"Nights on Fire"

"Higher" in the lines "Knowing only love can take us higher / Higher" in "Nights on Fire" is sung with a melisma (D C# B both times), and while the pitches descend (contrary to the word's meaning), the extra notes emphasize the comparative nature of the adverb (more notes for a greater degree).

"Nights on Fire"

When I listened to New World a couple days ago, I noticed two things about "Nights on Fire," both about the line "See the eagle rise."  First, as if to reflect that "ris[ing]," the line is sung to an ascending melody (A A D E F#).  Second, I think this might be a slight nod to the Alan Parsons Project's "The Eagle Will Rise Again," which contains a similar line (the title line: "The eagle will rise again").  Colin Blunstone sang "The Eagle Will Rise Again" and co-wrote "Nights on Fire."

New World

Backdated, archival post

[link to original on tumblr]

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Collection Audit:

A couple days ago I listened to the Zombies' New World album, and I noticed two things. 

"Nights on Fire"

I'm not fully convinced of this myself, but I think the line "Only believe and the door will open wide" might be a reference to the Bible, specifically "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened" (Matthew 7:7-8).  A couple of the other songs mention Heaven (although perhaps not in a religious sense), which seems to strengthen the possibility of this being an intentional Biblical reference. 

"Knowing You"

In the line "Facing up to every day now, I will never be alone" there's a harmony part for "be alone," so the musical arrangement mirrors the lyric.  The speaker/singer says that he won't be alone, and there's an-other voice there to demonstrate that.

 Some more things I noticed about Zombies songs while doing Collection Audit.