubstep." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation Inc., 4 Jul. 2022. Web. 04 Oct. 2022,
"Eye on It." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation Inc., 19 Sep. 2022. Web. 03 Oct. 2022,
"Speak Life." Sheet Music Direct. Hal Leonard ®., 2022. Web. 05 Oct. 2022,
"tobyMac: Story Behind 'Speak Life'." YouTube, uploaded by TobyMac, 22 Aug. 2012,
Note: Photo taken from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/540291286518152710/
I am in agreement that this song by artist Toby Mac is awesome. What a great choice for this analysis!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you in your Rhythm paragraph where you mentioned how the rhythm puts an emphasis on the negatives of words in comparison with the positives. It seems as if the beat revolves around these words. Perhaps lyrically these are what I like to call "checkpoints." Places where you can decide where you are in the song, like landmarks. It's good for longer or more repetitive songs so you know where things begin and end, it's a technique I used to employ in Choir.
ReplyDeleteI agree, words are a powerful tool and are a great way to spread encouraging messages, especially through lyrics. I also agree on how challenging it is to figure out the rhythm but it really does bond with the lyrics. I strongly agree with your lyrics analysis!
ReplyDeleteI agree this song is an easy one to clap along with. It definitely has an uplifting energy to it. That's really cool about the origins of the genre. Now that you mention Jamaica, some of their dancehall music has similar beats. I enjoyed reading your section of melody and how diverse it was in chords. After listening to it multiple times I could hear the changes. Nice piece.
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