"....There can't be one without a two....there isn't me without my you....Just ask anyone, they'll tell you we had it all! We were the lucky ones....BEFORE THE FALL..."

Hi everyone - Martini, here - I'm taking poetic license to again interrupt the story of Nell Stanley to discuss the Palma Pascale/Lou Coppola sensation, BEFORE THE FALL. (pictured: Palma Pascale)

Whew! What a great song this is. It's a sad story. It's a potential HIT single for the right person. It's AWESOME. It's a power ballad of the finest caliber.

It's the kind of song we would have heard Karen Carpenter, in her "basement" voice, pull off well , singing it with that dark, chocolate-smooth, rich gorgeous voice she had. It's the sort of power ballad Celine Dion would belt out in concert, or Josh Groban might tackle; it's a perfect vehicle for Martin Nievera, the Concert King of the Philippines to sing. It's just a beautiful, powerful song that tells such a familiar story.

BEFORE THE FALL comes in at 4:36. The song, sung from the vantage point of a lover who has just realized there has been a "FALL-out." Out of love, that is. The storyteller didn't realize her relationship was no longer the strong, carefree love it once was, that is....BEFORE THE FALL.

And so, Palma convincingly and cleverly composes a love-gone-wrong ballad that is heart wrenching, and the story is well-told.

Did you catch my opening lyric? "There can't be one, without a two.....There isn't me without my you..." ??? I love these. This is typical of a Pascale composition - these cleverly worded lyrics - the writer certainly has command of the English language, and she shows us this, consistently. It's these parts to the puzzle that are always my favorite - the lyric that is NOT ordinary, but unique, and the perfect ingredient to round-out an already "tasty" recipe of unrequited love.

"...Weren't we forever and a day? It should have always stayed that way...."

The sound of a single octave note E on the grand piano gets us into the rubato intro, where the initial question is asked by the soloist:

"...Why don't you tell me, what have I done? Where is the feelin' we used to be one...?"

The fact that the flavor of the tune begins rubato immediately sets-up an intensity level for what is to come in this song. Beginning the lyric with a question like "what have I done?" hooks the listener at once.

(hmmmm....wonder what DID she do?) We get to use our imaginations in this one - but it sounds like whatever happened, it was serious, and painful.

Lovely strings ease in to the mix after the first few measures, adding such a fullness to the piece, and just as we go into time, we're treated to the brilliant addition of a guitar, playing sparingly, crisply, and only on beats 2 and 4.

There is a chorus that is a knock-your-socks-off mix of piano, percussion, strings, and a pizzicato string line is introduced to put the punctuation into the music, that is heard in the lyric. The emphasis shifts from beats 2 and 4, to every beat, now, and the dramatic level is increasing as Palma sings:

"...What do I do, what do I say?.....How could you be slippin' away from me? Could it be?.... I can't imagine me alone...you're my life, and you're my only home...."

Musically, the chorus has built to a dynamic peak, and a string glissando brings us back to a final verse that ends with the repeated line, to include a tag:

"....We were the lucky ones as I recall.......Weren't we the lucky ones?.....BEFORE THE FALL...?

Obviously, ladies and gentlemen, WE are the lucky ones.....lucky enough to get to hear the awesome Palma Pascale/Lou Coppola power ballad, BEFORE THE FALL. It's a wonderful composition - its one that makes you think, and it makes you smile....and it makes you wonder. I love those kind, don't you?

Stop by again soon, for more great discussion about WHAT THE HELL, NELL! Until then,
I remain yours, musically,
Martini~

Photograph of Palma Pascale, courtesy of Frank Rendo