Update! Since filming this, an official version of this song has been released placing finance on one. The original poster also confirmed in a TikTok comment that the one is supposed to be on finance. Again, her original intention might not even matter as the remixes are split about 50/50. Where do you hear the downbeat? More speculation below, but first! If you liked this video, please consider supporting my work on Patreon! www.patreon.com/LeviMcClain Okay, so I just realized that somehow a section of this video that supports the idea of Finance on 1 got left on the editing room floor. Whoops! Since it was just a small part of the argument, I'll save myself the hassle of a re-upload and just put in that section of the script here: "... and a tonic accent is an emphasis on a note by way of change in pitch. Now I know this is spoken word, but we can clearly hear a drop in pitch on the word finance If this is the case, I’m looking for a man is a 2 beat anacrusis which leads us into the downbeat on finance. This makes a lot of sense, because the weight of the line is clearly on finance, right? If you were to strip down the lyrics to only the most essential information to get the message across, it would become "looking, man, finance", all of which fall on strong beats. If asked, I’d probably cut "man" next, so it becomes "she's, looking, finance" which still communicates essentially what she's looking for. But to me this is obviously a comedy sketch. She isn't actually serious by any means here, I mean… I hope not, so in terms of the most important bit of information, between these two words (looking, finance), I’d have to go with finance. Even though looking is the action word, and you'd think that would be more important, without finance, is ceases to be funny and the core message is lost. I'm looking for a man, feels like a lead in to the most important part: "finance", and the most important part, generally in my book for this style of music, gets the downbeat.."

@GizzyDillespee

Ай бұрын

As I wrote in other comments, you convinced me to be able to legit hear "finance" on the 1, even without the part of that quote that you left out. For me, at least, showing the melodyne style chart of her pitch trajectory was enough to bring that point home. I can't speak for anyone else, though.

@internetuser8922

Ай бұрын

Even before you said how you heard it, I 100% heard it as a 2 beat pick-up with the 1 on "finance"

@Kuhleb12

27 күн бұрын

I hear finace as the 1 but i hear it in 8/4

@markcbeaumont4670

25 күн бұрын

Doesnt alter the fact that everyoone hears it differently and there is ambiguity

@RobotronSage

25 күн бұрын

Attempting to read this gave me an aneurysm

SHE puts "finance" on the 1 after her breakdown.

@jakegoldman5804

17 күн бұрын

SOLVED

@VynxeVainglory

17 күн бұрын

She also says finance with more of an accent even on the first round. You definitely can put all kinds of other beats to this, and any drummer / producer knows this very intimately. But if I was producing the song for her without any more input, I would feel extremely confident that she thought the 1 was on finance, indeed.

@michaelistoma8356

10 күн бұрын

The fact she make it one in the next one doesn't mean it was one in the beginning.

@michaelistoma8356

10 күн бұрын

@@VynxeVainglory i don't here an accent on finance. I here it like Rap God "I'm LOOKING or a man". Finance is an answer to looking

Ah yes, a 43 minute video essay about a random sound I have been hearing on instagram

ngl i heard "looking" on 1 immediately, and was surprised you disagreed. it's emphasized with a pickup and hit hard

@TollsterMensch

Ай бұрын

same!

@GizzyDillespee

Ай бұрын

Same, and I was hearing it as pop industrial hodown music, with the off-beat bounce vocals processed like a CB radio. I'm not on titkok luckily.

@GizzyDillespee

Ай бұрын

Which would put "finance" on the 3

@GizzyDillespee

Ай бұрын

I think I was hearing it as "hodown music" because her vocal rhythm reminded me of Cottoneye Joe, for some reason.

@GizzyDillespee

Ай бұрын

Please don't make fun of me for that.

it's not in 4/4, it's in 2/4. the downbeat is on both LOOKing & FINance

@billyruss

29 күн бұрын

That's how I hear it too.

@EvilHandyman

24 күн бұрын

you're wrong. "look" IS on a downbeat, but its clearly not the "one", meaning where the riff truly starts.

@BruceIsWild

21 күн бұрын

​@EvilHandyman "wrong" is an interesting word to use in this discussion.

@BruceIsWild

21 күн бұрын

That's what I'm hearing too

@dwightdeon2421

20 күн бұрын

This.

you're like a parallel universe Adam Neely, bass solos and all

@beatchef

6 күн бұрын

Exactly, same camera setup, same lighting, same expressions, it's weird like the same motion capture performance has been reskinned with a different model lol

I really don’t think anyone is confused about where the one is! They’re just being creative with it. It’s what you do when you remix.

@LeviMcClain

20 күн бұрын

@@12BITJuNGLEOuTTHeRe 100%

@bryanmckaig

17 күн бұрын

Yep. Not about confusion. Without it being defined for us, we are free to place the 1 where we want. I suppose the creator could say where the 1 was in her head, but the 1 is truly wherever the arranger puts it.

@djhenryeau

3 күн бұрын

Yeah this happens all the time in remixes

"Those people don't know what a pickup feels like." Lol, the most accurate statement. It seems like people nowadays have become more unaware of the idea of a pickup. This is not the first time I have seen something like this. Maybe it has to do with the fact that modern music uses pickups less often. Or it's about the type of a pickup - modern music uses this kind of "half bar pickups" less often. An interesting thing about half bar pickups - many classical pieces use them in a way that confuses me. A good example would be the German national anthem. It starts with a two-note pickup, but I have always naturally heard it as starting on the downbeat. Another good example would be "March of The Kings" that I have naturally heard as starting on the downbeat, but it actually starts with a half bar pickup. The slow movement from Eine Kleine Nachtmusik is another good example. And the baroque dance gavotte is another good example (for example the Rondeau from Bach's 2nd orchestral suite). But when I have become more aware of this kind of a pickup, I have started noticing it more in music, and usually now I can pretty accurately hear it before looking at the score. What makes "finance" sound like the downbeat in a more obvious way is the repetition. When it starts to repeat, the repeat always starts on "finance". It would be a bit weird if the repetition began in the middle of the measure. And you can even see this in some of the remixes. They omit one of the words, so that the second "finance" lands on the downbeat, even though the first one doesn't. So, it actually seems like most people are hearing "finance" as the downbeat. They just don't do it that way in the very beginning. (I wrote this comment before watching the last part of the video where this was addressed.) Of course the easiest way to solve this question would be to say it's in 2/4. I mean, why should it be in 4/4? There's a clear emphasis on every 2nd beat, and 2/4 makes that emphasis clear. Then again, of course measures form "measure groups", and we can pretty much objectively say that it uses an 8-beat phrase. And this phrase repeats on "finance", which is why that word gets more emphasis (then again, I guess you could also argue that "blue eyes" - the last word of the phrase - gets the most emphasis). Also, the fact that the remixes interpret it in a certain way doesn't necessarily mean that that's how they naturally feel it. Sometimes you may intentionally place things on weird beats. It's also an artistic decision. It's not "where do I naturally feel the beat" but "which beat sounds good for what I'm after". And also, there's the question "where do I naturally hear it" and "how did the artist feel it". Because you can train yourself to hear things differently. For a long time I naturally felt the beginning of Led Zeppelin's Rock and Roll as the downbeat. But then I found out a video that explained it as a pickup (and related it to a common rock and roll intro cliche). And now I have started to naturally hear it as a pickup. Same thing with Jimi Hendrix's version of All Along the Watchtower. I originally heard it as a two-note pickup (so that the chord change lands on the downbeat). But it's actually a three-note pickup. And now that I know how the artist originally intended it, I have a difficult time hearing it in the way I originally heard it. (And as I already explained, the same has happened with the half bar pickup in classical music.)

She's looking for a man in finance, she found a bunch of men in music.

When the final producer explains why he had to cut trust fund out when placing the 1 on Looking, that's the whole answer of why Finance is 100% the 1. If you look at the phrasing of the whole thing, there's no other answer than "I'm looking for a man in" being a pick up to FINANCE on the 1

@westonkenyonmusic

27 күн бұрын

Ikr. That's super clear because she loops it over starting on "finance." Her own remix has "finance" on 1. Anyone who understands music should hear that.

@halcyonacoustic7366

22 күн бұрын

​@@westonkenyonmusicI know a lot about music theory, but my unexamined inclination was beat 1 is Looking.

@falsefreedom1713

4 күн бұрын

​@@westonkenyonmusic she also loops it over starting on "Looking" so you have truly proved nothing.

It's in 2/4. You're welcome.

@boswell255

Ай бұрын

It is a TikTok video after all. Tik tok, tik tok.

@riloh58

Ай бұрын

Exactly what I came to post. Or potentially 2/2 I guess. If I’m counting it in a 4 beat bar, I get the downbeat on “Looking” anyway. For what ever that means.

@Robotron-wd9em

Ай бұрын

I've also heard it as a 2/4

@HelmutNevermore

Ай бұрын

Same.

@voracion

28 күн бұрын

I just heard it as double time but yeah 2/4 also works

It's in double time and everything is on 1

29:47 I think it’s worth mentioning “the drop” is where the beat drops back in, not the part where the instruments drop out. It’s the release of tension, not the climax of the buildup.

when I first heard it I thought the first beat was on "finance" but then after hearing all the remixes with it on the 3rd beat my brain started hearing it only as on the 3rd beat

@JanxZ

Ай бұрын

can you list all of the people who made a finance=3rd beat remix of it so i can come to their house at 3 am

@ErikTheHighlander

27 күн бұрын

it is also on finance if you go 2/4 instead of 4/4. think edm.

DAMN!!! This is one of the best videos i've ever seen on KZread. You have such a fantastic way of explaining complex musical concepts and making them simple. Especially appreciated the part about "what is a downbeat" because the language around that always confused me and i never knew why. I had also been wondering this question myself and curious as to why more people weren't talking about it! Thanks for compiling this video. Cheers!

Finance is the 1. The cadence of "looking for a man in" sounds very much like an EDM high/low tom fill (digga digga dut dut ONE). Doing it this way also places the lyrics inbetween beats 2 and 4 which will have the clap and/or snare, meaning a cleaner mix and funkier/more locked together groove. Of course you can line it up any which way and it'll work, but for the genre, where you want important words on the downbeat (Fin, Trust, Six, Blue), followed by a snare: dum dum CAT, dum dum, CAT, etc. That just sounds the strongest in that context.

It's definitely on finance, and EDM musicians are frequently just not that musical 😬

All of the ones with finance on 3 feel wrong to me. It just seems like someone squished the pickup into beat 1

There is no way anyone can actually count through her entire video and think finance should be the 3. It makes no sense. No wonder they have to take out a line or cut it up completely to make it fit. the start of the buildup is 1. The drop is 1. and if you count it back that means finance is 1. (which if also clear from other clues you've discussed) It's only somewhat ambiguous if you just listen to the first few seconds Great video!

@Pmcoelho22

Ай бұрын

Completely agree. The 1 only "seems" to be on the "looking" during the first sentence. As soon as she sings "blue eyes" you should understand that the 1 was in fact in "finance" and that the "I'm looking for a man" was an anacrusis, since "blue eyes" does not make any sense as a 1. This gets further confirmed by the fact that she goes back to "finance". It's actually funny to see the remixes of the people that interpreted "finance" on the 3. They all cut off the first "trust fund" so that it works (except the last remix, which doesn't really flow well ihmo). Check it for yourselves. This is clear indication that the original video has to have the 1 on "finance". Any other interpretation requires cutting off something to make it work. Case closed. Not sure why this was even a debate. I guess people don't like taking in new evidence to update their beliefs, even if those beliefs were formed literally 2 seconds before.

@Nae_Ayy

28 күн бұрын

It is on 3 to me :/

@voracion

28 күн бұрын

Yes. Everyone counting it so that finance is on 3 are just wrong. Sorry, but it makes way more musical sense for finance to be on the one. Everyone who remixed the song this way STINKS

@voracion

28 күн бұрын

​@@Nae_AyyYOU STINK

@voracion

28 күн бұрын

​@@Nae_Ayyjk ❤

I hear it in 2/4 looking and finance both down beats. techno bass drum with accents on the 1. strong weak strong weak

Another episode might be the "why" of the popularity of this song...

@PeterCamberwick

26 күн бұрын

and the implications of the downfall of society. LOL

@Matx5901

17 сағат бұрын

@@PeterCamberwick Oui, c'est tellement révélateur ces paroles.

the tempo either drags or rushes each time she repeats the phrase so the one keeps shifting around a lot. she should use a metronome.

@nicholasmullins3693

Ай бұрын

Given it was a passing idea, I understand why she didn't necessarily keep time. But anyone remixing can fix that.

This is easy. You can either place the 1 on "looking", right from the start. Or else you could place it on "finance" if you're using "I'm looking for a man in" as an intro. If the latter is true, the rest of the song will continue the same way as if you used the first option. Ultimately, they're the same.

Thanks for having me on for this video! Super cool video concept digging into an otherwise dumb meme trend that just happened to be a ridiculously big opportunity for me haha

@Roescoe

9 күн бұрын

When you showed up I finally felt vindicated in counting it your way. Hah great to have a discussion on beats.

During the initial listen I did not imagine instrumentation, only drumbeats or handclaps. The downbeat was on "LOOKing," but the melody had 5 bars instead of 4 (as we usually expect). I think this 5th bar throws a lot of people off, supporting the notion that "FInance" was the first beat, backed by the fact that "trust fund" isn't even a slant rhyme for anything here. But I think my second favorite is the "offbeat" version, where the 1 comes before the vocal, "I'M" is beat 2, "LOOK" is 3, etc. Very interesting.

I immediately felt the one on "looking," but when she got to the repetition it became 100% clear that the 1 is on "finance," and that is how I would use the vocal into a song. When placed over a beat in a techno track, I would 100% want the repeated phrase "finance, trust fund, 6'5", blue eyes" to start on the one. Then again, if I sampled this in a techno track, I could chop it up and alter the rhythm however I want.

"Looking" seemed to me the obvious 1 drop. There's a super-simple lead-in with "I'm..." that can be drawn out to pretty much any intuitive length, but once "looking" hits, the rhythm is started and it goes on hitting beats on "man" and "finance". Multiple lines start with "looking". Sure, you absolutely can place the beat all over the place, and none of those are "wrong" and several even sound "better", but it seems like we should all agree that "looking" is the "simple" or "obvious" 1 beat.

@theEx0du5

21 күн бұрын

And to be clear, I can totally hear it with the 3 and recognize it's strengths there. In particular, if you think about one of those classic 90s electronic beats with an explosive 1 and propelling rhythm with backbeat clatter - think Prodigy's "Firestarter" as a simple popular example - then, yeah, I can totally hear that explosion on "finance" and it sounds great and rolls well with the following verses. If someone pictures that in their mind, they will definitely get clear on the lead-in envisioned for that framing. I just think someone thinking like that is not going for the simplest rhythmic backing to the piece and are elaborating to make it sound better. A lot of people find "simple" to be "boring". I don't think that changes my comment, though, and I would even go so far as to say that those who claim they can't hear it with the 1 on "looking" are not being completely honest.

I hear the one beat starting on the gap between "I'm" and "Looking" - I'm (1) looking for a (2) man in fi(3)nance (4), (1) six five (2), (3) blue eyes (4) - just like the examples in minute 6:00 I guess what makes the confusion here is majorly because she sings 18 steps (4+4+4+4+2 then the bar restarts), which is why the remixes are cutting some lines so it fits in regular 16 steps (4+4+4+4). When you count starting in finance (beat 3), you treat the early 2 steps as a kind of "intro" that doesn't repeat, like bars that are added before the regular rhythm is stabilished. It's a matter of realizing where the beat should repeat and which 2 lines should be cut. As I'm used to listen to music in odd time signatures it's not weird for me to count 18 then regular 16 steps for the rest of the song and not feel weirded by the rhythm. I mean, I feel these 2 bars as just 2 more bars added in a regular rhythm. In the end it's just because she was not thinking of a rhythm when singing for tiktok hahahaha.

@PJWALKER440

8 күн бұрын

To me, the 18 beat phrase is 'obviously' the result of her having the idea of the 16/32+ beat build that's standard for the genre, but only doing 8 beats of it because it’s not fun to actually sing: I'm looking for a man, looking for a man, looking for a man, looking for a man, looking for a man, looking for a man, looking for a man, looking for a man I'm looking for a, looking for a, looking for a, looking for a, looking for a, looking for a, looking for a, looking for a, looking looking looking looking looking looking look… I’m looking for a man in 𝄆 finance

It's incredible to dive into all of this just from a tiktok !!! Really great content, thanks for that !

Immediately heard it on 'looking'

I think it's twice the tempo you're imagining. The speed of the syllables in "looking for a" dictates the pacing. That way your 1/3 dilemma goes away, they're both 1's.

@halcyonacoustic7366

22 күн бұрын

Another way to think of it along that train of thought is that there are just two quarter notes per measure. Like 2/4 time aka "cut time"

@halcyonacoustic7366

22 күн бұрын

In other words, the beats aren't shorter, there are just fewer beats per measure.

the video is incredible, both amusing and educational simultaneously, so it leaves me both almost speechless and wanting to say a lot of things, share thoughts, but I mostly leave this comment as a "thank you" in order for algorithms to push this work further so more people see it

All this video says to me is that people don't understand meter and strong / weak pulses, lmao. Half the folks sounded like they were talking about the offbeat where a snare or clap would hit when referring to the "one", even clapping as if it was the off beat, while the other half just argued the same metric structure but starting from different points in the meter which would/could all be "the one", depending on BPM or time signature, i.e. 2/4 vs 4/4, or 4/4 at 90 BPM vs 160 BPM in the click, which can both 'sound' like the same speed or pulse (just changing the way it is notated in sheet music or piano roll, and facilitating more granular percussion w/ drum machines and synths by essentially increasing the effective metric resolution by cutting the length of each bar (thus allowing twice as many pulses per bar from a DAW/midi perspective.

Rhythmic ambiguity has been exploited since the advent of the DAW. Interpretations will vary based on early ear training (entrainment?). Some people will never understand jazz unless...

@dis.infectant

Ай бұрын

Yes, I typed this prior to finishing the video.

I would have chosen "Looking", but I guess we now know it's not.

I love that there are so many people making music now, that we can study hundreds of interpretations of nearly any song

as a producer if we are doing the beat you are, finance sounds better on 3 because its almost like 6'5 is a breakdown entry type thing to link to the next bar, but tbh its so ambiguous its a dream to produce, you can impliment it in so many different varietys to swich up the flow... but the flow remains the same. interesting for sure but now that i think about it, you can also use "im looking for a man" as a predrop into finance as a one, thats probably what was intended but because we imagine the music first we lose count even a three kick and leave out bar 4 would be wild im looking for a man in... finance (boom) six five (boom) blue eyes (boom) then reroute that to the same bar with the link being the looking part so many options

The one is on looking. She’s definitely projecting an edm/house vibe. That means 4/4 kick. Put the kick on look and it loops back on the second “blue eyes.” Everything else is just timing issues because she’s not a musician and wasn’t trying to structure meter. If you force it, the one falls on looking.

This feels like a video that's going to absolutely blow up

You have to quantize her imperfect timing.

@LeviMcClain

24 күн бұрын

@@BryanBarcelo for sure, doubt she intended 4/4 + 17/16 😂

5:28 when writing lyrics for parodies i always tell my artists that their texts should follow the rhythm of the spoken words as naturally as possible. This also means that stressed syllables will usually fall on the beat. I honestly believe this make s the difference for a catchy tune with a high chance of being memorised and sung by the masses.

I heard the 1 on Finance as well. But what I really wanted to mention was that some sounds you can change in your mind. I can hear both Laurel or Yanny as well as brainstorm, green needle, brain needle and greenstorm. It helps to see the word to force you to hear it that way but you can do it. Something similar happens with a few other sounds too, like tick tock of a clock, click clack of a seatbelt buckle or a light switch. The sound is exactly the same for both tick and tock but we have been conditioned to think there is a separate tick sound from the tock sound. Here's a little experiment: tap your finger on your desk or something hard in the same place. As you tap, say to your self in your mind: "tap, tap, tap, tap". The tapping sound should sound like "tap". Now keep doing it but now say: "tip, tap, tip, tap". It might take a little while but you should start to hear it change. And again, say: "tip, tip, tip, tip". It should change again. Some repetitive sounds tend to do this and I'm not sure why. Possibly we are conditioned to think of them as different sounds for some reason.

I initially heard the 1 on "looking", but then listened back again, and thought 1 on "finance" souned more natural to me.

I’m sitting here in my car in the parking lot of my girlfriend’s place of employment, cracking myself up by putting “I’m” right the f**k on beat one like an absolute rube. It works out in a pretty funny way where you get “nance”, “fund”, “five” and “eyes” all lining up with the snare beats. Also, I’m just going to say I sympathize for the girl who asked the question about DJs and got memed. Those are legit questions. And I’ve personally known plenty of EDM performers, who are absolutely not doing shit on stage at all.

I hear it as a drummer in two parts. The first part is counted in 8th notes 4/4 but her first word ("I'm") is rested. The beat actually starts on beat 2 ("LOOK-ing") for a MAN in FI-nance...", The second part..."TRUST-fund...6'5....BLUE eyes.... FI-nance ..."TRUST-fund 6'5... BLUE-eyes... is supposed to be a 3 beat phrase (triplet feel) but she actually starts with a 4 beat phrase by adding the word "FIN-ance" used at the end of the first phrase. This leads to a polyrhythmic-feeling groove but it's actually just the added beat that was originally rested. I think the beat is pretty straight but the way she emphasises her syllables changes the feel in the second part. Haha, some of these peoples' mixes are amazing!😂

@silphv

7 күн бұрын

I think I hear what you mean, I don't visualize it quite as 4:3 but rather as swing (but like a 66% swing would be indistinguishable from 4:3 anyway)

For me it was instant. Beat 1 was on "looking" for me, with "i'm" as a beat 4 pickup.

@shedidntthinkthisthrough

Ай бұрын

Same here! I don’t have any formal musical training.

@SamThredder

29 күн бұрын

exactly, its so fucking obvious

@westonkenyonmusic

27 күн бұрын

Doesn't make sense that way to me because you're left with an extra measure of only 2 beats before it loops over. If "finance" is on 1, you have a perfect 4/4 loop after a 2-beat pickup that starts over on "finance."

Duude...oh man just wanted to call it a day and lock the studio to go home. And now you are coming with the most interesting Audio rabbithole since the question if Byron Bogues actually talks on THAT song or not. (okok...you wont know him or the track. But it would make you crazy..)

I think the clue to answering the underlying question of how we determine the downbeat, is in the words we use: beat, pulse, rhythm. What do we have from birth, within us, that relates to these words? Our heart! Where do we feel connected to music? In our heart. I think the way we 'feel' and interpret the downbeat in music, or how we tap our feet/nod our head, depends on our pulse rate at the time of listening. Or perhaps our own personal resting heart rate/rhythm. That would be a great study for musicologists.

In funk the one just signifies that you accent the one on the drums you will hear the hi hat accent the one hi hat open on the last measure and closed on the first measure . There is also the technique in reggae specifically on the drums called the one drop which signifies that you drop the fist note of the measure if you think of the one drop as 9/8 and you drop the one it becomes a 4/4 what makes it difficult is that you don’t drop the fist note till the second measure

Definitely heard it on "finance," but I apparently heard it in half time from everyone else.

A hypothesis: we are bipedal creatures. We have a bunch of limbs that act like pendulums. They naturally suggest a back-and-forth, 2x or 4x movement. We have a regular heartbeat.

there are those who have a feeling for rythm and such who don't and shoehorn everything in a pattern and make people numb to the real rythm.

I really adore her "vocal fry", hahahaha. Just a perfect cherry on top of that silly delivery with faux posh accent.

I hear "I'm ..." one-two-one-two-one-two-one-two ... Not 4/4 - I'm not a music theory person, but is that 2/4 ? Not surprisingly: tik tok tik tok tik tok

So, apparently many people though of EDM here, but I on the other hand, once she started, heard it like the beat from "Wannabe" by Spice Girls: "I'll tell you what I want..", where first syllable "I'll" is on the last 8th of the bar, so in this girl's video I hear it as "I'm" on the last 8th, and "loo.." on 1

@PauLtus_B

26 күн бұрын

But I don't think it's the same as "Finance" really establishes a repeating motif. The "I'll" and "I'm" are both a pretty obvious off-beat. But in the spice girls song the more dynamic melody is established as a repeating motif.

I’d put “Looking” on one. If you start it on finance, then the breakdown starts at the wrong place “Looking for a, looking for a, looking for a, looking for a”. That part should start on one so just rewind from there.

I heard it as “I’m” being the pick up. Whether you want to make the first several notes before finance as the pickup is just turning around 3 for the 1. The kick would be on “look” and “finance” either way.

As kind of a layperson regarding music I felt "finance" was on 1 too, it being the most emphasized i guess?

Just finished the vid... that was cool. Right away, I heard "looking" on the 1, and for the 1st 30 minutes, I was sure. But then, when you pointed out the pitch trajectory of her first vocal phrase, and how the first 2 bars could lead into the drop, in a trance anthem, or a Prodigy style track, or a 2010s EDM track... in my mind, I could hear a hoover, and all of the sudden I was able to realize "finance" on the 1, and it sounded right. I think it helped that you'd just showed an analysis of her head bobbing accents. And it helped that I hadn't heard any of the remixes previously (beyond your very brief snippets here)... so,I think that made the moment when I became able to hear "finance" on the 1, in my mind, more profound. I could force it to be on the 1 before, but it hadn't felt right. The new context made all the difference. Prior to that, I'd been hearing the vocals as if fhey were vocals in a 90s novelty song like Cottoneye Joe, or a 2000s party song like Juke Gal. So, you did a good deed by providing a different context. Now, it sounds right on either the 1 or the 3. I think it's useful to develop that sort of flexibility.

This is so cool, it works well on every beat and I can see how everyone would hear it these ways. I think it’s because of how it’s constructed, as such an on beat, steady rhythm, you can kinda just slap it in and see what you like most.

I initially thought finance. I'm now thinking 'I'm' is the upbeat, "looking is the down beat (1). This is purely on the scansion and purpose of the lyrics. She's looking for these traits. Looking is where the emphasis lies. This is a song that can be sung in the round because it wouldn't matter where you start. Perfect for techno. Genius!

If you want a brain teaser, listen to "bipolar" from blonde redhead. At first glance, it's a progressive industrial song which basically loops the same riff over and over. But. In this song, even though the drums and bass are always in sync there is something happening during the song that makes you interpret the beat in two different ways. And it doesn't happen from one listening session to the other, it happens during the same one! And once you notice it, it happens on each listening session. You can't unhear it anymore. And, for the life of me, I can't tell why or even if I'm the only guy who feels this way. My brain structures the song in two different ways, unable to determine what's the main one and the switch from one structure to the other is erratic. I know this song for more than a decade and listen to it quite often, and I'm still unable to determine how to position the beat when I'm singing that song in my head or listening to it. It's two songs in one. And, dependent on where the up beat actually is, the song sounds completely different (and both ways are awesome). Something is losing you, somewhere. Is it the drums, is it the cymbals or is it the voice line? I don't know and it's a puzzle to me because they all seem consistent. But it's definitely there. The main position of the up beat is undetermined and it feels like it's up to your brain to decide. It's almost as if the song is a musical version of the Schrödinger's cat experiment. To me, the title "bipolar" suits the song very well because one person (at least me) has two subjective and opposite perceptions of the same reality that is never resolved. And if that was their point when writing it, it's pure genius. The title seems to suggest it's on purpose though. The drummer loses you even more by hitting his sticks an odd number of times on an even time span, when the song begins. It's strange af. If someone has the same perception but can determine what's the trick used here, I would love to know.

@nicholasmullins3693

Ай бұрын

I gotchu. I counted it out and the stick clock intro definitely throws you off. The snares his on the "and" of 2 and 4 and on the second measure you get it on both 4 and the "and after. So the whole rhythmic pattern, with the accent beats in parentheses is 1 + 2 (+) 3 + 4 (+) 1 + 2 (+) 3 + (4) (+). With the sneer hits not being directly on a beat but primarily all being on upbeats, it throws you off if you try to place them neatly on two and four.

Interesting that here, we use the definite article before highway numbers (the five, the four-oh-five, the ten) and we _don't_ use it when speaking of the crusis (to use the unambiguous term). It's just "one". Like "Hey Vinnie, where's one?" during a drum solo. My main reference to how they do it on the other coast would be Adam Neely, and I don't think I've ever heard him call it "the one" either, it's just "one".

The 1 is on "looking". Final answer

Honestly I think a lot of people might not understand the concept of pickup notes. They assume the 1 is wherever the vocalist starts singing so that's why so many are hearing "I'm" as the 1 whereas others might hear 2 beats of pickup and "finance" as the 1. I'm not saying that one is more "right" than the other but I know what feels the most natural to me.

Pianist here. I interpret it as 2/4. "I'm" is the final eighth note, then "looking for a man in" is in the next full bar, and the beat drops on "Finance." Technically this makes "Look" and "Fi" both beat 1, but it is way more intuitive and seems to be her intention to have the beat drop on "finance".

As we like to say, people who clap on 1 and 3 ain't friends o mine 🤣🤣

@jaycielle

Ай бұрын

You've seen that Harry Connick Jr. video where he adds a beat in on the fly to fix the clapping right? If not, he literally turns a whole room of your mortal enemies into people you might be able to get along with

@Bthelick

Ай бұрын

@@jaycielle I wasn't. Cheers I'll check that out 👊

My expectations from pop music tell me to expect the downbeat on 'finance'. However, putting the whole thing off beat is the most interesting choice. A cool rendition of this would be to play the a capella, quantized for a little bit, with no beat; and then, after a few bars, introduce a downbeat right before the 'I'm' / 'trust fund', like in the example you gave, forcing your brain to recontextualize it. I know stuff like this has been done before, and a similar version of this song probably already exists, but it's always fun and kind of mind bending to experience.

Given that it's in 4/4 time, the first measure would be 3 quarter rests, an eighth rest, then an eighth note (I'm), then "looking" would be the 1 count on the 2nd measure.

Downbeat is on "looking", otherwise she wouldn't have stressed the "looking for a man - looking for a man - looking for a looking for a looking for a man" with those repetitions

There's a number of ways this can be interpreted. Assuming the entire phrase is the full first pass, I'd say the "song" is either in 10/4 or two bars of 5/4. So it would go: Pickup (and of beat 10): I'm Downbeat 1: Looking for a Downbeat 2: Man in Downbeat 3: Finance Downbeat 4: Rest Downbeat 5: Trust Fund Downbeat 6: Rest Downbeat 7: 6'5" Downbeat 8: Rest Downbeat 9: Blue Eyes And of Beat 10: I'm

What your did around 25:16 was very insightful for why I love techno. A good producer or dj will layer multiple beats on top for people to shift their ones and suddenly find themselves in a different track.

Finance on One. The hook literally loops back to finance. The "looking for a looking for a" bit is the drop, and the drop is..... "finance".

It never would have occurred to me in a million years to place the “one” on “finance”. But now that I’ve made myself hear it your way, I can’t STOP hearing it your way. Her structure actually does lend itself to hearing the one on “finance” because then there’s a neat repeating two-bar loop that goes “finance, trust fund, six five, blue eyes” and then returns to the beginning of lyric phrase, “finance”, on the “one” of the third bar. With the “one” on “looking”, on the other hand, the lyric loop gets out of sync with the bars.

7:06 yes this is exactly where it belongs to my ear, it sounds way more satisfying than all the other remixes up to this point

Putting the one on "look" was intuitive, but that was not "right when the video started." I suppose I can see why you were surprised...

I'm kinda surprised that no one else made this connection but (probably due to lyrical similarity) I hear the "I'm looking for a guy in finance" to the same cadence as "I'm looking down every alley", etc. from Kesha's "Your Love is my Drug." This puts a rest on beat one which is probably unintuitive without any musical context, but it lands the "trust fund, 6'5", blue eyes" bit on the back beat which I enjoy

At 2:40 you say that this young woman now has a 'licensing contract with Capitol Records'. Then at 10:00 you say 'I don't think she's actually a musician'. What are the sleaze bags at Capitol Records hoping to get with their 'licensing contract'? She's not a musician so what is it about this young woman that peaks their interest? If she doesn't want to get f**ked over, then she better have a good lawyer that's for sure.

I started counting the downbeat on "looking" but now that I've actually thought about it, you're right. Now I can't not feel it "looking for a man" is a 2, 3, 4 lead-in with finance on the 1.

The people that had “Finance” on the 3 beat, are also the ones quantizing how she speaks, so it is no longer the same beat timing, it takes away from her own visual and audio emphasis on the word “FINACE”

There is no one. It doesn't exist. None of it exists. It's just a concept used to make reproducing/playing music easier. The one can exist anywhere as long as the music can be accurately reproduced/played going by the sheet. There's also nothing special about this when the same ideas can be applied to countless recordings without accompaniment.

God I never want to hear that again.

Initially heard it on "looking". Been playing drums for 25 years for what it's worth.

I heard the 1 on 'looking'. I get completely that "finance... trust fund... 6'5... blue eyes" forms a repeating phrase, but in dance music, we're very used to hearing vocal samples running over a track which do not conform to 4 bar phrases, often because they've been sampled from non-musical sources, like movies.

If I wanted to torment myself by throwing this in Ableton I'd put the first kick under 'looking'. I don't want to torture myself (done bad enough getting to 4:55) so I won't.

I feel like the statement of the woman saying "people dont know what a pick up feels like" rungs true because most edm producers arent trained musicians. But its interesting that there are trained musicians in the video that probably do know what a pick up is and choose to put "finance" on an offbeat or 3

she starts with an anacrusis, she starts on the third beat of a 4/4 bar and "finance" lands on the beat one of the next bar, it´s the phrasing that makes more sense accent wise

Subbed. I got it on Finance without watching the video. I’m an audiophile who has an eclectic taste in music but not formerly trained. Fascinating.

If you like mathy music, check out tera melos "Bite". Its basically in 4 but they occasionally extend the loop by a bar, sometimes 2. Like they basically are counting all the music 1/2, which is how i feel her original tik tok presents the music. By starting on the pickup, which is also the beginning of her lyrical phrase, she is making the cycle ambigious. In other words "im looking for a man... " Is the first beat no matter what context you want to take it too, its literally how she begins and there is no accompaniment to give us any other rhythmix context. Did she think of it that way? Most likely not, but this is my theory that all untrained listeners dont nod in 4 like musicians, they nod to a 1 beat pulse, and musicians being lazy bastards only ever count to 4 for math reasons. However listening is a bar by bar process in which we "ingest" the pattern without counting it all out. Hope any of that adds up 😂

"im looking for a man" is the pick up line and finance is the 1. if you put the 1 before that so that finance lands on the 3, then you have to have a back beat on 2 and 4 so its basically just a 2/4. that said i do think the idea of the ambiguous downbeat is super cool. the intro to "im so into you" by tamia is an example of one that trips me up sometimes and it feels like the downbeat changes in the chorus when it doesnt really

Clapping on the on beat: dorky and hokey. Downbeat: cool and funky.

Most people are asking the wrong question: "Where's the one?" The question you should be asking is, "Where does the phrase resolve?" Once you look at it that way, it becomes apparent that it is in 2/4, whereas most people assume that it's in 4/4.

Heh funny, I had this wonderful funk going in my head as the background for those vocals I kind of feel like 'finance' is like the 'one'? But it also doesn't feel like the downbeat. It's wild.

having messy untrimmed strings on a guitar is one thing, but that bass is utterly inexcusable

Let's get to the core of her message, she prioritizes her list of attributes from most important to least as that unconsciously is how people normally order their lists. The first 2 items are job in finance (money) and trust fund (backup / extra money), then she says 6'5 with blue eyes. She's not looking for a man, she wants a money tree. The good-looking guy is just a bonus for being attached to the wallet width she's looking for. This is why the ONE is on FINance as it's the most important part of the riff. Plus she's not Actively LOOKING for a guy, she's waiting for one to stroll by and approach which is why "I'm looking for a guy in..." is just a lead in. I guess money is more important than people in relationships, but that's a bit obvious. Ethical behavior is a dead concept. "Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, always at the same time as an end, never merely as a means." - Immanuel Kant

@LeviMcClain

24 күн бұрын

@@reyne-soundtherapy469 came to the exact same point in the pinned comment! Glad I’m not the only one who analyzed it from that angle 😅

@reyne-soundtherapy469

24 күн бұрын

@@LeviMcClain Oh! I gotcha! Sorry I got halfway through the video and already started typing. Super compelling conversation! Also, I'm kind of a hypocrite for this but without a TL;DR the pinned comment looked a bit intimidating in length for me to give a thorough read. Love the content! I'm super into these deeper discussions!

@chrisdiffin6793

22 күн бұрын

Oh okay how about this- I was originally hearing “look” on one and just realised the narrative I had for the lyric was the speaker making a declarative statement of intent- ie the verb is important. However, if I imagine the lyric as a reply to a question, the verb is now part of restating the question and so less important than listing the attributes. All of a sudden with that framing the “finance on 1” sounds so much more natural!

how the hell does this only have 6 thousand views??????

@peppepop

24 күн бұрын

@@marzy_music I agree! Internet is weird.

Yep, Finance felt like 1 for sure. Lol, I agreed with the woman conducting who said “they don’t know what a pick up feels like!” Agreed 😆

Dude you are the next Adam Neely

16:05 Can we all just take a moment to appreciate the work of art on display (commonly referred to as a guitar)

I'm not surprised that "finance" is now officially on 1 since it struck me as the most kitschy phrasing, and I'm pretty sure this whole thing is a pre-emptive media circuit for our newest industry plant.✨