"Call Me Maybe" and the Mannheim School

 

I live in a featureless void with no chairs

Much has been written about the success of Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe".  When a song captivates the world pop music market in such a profound way, it's only natural for us to ask why.  To this end, reviewers have tirelessly and exhaustively separated and analyzed the song's salient features, from its catchy string riff to Miss Jepsen's performance to the tone of the lyrics.  However, until now, no one (to my knowledge) has discussed the song's use of classical melodic devices.

A little music education is required before I progress further with this analysis.

The term "Mannheim School" refers to the compositional style that developed in Mannheim, Germany in the mid-18th century.  The musical devices employed by Mannheim-based composer Johann Stamitz caught on with other composers in the region before eventually spreading throughout Europe, becoming hallmarks of the classical period.  The Mannheim School technique of particular interest in this analysis is the Mannheim rocket, also known simply as a rocket theme.

A rocket theme is a melody that consists of a rapidly ascending arpeggiated triad — put more simply, an upward moving broken chord.  Rocket themes create immediate excitement, and are thus generally used to begin sections, as a means of engaging the audience.

The opening of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor is a textbook example of a rocket theme:

The opening of Mozart's Eine Kliene Nachtmusik, a broken, ascending G major triad, could be considered a sort of rocket theme as well:

Finally, the the first two lines of the chorus of Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" form an ascending G major triad spanning a full octave, creating exactly the same sort of excitement as a rocket theme, beacuse, well, it is one:

Now, I doubt this exciting ascending melody was intentionally crafted as a rocket theme, but without the Mannheim School accustoming our ears to this sort of melodic motion, it's unlikely that this song would have been written the way it is.  So, next time you're rocking out to "Call Me Maybe", remember, you're listening to the end product of centuries of music history.  At least, that's what you can tell people if they catch you listening to it.

Also, Stamitz and Jepsen: long-lost cousins?