This change is not perceived consciously but increases the intensity of the song. The tempo in this section rises 1bpm to 122.5 bpm. There is a key change to the relative minor and a new extended harmony. Muse delivers this in what I term the C section but could equally be called a bridge. C section (8 bars + 24 bars)Īfter a minute and a half of music with little fluctuation a change is due. The line “Let’s conspire to reignite / All the souls that would die just to feel alive” alludes to the explosion in the next section. Adding an element to the second verse is a common device used by songwriters to keep interest in the song. There is however a new picked guitar line outlining the I ii vi IV harmony. Not much new here that we haven’t seen before in the 1st verse. I decided to call this a B section rather than a chorus as it is very similar to the verse in harmony and instrumentation.

This is actually the same harmony and instrumentation as the intro but with lyrics. This helps to glue the two parts together. The bass harmony stays the same and the bass and vocal line move in similar motion for much of the verse. The drum beat pattern is lengthened by a factor of two, probably to give variation to the original pattern and to put the focus on the song lyrics and away from the drums (figure 2). Matthew Bellamy enters the verse and the piano drops out. After four bars the piano countermelody, doubled faintly by a glockenspiel or similar instrument. The levels of the snare are raised above the rest of the drum kit and the snare consistently lags slightly behind the 2 and 4 beat to give a laid back feel. The simple snare drum pattern forms a main hook in the song (figure 1). The sequence ends with a plagal cadence further weakening the progression. The progression itself is relatively weak as it avoids the dominant throughout and finishes with a plagal cadence. A distorted bass outlines a harmony of I ii vi IV in B major which will continue for 90 seconds. This indicates the lengths that Muse has gone in preproduction to find the perfect tempo. The song begins with a distorted bass and drums at a tempo of 121.5. In interviews they have said that the song is “a love song about missing someone you love, including family and friends Intro (12 bars) Starlight was written by Matthew Bellamy, the lead singer of Muse after renting a boat to go fishing in bad weather and feeling sick back in their motel.

Muse starlight