TASK

1:
PRESENTATION
8 pages of An individual research presentation using
concepts and subject-specific terminology of your
favourite piece(s) of art that evoke(s) emotion(s),
including research about the artist and the context at the
point of creation the critical analysis of one or two of
their favourite piece(s) of art.
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Task 1.1: Research

Leon Bridges
Todd Michael “Leon” Bridges was born on July 13th 1989 in

Atlanta, Georgia. He grew up in Fort Worth, Texas. Bridges

parents separated when he was 7 and spent a lot of his time

switching between both parents. He was also surrounded by

family after a tragic Hurricane destroyed their houses, but still

always felt alone. He recalls finding comfort in music and using

it as an escape. He attended Tarrant County College, a

community college where he learnt dance after being inspired

by his dad’s moonwalk dance move. Singing, song writing and

guitar playing were first hobbies before he eventually decided to perform at open mics and small

shows. Because of this, his music started to sound neo-soul, slow and folky R&B to

accommodate for the mood set in the show. He had a similar style to famous musician Sam

Cooke, but Bridges had no recollection of his work until his friend told him about the famous,

musician. He listened to his songs and from then on, Sam Cooke has been one of his biggest

influences. Additionally, he had done analogue SoundCloud uploads of his recordings, but that

still was not enough to pay the bills as he and his mother were struggling. While working at a bar

in Texas, he met Austin Jenkins, a guitarist from the rock band White denim, who after two

weeks since their bar encounter, together with Joshua Block, produced Bridges’ first song

“Coming Home.”

His debut album also titled, Coming Home, was released in February 2015 and was the launch

pad of his career. The album told the story of his upbringing with a song dedicated to his mother

called, “Lisa Sawyer”. Other notable songs are, Brown Skin Girl, River and Twisting’&
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Groovin’. It debuted as number 6 on Billboard 200 and was nominated for a Grammy as “Best

R&B album” while the music video for River was nominated as well. In 2016-2017, Leon

Bridges collaborated, performed and co-wrote or featured on:

1. Katchi- Nick Waterhouse

2. Present without a bow- Kacey Musgraves

3. Kevin- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

4. Own my own- with Lecrae

5. Across the room- ODESZA

6. Good for you- Amine

In 2018, the album hit Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Afterwards, he released “Bet it Ain’t Worth a Hand”, “Beyond” and “Bad Bad News” which

were part of his second album, “Good Thing”, which he released May 2018. The album did very

well earning him a position in Billboard Top Ten. “Bet it Ain’t Worth a Hand”, also earned him

his first Grammy for “Best Traditional R&B Performance”. In 2019, he released a single called,

“That was Yesterday” and in 2020, he released an album with Houston, Texas band, Khruagabin

called “Texas Sun”. Moreover, he wrote singles with

1. John Mayer- Inside Friend

2. Lucky Daye- All About You

3. Terrace Martin- Sweeter- this song was written in light of the Black Lives Matter

movement after George Floyd’s death. The song references words from famous African-

American activist, Martin Luther King Jr.

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Leon Bridges’ music has been described as “authentic and direct” and “60s R&B Retro”

during his album releases. Bridges has also said that he is not a fan of writing flashy songs.

He writes from the heart, stories about his family and the truth because he is a genuine music.

This open and raw statement is one of the many reasons why his music is very soulful,

popular and beautiful.

Beyond

“Beyond” is arguably one of Bridges’ deepest, soulful and most romantic songs. The song

tells the tale as Leon Bridges is contemplating starting a new relationship and does not want

to mess it up by acting too fast. He tries to talk himself into keeping cool, calm and collected

but cannot contain his overwhelming and overflowing new found love for someone he

considered his friend. The emotions of love, fear and confusion inspire him to write this

magical song that truly showcases how people feel and act when they find themselves drawn

to someone they have known for a long time.

Lyrics

On a YouTube channel called, Genius, Leon Bridges explained the meaning of the lyrics and

how he felt while writing them. He recalls having different casual relationships, but this

particular person telling him that they love him, made him write this song.

Don’t wanna get ahead of myself

Feeling things, I’ve never felt. 1st Verse

Kinda hard for me to explain, Explaining in words how he felt about this
girl was impossible. He knew what he felt,
Her personality and everything he knew it was a wonderful feeling, but he
couldn’t quite say it with words which is
Brings me to my knees oh. why he chose to say it through a song.
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She shines me up like gold on my arm
I wanna take it slow but it’s so hard
I love to see her face in daylight
It’s more than just our bodies at night
But she’s really tempting me oh.
Do you think I’m being foolish if i don’t rush in?
I’m scared to death that she might be it
That the love is real, that the shoe might fit
She might just be my everything and Beyond
Beyond
Space and time in the afterlife
Will she have my kids? Will she be my wife?
She might just be my everything and Beyond
I wanna bring her ‘round to meet ya
I think you’d like her kind demeanour
I know that grandma would have loved her
Like she was her own, she makes me feel at home
1st Verse - Shines me up like gold on
my arm, represents the way Leon
hopes to be with someone who
sharpens him and makes him a better
person. He is not fixated on physical
features but understands the true
meaning of what it means to be with
someone past the way they look.
However, he must pace himself so as
to not mess it up
Chorus
Being a musician and having other
responsibilities and duties, he is
afraid of what will happen if he acts
too quick but at the same time, this
person is all that he has ever wanted
Chorus
He goes a step further in thinking
about marriage and a life with this
amazing person
2nd Verse
In this part, he is talking to his
mom about how he thinks he
has finally found the love he
longed for. Though despite
not meeting his strict
grandma, he knows that she
would have loved to meet the
person who has brought him
so much joy.
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I give up, I’m in love crying out to you

Bridge
O me O my I can’t explain
He finally accepts that he has been
She might just be my everything infatuated by this girl and that he
genuinely wants to pursue a
O me O my I can’t explain relationship with her rather than just
date for fun. He accepts the love he
She might just be my everything holds for her and is ready to pursue
on it

Music Video

Not only were the lyrics perfectly written, but also the music video’s love story enhances the

emotions furthermore. The video, filmed in Texas, starts out with Bridges’ hanging out with his

friends, drinking and laughing when he begins to stare at a beautiful girl in the mix of his friends.

The camera closes in on his face, and the scene cuts to him together with the girl in a diner as

they share a meal together. It then proceeds to them at a restaurant, while she tries to convince

him to dance where he resists at first, but ultimately loses his cool and joins her on the dance

floor where they share an intimate dance. As the story continues, they are seen walking hand in

hand and the girl spots a gorgeous bouquet of white flowers. Seeing the smile on her face, Leon

proceeds to buy the flowers for her. The rest of the scenes pan back to the diner where they had a

silly dance and shared more intimate moments. Alas, the camera zooms out and we are back at

the scene with the friends where viewers understand that this was all an imagination. The video

certainly appealed to the audience with comments such as, “This is the sweetest song ever,”

“This song is 100% going to be part of my wedding,” and “I wanna feel this way about

someone”.
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Task 1.2: Musical Analysis

“Beyond” is a soulful, acoustic R&B love song written and produced by Todd ‘Leon’ Bridges,

Austin Jenkins, Ricky Reed, Justin Tranter and Joshua Block. The lyrics of the song are well

accompanied with the musical elements implemented which is why in 2018, it was considered

one of the best love songs.

The song is 4 minutes long and is played in the key of F sharp major with a 76 BPM (adagio). It

follows the structure verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus- outro (A-B-A-B-C-B). This slow

but high-pitched combination gives emphasis to the love and touching emotions that Bridges’ is

trying to put across. Additionally, the song is accompanied by a variety of instruments. The main

instrument heard throughout the entirety of the song is an

acoustic guitar. It follows the chord progression G-Am-D-C-

F and is played with a capo on the 6th fret to match the F

sharp key. The simplicity of the chord progression matches

the easy-going and light-hearted emotions that Bridges’ is

trying to convey in the song. The strumming pattern as well is

down-down-down-down-up-down-up is not too complicated

but provides an upbeat tune for the song. Other instruments

included in the song were the jazz synths and the subtle percussion of the tambourine which gave

the song it’s old classic 60s feel. Along with a deep bass and the thumping of the kick drum, all

the instruments tied together to form a relaxing and old R&B vibe to the song, giving it a

wholesome feeling.

The beginning of the song starts off with a small guitar picking before proceeding to a riff

accompanied by the other instruments. It sets the tone for the whole song giving it a retro but
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groovy style. Bridges’ vocals are impeccable as he sings the verses. An interesting technique, is

how he elongates the last word of the second line each verse and sings it in a higher key. This

can be heard in the end of verse 1, “…her personality and everything” and verse 2, “…it’s more

than just our bodies at night.”. The elongation of these words add emphasis to the meaning of

the words.

The line, “Do you think I’m being foolish if I don’t rush in?” is what starts the gradual

crescendo, as the song climaxes while Bridges’ sings the chorus in falsetto. This dynamic was

essential to create a satisfying and enjoyable peak. The way it is brought about naturally rather

than being abrupt, adds on to the smooth and rhythmic sensations of the song. In the chorus, the

word “beyond” can be heard as an echo when it is repeated after the line, ´she might just be my

everything and beyond”. This small but significant repeat, provides more power to the meaning

of the lyrics and how Bridges’ truly and wholeheartedly loves the girl he writes about.

The second verse is similar to the first verse as the only difference is seen in the line, “…like she

was her own…” is stretched out more and a homophonic texture can be heard while Bridges’

sings, “ahhh”. Though it is more a sound than it is a lyric, it gives time for the listeners to reflect

on and listen to the lyric in all the glory it is because it was very important to him. The chorus

plays out the same as it did the first time however, the bridge is what captures the listeners’

attention once more.

The bridge brings about change as it is the moment in the song where Bridges realizes that he has

been love-struck. It the moment where he accepts his fate and is at ease with this wonderful

realization. There is a change in the guitar progression and the homophonic texture of Leon’s

voice is heard once again. The clean guitar playing is heard throughout the song and the way

each chord descends from another in a smooth motion is what makes it so light and entertaining.
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Additionally, the vocables heard during the bridge express happy emotions that Bridges’ is

feeling during this moment.

The outro ties the whole song together, as Bridges’ repeats the line, “Oh me O my I can’t

explain, she might just be my everything.” His vocals are also heard as he repeats the line, “she

might just be mine,” in his falsetto voice. The song ends in a single strum of the guitar without

the sound of any other instrument just as in the beginning.

In my opinion, this song is the ideal love song. It has all the emotions one feels when they are

interested in a person. Bridge’s creative way of showing his fans his thought process makes him

relatable and makes the song even that much more interesting to listen to. It showcases the fear

and scared parts about entering a relationship with a person which I feel most musician stray

away from. Majority of love songs take us through all the happy and good times in the beginning

of the relationship, while Leon Bridges’ decides to challenge the cliché narrative while also

being very particular on the way he presents the song in its lyrics, elements and music video.

References

Kellman, A. (n.d.). Leon Bridges: Biography & History. Retrieved January 29, 2021, from
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/leon-bridges-mn0003380137/biography

Calimbahin, S. (2020, June 08). Leon Bridges Releases New Single in Response to Death of
George Floyd. Retrieved January 29, 2021, from https://fwtx.com/culture/leon-bridges-
releases-new-single-in-response-to-death-of-geo/

Weiss, J. (2015, June 26). Leon Bridges on Overcoming Childhood Isolation and Finding His
Voice: 'You Can't Teach Soul'. Retrieved January 29, 2021, from
https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/6612765/leon-bridges-sam-cooke-
coming-home-inspirations-fort-worth-ginuwine/

Leon Bridges. (2018, May 31). YouTube [Video]. Leon Bridges- Beyond (Official Video).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELPOCJvDz3w&feature=youtu.be
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Genius. (2018, October 6). Leon Bridges “Beyond” Lyrics & Meaning | Verified [Video].

Genius. https://youtu.be/OCCQlMTb57M