“Underground”

Cody Fry’s hit song, Underground, makes getting hit by a train sound almost pleasant

by Trinity Gordon

CCody Fry is an American artist who composes and writes his own songs. He is most known for his song “I Hear a Symphony” which went viral on TikTok in 2021. His cover of “Eleanor Rigby” was nominated for a Grammy in the category of “Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals”. Cody makes a type of music that is called Symphony Sessions. These songs are done with an orchestra and a blend of different music genres. Songs by Cody Fry that were made in these sessions are “Photograph,” “I Hear a Symphony,” “Sailboat,” and “Underground”. His song “Underground” showcases his musical talent by combining pop music and orchestral music into something that works for the listener. It also has the most views out of all the Symphony Sessions with 1.4 million views on YouTube.

There are two versions of this song, one that starts with vocals and one that starts with instrumental music. The version being reviewed starts with instrumental music, with Fry conducting the orchestra. Their blend is very rich with the brass doing chords while the strings and woodwinds have the melody. It creates a whimsical mood before it goes into a large crescendo. Mood changes adding an uplifting feeling thanks to the crescendo and the brass. The brass keeps their tone clear while playing at a higher dynamic. A slight criticism is that there could have been an addition of a suspended cymbal or wind chimes at the start to add to the original melody and help establish the whimsical mood.

Fry starts playing his guitar and singing after the decrescendo in the orchestra. Fry does a great job of blending his voice with the orchestra instead of overpowering them. A song that does a similar setup is Beyoncé with a marching band at Coachella in 2018. While an orchestra and marching band are different, the setup for both performances are similar with an instrumental start and vocals coming in later.

The difference is that Fry blends his vocals while contributing the mood and energy of the instrumentals and Beyoncé does not. The band seems to overpower Beyoncé’s vocals once she comes in and then backs down a bit once she begins singing “Run the World (Girls)”. The fluctuation of dynamics is concerning considering a typical high school marching band can do this feat.

The vocals tell a story about a man waking up in a subway and getting hit by a train. It is hinted at in the first line of “I woke up underground” and by verse five it is the clearest “Then a light broke through the / black / I was

standing on a track / That little light began to grow / There was no where I could go” (lines 26-30).

At that point in the song, the singer is face to face with the train and then is killed in the next verse, “That little light was closing in / And suddenly I’m floating” (lines 33,34). When he signs the word “floating” the french horns and percussion work together to make the sounds of a train. The French horns do an excellent job of sounding like a train horn while the percussion, mainly the timpani, creates the sounds of the train moving on the tracks. He also hits a high note on the word “floating”, his vocal skills are impressive as well as his range.

The way the story is told creates a vivid picture for the listener just with the instruments and his vocals. This song sticks with many people due to how it sounds, the amazing vocals, and their own connection to the feelings of the character.

Not everyone connects to getting hit by a train, but the feeling of being submerged in complete darkness, in some world they don’t recognize. They try to search for a way out, an escape to this darkness. The light at the end of the tunnel could be a sign that things could be coming to an end or a glimpse of hope through the darkness. The darkness can be associated with anything: depression, drugs, toxic relationships, grief, stress, and more. This interpretation makes the song relatable to many people.

Fry is a fantastic artist whose creativity shines through this piece and is the only person who makes getting hit by a train sound so beautiful. His songs get interpreted in a ton of different ways which makes them relatable and all the easier to enjoy this song. He puts his listeners through a story that is worth the listen.