In celebration of our third birthday, we invited a bunch of musicians to detail their experiences of the number three. We asked them to pen a story about how Third Time Lucky, the Rule of Threes or Three’s A Crowd has applied at some time in their life, whether it’s personal, musical or anything else!
Now, sit back, grab a drink (or three) and enjoy our series of Third Time Around. You can tweet us your birthday wishes here, or send us a birthday e-card here.
Josh Pyke talks about the significance of the third song on his album But For All These Shrinkng Hearts.
It’s hard to tracklist an album, but believe me, on a ten track album, track number three is very important. Photographers talk about the Rule of Thirds, and how placing visual elements along three dividing lines helps to create tension and drama in a visual composition. Track listing an album is similar.
Your opening track needs to be a statement on the rest of the album. Maybe it contains a theme, or a mood that reflects the over arching aesthetic of the record. The second track is often a single, or at least a song with some dynamic impact. It needs to kind of slap the audience to attention.
Late Night Driving is the third song on my new album. It’s pretty sparse, finger-picked guitars, a beautiful string arrangement and my voice. That’s about it. To me, the third track says, “Settle back, we’re in this for the long haul now, trust me.”
It needed to be an understated pinnacle, or like a quietly confident, but casually dressed guest at a cocktail party: “Oh who’s that quiet guy in the corner? He actually owns this whole building.”
On a 10 track digital album, the third song roughly indicates the end of the first of three “movements” of an album. It seals off the first movement and welcomes us into the second. However, when you throw in the idea of track listing for vinyl, it becomes the halfway point of side A.
Interestingly, Late Night Driving worked beautifully as the third track on Side A of the vinyl version of my album too. I had to rearrange several other tracks, but the quiet confidence of Late Night Driving allowed it to hold its place in the existing order.
Don’t underestimate the importance of the third track, remember whose building you’re in.
But For All These Shrinking Hearts is out July 31.
