General Overview

• Release Date – September 1976

• Album – Love to the World

• Artist – L.T.D.

• Track Info – Track 3

• Length – 4:35

• Genre – R&B/Soul

Four Questions

Who is the Protagonist?

• Narrator

What does he want?

• To let his LOVE know how he feels

Who's trying to stop him?

• His past insecurities and hang-ups

What happens if he fails?

• Metaphorical Death (Broken Heart)

Three Conflicts

Public

• Why don't they understand what we have?

Personal

• How do I express my love completely?

Private

• Will this love last?

Moral Premise

Virtue

• Embracing and Expressing Love

Vice

• Ignoring Love

Moral Premise

• Ignoring Love leads to missing Love, but Embracing and Expressing Love leads to Experiencing Love.

NOTE: This song proves the MP by taking us through so many dramatic ups and downs with the lyrics, the juxtaposition between the vocals and instrumentation, sexy harmonies, and a divine and eternally-resonant melody that massages the soul as Jeffery proclaims to the world, much more than they can see.

Characters

Narrator

• Function – Protagonist
• Character Arc – From Embracing Love to Experiencing Love

His Love

• Function – Romantic Interest
• Character Arc – N/A

They

• Function – Antagonist
• Character Arc – N/A

Love

• Function – Catalyst
• Weapon of Power – Transformative Device
• Character Arc – N/A

Archetypes

Sequence 1 – Orphan

• Narrator is an Orphan because he steps out from the crowd and begins expressing his love for HER.

Sequence 2 – Wanderer

• Narrator is a Wanderer because his past hasn't prepared him for what he's feeling right now. Feeling renewed, he continues on his journey, seeking to know where love will take him.

Sequence 3 – Warrior

• Narrator is a Warrior because he fights to prove to THEM that this love is real, very REAL.

Sequence 4 – Martyr

• Narrator is a Martyr because he removes himself from the equation and confesses that if THEY experienced what he has, then they would know it's real and since they haven't, all he can do is express to the rest of us – What we have is much more than they can see.

Structure – Beat Sheet

Opening Image

• Musical Introduction warms the listener to the power of this song

Save the Cat

• N/A

Theme Stated

Verse 1
I have never been so much in love before

NOTE: Instead of playing around, the narrator jumps right in with the theme stated and letting us know, this is something serious, real serious.

Catalyst

Verse 1 – What a difference a true love made in my life

Debate

• N/A

Break into Two (1:10)

Verse 1 – So nice, so right

B Story

Bridge 1 – Loving you gave me something new that I've never felt, never dreamed of

Fun and Games

Bridge 1 – Something's changed, though it's not the feeling I had before

Midpoint (2:15)

Bridge 1 – Oh, it's much much more

Bad Guys Close In

Verse 2

Start – Love, I never knew that a touch could mean, oh baby

End – I feel so real

All is Lost

Bridge 2 – Lovers come and lovers go, that's what folks say

Dark Night of the Soul

Bridge 2 – Don't they know

Break into Three (2:54)

Bridge 2 – When you love me, hold me and say you care

Finale

Hook – And what we have is much more than they could see

Closing Image

Hook fades out. . .

Song Structure

Introduction (0:00 – 0:21)

NOTE: Musical Introduction, no Vocals.

Jeffery hums a little, giving contrast to the beautiful arrangement of instruments building to the first verse.

NOTE: The horns build excitement and emotion in this first build-up.

Verse 1 (0:22 – 1:10)

I have never been so much

In love

Before

What a difference

A true love made in my life

So nice

So right

NOTE: This verse starts off quiet, vocals playing along with bass and guitars. Then, in second part, soft strings come in stereo spectrum, building along with the words. As strings strengthen, we come to the bridge. Also note that we are given a preview of the Hook here because for a few seconds, the vocals and instruments lock into a unified melody, but then the instruments veer away as Jeffery’s vocals take the phrase So right and hold it for the exciting build into the bridge. Throughout the song and at the subsequent breakdowns, we hear the same power of unified consciousness as vocals and instruments come together as ONE, symbolizing the union of the narrator and his LOVE.

Bridge 1 (1:11 – 1:42)

Loving you gave me something new

That I’ve never felt

Never dreamed of

Something's changed

Though it’s not the feeling I had before

Oh, it’s much much more

NOTE: Breakdown builds with strings in stereo, encompassing the entire stereo spectrum, consuming the listener with emotion.

To accentuate the words much much more, the strings get PISSED OFF and dance around in the imagination, lighting the wick of the passionate flames being released in this song.

Verse 2 (1:42 – 2:31)

Love

I never knew that a touch

Could mean, oh baby

So much

What a difference

And when we walk hand in hand, hey baby

I feel

So real

NOTE: This verse builds power as the strings become more noticeable and enhances their contrast against the vocal track.

Bridge 2 (2:32 – 2:54)

Lovers come

And then Lovers go

That’s what folks say

Don’t they know

They’re not there

When you love me

Hold me and say you care

NOTE:The instruments and vocals dance in the bridge, weaving back and forth until they build to the breakdown and experience the power of the Love Ballad.

This section starts off with bare bones, similar to Verse 1, but it's done for dramatic effect because it contrasts with the unified power of Melodic nature of the upcoming Hook.

Notice that some of the instruments and the vocals share the melody, but only some.

Hook (2:55 – 4:35)

And what we have is much more than they could see

NOTE: Earlier in the song, the vocals and instruments played against each other, building deeper harmony.

However, in the Hook, the Vocals and the Instruments play the same Melody bringing power of unified consciousness to the song.

This unity symbolizes the true love the Narrator feels for his love and their union into ONE SOUL.

As a dramatic turn of events, Jeffery does background vocals that brings stereo spectrum to the vocal track because up to this point, only the strings played around in the stereo spectrum.

And this empowers the HOOK further because now we have a MELODY in stereo as well as the song utilizes unifying the MELODY with vocals, instruments, and arrangement.

As the vocals build the message clearly, the words resonate in the listener until you are forced to embrace the emotional power and realize that if you ever feel like this, then you know that what you have is much more than we can see.