Look for the Silver Lining

The first chorus of Jerome Kern's classic is conceived to be delivered in a free-flowing, conversational ballad style. Its chord choices cast the song in a yearny, poignant light; sung from the point of view of someone who is currently finding things hard. Looking for the silver lining as courageous moral effort rather than an act of easy optimism.

It then moves into tempo to the place of joy that the lyric promises as its
goal. Syncopation and interchange between the parts bring musical sparkle
to express lightness of spirits. The tag returns to the original tempo and feel, revealing the joy to be a vision rather than reality, but one which provides hope: we’ll find it some day.

This version of the arrangement was designed to be suitable for barbershop contest; for more information about the background to its creation, see this blog post. It is a chart that comes with a story!

Here is a video of its performance at LABBS Harmony College 2023: