What more do I need (Saturday Night)

My name is Helen. I have a Southern accent. (so I am from the south). I live in Brooklyn.
My father owns a chicken plucking/selling/butchering company. I don’t like living in
Brooklyn

Who Am I talking to?

I am talking to Gene

What do I want from this interaction?

I want Gene to stop lying and cheating and just live a calm and happy life with me.

What are my stakes?

I was alone (no friend no love) and if Gene leaves I will be alone again. I know that
Gene is kind of a dirtbag. He cheats he lies and I do not want to be part of that life.

What happened right before this?

Right before this Gene is about to turn himself in jail for his fraud, but magically all of his
money problems get solved right before so he gets off scot-free. So we decide to get
married. (only if he quits working at Wall Street) he does.

This musical had its first performance in 1955 and takes place in the spring of 1929 right
before the great depression. Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by
Julius J. Epstein, based on the play, Front Porch in Flatbush, written by Epstein and his
brother Philip.
● It starts and stays in E flat major.
● The key of love, devotion, of intimate conversation with God.
● Minus the conversing with god, this feels accurate.
● It starts and stays in 4 4
● Quarter note = 138 (audante moerato)

Measure-by-measure analysis
● (1-2)
 ● We go back and forth between two chords. Almost giving it a teetering on
the edge feeling.
● Especially with the vi missing the 3r, that gives you a very venerable
missing sound but adding the 7th feels like you are trying to fix something
that is missing but that missing thing is still not there.
● There is a very steady rhythm that helps with its uneasy sound.
● I also don’t start singing on the tonic I start on C so I don’t start on a very
grounded song.
● The accompanist start in mezzo piano
● It helps with the repression of these uncertain feelings that I am
feeling threw this song
● There is a back and forth from a g to a g flat in the two chords helping to
create that tension with that discrete
● (3)
● We stick with the same rhythm but we switch chords. The chord setup also
gets stretched a little so it has a more open sound.
● We add the thirds back in so it sounds slightly less empty but we flat the
third so it has a crunchy sound that still makes it feel unsteady.
● (4)
● We keep the “V” of measure 3 but we lose the flat so it sounds more
grounded.
● We go back to iii. With a slightly different setup. There is no 5th but it still
feels similar to the chords of the first two measures with ether uncertainty.
● (5-6)
● This is the first time that the vocal line sings of the tonic. I sing it on the
word down. In the line now it can’t get me down. This is another way of
trying to convince myself that what I am saying is true. By giving myself
comfort with a homey sound
● This is also the first time the instrumental plays any kind of an “I” chord
even if it is a funky one
● There is a big crescendo in measure 6
● (7)
● Measure 7 goes to a vi chord in root position giving it a rounded sound
sturdy sound. However, that is paired with a V chord without the 3rd giving
it that hallow feeling, and with the two back and forth it still has the feeling
of teetering on the edge
● (8)
● This is the first time we get a different rhythm for the accompaniment. It is
still missing that 3rd though. It is a huge chord. (an 11th chord) but without
that 3rd it still doesn’t feel fully rounded.
 ● The bottom line also switches to base cleff so we start to get a lower
sound coming in.
● (9)
● We start with a beat of rest byt then go right back to the 8th notes. Back
and forth between two chords.
● (10)
● The rhythm and patterns of switching from one chord to the other stay the
same.
● We see the same back and forth from the g to the g flat that we did in the
first 2 measures
● (11-12)
● Same rhythms.
● 11 is missing that 3rd from the first chord creating a hallow sound.
● 12 has two fully flushed-out chords this is the first time we have seen this
in the back and forth.
● This creates a less harsh and clashing feeling.
● My lyrics show that I still have some strong feeling
● (13)
● The same rhythm and patterns of chords
● No 3rd on the first chord again showing the lack of a home feeling.
● I am singing on the tonic again though and I am holding it for the entire
measure.
● I am stinging the word gay (at the time that only meant happy)
● I am singing what could be “less gay”
● So I know that where I am is not making me happy but It is
where I am and where I feel comfortable.
● (14-15)
● The same rhythms and the same chord patterns.
● There are chords without their 5ths but none without the 5rds
● (16)
● The accompaniment changes from the back-and-forth chords to just on
11m 11 -9th
● There is the first tie as well giving it that little bit of underlining hope that
the bad things will be better
● We are in mf this is the loudest we have been so far.
● The lyrics leading up to this are “Now my favorite color is gray” and the
gray is on the loudest measure.
● This is me desperately trying and hoping that this can be true
● I want everything I am saying to be true. I want to believe in myself
● (17)
 ● We jump to MP.
● There is almost no accompaniment it is basically just raping up the last
measure and then resting.
● This puts a big focus on the lyrics.
● (18-23)
● We go back and forth between 4 chords
● We get a new rhythm. We get half notes in the base and the bottom of the
treble. And then we get rests and quarter notes in the upper part of the
● This still has the back-and-forth feeling of the earlier measure but
takes away a lot of the tension.
● In the first chord of every measure, there is not nothing taken out of the
chords only something added (18 20, and 22) but in the second chord of
every measure there is always something removed the 5th in 18 20, and
22 and the 3rd in 19 and 21. So it has the hopeful feeling bleeding into the
tension and lacking.
● The 23 measure has different chords and the 3rd is missing on the first
instead of the second. But it still very much has the same feeling as the
others.
● (24 - 25)
● We change the rhythm.
● We almost combine the last few measures.
● With half notes then 2 quarter notes
● There is a tie on every note at the end of 24 to 25. Then the accompanist
stops and the feeling from measure 17 is very similar.
● The vocal line is doing the same thing but just with different lyrics.
● (26 - 29)
● We go back to the rhythm of 18 - 23
● It feels very similar to the last few measures.
● With the full chords followed by the chords with things missing.
● No 5th then no 3rd
● (30 - 33)
● This has the same rhythmic patterns.
● It gives it the feeling of monogamy. That content repeats looking out your
window every day and not seeing an interesting view.
● (34 - 38)
● The rhythm looks slightly different but it still has a very similar feeling.
● But with a different rhythm at the bottom, it also has a chatting feeling.
● It feels like something is catching up with her. (I think the thing
catching up with her is her realization that she hates this life she
has and the only thing she loves is Gene and if Gene leaves she
 will have nothing. She knows he is a dirtbag and could leave her at
any moment and it's all catching up with her.)
● (39 - 41)
● We lose the rhythm. And the pattern of the notes changes.
● We are doing something new. (to the song)
● The top line of the accompaniment matches what the vocal line is doing.
This is the first time this has happened in this song. It's a big money. It is a
part in the song where she is being most true. She is saying the things she
does like and she doesn't even find something to like about them.
● That familiarity and comfort created in that last measure is quickly
dismissed and dropped in the next measure
● With the downward motion of the vocal line, it almost feels like she is
losing hope.
● Right when the notes reach their lowest. (and I reach my lowest) I get a
new wind of confidence and hope. But I have to go back to the window.
Thing because I truly can't think of anything else that would work or that I
like about this city
● (42 - 49)
● We go right back to that familiar back and forth in the notes and rhythms.
● It feels very much like I can't get out of this life. Back to what it
always has been and might always be.
● There is a crescendo in 47 it's the entire emotions building.
● 48 we are at mf
● “If I can love you I’ll pay the dirt no heed!” the song is building even with
the monotony. It feels like everything is vomiting out. Like yes, all of this is
shitty but please don’t leave me because you make it all feel ok.
● I am also singing on the tonic of the word heed. So it’s big and
important.
● (50 - 51)
● We get a new rhythmic pattern. We get a whole note for the first time from
the accompanist.
● I say love on the tonic. A huge word in the tone that sounds the most like
home. And I am not talking about my love for him I am talking about his
love for me.
● (52 -54)
● We get a new rhythm
● We get back from quarter notes to 16th notes in a repeating
pattern.
● We also get the same chord patterns repeating.
● Both of these things hammer in the repetitiveness of her life.
 ● She feels stuck and it showing
● We also get a new sound in the vocal line.
● I am just listing things I hate about the city at this point.
● (55 - 59)
● We get a repeat of the rhythms and note patterns.
● The addition of a hole note on the top in the treble of measure 59 gives it
that whole feeling. Right before I say all the things I was listing that suck
are ok.
● (60)
● We move to mf
● We also get 2 repeating quarter notes that have a very round and almost
harsh sound.
● (61 -67)
● We go right back to the pattern that we have seen for the past few
measures.
● Measure 62 moves to mp I say “Listen now” Saying to listen and getting
quiet means that I want Gene's attention. (It also means I want his
undivided attention)
● We have the addition of the whole note on measure 67 as we have seen
earlier. It has a very similar effect this time.
● (68 - 69)
● We get a back-and-forth rhythm with different ways of stacking a ii 11
chords.
● We get to f on measure 68
● Then immediately decrescendo thre measure 68 leading to the mf in the
next measure
● (70 -75)
● We go back to our pattern of 4.
● The rhythms and the chord progressions of feeling are very similar to thins
we have already seen in this song.
● Showing that even if she is starting to convince herself more she is
still trapped.
● Measure 75 loses the chord pattern. But still has the same rhythm
● (76-77)
● I say “What more do I need?” and the song has gone on long enough that
it should be coming to an end but it doesn't she still hasn't convinced
herself and Gene that where they are is good enough.
● We watch to treble clef in the top line
● Only for these two measures then we go right back to bass clef on top.
● (78-84)
 ● We see the same chord progression from 70 -75.
● Showing how trapped she is.
● (85-90)
● We start to get some more complex crunchier chords
● 9s and 11s and all that jazz
● We keep a very similar rhythm
● With the rhythms not changing very much but everything else becoming
more complicated it hits a peak for its tension and anxiety-inducing sound.
● (91)
● This is the second time that the accompaniment matches the vocal line.
● It helps make it sound more aggressive and loud like a busy city.
● (92-93)
● We go back to the base cliff on the top line.
● We get a big unsteady jump in measure 92 in the treble and base claff
giving it that jumpy un balanced sound.
● (94-98)
● We have the same 4 chord pattern in rhythm and notes that we have seen
a few times before.
● (99)
● We keep the same pattern but change chords
● (100)
● We get back up to f in the accompaniment
● We leave the base cliff at the top. (the treble comes back in the next
measure.)
● (101-103)
● The vocal line joins the accompaniment on f
● There is a back-and-forth of 8th notes in the bass and treble clef. Building
that panic attack-like sound.
● (104-107)
● I sing need on the tonic. Making it feel like home.
● We revisit the rhythm we said earlier in 104 as a reminder.
● 103 and 104 put the cherry on top of the theory. That is supposed to
sound like a panic attack.
● We switch to treble clef in measure 106 then switch back in measure 107
● We end the song on the tonic and just the tonic in an octave.
● You would think this would sound nice but it doesn't. After so many
crazy complicated chords. This just sounds like it's missing
something. Much like how Helen is missing something in her
relationship with Gene.