Jackie was part of my neighborhood during my high school years. It's a significant thing to consider she's taken leave of this plane of existence.
In Memory of Ella Jacqueline 'Jackie' Beaudette Ketellapper -- Patterson Funeral Home Ltd., NIAGARA FALLS, ON
Jackie Blue
By Todd
(Intro)(Bb Db notes only) Ebm7 Abm7 (3x) (Bb Db notes only)
Ebm7 Abm7 (Bb Db notes only)
Ooh-hoo, Jackie blue
Ebm7 Abm7 (Bb Db notes only)
Lives her life from inside of a room
Ebm7 Abm7 (Bb Db notes only)
Hides that smile when she's wearin' a frown
Ebm7 Abm7 (Bb Db notes only)
Ooh Jackie, you're not so down
(Chorus)
G C G C
You like your life in a free-form style
Dm7 Cmaj7
You'll take an inch but you'd love a mile
G C G C
There never seems to be quite enough
Dm7 Cmaj7 (Bb Db notes only)
Floating around to fill your lovin' cup
Ebm7 Abm7 (Bb Db notes only)
Ooh-hoo, Jackie blue
Ebm7 Abm7 (Bb Db notes only)
What's a game, girl, if you never lose
Ebm7 Abm7 (Bb Db notes only)
Ask a winner and you'll probably find
Ebm7 Abm7 (Bb Db notes only)
Ooh Jackie, they've lost at sometime
(Chorus)
G C G C
Don't try to tell me that you're not aware
Dm7 Cmaj7
Of what you're doing and that you don't care
G C G C
You say it's easy, just a natural thing
Dm7 Cmaj7 (Bb Db notes only)
Like playing music but you never sing
Ebm7 Abm7 (Bb Db notes only)
Ooh-hoo, Jackie blue
Ebm7 Abm7 (Bb Db notes only)
Making wishes that never come true
Ebm7 Abm7 (Bb Db notes only)
Going places where you've never been
Ebm7 Abm7 (Bb Db notes only)
Ooh Jackie, you're going again
(Solo) Ebm7 Abm7 (8x) Abm7 (Bb Db notes only)
Ebm7 Abm7 (Bb Db notes only)
Ooh-hoo, Jackie blue
Ebm7 Abm7 (Bb Db notes only)
Likes a dream that can never come true
Ebm7 Abm7 (Bb Db notes only)
Making love is like siftin' through sand
Ebm7 Abm7 (Bb Db notes only)
Ooh Jackie, it slips through your hand
(Chorus)
G C G C
Every day, in your indigo eyes
Dm7 Cmaj7
I watch the sun set but I don't see it rise
G C G C
Moonlight and stars in your strawberry wine
Dm7 Cmaj7 (Bb Db notes only)
You'd take the world but you won't take the time
Ebm7 Abm7 (Bb Db notes only)
Ooh-hoo, Jackie blue
Ebm7 Abm7 (Bb Db notes only)
Lives her life from inside of a room
Ebm7 Abm7 (Bb Db notes only)
Makes you think that her life is a drag
Ebm7 Abm7 (Bb Db notes only)
Ooh Jackie, what fun you have had
Ebm7 Abm7 (Bb Db notes only)
Ooh Jackie
Ebm7 Abm7 (Bb Db notes only)
Ooh Jackie
Ebm7 Abm7 (Bb Db notes only)
Ooh Jackie
Ebm7 Abm7 (Bb Db notes only)
Ooh Jackie hey, hey, hey, hey
(Outro solo) Ebm7 Abm7 (8x)
Key Centers
It took me a few days to figure out the key centers -- at least key centers that would work good-- for this song. It's harmonic design is unique. First-- instead of considering the Ebm to Abm7 combination-- consider the the G-C-Dm7-CM7 progression. It turns out that considering G as the I-chord for a key center of G is best. That way C is IV and Dm7 is a minored-V-chord, basically a nice subsitute chord for what would normally be a ii-chord. It's actually quite ingenious to use a v-chord as a sub for a ii-chord.... it gives a whole different flavor but works the same.
So what about that Ebm7 to Abm7-- with the Bb-Db "notes only" progression then? It turns out that Eb is the flat-six chord of the G key center. This is perfect! In rock we use use flat-7 and flat-6 chords all the time. The difference here is that the flat-6 is used as the transposed key center for a major section of the song which can be viewed either as b-vi to b-ii or more usefully as a minor-one-seven chord [i7] to a minor-four-seven-chord [iv7] based on the flat-6 of G. The Bb-Db lead-in are the notes of the Ebm7 chord itself arranged in a bass-line riff.
Just to put all this in persepctive, let's use the key of C as the original key. We could play the same song using I-IV-v as C-F-Gm-FM7 and thus the verse would be centered on the flat-6 of C which is Ab. We use a minor scale based on Ab and chords Ab-Db with single note bass line riffs leading up to Ab as Eb-Gb-Ab.
The transposition in this song is delicious because a) it works (mysteriously) and b) it's unique in pop music (as far as I know so far-- at least I've never seen it before). This is quite a far step removed from "Classical music" where the related minor key would be based on vi rather than flat-vi. Creating a "flat-relative-minor-key-transpose", and then basing an entire song-section on that key was ingenious and elegant-- and I'd like to find more examples of this in pop music in the future.
Analysis dedicated to Jackie Beaudette & her family and friends-- & the spirit of the neighbourhood and times we lived back there in the 1970's when this song was written. - Rick.
