Streetlight Harmonies
It takes the perspective of a documentary sometimes to create a throughline in our thinking from one thing to another. Even though they couldn’t be more different, there’s a direct line from the Doo-Wop groups of the 1940s and ’50s to Boys II Men, NSYNC and the Jonas Brothers. That’s something you really come to realize in Brent Wilson’s terrific documentary, “Streetlight Harmonies,” before they even bring it up.
It’s all about the harmonization. Any composer and songwriter will tell you that. It’s especially true with pop music- always has been, always will be- and, in particular, vocal groups. The lyrics, music and energy of the performance complete the package. “Streetlight Harmonies” tells the story of Doo-Wop from its origins, from the voices of many of the songwriters and performers who made it popular. We also get a look at how what started as a dominantly African-American musical genre led to a more integrated genre before white artists just started covering them, and seeing more success because of how uncomfortable white people felt with black people.
I love listening to these stories. Even though film is my vocation, music is my first love, and I still feel that pull to music, especially when it comes to film music. By giving these singers and songwriters voice, Wilson allows us to get a sense of time and place, what it was like to go on these meteoric rises and falls at a time when radio was king, and how the musical style shifted, even if the ideas were fundamentally the same. You’re familiar with a lot of the hits, like “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?,” “Stand By Me,” “Up on the Roof,” “I Only Have Eyes for You” and many many others. Hearing how these groups started, sometimes just by singing on street corners, is fascinating, and it’s sad to hear how so many of them had the limelight taken from them, and the financial success stripped from them, because of the way the industry was at the time. If you’re interested in music history, this is a pretty great documentary to watch.
The emotional component is what has always drawn me to music. It doesn’t matter if it’s a classical piece, a hit song, an obscure track on an album or a film score cue. The way notes and orchestrations are set up in a way that will- hopefully- create an emotional reaction from a listener has fascinated me since I knew I wanted to try and make music myself. The artists in “Streetlight Harmonies” didn’t have such lofty aspirations for their music- they were in it because they enjoyed making music, and that comes through clear as day in this film. Hearing them relive it in this documentary is one of the most enjoyable movie experiences I’ve had yet in 2020.
