Older - Lizzy McAlpine | Free Sheet Music (Lead Sheet / Chords)
On February 13th, Lizzy McAlpine put out her new song "Older" - the title track on her album to come out on April 5th. This song really spoke to me in so many ways, I just had to learn it immediately.
Please enjoy my piano tutorial and free sheet music / lead sheet of "Older" by Lizzy McAlpine:
Click on the Sheet Music to Download:
Piano Tutorial: "Older" by Lizzy McAlpine:
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"Older" Lyric Analysis
Lizzy's opening line is a beautiful homage to Joni Mitchells "Circle Game,' which is one of the most gripping songs about the passage of time. In "Older," Lizzy sings:
"Over and over
Carousel ride
Pay for your ticket
Watch the red moon climb"
...This conjures an image of her stuck on the "carousel of time" as Joni so perfectly put it:
"And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game"
This carousel imagery symbolizing time was some kind of genius from Joni Mitchel back in 1966 and Lizzy McAlpine payed homage to it beautifully. Besides the elusion to a carousel, she also uses a similar device to Joni - where Joni says "round and round," Lizzy opens her song with "over and over" which to me felt like another nod to the song.
There were a few other things I found interesting about her use of the word "over." For one thing, it's a near-rhyme with "older" which is of course the name of the song and a word used in a more meaningful spot later on, so when it's the first word out of her mouth, it actually comes as a bit of a surprise because the listeners ears expect the word to be "older." She also uses the word "over" later on in another context, which is very important to the message and feeling of the song: "thought it'd be over by now."
One of the nicest techniques she used in was ending the song on a IV chord. This makes it feel incredibly unfinished, which accompanies the lyrics: "I wish I knew what the end is." The feeling of the music in that last measure is just as "up in the air" as the lyrics.
What Key is Older by Lizzy McAlpine in?
"Older" by Lizzy McAlpine is in the key of Eb, which means it has 3 flats. The chord changes for "Older" have a lot of hybrid chords which are chords with a different note in the bass. For example, when you're playing this song on the piano, the first 2 chords are Eb and Ab/Eb. The Ab/Eb signifies that basically your right hand is playing an Ab major chord, and your left hand is playing an Eb in the bass (or if you're playing with a bass player, the bass player can play the Eb). This technique creates a ton on texture and emotion, and Lizzy uses these devices in a really effective way. (Don't forget to download the lead sheet / chords above).
What time signature is "Older" in?
"Older" by Lizzy McAlpine is in 3/4 time. In other words, 3 beats per measure and the quarter note gets the beat (the quarter note is the thing we're counting). Lizzy's use of 3/4 time here creates a perfect companion to her carousel imagery. Because of this time signature, the song feels very cyclical, and kind of gives you a feeling of going "around and around."
Who's playing piano on "Older" by Lizzy McAlpine?
"Older" is written by Lizzy McAlpine, Mason Stoops, and Taylor Mackall... So despite the fact that there's no access to the liner notes yet, I'm going to assume that Taylor Mackall is the pianist here. If you listen to him, it's pretty clear that it's his style...
What form is "Older"?
In the piano tutorial above, you'll hear that I refer to the sections as "A Section" and "B Section" which is not super common for modern pop music. But upon listening to it, I decided that that's a more appropriate way to categorize the sections rather than Verses, Pre-Choruses, Choruses, and Bridges. For the sake of understanding, the A Section basically acts as a verse, and the B Section is basically a chorus. The form is:
ABAB
A Section (Verse)
Over and over
A carousel ride
Pay for your ticket
Watch the red moon climb
Sick to my stomach
Can't find the ground
Stuck in a loop
Watch the curtain come down
B Section (Chorus)
Thought it'd be over by now
Thought you would leave
Thought I would come to my senses
Wish I was stronger somehow
Wish it was easy
Somewhere I lost all my senses
I wish I knew what the end is
A Section (Verse)
Over and over
Watch it all pass
Mom's getting older
I'm wanting it back
Where no one is dying
And no one is hurt
And I have been good to you
Instead of making it worse
B Section (Chorus)
Thought it'd be over by now
Thought you would leave
Thought I would come to my senses
Wish I was stronger somehow
Wish it was easy
Somewhere I lost all my senses
I wish I knew what the end is
I wish I knew what the end is
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