How Heart of Stone Works in SIX (ft. Jasmine Forsberg)

[@Iggy_428]

I've been watching these Six The Musical song analysis videos and gosh I get so much more appreciation for the songs and queeens everytime. Random to point out, but in the official soundtrack, Heart of Stone is set on the key of F major, to probably end on strong with the G major key change. In the live shows (which is also seen in this video), the song is set on the key of E major which will shift to F sharp major later on. I think the show went for the E major key for how emotional it's notes and chords sound when played and sung, just a random observation I've been noticing for Heart of Stone specifically. Can't wait for hopefully the last 3 queens' songs!!

[@HowardHoMusic]

I was wondering when someone was going to mention this. Yes, I agree, E to F# major definitely feels very different than F to G major!

[@darkjaden-fe]

The way I always interpreted this song is it transitioning from a love song about Henry to a love song about her son. The entire bridge is about her son, "I'll never see him grow / but I hope my son will know / he'll never be alone" and then at the end of the bridge, she transitions from talking about her son in third person (I hope HE knows) to second person (I'll be by YOUR side)

[@HowardHoMusic]

Yes, it's definitely about the son in the bridge.

[@sephkennedy360]

The other queens' songs are all amazing and iconic, but this one really hits different for me. When I watched the show with my ma, after hearing this song she turned to me with tears in her eyes and said, "She won." So excited for your analysis!!

[@rayn0577]

The song being titled Heart of Stone is also a reference to the rumor that Jane Seymour’s heart was removed after her death and buried in the chapel at Hampton Court Palace (the main royal residence at the time) while the rest of her body was buried at Windsor Castle.

[@HowardHoMusic]

Very cool! Thanks for sharing that!

[@kaitlyncanale8611]

I feel like something is missing in this analysis of the song. Mostly in the absence of Edward. In the song, there is a prominent shift in the song where the love that she gives is no longer being given to Henry but to her son. Showing how her love doesn’t revolve around Henry, but instead Edward. Especially since one of Jane’s roles is “wanting to be a mother and having kids doesn’t make someone any less of a feminist” Still love the vid tho!

[@HowardHoMusic]

Oh yeah, that's a great point.

[@cadence57b6]

Holy queens, you went an inch wide and a mile deep there, with some fascinating highly specific metaphor choices that I would not have considered. Personally, I'm obsessed with the fact that Jane is one of only two queens who introduces herself in 'Ex-Wives' with a piece of her solo melody (Anne Boleyn is the other) AND in the finale 'Six' it is only Jane's melody that comes back so strong, Catherine Parr sings it too, plus it can be sung over the chorus. I find this a fitting underscore to a song where ALL the queens finally center themselves instead of Henry.

[@HowardHoMusic]

Oh nice! You deserve the pin!

[@thespacehut]

(Apologies for the pedantry, but) I'm pretty sure that all the queens sing part of their solo melody when they introduce themselves in Ex-Wives. Boleyn's and Seymour's are the most obvious by far.

[@cadence57b6]

@@thespacehut Perhaps they do. Speaking for myself, I have listened to 'Ex-Wives' many times attempting to recognize the others to no avail. I will say that in 'Six,' Aragon, Seymour, Cleves, and Parr definitely riff on their own solo melodies, in addition to Parr echoing Seymour's. I can't hear Boleyn's or Howard's in that one.

[@josea6855]

I got the chance to sit next to her parents during one of her performances. Was a magical performance when she sang it and see how proud they were ❤

[@HowardHoMusic]

Oh that sounds lovely!

[@louyou5667]

Yes to the Hadestown video 🖤

[@wovenbasketcase]

Patiently waiting for this now....

[@lueagle09]

@@wovenbasketcase🎶I’m coming wait for me🎶

[@darkartsninja]

Agreed! I saw Hadestown in March & am desperately awaiting for Howard to analyze the music

[@Costanza_B]

I think sometimes this is such an underestimated song... I underestimated it myself, and then when I had the luck to see Six live... I was amazed by the interpretation of this song live, the goosebumps it gave me... my Jane Seymour was Erin Caldwell (UK tour, I saw them in April in Trieste) and OMG she was AMAZING!!

[@gracesw9906]

Yall, I grew up doing shows with Jasmine, and she has ALWAYS been a powerhouse!!! So proud of her!!!

[@HowardHoMusic]

Aw, so cool you got to see her journey!

[@AMoniqueOcampo]

Babe, wake up! Howard Ho has a new video essay!

[@BlackCanary87]

24:45 the ii is also a fifth above the V -- the dominant of the dominant -- so it makes sense musically and cements the metaphor!

[@HowardHoMusic]

Ohhhhh...that's a great point!

[@sennahubbs98]

Well this has *almost* managed to convince me that this show doesn't do Jane utterly dirty. Almost.

[@HowardHoMusic]

That's fair.

[@BlackCanary87]

I'm so glad Jasmine moved to Broadway after the tour. I saw her in my city and she was incredible!

[@coolness06]

Same! I saw a Sunday matinee in San Francisco last year and was absolutely blown away!

[@roddy_gone_rogue]

HADESTOWN VIDEO LESGOOOO (no seriously im crazy bout your essays, such good work 11/10)

[@goomee]

I always want to comment just how incredible I think your videos are but I am always left speechless at the end. There is something so profound about how you manage to analyze the music in such a poetic way that not only fits perfectly to the story of the song, but makes sense even to the musically illiterate like me. It's like there's a burst of frisson throughout the whole video that energizes my brain completely. And now you say you're doing Hadestown next? You spoil me. I cannot wait to see what comes next.

[@blondie556]

Ommmmggggg, I can't wait for Hadestown.

[@CrazyDragonGirl333]

I am crazy Six obsessed, and recently learned to play Heart of Stone on the piano, one of the first piano pieces I've ever learned. It's such a beautiful song, and when I saw Jasmine in person... Wow. It's nice to see it analyzed and broken down like this, it seriously brings whole new meaning to the song!🤍👑

[@onegirlarmy4401]

I don't even know music theory and I love your videos! I always jump onto your new episodes and learn so much. It gives me so much more appreciation for the songs that I love from Broadway.

[@Lauratherose]

Jasmine's interpretation of this song and her voice is unreal. I saw her twice live and she was the reason I wanted to see it again after the first performance. She is incredible. When she hits that climax of the song, it's breathtaking.

[@HowardHoMusic]

Absolutely!

[@alloallie]

After "I Don't Need Your Love", "Heart of Stone" is my favourite queen song. Great breakdown of it ! Aaaand, I will probably analyse it to bits when I go see Six in October. Hahahaha !

[@annarose932]

Yay! Uh, so excited to see another Howard Ho analysis of Six the musical! 🤍 👑

[@giovannanetto7682]

Cool. Can't wait! Do No Way next please 🙏🙏

[@thereal_c13]

She was my Jane Seymour when I saw Six! She has an awesome voice!

[@ChrisArborLife]

Jasmine Forsberg vocal ability is incredible. You may have seen her in a video singing it and its amazing, but live its even more next level. Go see her and the rest of this talented cast if you have the chance. Her vocal rift lives rent free in my head.

[@bleh2818]

So excited for the hadestown video!!

[@chloelundabolt4128]

Jasmine made me fall in love with heart of stone. Her version is amazing.

[@HowardHoMusic]

Oh yes, her version is so unique. I'll probably do a separate shorts video just on that!

[@Lunatica89]

Can't believe you opened the Hadestown melon and LEFT US HANGING! As always, this is mind freaking blowing. Love your videos. All of them. You genius. And it's not only the content, you are so good at explaning this to non musical audiences... Hat off to you, friend.

[@giovannanetto7682]

You said Adele was one of the inspirations for Jane Seymour, and here's what i've found out: Set fire to the rain, one of Adele's songs, is in D minor, the relative minor of Heart of Stone's original key, F major (although the chord progressions are not quite the same)

[@katiewisz4691]

I'm not sure I'm supposed to be this emotional from theory analysis...

[@darrellmalory5418]

Fun fact! In Australia (or at least in Melbourne, from the times I and my friends have seen Six) it appears that Heart Of Stone is localised by bringing down the pitch! So it is sung lower in the performances here (from what I and my friends have seen)

[@MidwesternDiva]

I love this interpretation! And I love Moss talking about being a romantic partner (and in Jane's case, mother) as also a valid path to being an empowered feminist. My grandmothers and great-grandmothers are some of the strongest women I've ever known, which isn't negated because their primary goals were about caring for their families.

[@darkartsninja]

OMG!!! I have been waiting for this analysis for such a long time. Thank you, thank you, thank you for making this video!

[@mikeson418]

Howard Ho, finding the realms of thought that not even the most advanced AI could dream of going. Thank you for enriching all our lives.

[@purplesingercats8937]

While I've always felt that the dialouge leading up to this song had some bad vibes, kind of glorifying the act of staying with an abuser, I understand why they had to spin it that way to make her powerful. Your analysis has made me like this song better, it feels even more empowering than it did before. I'm also HYPED for Hadestown analysis, I screamed when you said that

[@mayabairey]

Yesss, a new Howard Ho video! 🎹💕

[@Ashley_Tomboy_1075]

YESSS!! I LOVE YOUR SIX ANALYSIS VIDEOS!!

[@liatostfeld4344]

When you started to talk about the chorus (before you started talking about the IV chord), I thought that since the I is the king, and the V is the second strongest, V is the queen. So if usually the V is leading to the I, here the I is leading to the V - literally switching the perspectice we view the song from it focusing about the king's chord to focusing about the queen's chord. What the video ended up being about was really mindblowing though. I hope this was somewhat understandable, I'm not a native English speaker.

[@HowardHoMusic]

Oh yes I see what you mean. Glad you kept watching so I could clarify that!

[@julianasilveira4806]

Your videos are always amazing, but somehow blending an analysis of Heart of Stone (one of my favourite musical theatre songs ever) with tidbits from Avatar: The Last Airbender, Hadestown and even Teenage Dream is just divine. I love your content so much!

[@animalamy8557]

This is my favourite song from Six, it’s so beautiful and simple and Jane sings beautifully in it, I’ve been waiting for this thank you Howard!!!!🥰🥰🥰💖💖💖

[@alicialudden9994]

This song definitely sounds Adele-esque to me, but I can’t figure out how exactly it achieves that “Adele sound.” Is this chord progression used in any of Adele’s songs? Does Adele often sing in the same key?

[@HowardHoMusic]

I almost went into that in the video, but I think the accompaniment is similar to Adele's songs with their focus on solo piano.

[@tatianamelendez490]

I saw this Jane Seymour in June with my friend. Oooooh, she was sublime! ❤The range on that woman! 😮

[@dangerliesbeforeyou]

I'm always completely blown away by your incredible analysis of songs! So many details here that I had never noticed before, and I love that you even managed to surprise Jane herself (Jasmine) lol!

[@redkb]

Fantastic as always!

[@greywolfe8012]

Yo, this song already makes me cry, I didn't need the added layer of emotion 😭

[@AnnaRoldánAbellan]

My mind has been blown

[@raphria2261]

eep !! thrilled to catch a premiere this time !!

[@larctrinx8960]

Yeah I'm gonna need that Hadestown Episode, I absolutely love hadestown! Totally subbing to hopefully see in the future!

[@HowardHoMusic]

Thanks for the sub!

[@SassyQueen888]

“Janes inspiration Adel and Céline Dion” Sia: I’m not here I’m just a hallucination 👁️👄👁️

[@MisterGolightly]

I love Howard Ho analysis!! 💜👑

[@_itsjyk9398]

love the breakdowns! first one I've watched while looking at the sheet music and my mind was even more blown!

[@---l---]

Love the deep dives. Especially with the entry points of more well known examples

[@if3359]

Amazing and totally mindblowing, as usual. You manage to bring such emotion into an analysis video! Wonderful ❤ Some time ago I asked about Hadestown, and you told me to wait for you. I did, and I'm so glad it is getting closer and closer now...

[@lueagle09]

I love your analysis of this song. It’s my favorite of the queens’ songs, and you blew my mind with how deep you went to explain the genius behind the theory. Keep it going!

[@rebekahmay1815]

Thought it was impossible for me to love this song more 😭 you truly never miss

[@bwaySHO]

Howard & Jasmine in a video about SIX!? Oh I’m watching 👑👑👑👑👑👑

[@sawsawsuka]

I love your musical analyses so much! Can't wait for the hadestown cido

[@ar23431]

I love it and I want to see when you analyze the ending because I want to see how the song "Six" feels the real final song of the musical. Because honestly I love every analysis of every queen and I need to see how they all receive that happy side in that song.

[@CheyenneSedai]

These always rock my world. I'm not a musician by any means but they're so cool

[@keitha.355]

So exciting to see Jasmine in your video!

[@daisysourcream13]

Incredible analysis! I love your videos! I had no clue Heart of Stone had a key change, it went right over my head!

[@HowardHoMusic]

Haha...they snuck it in there!

[@christopherhyde9523]

Mind blown. Subscribed.

[@Natalia-nu5se]

As always great analysis! Loved it :-) Will you be doing any analysis of “EPIC” (now/ after it is finished) or does it need to be officially on stage first?

[@Taigan_HSE]

Probably not your intention but this video made me cry. 😭

[@mayabairey]

Danng this one is genius, Howard

[@sisivincent4347]

Thinking about the similarities of Heart of Stone and Lose You to Love Me by Selena Gomez (which has the same chord progression!)

[@emilyrln]

Wow, this interpretation is brilliant!! Hadestown when????? 🤩

[@beabravo6759]

Loving the Backstreet Boys cameo lol

[@sandra2847]

The song heart of stone made me cry when listening to it Edit:the vid is amazing ✨

[@Petulant_Petrichor]

Also: Gravestone

[@ariannamanabat9832]

Jasmine is the ONLY person that does this song any sort of justice. I’m so glad you brought her in for this video!

[@honeyfluffle]

These videos are super interesting, however i still have a question about this song. What about the 2018 album version of HOS? I believe it starts out in the same key as Dont lose your head and ends on a different note. What might that mean??

[@HowardHoMusic]

My guess is that they made a slight change with the starting key to help with the singer's range.

[@ilovegod0106]

Wow that’s amazing

[@ClipsByLaura]

While I loved other songs of Six, I found this one so boring. It has this repetitive chord cycle that won't resolve. It didn't do it for me. Until I saw it live... I do not remember who played her, but the actress was incredible. Suddenly it was the best song in the whole show. The way she conveyed it, was what had me convinced, instead of the musical structure that this video goes into. Interestingly, it was storytelling that made this song work. Suddenly, I saw this woman completely trapped in an abusive marriage whose strength came from her love for her son. The repetitive chords solidified this feeling of being trapped, followed by the climax where she loses her life and will never see her love (her son) grow up, the heartbreak this brings her. Wouldn't the upwards chords be representing not just her breaking the repetitive cycle of abuse, but her escape only through death (ascending to heaven?) and having to loose her son, leaving him behind? To me, that would make more sense with the message and gut punch I experienced when seeing this song performed live.

[@HowardHoMusic]

Interesting how the way we can hear a song can change so much. Thank you for sharing your journey with the song!

[@cadence57b6]

More than one metaphor can be found in the composition of these songs, and they can be true at the same time. I love yours! 🥰

[@Ocean4president]

We need al queens howard

[@MystearicaClaws]

Hey how! Hadestown! Hey now, we're going down!

[@rizzo1brian]

The still of Katy Perry at 15:22 that you used makes her look like a vampire. lol

[@HowardHoMusic]

LOL...I see it now.

[@martin.lorenz]

Why do you use MIDI Layout instead of music notations where you can see the note relations and chord changes?

[@HowardHoMusic]

Great question. It's because some people can't read music notation and are put off by seeing it. My videos are for everyone, and I want to show that music theory concepts are accessible.

[@julianhaw8597]

Do an analysis for The Bells of Notre Dame

[@fatimahanwaar306]

Technically Jane Seymour's "Queenspirations" are Adele and Sia not Celine Dion

[@HowardHoMusic]

This Vulture interview with Moss and Marlow includes Celine as a Queenspiration for Jane Seymour: www.vulture.com/2020/03/six-broadway-musical-henry-viii-queens.html

[@stephanierempel4360]

Heart of stone is earlier… Ezikel was written hundreds of years BC- all the earliest authors were obviously quoting, “I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,” ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭11‬:‭19‬ ‭ESV‬‬

[@HowardHoMusic]

Yes, that's correct! I nearly included this fact, but didn't because I wasn't sure how it was stated in the original language. I've heard of other cases where the translation and the original text had differences. And the King James Bible, which I assume had coined the iconic version of the phrase in English, actually came after Shakespeare's Othello.

[@miralcalugcugan7960]

Omg thank youuu. Please do I dont need your love

[@justkat9148]

I would love to see poison from hazbin hotel

[@happylove9502]

My favorite song of the musical, Femanisom should not exclude romantic relationships!

[@rikaniebangbang]

Okay but functional analysis of four chord loops in pop doesn't really work. There's a really great video by Patricia Taxxon explaining them and also why V-I simply doesn't sound great, or at least modern in pop loops. I think you're onto something with the chord change after the key moves up. But replacing V with ii also gives us more symmetry (ii IV mirroring iv I) for instance, and ii just sounds more sombre than V, adding to the tragedy while the climax is happening. I think all in all it's a bit much reading into what is a loop that's really common for a pop ballad.

[@HowardHoMusic]

I can see the argument that pop maybe isn't great with functional analysis, but the rules are slightly different when we're talking about a pop song in the context of a musical. The song is trying to make us feel something very specific in its storytelling and so its composers will be relying more on these types of functional harmonies to provide anticipation and resolution just like a story is trying to do with its plot.

[@HowardHoMusic]

Also, I don't regard this loop as being "common for a pop ballad." I know it's the kind of progression that feels common, but in my research I didn't find this specific progression used much. I'm open to being wrong if you can think of examples though.

[@rikaniebangbang]

@@HowardHoMusic I mean you're right, it's much less common for sure. It's hard to find examples on the spot, but I'll definitely keep looking a bit :) The way I see it, it's a 4 chords of pop with the vi and IV shuffled around and it's worth analysing what that does, namely give the song its more static feel. But going beyond that with functional theory does it a disservice imo. Loops are about departure and resolution and it's the microcosmic relationship between the chords that drives the loop. Patricia would probably say the IV vi feels like a melancholic I iii departure for example. We don't hear the IV as a subdominant function, we hear it in relation to the next chord, and then we hear the move from V back to IV in relation to each other again, it feels like a I bVII, another common pop loop move. The V is not giving a dominant function at all precisely because it doesn't resolve to the I. The 50's progression has this V I thing going and that's why it sounds a retro nowadays. When I hear Heart of Stone I never expect the V to resolve to the I because it would be surprising if it did in its pop context. So when it finally does in the end, that's a moment, and I agree it makes sense looking at that, but at the same time, would it sound as satisfying ending the song on a IV instead of the I omit3 we get?

[@HowardHoMusic]

But Heart of Stone does have V chords giving dominant function. In the video, I talk about how the V chord eventually has to forcefully stop the chorus loop and reassert the I chord at the end of each chorus. The musical drama of the V chord switching between dominant function to a I to bVII is what my whole video is about in a nutshell. As you already point out, pop songwriters aren't really doing that. And the reason the songwriters Moss and Marlow even bothered to write the song this way is (I suspect) because they are telling a story, so while the microcosmic is important to provide an authentic pop sensibility, the macrocosmic is also important to keep it narratively interesting. Calling this a mere rehash of "4 chords of pop" does these musical theatre songwriters a disservice. I do enjoy hearing another perspective tho, so thanks and I appreciate the dialogue!

[@rikaniebangbang]

@@HowardHoMusic You know what, after looking into it, I admit I have to take the L. Though I didn't say they were rehashing the 4 chords, I said they swapped two of them around from what you would be expecting. And you're right it is a far less common progression than I assumed. Quite strange for how good it sounds. I think what tripped me up about the video was that you're presenting the V chord with its dominant function primarily and arguing that lacking that function is the surprise, when for me it's the other way round considering that the V in pop ist more often used as a departure from I or vi. It took me a moment to get over that, but I think now you're absolutely right with your interpretation. Thanks for taking the time to help me get there!

[@starlesscitiess]

didnt want to ruin 666 likes 😔