Musical Analysis 2
"Northern Attitude"
The harmonic texture is by far my favorite part of this song. I love how it's homophonic during the verses, then leads into the loud pound of a drum. I think this part of the song makes it stand out and creates power by pulling attention towards the chorus. At the same time, when the song emerges out of the chorus and back into the homophonic texture, it again draws the listener's attention back into the song, assuming they got caught up in the striking melodic chorus because I know I do. This then leads into another aspect of the song that I really love, which is the pacing. The verses slow you down while the chorus speeds you up. It's a really amazing metaphor within the music to describe life itself. Sometimes life feels slow and calm, then suddenly out of nowhere, much like the drum that begins each chorus, we're quickly hit with the unexpected, which leads me into the lyrics.
The lyrics to this song engaged my affection just as much as the melody did. Even reading the comments on the YouTube video felt really wholesome. One person wrote, "I am 65 yrs old lady dancing in my forest camp on moss in the rain. I never heard this song before but Maine approves ❤". Another wrote, "I'll tell you what. I'm 75 years old. These two young guys sang my life". An article from WTHB says, "For a song about family, loneliness, and isolation, this song doesn’t feel too heavy in the slightest. In fact, it’s rather uplifting"(Skeet).
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| (Kahan Northern Attitude) |
To me, I am scared to live. I constantly fear the judgment of others, which keeps me from living my life in so many ways. On the other hand, I'm also scared to die. That said, in this line, I don't think he's literally meaning being scared to die. However, in a way, he is; of course, it's all about the perception of the listener, but for me, he's referring to consequences that feel detrimental. For example, when I moved out at 19, I had to cut off contact with my family. So to me, moving out was terrifying as I would've had no one to fall back on if I didn't get it right. But if I had chosen differently and remained where I was, I wouldn't have experienced this new, amazing version of myself, or the unbelievable rewards life brought me for not being afraid to fail or, as Hozier said, not being "scared to die".
Another compelling component of the song is the vocal range heard in Hozier's voice. His verse is not necessarily super low, but compared to his background vocals, it is. My favorite place to hear this song is in my car on full volume just to hear and breathe in Hozier's background vocals. It gives me a similar release to Kurt Cobain's scream in Drain you by Nirvana(timestamp 2:28). Boston's Uncommon Radio even wrote, "The standout for me began around the 2:21 mark when Hozier belts and howls in the gap between verse two and the following chorus. This addition to “Northern Attitude” was strikingly placed and highly appreciated"(Mastroianni).
Finally, the four-beat measure in Northern Attitude is arguably the most likable aspect of the song. It's extremely simple and can easily be followed by almost everyone who listens to music. It starts off somewhat fast, then slows for a moment during a pre-chorus. Next, the beat quickens during the chorus, going even faster than the verses; eventually completing the song at a very slow beat.
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| (Mower, Holler 2024) |
Kahan, Noah. “Northern Attitude.” Deezer, 10 Nov. 2023, www.deezer.com/us/album/508242481.
Mastroianni, Ella. “Pick of the Week: Noah Kahan and Hozier ‘Northern Attitude.’” WERS 88.9FM, 27 Nov. 2023, wers.org/pick-of-the-week-noah-kahan-and-hozier-northern-attitude/.
Mower, Maxim. “Noah Kahan Brings out Hozier and Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz during Hit-Filled Railbird Festival 2024 Set.” Holler, Holler, 14 Aug. 2025, holler.country/news/breaking/noah-kahan-brings-out-hozier-and-counting-crows-adam-duritz-during-hit-filled-railbird-festival-2024-set/.
Skeet, Lucy. “Noah Kahan & Hozier - ‘Northern Attitude.’” When The Horn Blows, When The Horn Blows, 15 Nov. 2023, whenthehornblows.com/content/2023/11/15/noah-kahan-amp-hozier-northern-attitude.
Hello Angela, what stood out to me most in your post was how clearly you explained the shift between the verses and the chorus. You made it easy to understand how the drum entrance changes the energy of the song and I could really picture that moment while reading. I appreciated that you connected the music to your own experiences instead of only focusing on terminology. Your explanation of that lyric and what it means to you added real depth to your analysis. If you wanted to strengthen it even more you could expand a bit on how the duet version builds intensity when both voices come together. The layered vocals in the chorus add a stronger emotional impact. Your writing felt genuine and thoughtful and it made the song feel even more meaningful for me, thank you!
ReplyDeleteAfter listening to the song I agree that there is an emphasis on the chorus. This song is a favorite of mine and I also hold meaning to the lyrics of the song. I liked how you included comments from youtube because it shows how meaningful this song is to others. Something to note in this song is the timbre, especially in the chorus.
ReplyDeleteI like the way you describe the verses and the chorus, how each of them impacts the song differently. The chorus stands out more because of its uplifting feeling despite going over the troubles in life, maybe with some hope that circumstances will get better.
ReplyDeleteHello Angela, I think your blog is really well done. I am a huge fan of Noah Kahan and also a fan of Hozier. I think they did so well on this song, complimenting each other with their different styles of singing and voices. I think that it is really cool how you related to the song through the scared to live, scared to die part. Like you articulated, I think that sometimes doing the hard decisions can make the best results. I'm sure cutting off from your family was very tough, but I'm also sure it has allowed you to reach new heights as a person.
ReplyDeleteNoah Kahan and Hozier are definitely a duo that are incomparable to others. I like how you had the comparison where life can be slow and then suddenly speed up out of nowhere just like the song. They both have voices that blend together very well, they have almost the exact same style when singing. I think something that a lot of people don't talk about much is the outro and how it's just like raw emotion with the guitar and both of their voices blending together at the same time.
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