Comparing "Oh, I Can't Sit Down" and "Blurred Lines"

Introduction: Two Songs Across Eras

Songs from completely different eras, historical contexts, and musical genres can often share points of comparison and remarkable musical similarities. Gershwin's "Oh, I Can't Sit Down" is from the colloquial English-language opera Porgy and Bess, with lyrics and libretto by DuBose Heyward. Conductor John DeMain reworked the original Gershwin compositions with the University Grand Opera, staging Porgy and Bess to win both a Tony and a Grammy Award, thereby anchoring the production firmly within the realm of pop culture. Being from an opera, "Oh, I Can't Sit Down" is lyrically driven, and the vocals remain the cornerstone of the piece. The song occurs about halfway through the opera and is a light, whimsical piece sung by a chorus rather than by any musical lead. The DeMain arrangement includes a range of instruments, with tubas serving as bass lines and a full horn section providing accompaniment.

Although Porgy and Bess is an opera, it is a folk opera — one that distances itself from the high-brow connotations that classical European opera conveys. Therefore, "Oh, I Can't Sit Down" is as akin to pop music as it is to opera. Porgy and Bess has been performed in its entirety on stage and in film productions, and "Oh, I Can't Sit Down" is unlikely to appear independently or taken out of its original context.

Overview of Each Song's Context

Robin Thicke's song "Blurred Lines" is not part of an opera, a stage musical, or a film. It has an accompanying music video, but is not part of any significant overarching narrative, and does not need to be understood within the context of a film, play, television production, or even an album. The song is accompanied by a polished music video depicting the artists and a team of models and dancers wearing all white. Like "Oh, I Can't Sit Down," "Blurred Lines" represents popular culture, albeit from a totally different era and genre.

While Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" shares nothing in common with any type of opera, it is certainly exemplary of modern pop music. The original Gershwin production of Porgy and Bess premiered on Broadway in the 1930s, and the DeMain production took place in the 1970s. Robin Thicke released "Blurred Lines" in 2013. The different eras in which these two songs were composed and performed account for many of their differences in terms of musicality and production. For example, the hip-hop interludes by T.I. and Pharrell distinguish the Thicke song from the Porgy and Bess musical. Likewise, Thicke's production takes place solely within a studio, whereas the DeMain production was recorded live.

Lyrical Themes and Vocal Style

Like "Oh, I Can't Sit Down," the Thicke song is sung entirely in English. "Blurred Lines," which features T.I. and Pharrell, combines elements of hip-hop and electronic music with a catchy bass line. Like "Oh, I Can't Sit Down," it is lighthearted and lacking in musical challenge or complexity, in keeping with the conventions of popular music. "Blurred Lines" may not be as lyrically driven as the operatic "Oh, I Can't Sit Down," but Thicke's falsetto is one of the most remarkable features of the song and, in a small way, links it with the conventions of the folk opera Porgy and Bess, which also employs a falsetto.

Interestingly, the opening line of "Blurred Lines" is "Everybody get up," which has a thematic similarity with "Oh, I Can't Sit Down." Both songs have lyrics that are almost purposely simple: "Blurred Lines" is about flirtation, while "Oh, I Can't Sit Down" is an expression of pure, simple joy of being alive. "Oh, I Can't Sit Down" refers in part to the romance central to the Porgy and Bess story, whereas "Blurred Lines" addresses more impersonal sexual encounters.

Whereas "Oh, I Can't Sit Down" is one song from a cohesive musical story and cannot be rightfully taken out of its context, the Thicke song can stand on its own and does not play a role in any larger narrative. The song from Porgy and Bess is also choral in nature, with no solo singer. "Blurred Lines" has a few instances of vocal layering, but in general features Thicke and his guest artists singing their parts solo.

Instrumentation and Musical Structure

Whereas "Oh, I Can't Sit Down" is fully acoustic, relying only on acoustic instruments from a classical orchestra, "Blurred Lines" is the opposite, featuring all electronic instruments. "Blurred Lines" is bass-driven and has potent electronic drumbeats. The Porgy and Bess song does not lack percussive elements, but the drums are not featured as prominently as they are in "Blurred Lines." One notable similarity is the way both songs use occasional percussive accents — such as shakers — for rhythmic punctuation.

The John DeMain version of the Porgy and Bess opera provides a degree of layering and dynamism that is comparable in some ways to the Robin Thicke song. In "Oh, I Can't Sit Down," layering occurs through both the choral vocals and the instruments, given the orchestral arrangement. The Thicke song, by contrast, intersperses the parts sung by the lead and his guest artists, as well as a howl that serves as part of the rhythmic landscape. At the end of each phrase, background vocals add thickness. Yet whereas there are only three vocalists in the Thicke song, dozens are featured in the Porgy and Bess song.

The Porgy and Bess song "Oh, I Can't Sit Down" has an orchestral arrangement with a number of acoustic instruments, including a full horn section and strings, with vocals provided by a large chorus. The Robin Thicke song "Blurred Lines," on the contrary, uses only electronic instruments — mainly drum, bass, and secondary percussion. Instead of a chorus of vocalists, Thicke, T.I., and Pharrell sing a few phrases together but mainly complete their respective solo parts separately.

Conclusion: Differences, Similarities, and Shared Pop Identity

On the surface, a song taken from the 1935 Gershwin pop opera Porgy and Bess would seem to have little or nothing in common with a Robin Thicke song produced in 2013. Indeed, the differences between these two songs outweigh their similarities. "Oh, I Can't Sit Down" has an orchestral arrangement with numerous acoustic instruments, including a full horn section and strings, and vocals provided by a large chorus. The Robin Thicke song "Blurred Lines" uses only electronic instruments, and relatively few of them. Instead of a chorus of vocalists, Thicke, T.I., and Pharrell mainly complete their respective solo parts separately. The Thicke song is produced as a stand-alone single, whereas the Porgy and Bess song is not meant to be taken out of its operatic context.

Despite these considerable differences, the two songs do share some subtle musical features, including the strategic use of percussive punctuation, meaningful changes within a verse-chorus structure, and a simple, straightforward musical and lyrical composition. These shared qualities anchor both works firmly within the realm of American popular music — even across nearly eighty years of cultural and technological change.

References

DeMain and the University Grand Opera, 1976, Porgy and Bess. https://masterworksbroadway.com/music/porgy-and-bess-houston-grand-opera-1976/

Thicke, Robin, feat. T.I. & Pharrell. "Blurred Lines." https://www.vevo.com/watch/robin-thicke/blurred-lines/USUV71300454