Nik Kershaw's The Riddle is... actually insane

[@izzykershaw8649]

So my dad was in an experimental jazz band before he went into pop music. I’m kinda glad this video exists, cause no one talks about this kinda stuff very often with his music.

[@jonaswolfmusic1775]

Happy to hear! =D Yes, the heritage from the experimental jazz era is definitely noticeable in all of Nik's 80s music. And I started this exactly because I had the feeling that with all of the big music analysis channels I never find him talked about, and this is a great gap.

[@John-cn4my]

Be proud of your dad, i love his music !

[@yesand5536]

Never knew that. It is much more common with many artists than you think. Hopefully he still pushes his boundaries musically.

[@alessandroguarrera2203]

He's a wonderful musician.

[@garygood6804]

​@@jonaswolfmusic1775 th3 song started as just the music and the lyrics were just filler. When recording the album, there was extra space. So short story, they were like meh and recorded it as is.

[@clarkem4119]

"a song that refuses to be harmonically simplistic at any given time" - omg, I laughed so hard at how accurate this is. My god, I love this song.

[@johannesstruck2804]

Maybe thatˋs the reason for the the song title 🤔

[@obsequiae]

i’m not musically literate but my ears know good music.. i was struck by this song from the first listen and couldn’t get enough of it ever since. it’s very far from anything i’ve heard before and i have 8k songs in my spotify library. that says a lot.

[@monikadumanowska5796]

same here!

[@Hocksman]

No matter where I looked on Spotify I cannot find the total number of songs in my library. I wonder how you did it?

[@bekkylouise9882]

Heard nik kershaw live play this, totally awesome

[@TheChromeRonin]

This has been one of my fav pop songs from this period, along with “A Room that Echoes”. The unbalanced sound causing a “weird” feeling listening to it. It has always tickled my fancy.

[@shimmipenguin1764]

​@@Hocksmanpossible that he has every song in his library under "liked songs". There you can see

[@ALEXGIBSONCMG]

I love Nik Kershaw, he's a friggin genius

[@BedlamAndBones]

I rarely have my mind blown when listening to music anymore, but the change from F#m to Gm of the choruses went unnoticed by me for 36 years. Whoa.

[@guynungagap4617]

Unless you have absolute pitch, it goes unnoticed because the tonality is lost during the (magic) interlude.

[@heihaloo3933]

Me, too!

[@jesus_loves_you_2710]

I have heard this song 100 tousand times on the radio, before i known this song Now i play it on guitar 2 years and before the transposition was not worry to me, but i have known the first and chorus heard a little bit other

[@Lovis68]

@garrett johnson Same here!! 😱😱 and I'm a big Kershaw's fan!!

[@yeyeyeyeye2193]

This song is so perfect and satisfying I nearly cry every time I listen to it!! As a beginner musician I’m so thankful for this video and for you for analysing my most favourite song by my favourite musician. I’ve learned this song on bass and that brought my attention to the risen semitone and made me appreciate this song so much more. I can’t find one thing I don’t like about this song except for the fact that it isn’t longer!

[@StaffanNilsson1]

Since a child I honestly think this song borders on magical. As you, this song brings tears to my eyes and moves me deeply. I heard it as a young boy without knowing what it was, then I had it on my mind for a decade before hearing it on the radio and finally get a name for it. It is still more than a song to me.

[@painovoimaton]

It is a great song for sure. This harmonic interest is what makes it so good for me, in addition to having one of the catchiest choruses I've heard. It has such a weirdly dreamy feeling all around, made stronger by the nonsense (yet strangely poetic) lyrics.

[@tmb8807]

I've always thought it has a sort of 'alternate reality' vibe, both musically and lyrically. Just this echo of a place where things aren't quite the same but you can't put your finger on exactly how. You know what the individual words mean, but overall it doesn't seem to make any sense, yet it somehow still works. And the music makes me feel exactly the same way (although I wouldn't have been able to describe it as well as this video does).

[@ManubibiWalsh]

Yes!! I specifically love this song because of how bizarre the arrangement and vocal melody is. Most of the song is just unexpected and fluctuates in a way that is just so mysterious and illogical and it takes MASSIVE BALLS to compose something like this while still making it a banger. It goes against all of the rules of pop music. And I just love it.

[@JulianDreamsx]

Not balls but u have to be genius

[@TrazomGV]

Yes, but the any deeper insight in a wider creative opus of Kershaw reflects his specific approach of musical thinking. It is similar to smooth jazz harmonic language, can also be found by Sting often, and refreshes the minds and souls of our personalities washed out by trivial pop-music scatches recycling mostly the same unimaginative chord schemes. Nik's creativity is far beyond usual expectations and therefore always wellcome to listen to, even after so many years. I have all of his albums on USB stick and enjoy listening to it in my car, he is the musician of quality.

[@davepastern]

hence, "the riddle"

[@BuscaLoEsencial]

Jonas, I really think Nik is a musical genius and that this came to him from being exposed to genius music since even before being born, as his father was a flute player and his mother an opera singer.

[@angelcotte5000]

And just like that... I was blown away. I didn't even realize the key change from the beginning and the ending. Unbelievable

[@SuicidalDespair]

There's a reason why Elton even said Nik is the best songwriter of his generation

[@K.Premislia]

This song is literally magical. In childhood, despite listening to this song only a few times, I got “inprinted” that it's “a childhood song" that always was making me calm and was a symbol of when literally everything was all fine and so. It is now the more interesting to learn it to play and actually study it.

[@ReverendMuncle]

Wonderful. This is so wonderful. I'm delighted and feel utterly vindicated after all these years to learn how and why Nik's songs are so fine and nuanced. Thank you, sir

[@Lichfeldian--Suttonian]

I could hear that this song sounded odd in the chord structure but refreshingly worked, like a song gone off ... but ... not gone off (!), but now I realise why. Nik is changing key all the time - or is he? - yet this piece sounds so harmonious that it just bends the mind enough that it works ... or should I say ‘works’! How do you explain “gone off sweet rounded cinnamon that still stays sweet and rounded”. You can’t! Genius!

[@simo7393]

I always felt this was a very peculiar piece of music, even though it goes easy on the ears it really compels you to stop and think about what's happening. Thank you very much for this in deep analysis of this piece, you taught me a lot!

[@sakaridis]

This song is pure 80s pop perfection! It is musically engaging and exciting and even though it's been confirmed that the lyrics are nonsensical, it is incredibly fun trying to give meaning to them, or to weave various stories inspired by the themes, persons and locations mentioned therein. I absolutely love it. Actually, I've loved it for almost 40 years now. It's a masterpiece!

[@ecranmagique]

Thanks for this analysis. I can't understand all this music theory, but I can hear there's something very special about this melody. and yes, I only noticed last year that semi-tone offset between the beginning and the end... wonderful!

[@BuscaLoEsencial]

GENIUS! I fell in love with this song at 11 years old and never get tired of listening to it! It's absolutely unique and Nik is so amazing and underrated at the same time. He transmits so many emotions through his music it's almost imposible for me not to cry. Though this song is hard to sing, I get breathless and it gets too deep sometimes, I wonder how on Earth he can sing it and play the guitar at the same time! 🤯 Seemingly effortlessly.

[@rajnamajnadunav]

I always thought this is the most complex 'happy go lucky' song. Kershaw is genious!

[@constance.mcentee]

I am one of those long-time Nik Kershaw fans who did not indeed notice the difference in keys between the beginning and the end. This was great!

[@antoniusnies-komponistpian2172]

Wow, I wasn't aware how genius this song is

[@winstoncat6785]

I never noticed the half tone difference between the first and second chorus! I was always too bowled over by the magnificent key changing arpeggiated interlude, I guess. Nik Kershaw is a genius. This video is fantastic. There's probably no other song needed this kind of analysis more than "the riddle". Thanks so much for doing it!

[@jonaswolfmusic1775]

Thanks for your comment! =) When I did the video, I didn't actually have a clue that this hadn't been covered from a theoretical point of view before.

[@dariodzimbeg]

Finally someone who pays a great respect to Nik! You got yourself a new subscriber.

[@neural_jam]

Fascinating... I've always loved this and a few other Nik Kershaw tracks, I started getting back into 80s pop recently and it struck me how strange the bass line was even though it all works wonderfully - I don't understand all the musical terminology but your analysis is really interesting to me, I'm glad someone's done this!

[@jonaswolfmusic1775]

Glad I could help! 😊 If you're interested, don't miss to check out the other Nik Kershaw songs that I analyzed - there's really a lot of amazing stuff. 😀

[@PetarCrepulja-lv5pu]

The melody is the very riddle itself :D I have heard the shift in tonality between first and second part but I couldn't determine is it a full tone or more! As I see it turned out to be a half tone! I was always stunned with the harmony of the song so I decided not ever try to decrypt it by playing on the piano guessing the chords but instead just listen and enjoy the riddle of the riddle. Nick definitely left something to the music world. Cheers!

[@DavidEppersonMusic]

I realized how unique this song was back in 1985 when it came out. Unique song and have always loved it. Love it when Pop surprises! It still does today, esp from UK artists (as Nik was from UK, too).

[@markshorter76]

Thanks for a great video. This song intrigued me as well as a teenager, and only later I was able to understand some of its harmonic riddles following studies of music theory. I, too, remember being specifically thrilled by the sudden shift in tonality in bar 19. Nowadays, after listening to so much jazz, my ears associate it with the kind of reharmonizations that e.g. Coltrane would do, suddenly going up a semitone and then back to whatever the basic key is (although this song modulates frequently). Also, it reminds me of side-stepping in jazz solos, only here we are dealing with the song's chord progression. But Kershaw probably was not thinking about bebop or modal jazz. I once read from an interview of him that these sort of things came to him "naturally" (without deep musical analysis), and that after someone pointed his habit of using unconventional chord progressions out to him, he said he started to do it more consciously, like a mannerism, and the results were not as good.

[@SwappingIsSaving]

Nick Kershaw is a fantastic writer. Unfortunately you won't find anything similar in contemporary pop. It's harmonically dead.

[@dawn.theatre]

I have experienced this myself when pitching songs to producers. A few have said that anything more than 4 chords makes a song sound old.

[@felixman97]

Great analysis man! Since i heard this divine tune for the first time in my childhood, i always knew that there is something very haunting and strange in a positive way in this song, and i think that these crazy chord progressions make it one of the most iconic melodies of the 80s

[@jow8277]

This is so interesting! Thanks for your excellent informative analysis . I was looking for a tutorial to learn the song on guitar & hadn’t ever before quite realised how complex and brilliant it is .

[@jonaswolfmusic1775]

Corrections / Notifications: - 3:47f. The D#m can be explained as the parallel chord of F#ms major variant (modal mixture). I was so focused on explaining every chord step by step that I forgot to mention this. The A#m however is a totally different world. Through the B# transition note in the countermelody, it is really established as a key in its own right (at least in my perception).

[@SolidSativa1]

Blah blah blah

[@PedroDRKBeaTle]

Awesome video, amazing job

[@jonaswolfmusic1775]

thank you! @@PedroDRKBeaTle

[@WatchHead]

@@jonaswolfmusic1775 So, if we ignore the "I've got time to kill" part, lets say the all vocals are within E mixolydian and the harmony swings between E and A major mostly, and G in one place... So, verse 1 goes F#m | E/G#m | A | B (E major) C#m | D | Bm (A major) G (G major), then verse 2 F#m | E/G#m | A | B (E major) C#m | D (A major) D#m (E major) Bm (A major) and "Wise men" motiff Bm | C#m | D | E (all A major), then Chorus goes all E major F#m | E | A | B, F#m | E | than into A major D | A... It always starts with E major and than goes to A to spice it up (lower part of E mixolydian which he uses for vocals on "Wise men" motiff are all from there and they are within A major). That would suggest that main chord progression would be ii-I-IV-V in major key of E. Dunno much about theory, but that is how I would interpret the harmony with my limited knowledge.

[@perrypossum]

I've first listened to this song less than 12 hours ago and I've already memorized its chorus. As a wannabe musician, the song is just simply amazing, even with a limited knowledge of music theory, the feelings you get during the bridge is not something you come across everyday. It's something to aspire to, and your analysis just confirms what someone might experience throughout this piece. Thanks for the video! I really enjoyed it!

[@martenw8341]

Excellent analysis! This song is so refreshing these days with the current boring harmonic uses in pop. My favourite is the unexpected G major resolving to the tonic F# minor. It has such an epic and melancholic feeling

[@emilen2]

Brilliant way to lift the chorus to new highs, albeit only a semitone. A most clever way to change the sound without you knowing it.

[@ShirubaGin]

Nice analysis. Nik Kershaw usually does this kind of thing. His song Roses starts in the key of G minor and the. It modulates to F minor when the chorus begins and then it modulates to G# minor while still being in the chorus with the help of the Eb chord in F minor. But about the video. I think instead of saying that the song modulates from F# minor to F# Dorian or Phrygian and then back to minor, you could have just called it modal mixture. The D#m and A#m chords are borrowed from the mode of F# major using modal mixture. Not quite sure how modal mixture works, but the chords you're borrowing has the same function as they did in the mode you took them from. Modulating up a semitone at the end of a song is also as common as modulating up a whole step. This song also has an extended version. The interlude gets repeated after the second chorus, just like the Gigi D'Agostino cover of the song. The reason I bring it up is because at the end of the interlude it sounds like the chorus is going to be in G minor, but it goes back down to F# minor. Sorry if this is long to read.

[@jonaswolfmusic1775]

Thank you for your feedback. No problem, I like reading. :) 'Wouldn't it be good' of course is another example of Nik Kershaw using that kind of 'free' tonality. Modal mixture is exactly what you described (if that was the question): You 'borrow' a chord from a parallel key. D#m and A#m would be the Tonikaparallele and Tonikagegenklang (I'm not familiar with the English terms...) of the major variant of F#m. I don't know, I am not a big fan of functional harmony going that far, but I agree that it may help understanding this phrase emotionally (I still don't) and it may even be the way it was composed. Is semitone shifting at the end of a song really that common in popular music? Maybe I've just always listened to the 'wrong' music, but I've found that a lot of songs shift a whole tone or even a minor third because that's a more relatable interval. If you have some examples of semitone shifts, I'm happy to learn. :)

[@jonaswolfmusic1775]

Hah, now that I've written that, 'money money money' came into my mind...

[@DemBones7]

Nik did an interview with a famous keyboard player, where he explained that he gets bored, and presumes the listener does as well. Hence the frequent key changes.

[@sharpvidtube]

I didn't like a lot of 80s music but I liked the album "Human Racing". This came out just after it, near Christmas in the UK. Most Christmas songs are played too much, so I listen to alternative ones, like this. After all these years, it still sounds great. I was aware of some changes during the song but not in this much detail. Thanks for the analysis.

[@aubindemontfalcon5967]

The first time I heard The Riddle on the radio, in France, was in february 1985. It was in heavy rotation between february and may or june 1985. I remember the first times I heard it, I was around 8 or 9. I was totally hypnotized, fascinated by this song.

[@aubindemontfalcon5967]

A very inventive, complex but catchy song at the same time. On the album, two other songs are even more complex : Know How and Roses, two other gems by the way !

[@Mitch_Feral]

Some combination of listening to 'Wouldnt It be Nice' and a couple videos of Victor Wooten explaining how all the wrong notes are actually right brought me here, and i have no complaints. Nice video.

[@meanpersona4686]

This song is my favourite song of all time just beacause it has a "vibe" (for the lack of a better word) that I refuse to be bored by. It's georgeous!

[@richtraube2241]

Thanks for taking us through the riddle!

[@guntertorfs6486]

As someone who was ' diagnosed ' with having absolute pitch from my teenage years , i have always been aware of the frequent changes in songs like these , but never tried to really analyze it. Sounds perfectly natural and logical in the progression of the song to me.

[@alanarkham143]

I think Nik was a visionary and knew exactly what he was doing, it is 2024 and we can't get enough of this masterpiece.

[@corneliarhine544]

resuming everything you said: he took the title for granted and the whole song seems to be a riddle 😂😂😂 love it🤗🥰

[@PezrulezHaakon]

I've always loved this song ever since it came out. I did notice all key changes and the semitone change early on, but I couldn't in theory explain it, because I know extremely little of music theory, but I could hear that something unusual was happening But you explained this wonderfully 🤗

[@jonaswolfmusic1775]

Thanks so much! :)

[@straitouttahell]

I've been saying this for something like 30 years. Thank you for this analysis.

[@Vim-Wolf]

Great analysis of a truly wonderful song. And we didn't even touch on the lyrics or the video. :)

[@jonaswolfmusic1775]

I feel quoted. :D Thank you!

[@silvercharts]

Banger video, shows a great understanding of the song and music theory in practice.

[@ctjdo]

Bravo - excellent analysis - 44 years old now - fell in love with this song at the young age of 8 or so. I could not explain it then, much like you - but I knew that I had listened to magic - a flutter of free falling formations of chords :) It does seem foreshadowing as the title indicates you are in for a wonderful adventure of a ride. Many years later, as a music producer I find solace in this song once more in your delightful analysis! (the chorus transposition is actually quite common in pop songs especially from the 80s I find - It stresses on the climactic mood escalation and introduced by the ''unstable'' feel of the bridge moments before. Music is awesome! Just subbed.

[@jonaswolfmusic1775]

Thanks so much! Yes, semitone transpositions are actually quite common, it was a spontaneous assumption that I made back then and to which I have lots of constrasting examples meanwhile.

[@lorddunkie]

I have loved this song forever, but never realised the comparison between the first and last chorus until now! - My mind is completely blown! Awesome explanation - thanks so much

[@jonaswolfmusic1775]

Glad I could have helped :)

[@abrielrobertsson4160]

There's an acoustic version online and he made it even more complex there lol. It's not supposed to make sense, and yet it sounds so melodic and beautiful. To me, Nik Kershaw's songs should be studied in music schools. A true musical genius.

[@trixysvinylmusicfordjs8799]

I just found this video while looking for music reaction videos. I was a massive Nik fan whilst growing up (he still tours by the way!). My favourite album of his is radio musicola. I didnt really understand what you were talking about in your video but found it captivating and fascinating.. So much so that i dribbled on my keyboard and now I need a CT scan because I think I had a stroke whilst watching it... Pure genius!!!

[@highheartwellness]

Thanks for your analysis! Love this song. I actually only learned of it last year, but it's now one of my favorite 80's songs :)

[@jonaswolfmusic1775]

Nice to hear that you liked the analysis. :)

[@sandrafaith]

In case you haven't already been told, yes, you said his name correctly 😃 I've loved this song (this whole album!) since it was a brand new. I'm a musical idiot and don't understand a quarter of what you're saying, but It's nice to see this sort of deep musical appreciation. Edit: Count me as one of those fans that never noticed the slight difference between the beginning and the ending...

[@jonaswolfmusic1775]

Thanks for your comment! Yes, meanwhile I was confirmed about the pronounciation. 😀 I appreciate your comment very much!

[@TheJupiter808]

So well analyzed on a timeless pop masterpiece! Wow...always knew it was a Riddle! In every aspect! Thank you for this! More, please!

[@antoniusnies-komponistpian2172]

To 4:48: I think what he does here is making use of chromaticism: There is a half-step between the roots of C# minor and D major, and he just goes one half-step further, making use of the common third F#, and also the common seventh C#, which both also belong to F# minor btw. Then the A# minor is obviously related to D# minor. And from A# minor he moves another half-step up to B minor and he is back again. The base line most of the time moving up is a pretty important tool to make this song sound so fun I think. It's basically a light version of the shepard's tone effect.

[@jonaswolfmusic1775]

Agreed, that's definitely a way to understand this part. I can imagine this explanation helps you, but I personally still can't anticipate emotionally the thrilling effect this use of chromaticism has. In my personal experience, functional harmony or Neo-Riemannian Theory help me understanding the relation of the chord progressions on an emotional level, but they really fail here to do so. That's what I find so spookily enchanting on this part. =)

[@antoniusnies-komponistpian2172]

@@jonaswolfmusic1775 I have another idea: the D# minor could be perceived as a plagal resolution of the G# minor/3 that has been established before. The C# minor is the double subdominant and the bass note of the D major takes the role of the leading note (?) of an imaginary dominant.

[@jonaswolfmusic1775]

@@antoniusnies-komponistpian2172 Interesting, but still not the way I hear it. :D I imagine this could work if you overhear the D major chord reestablishing the F# minor / A major tonality (which I can't, but I understand if someone else can). Interpreting the D major as a secondary dominant is quite a step, but since it is major-third-related to A# major (the basic dominant to D# minor) it will work (with some effort). Anyway, it still doesn't help me to understand this part emotionally. :D

[@antoniusnies-komponistpian2172]

@@jonaswolfmusic1775 I mean I wouldn't think in this category of "reestablishing" in that context. It's rather that two tonal areas go kind of parallel because you can remember both lines.

[@antoniusnies-komponistpian2172]

But I think I have another idea: I think he sings a natural 7th on the D# minor 😆

[@operastudio1712]

One of the first songs i've learnt to play, and definitely loved all the unusual (genius!) changes.

[@ElizIndRhythm]

As someone who has loved this song for decades and knows absolutely nothing about music theory... Yeah, I didn't notice just how different the first and last chorus are. I always felt that there was a different... I don't know, maybe *pressure* to it with maybe additional instruments, but hearing the comparison was WILD!

[@elizabethrountree6331]

I love this song! How awesome that you're delving into it!

[@jonaswolfmusic1775]

Nice, thanks 😊

[@peterkoch3777]

This song refuses to be in a definite scale. Another example of such incredible songwriting would be "Kiss from a Rose" by Seal.

[@RobinAllender]

Thank you so much for this video! I feel vindicated after going on about how brilliant and complicated this song’s chord changes are. Weirdly when I told a friend (who also loves the song, but perhaps hasn’t obsessed over it the way I have) about how complex it is, she said ‘I love the key change’! So I do think that, although the key change is hidden in the bridge, there is something in the final chorus that ‘registers’ as a key change subliminally.

[@1vicjustice]

This song was is an absolute masterpiece.. working on covering / adapting it for my synthwave project.. this video was great.

[@myHEXOR]

This song is one of my all time favourites since im very little, learned it on guitar even and i always knew it had something special to it without being able to explain to people what it is and why i loved it so much. Thank you.

[@cha0tic_al1en]

I literally stumbled onto this song last night and I was caught completely off guard. My brain broke trying to process it. I Immediately added it to my Spotify playlist.

[@darealjansolo]

This is one of the first pop songs I remember from playing on the radio and have loved it ever since. While I always recognized it as being both catchy and complex (that bridge!), the sheer insanity of its construction never became as clear to me as after having watched your analysis! Great stuff!

[@TomiMathies]

thanks for the laughs :) perfectly described my feelings moments ago a was warming up my voice for a recording session and picked out some old 80s songs and then came this by the interlude i was like wtf is happening here :D - well - keeps you up your feet nice video - very well done

[@Rondo2ooo]

I was a kid when this song came out and I loved to hear it on the radio. Later in my life, I became an enthusiastic semi-pro musician who learned a thing or two about harmonies, chord progressions, whilst diving more and more into prog rock/metal and jazz. Why am I mentioning this? Well, when I re-listened to this song or Human Racing later in my life, I realised what a smart and complex songwriter Nik is. Unfortunately, kids today are not regularly exposed to such music. They have to dig into it, because it doesn't play on the radio. That's a shame, because it harms the "casual" development of musical perception.

[@PrivateEyeMusic]

Thoroughly enjoyed this analysis. You made this song more fun to listen to than it already was. Great work!

[@oktogen1476]

Great video i like his songs so much! I searced for bass line of that song and among other suggestions i entered your video. Subscribed instantly. And i have suggestion for you to make some videos about Alphaville, nobody unfortunately talks about that great band.

[@jonaswolfmusic1775]

Thanks for your kind words. Right now, I'm on some different projects, but I might come back to your very good suggestion.

[@SuperTrance69]

Really enjoyed this breakdown of this song. Nik Kershaw is my favourite artist and he does love his Flat notes esp Know How and Cowboys and Indians but 10 seconds in you know it's a Kershaw song the same with Mr Gibb with the BeeGees or even Mozart.

[@jonaswolfmusic1775]

Thank your for your interested reply. If note done already, check out my 1h Nik Kershaw analysis video, Know How and Cowboys and Indians are included there. :)

[@onceuponatime6761]

Finally an analysis on the harmony of this song which is something unusual but very very beautiful, refined, and particular....It takes balls to compose and arrange a piece like this, Nik had them and you did justice to it which, in my opinion (but not only) is a small masterpiece .... Then we remember that it was the 80s, and the magic was served ...... Best wishes.

[@jonaswolfmusic1775]

Beautifully described! :)

[@iansands8315]

I fell in love with niks writing from the very first song I heard. I remember learning this bass line at the time and constantly smiling when it went somewhere unexpected.

[@therealmattmann]

I have never attempted to learn this song because it was so ridiculously challenging...but I've always loved it for its complexity and unique sound. Thanks for explaining it to us!

[@Ice_Karma]

None of the other commenters seem to have mentioned, so, your pronunciation of Nik Kershaw's name is spot-on. =3

[@SamNightraxx]

Mein absoluter Lieblingssong! Ich habe bestimmt schon über 200 verschiedene Covers and Remixes von dem Lied gesammelt Und auch meinen eigenen gemacht ;)

[@Donnie1428]

Bin grade auch total süchtig nach dem Song. Welche anderen Versionen würdest du am meisten empfehlen ?

[@jesus_loves_you_2710]

@@Donnie1428 die extented Version

[@JohnMartim-sy9yf]

I never stoped to listen to this master piece!! I just love it!!!

[@annetteku1]

I had his album and listened to him on my walkman every Night to Fall asleep.. I noticed the lift at the end and find it still soo refreshing and it feels like Breaking free of patterns and rules and chains, every time he twists his cords in such a tastefull Way.

[@GinnyGibbs]

I have this song on a cassette, bought through one of those “record club” deals. I played it and sang it for hours… and knew instinctively that the final chorus was higher, as the timbre of my voice felt brighter and more urgent. I need to get Nik’s entire catalogue now. Thanks for the fascinating analysis!

[@jonaswolfmusic1775]

So interesting to hear that you managed to perceive the key shift!

[@AndrewGruffudd]

I remember, on a song I wrote back in the noughties, I had written a piano accompaniment under the singer's part (on my notation software). Because the repeat of that part wasn't quite so perfect a repeat that I could use repeater bars nor first and second time bars etc, I cut and pasted the part where I wanted it. But, during the process I had inadvertently added an extra note to one of the bars, thus shifting the whole section on a note, but it seemed to be one of those serendipitous accidents like Nik's semitone jump, because it sounded fine and added variation, which is always good.

[@DavidEppersonMusic]

I never compared the beginning and ending directly before as you did (first & last choruses), but sonically to my ear this song has always been intriguing. Great review on the theory side of Nik Kershaw (a more unique song writer than most ever thought of). And today we have Jacob Collier who can spout offhandedly about the most surrealistic music theory ever imagined.

[@jonaswolfmusic1775]

Thank you!

[@valentin_boes]

Finde es super, dass das Video nicht so ausgedehnt sondern kurz und trotzdem sehr informativ ist. So komme sogar ich bei fast allem mit :D Dein Englisch wird übrigens jetzt schon immer besser und die Memes sitzen perfekt.

[@potatomaaan1757]

I really don't know much at all about music theory but the apparent complexity of this song could explain why I don't get bored of listening to it. I have a really strange music listening habit, where, as soon as I discover a new song I like, I'll play that one song on repeat until I get sick of hearing it. But with this song, that just didn't happen. I basically played it on repeat for 2 weeks straight and I always come back to it. It's somehow very relaxing and interesting every time I listen to it. I think the lyrics also play a big part in that. A lot of songs have really generic lyrics about love or whatever but these lyrics just don't have any of that. They are just random words that flow really well with the song. Somehow this is also the only song where I actually feel like singing along, even though the lyrics make no sense. This is definitely one of my all time favorite songs!

[@TheNodyme]

love the analysis. Always wondering how much of this theoretical trickery in songs is intentional or just came along while writing it because it "sounds cool"

[@bwwolf]

one of the most underrated people in the music industry. Niclas is one of the greatest song writers in pop history of the eighties and beyond. Everyone always talks about Prince, Michael Jackson and so on. But what he has achieved musically has unfortunately never really reached the public. I have lived for his works since the eighties and still do, although the last album was unfortunately not my cup of tea.

[@misterx4757]

Great breakdown man. Nick has been a favorite since the 80’s. Very underrated.

[@rafismusic]

I've always been attracted to songs with different structures, changes or sounds we're not used to find. Some examples would be "Always" by Erasure or "You're not Alone" by Olive. With "The Riddle" happens that it sounds way unconfortable the first two or three listenings, specially if you didn't catch it from the beginning, but it becomes very enjoyable and catchy soon after. I discovered this hidden gem just weeks ago on MTV 80s.

[@N0B0DY_SP3C14L]

Cool analysis. The magic happens in the turnaround because it resolves such seemingly unrelated tensions. The last half-step up, is just a funny way into the truck-driver's gear change. It is indeed a pretty twisted set of changes and melody, but it does all sort of add up.

[@CHARLIEtheCATofficial]

Nik Kershaw is the best songwriter!! The Riddle is a masterpiece

[@sombersombrero9338]

I heard this song on the radio for the first time a couple of years ago, and the strange chord changes reminded me of another band called Cardiacs. They have even more unusual structures to their songs, so this sounded like a regular 80s pop song which had somehow become a little bit...wonky. I decided to learn it on bass, and by the time I got to learning the verse, I realised that it's best to just try to go by ear, as it just doesn't follow a normal or predictable progression. The interlude totally threw me, but then, the transposed chorus which follows just seems to make sense somehow. It's a great song, and the strange arrangement is really underrated.

[@jonaswolfmusic1775]

Beautifully said! 😊

[@adamkuzanski4389]

No idea what are you taking about here, but it was nice to listen to you :D

[@headroomprod]

I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS ANALYSIS!

[@jonaswolfmusic1775]

I love everything about this comment!

[@lezbarker2673]

As a young child in the late 80’s I was just so happy to hear an amazing song that made me feel so many emotions and it’s still a favourite today. I then found his other song wouldn’t it be good only to never really hear more about him as I grew up and got into Metallica, The Cult and Depeche Mode I never heard any more of his songs I got into Howard Jones cause he kinda reminded me of him.

[@Tintenfinger]

Dorisch-phrygische Modulationen westlicher Dur-Moll-Harmoniefolgen habe ich als musiktheoretischer Laie von Anfang an gehört - aber nur _gehört_, nicht durchschaut. Deswegen besonderen Dank für die fachmännischen Erklärungen - auch wenn ich ihnen nur teilweise folgen konnte! In einem 2016 geführten Interview (das hier auf KZbin zu finden ist: »Nik Kershaw - The Riddle Live [Christmas in the Studio]«) erklärt Nik Kershaw beiläufig, er habe in den Tagen vor der Komposition von »The Riddle« viel irische Volksmusik gehört. Das ist ein m. E. entscheidender Hinweis auf die Inspirationsquelle für die irritierend changierenden Harmonien in »The Riddle«.

[@wtorules4743]

Brilliant explainer. It does sound complex to my ears without knowing the theory behind it. Truth is, it sounds fantastic as a pop song. Us musos get excited by it too, which is a bonus. Fantastic artist.

[@mikosoft]

I was aware of all the weird harmonies but that half step up last chorus took me by surprise. I've actively listened to this song for more than 20 years now and never noticed. The stuff I learn where I didn't expect it

[@MoonDreamofA]

I have NO idea what is being said -I don't know how to read music, much less understand even 1/1000 of the terminology being used- in the video. But I enjoy the intrigue everyone is showing. I find it funny how people who understand music theory are just blown away by some songs, where as an average-Jane like me, just really likes the song because it is a great 80s songs! tl;dr me simpleton, no read music. Song good.

[@jonaswolfmusic1775]

Well isn't that the great thing about it that even people who claim to have no idea about music (which I doubt anybody really does because the interest in music alone and building up a judgement testifies a certain musical education, though be it through experience and not through academic) will enjoy what's going on. You don't need to give it those fancy names, you just have to feel it - that's the best thing about music I think.

[@thomasvanwely]

The Riddle is a song that perfectly displays the travel of every lost sock in the laundry.

[@alexendrix6]

you right great tune i loved since 1984 Jonas u made a perfect interesting analisi, Bravo!

[@justinvzu01]

I love this song so much. I always noticed the key change for the last chorus, but that's just because I'm a guitarist. I bet my mom never noticed, even though she is old enough to witness the release of the song. Fun fact: The vocals were written as a somewhat cohesive way of leading the song. It's purpose written to fulfill the musical purpose of lyrics, not to have any meaning.

[@ACSThe81]

If you only thought that the lyrics is the real riddle. Nik Kershaw is from a different planet.

[@PM-fs2eg]

Regarding the part at 4:22...I've always heard it as a "semi-spooky fairground carousel" tune...with a touch of madness. The song is called The Riddle for a reason...something unexplained, mysterious and somewhat scary. Just my 2 cents ;-) Great analysis by the way...great song!

[@jonaswolfmusic1775]

I love your description! 😀