Music Monday: Yes/The Yes Album (Side 2)

Now it's time to continue our journey through the music of Yes. Side 1 of The Yes Album was covered here, so now it's on to the flip side.

The back cover. Yeah, creepy.



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1) I've Seen All Good People: I) Your Move, II) All Good People. Another multi-part song which is probably one of the most popular from this album. I've heard it in the background of commercials and it was even in the Adam Sandler movie Mr. Deeds.

The first part of the song, "Your Move", uses various allusions to the game of chess — such as the phrases "move me onto any black square", "make the white queen run so fast", and "the goal is for us all to capture all we want". It can be attributed to Lewis Carroll's "Through The Looking Glass". In looking glass land if you want to be "satisfied" and "on your way" you must walk backwards on life's chess board to move ahead. That is "don't surround yourself with yourself"; i.e. live worry free and "give peace a chance". This is opposite of what we were taught: fight with might and force to get ahead. Just before the three minute mark of the song, at the final part of "Your Move", the chorus of John Lennon's Give Peace a Chance can be heard in the background.

The second part, "All Good People", consists of many repetitions of the sentence "I've seen all good people turn their heads each day so satisfied I'm on my way" sung to the same melody as before, but over a driving rock accompaniment, ending in a powerful vocal harmony and organ phrase which begins on a chord progression of E, D, C, G, then A. Each repetition of the verse is one whole step lower than the previous as the song fades out.

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2) A Venture. A nice little song tucked between two classics. This song was played live on tour for the first time in 2013.

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3) Perpetual Change. Another classic. Enjoy the lyrics.

I see the cold mist in the night, and watch the hills roll out of sight.

I watch in every single way, inside out, outside in, every day.

The sun can warm the coldest dawn, and move the movement on the lawn. 

I learn in every single day, inside out, outside in, every way. 

And there you are, making it up but you're sure that it is a star, 

And boy you'll see It's an illusion shining down in front of me, 

And then you'll say Even in time we shall control the day, 

When what you'll see deep inside the day's controlling you and me. 

And one peculiar point I see, As one of many ones of me. 

As truth is gathered, I rearrange, 

Inside out, outside in, inside out, outside in, 

Perpetual change. 

And there you are, saying we have the moon, so now the stars, 

When all you see is near disaster gazing down on you and me, 

And there you're standing, saying we have the whole world in our hands, 

When all you'll see, deep inside the world's controlling you and me. 

You'll see perpetual change. You'll see perpetual change.

And there you are, making it up but you're sure that it is a star, 

And boy you'll see it's an illusion shining down in front of me, 

And then you'll say even in time we shall control the day, 

When what you'll see deep inside the day's controlling you and me. 

As mist and sun are both the same, we look on as pawns of their game. 

They move to testify the day, 

Inside out, outside in, inside out, outside in, 

All of the way.

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