The Call

The Call

by Regina Spektor

A soundtrack from “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian”

How to quickly learn a new song:

1. Listen carefully to the song. Pay attention to the mood, melody and structure (the order of the song, mapping). When listening the first time, concentrate on the music WITHOUT singing or humming along.

2. After you have finished the song, READ the lyrics out loud (attached below). Try to understand what is the song about. Is it about going to war? Is it about mending a broken friendship or is it about ice cream?

The call

It started out as a feeling
Which then grew into a hope
Which then turned into a quiet thought
Which then turned into a quiet word

And then that word grew louder and louder
‘Til it was a battle cry
I’ll come back, when you call me
No need to say goodbye

Just because everything’s changing
Doesn’t mean it’s never been this way before
All you can do is try to know who your friends are
As you head off to the war

Pick a star on the dark horizon
And follow the light
You’ll come back when it’s over
No need to say goodbye

Now we’re back to the beginning
It’s just a feeling and no one knows yet
But just because they can’t feel it too
Doesn’t mean that you have to forget

Let your memories grow stronger and stronger
‘Til they’re before your eyes
You’ll come back, when they call you
No need to say goodbye

You’ll come back
When they call you
No need to say goodbye

3. Look at verse 2 and find the line ‘I will come back when you call me’  Can you find the same line elsewhere in the song? Is it exactly the same or does it have any changes?

All three times this line appears, there occur changes to it. In the middle of the song, it reads ‘You’ll come back when it’s over’ – you might think about a soldier coming back from war.

The last time it appears it says “You’ll come back, when they call you” – a reference to you waiting patiently to be called back to school, for example

4. Listen to and think about the pitch jumps from high to low and back in the melody ‘grew into a hope’ and ‘turned into a quiet word’ etc. It is a difficult vocal detail which makes it quite hard to sing. Therefore, you can try our special warm-up before attempting to sing it.

5. There is a beautiful instrumental part in the song (starting at 1.36”) where you can explore your singing voice further and improvise. Improvisation is a spontaneous melody that you create without preparation, music that you make up as you sing along. Remember, it does not need to be perfect. You should feel free to sing whatever come into your mind; just feel the music and follow it. 

Here are two examples that will help you to start off with your own improvisation:

Vocal Improvisation 1

Vocal Improvisation 2

6. Challenge: Why not to write a verse or two about your return to school? How happy are you going to be when you meet your friends again? How grateful you will be to your teachers and school staff? You can keep a record of your song and share it with your family, friends and teachers.

7. Have fun and enjoy singing!