Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss

What does "Abacab" mean?

4 views
Skip to first unread message

DCrosby

unread,
Nov 5, 1996, 3:00:00 AM11/5/96
to

I've often wondered what the Genesis song "Abacab" means. I used
to think that perhaps that this referred to a progression of notes
in the song (A-B-A-C-A-B), and there is a section in the song that
uses a grouping of notes similar to this, but I don't think this is
why the song was so named.


___ ____ ____ ____ ____ ___ _ _
| \ | |__/ | | [__ |__] \_/
|__/ |___ | \ |__| ___] |__] |
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
dcr...@primenet.com


T. D. Kennedy

unread,
Nov 6, 1996, 3:00:00 AM11/6/96
to

dcr...@primenet.com (DCrosby) wrote:
:: I've often wondered what the Genesis song "Abacab" means. I used

::to think that perhaps that this referred to a progression of notes
::in the song (A-B-A-C-A-B), and there is a section in the song that
::uses a grouping of notes similar to this, but I don't think this is
::why the song was so named.
::
::
:It may be in reference to a rhyming pattern:
ABACAB
A being rhyme 1, B being rhyme 2 and so on....

just a guess,
Tara :)
::
::___ ____ ____ ____ ____ ___ _ _

::


Steve `Scooter' Kramer

unread,
Nov 6, 1996, 3:00:00 AM11/6/96
to

In article <dcrosby.59...@primenet.com>,

DCrosby <dcr...@primenet.com> wrote:
> I've often wondered what the Genesis song "Abacab" means. I used
>to think that perhaps that this referred to a progression of notes
>in the song (A-B-A-C-A-B), and there is a section in the song that
>uses a grouping of notes similar to this, but I don't think this is
>why the song was so named.
>
I believe Phil Collins explained when he album came out that it was a
working title for the song, based on a rather unusual chord progression
used in the song. I don't know whether the progression made it into the
song's final version or not.

_____________________ Steve "Scooter" Kramer == sco...@universe.digex.net
| __/^\__ ,-^,|-------http://www.universe.digex.net/~scooter/-------
|/~ \_ { / |Owner-Columbia 29ers (ILCF), Baltimore Clippers (FHL)
IRC: \/\ |! |=====================================================
oriole^ / / ) |___ "Welcome to technology.
(EFNet) (_ \ \ / It's not perfect, so get over it."
~v^ ?_,-' -- sign at BBN's Columbia, Md., office

Tom Donovan

unread,
Nov 6, 1996, 3:00:00 AM11/6/96
to

T. D. Kennedy wrote:

>
> dcr...@primenet.com (DCrosby) wrote:
> :: I've often wondered what the Genesis song "Abacab" means. I used
> ::to think that perhaps that this referred to a progression of notes
> ::in the song (A-B-A-C-A-B), and there is a section in the song that
> ::uses a grouping of notes similar to this, but I don't think this is
> ::why the song was so named.
> ::
> ::
> :It may be in reference to a rhyming pattern:
> ABACAB
> A being rhyme 1, B being rhyme 2 and so on....
>
> just a guess,
> Tara :)
> ::
> ::___ ____ ____ ____ ____ ___ _ _
> ::| \ | |__/ | | [__ |__] \_/
> ::|__/ |___ | \ |__| ___] |__] |
> ::-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
> ::dcr...@primenet.com
> ::

You're right. It was named after the chord sequence.
Tata
Tom

Tom

Magnus Kropp

unread,
Nov 6, 1996, 3:00:00 AM11/6/96
to

On 5 Nov 1996, DCrosby wrote:

> I've often wondered what the Genesis song "Abacab" means. I used
> to think that perhaps that this referred to a progression of notes
> in the song (A-B-A-C-A-B), and there is a section in the song that
> uses a grouping of notes similar to this, but I don't think this is
> why the song was so named.
>

I've heard that a-b-a-c-a-b are the chords of the song and that genesis
didn't know how to call this song, so they used the chords.

mkr...@zfn.uni-bremen.de ********************** kr...@informatik.uni-bremen.de
mkr...@falstaff.physik.uni-bremen.de ****** http://www.uni-bremen.de/~mkropp/
*************** Makro@IRC (just visit #muenster or #bremen) ******************
Why use Windows, when you can leave through the door?

TheFather

unread,
Nov 7, 1996, 3:00:00 AM11/7/96
to

In article <55qsfg$q...@universe.digex.net>, sco...@universe.digex.net (Steve `Scooter' Kramer) wrote:
>In article <dcrosby.59...@primenet.com>,
>DCrosby <dcr...@primenet.com> wrote:
>> I've often wondered what the Genesis song "Abacab" means. I used
>>to think that perhaps that this referred to a progression of notes
>>in the song (A-B-A-C-A-B), and there is a section in the song that
>>uses a grouping of notes similar to this, but I don't think this is
>>why the song was so named.
>>
>I believe Phil Collins explained when he album came out that it was a
>working title for the song, based on a rather unusual chord progression
>used in the song. I don't know whether the progression made it into the
>song's final version or not.
>
ABACAB stands for the structure of the song. A=verse, B=chorus, C=bridge. Pretty clever.

Richard D. Wilson

unread,
Nov 7, 1996, 3:00:00 AM11/7/96
to

In article <55qc46$l...@yar.trincoll.edu>, tken...@mail.trincoll.edu (T. D. Kennedy) writes:

> dcr...@primenet.com (DCrosby) wrote:
> :: I've often wondered what the Genesis song "Abacab" means. I used
> ::to think that perhaps that this referred to a progression of notes
> ::in the song (A-B-A-C-A-B), and there is a section in the song that
> ::uses a grouping of notes similar to this, but I don't think this is
> ::why the song was so named.
> ::
> ::
> :It may be in reference to a rhyming pattern:
> ABACAB
> A being rhyme 1, B being rhyme 2 and so on....
>

actually, i think it refers to the song structure...

A = verse,
B = chorus,
C = solo bridge

--RtW


0 new messages