Musical Analysis of "Orange Juice" by Noah Kahan

 For my second musical analysis, I decided to choose a song with some pretty deep meaning. The song is Orange Juice by Noah Kahan

The song Orange Juice was released in 2022 on the Stick Season album. It was also featured on his release of the album Stick Season (We'll All Be Here Forever). Noah Kahan is an American rising artist in the Indie & Folk genres.

My view on the song: Similar to my last analysis, I didn't pay much attention to the lyrics when I first listened to the song. However, I now realize how deep this song really is. For me, it's about someone getting sober, and the perspective of the song is a friend trying to be there for a former alcoholic. The lyrics say "and no one will tempt you, we know you got sober", which amplifies why I think this. It also seems to be about how this person was a bad influence on the former alcoholic, and how they had to get away from them to get sober. I think this because of the lyrics that say "That my life has changed, that this town had changed and you had not".

Other views on the song: Noah Kahan actually did an interview about this song. In the interview, he talks about how traumatic events are supposed to bring people closer, but in fact according to the song, can often pull people apart. Another article agreed with my view on the song, and how it is about two people seeing each other after one got sober. It described how gut-wrenching this type of interaction can be.

Musical Elements

Pitch: The pitch of the singing stays in a smaller range throughout the song. There are however, instruments in the background that have a wider ranger of pitches. The finger picking of guitar in the beginning of the song goes from a lower pitch to a higher pitch. As it moves to the chorus, there are similar ranges. It has a few of the same notes, then goes lower, then the same notes again, then goes higher.

Meter: The meter of the beginning is slower than that of the chorus. The chorus' meter is at 2/4. You can hear it through the harmonica alongside the guitar in the chorus.

Melody: The melody in the beginning has a slower pace than that of the rest of the song. The accompaniment to the melody is the guitar and tambourine throughout the song.

Range: The range within this song is not small, but also not very big. In the beginning, he has some higher notes to hit. However, during the chorus, the range is smaller and easier to sing.

Timbre: The timbre in this is polyphonic, as there are multiple melodies happening throughout the song. There are tambourines used in the song, guitars, and more instruments I don't recognize just from listening.

Citations:

Dailey, Hannah. “Famous in a Small Town: Noah Kahan, ‘stick Season’ and the Art of Looking Forward and Backward All at Once.” Billboard, 12 Oct. 2022, www.billboard.com/music/features/noah-kahan-stick-season-album-interview-burnout-growing-up-new-england-1235154568/

“Noah Kahan Brings Us through Reminiscence, Heartache and Mental Health on His Newest Album ‘Stick Season.’” Her Campus | Created for Gen Z, By Gen Z., 24 Oct. 2022, www.hercampus.com/school/fsu/noah-kahan-brings-us-through-reminiscence-heartache-and-mental-health-on-his-newest-album-stick-season/