"Common Sense" - Musical Analysis

On July 2nd of 2018, Joshua Bassett posted an original song to his social media for the first time. The purest and raw a video can get. Live singing, live strumming, and live birds chirping in the background. Little did he know that in 2020 he would be going back to this same video to add the chirping birds into the beginning of his debut single: "Common Sense".

"Common Sense" Music Video by Joshua Bassett 

"Common Sense" First Instagram post by Joshua Bassett

Lyrics

Repetition is Bassett's best friend in his first debut single. This makes the song very catchy. I believe his lyrics make this song very poetic and romantic. His use of personification for "common sense" stands out because our own common sense cannot directly talk to us, yet Bassett sings about what he is telling him.

The lyrics in this song often repeat themselves while changing the very end of the line. 

"Common sense told me, 'She was not worthwhile'

Common sense said, 'Don't go the extra mile'

Common sense said, 'Go back and reconcile'

But common sense forgot about her smile"

He continues to use repetition throughout the song. In both the verses and the chorus, the first few words of the lines are repeated. In his bridge, he contrasts with the other lines by ending his lines with repetition rather than starting with it. 

"I think I love you

I want to love you

Please let me love you (Love you, love you, love you)

I wish to show you how to love"

The change in where the repeated words are placed within the song makes the song catchy and pleasing to the ear. It also makes it really fun to sing along! I have to try and remember which line really comes next given that most of them begin with the same words.

Form

The form of this song is fairly simple. It begins with an instrumental of a guitar-strumming for about four meters. He then begins singing the chorus, the first verse, second verse, bridge, and then chorus again. The verses, chorus, and bridge are all composed of four lines. There is also a short outro at the end of the song consisting of one line. 

The simplicity of the song speaks volumes for itself because this was the first song Joshua Bassett had written and put out on his social media at 16 years old. Though it is short and sweet, it was a huge reason why he continued to create music. I believe the simplicity of the form and meaning of the song go hand in hand. Love at a young age tends to be overwhelming and hard to put into words. We tend to lose "common sense" when all we can think about is that special someone. Just as Bassett says in his song,

"Common sense ain't common when you come to mind"

Chords

The use of the guitar is very prominent in this song. There is a repeated phrase that plays throughout the song that is composed of five chords. There are also a few arpeggios in the guitar strumming that are spread out in the song that is part of the repeated phrase. 

In an interview with BUILD Series, Bassett states that he came up with the idea of the song while he was driving, and quickly pulled over to finish the song right then and there. He says it was "as if the song was already made" and it was just a matter of recording it. Given how quickly and naturally the song came to be, it makes sense that the chords are simple and repetitive. 

Sources

Forte, Matt, director. YouTube, 4 Apr. 2020, youtu.be/KZVz0gBrfx8. Accessed 24 Sept. 2021.

“Joshua Bassett - Common Sense Chords.” MyChordBook, www.mychordbook.com/chords/joshua-bassett/common-sense.

Moseley, Barbara. “Poetic Devices in Songs.” Lesson Planet, www.lessonplanet.com/article/music/poetic-devices-in-songs.

YouTube, 16 Apr. 2021, youtu.be/2Rne4SNInpA.

About Me

 Hello! My name is Aimee Chico. I live in Anchorage Alaska and I am currently working towards my degree in Elementary Education. Music has always been a huge part of my life.

Growing up, I was always dancing. I took classes with many different dance styles and many different kinds of music. I love hip hop, but I have trained in tap, ballet, and contemporary. I am now a student and coach at Underground Dance Company. I teach students as young as 4 years old to adults around 30 years old. I am also a freestyle battler. I participate in local jams, competing against others freestyling to random music. Doing so has brought me many opportunities such as scholarships and performing on the KTVA  Channel11 News. Dance is one of the biggest passions in my life. When I am not at work or school, I am often found in the dance studio. 

Since different styles of dance are prominent in my life, different genres of music are as well. My own playlists will often include rap, R&B, and pop. Although I do encourage myself to be versatile with my music to expand my ability to dance to anything. I listen to music a lot, and really loud, to choreograph for my students. I enjoy music with a lot of fun sounds and background noises that I can use to inspire my movements in a dance. I also have played the guitar, trumpet, and french horn. I was in band class during grade school, so I learned a lot about reading music. I don't think I could go a single day without listening to music.

Currently, I have been enjoying listening to Doja Cat. She uses a lot of fun adlibs and sounds, but I also love that she both sings and raps. I have attached my favorite song of hers at the moment: Get Into It (Yuh).