"Tightrope" by Janelle Monáe

Whether you're high or low, you got to tip on the tightrope... and Kirk's got to tip right into a Strong Songs analysis of "Tightrope" by Janelle Monáe. It's time for some thump, some pop, and some sizzle, along with some clever rap phrasing, phrygian harmonies, surprise ukulele, and the funkiest horn section in Metropolis.

Band/Artist: Janelle Monáe

Album: The ArchAndroid, 2010

Composed by: Janelle Monáe, Nathaniel Irvin III, Charles Joseph II, Antwan “Big Boi” Patton

Listen/Buy via Album.Link

ALSO REFERENCED/DISCUSSED:

• Several other songs from The ArchAndroid; • "I Wish" by Stevie Wonder from Natural Wonder Live; • re-created beats from Strong Songs episodes on Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" • and Michael Jackson's "Thriller." • For more on the lore behind Monáe's Metropolis suite, read this great summary by Charles Pulliam-Moore at io9 • : https://io9.gizmodo.com/from-metropolis-to-dirty-computer-a-guide-to-janelle-m-1825580195 OUTRO SOLOIST: BJ CORD

This episode's outro soloist is BJ Cord, a fantastic trumpet player based in Portland by way of Chicago. BJ works at Monette trumpets making some of the most beautiful horns in the world, and is a regular presence on their Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monettetrumpets

THE STRONG SONGS THEME!

You can listen to a (basically) final mix of the Strong Songs Theme Song on Kirk's Soundcloud here: https://soundcloud.com/kirkhamilton/strong-songs-theme-song

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