Exposé | Let Me Be the One

“Famous for Latin-flavored dance-pop as well as for adult contemporary ballads, the female vocal trio Exposé enjoyed a great deal of commercial success in the ’80s and early ’90s,” (Qobuz.com). “Exposé was the creation of Miami-based producer/songwriter Lewis A. Martineé, who assembled the original Exposé lineup in 1984.

… Neither Arista Records nor Martineé envisioned Exposé as strictly a club act, and (the group’s 1987 debut album) Exposure received considerable attention from radio thanks to major hits ranging from the adult contemporary ballad ‘Seasons Change’ (which reached number one on Billboard’s pop singles chart) to the R&B/urban-oriented ‘Let Me Be the One,’ which went to #7. Exposure sold more than three million copies in the United States alone.”

Starting with an intro and verse in Eb minor, the synth-driven track shifts to Gb minor for its pre-chorus (0:58 – 1:16) before reverting to the original key for the chorus. The pattern continues from there.

Jan + Dean | Surf City

“‘Surf City’ is part of a proud tradition of songs about imaginary party utopias. It belongs in the same lineage as ‘Funkytown’ and ‘Love Shack’ — starry-eyed dreams about places where everyone is having fun all the time” (Stereogum) … “Jan and Dean didn’t hit their peak until they met Brian Wilson. The duo played a lot of early-’60s shows with the Beach Boys, with the Beach Boys even backing them up a few times.

… Berry wanted to record one of Wilson’s songs. Wilson wouldn’t let them have ‘Surfin’ USA,’ since he knew the Beach Boys were going to record that one. But he hadn’t finished the very similar ‘Surf City’ (1963), though he had written and demoed the first verse and chorus. So Berry finished writing the song, and it became the song that really popularized surf music — and maybe surfing in general — in America … ‘Surf City’ would be Jan and Dean’s only #1, but they kept recording increasingly complex surf-pop jams, often with Wilson, for the next few years (1964’s ‘Dead Man’s Curve’ is a banger).”

Starting in Ab major, the track shifts up to C major at the 2:07 mark before cranking into a chaotic fading outro (normally not heard on the radio … even the short 2:43 run time was often shortened by a DJ’s early fade).

Don McLean | If We Try

“Somehow, enough people have kept Don McLean going through the years in a niche all his own,” (MrMedia) “He has never had a press agent and rarely does interview anymore because, rather dangerously it seems, ‘you get what I think.’ Pete Seeger … hailed him as one of the most talented singer/songwriters he had ever met: ‘He has a clear, intense gaze, a clear voice, and a clear head.’ And angst, lots and lots of pent-up angst for some reason.

‘To be remembered at all, to me, is a wonderful honor,’ McLean says. “But to have ‘And I Love You So,’ ‘Vincent,’ ‘Castles,’ ‘American Pie,’ and a version of ‘Crying’ that stands up to Roy Orbison’s – to have a handful of songs like that, to be remembered by any one of them, I would be very proud of that. I think that those songs are damned near perfect in a lot of ways,’ he says of his own output, ‘even in terms of the records that were made … You shouldn’t get the songs confused with the records. It’s like getting a screenplay confused with the film. You might start out with a great screenplay, but you choose the wrong actors, the wrong director and you come up with a bad film (from) a good story.”

Known primarily for his iconic tunes “American Pie” and “Vincent,” McLean has released two dozen albums. His 1972 folk-pop track “If We Try” begins in A major, shifts gradually to G major for the chorus (0:31 – 0:58).

One Day (from “Groundhog Day”)

“In the role that won him the 2017 Olivier, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Award for Best Actor, Andy Karl plays Phil Connors—a disgruntled big-city weatherman mysteriously stuck in small-town America reliving the same day over and over and over again—with no consequences, no regrets, no tomorrows, and no hangovers,” (Broadway.com). “But once he starts getting to know associate TV producer Rita Hanson, he discovers it’s a day of second, third, and fourth chances.

“Tim Minchin, with too many credits to mention, perfects the music and lyrics for Groundhog Day,” (New York Theatre Guide). “Minchin’s score makes a joyful noise, to be sure, but it is not unalloyed hoopla. As one of the shows recurring lines underscores — for all the toe tapping mania — ‘there’s a sense of sadness’ (and, I would argue, of substance). While there is a nod to Leonard Cohen and another to Jerome Kern … this is an original score that will endure. The sometimes dense lyrics, by turns funny and poignant — in the mode of Sondheim — leave you stretching to sort it all out at times. It’s more than worth the effort.”

Starting in Eb major, the piece shifts to G major after the solos and as the chorus enters at 1:52. The footage is from the rehearsals for the 2023 return of the show at London’s Old Vic Theatre.

Shalamar | A Night to Remember

“‘A Night to Remember’ was the second single from American disco group Shalamar (members are Howard Hewett, Jody Watley and Jeffrey Daniel), and their sixth studio album Friends (1982).” (StoryOfSong). “It was written by Nidra Beard from American band Dynasty, as well as Dana Meyers and Charmaine Sylvers from The Sylvers. The song is also associated with the introduction of the moonwalk dance by Shalamar member Jeffrey Daniel, when the group performed the track live on UK music show Top of the Pops in 1982.

… The music video for the track was released in 1982 … ‘A Night to Remember’ hit charts in only the UK and the USA, charting at #5 in the UK Singles chart, and #44 on the US Billboard Hot 100, #8 on the US Billboard Hot Soul Singles, and #15 on the US Billboard Dance chart.”

After a start in D minor, the tune shifts to Eb minor from the 2:02 mark to the track’s end. As for the moonwalk moment on Top of the Pops: most of the band couldn’t make it the UK, leaving Jeffrey Daniel to wow the crowd with his solo dance moves (see second video below).


The Who | I Can See For Miles

“The Who had exactly one top 10 hit in America. It wasn’t ‘My Generation,’ which peaked at #74 here in the States,” (American Songwriter). “‘Substitute” and ‘I’m a Boy’ both reached top five in England and ultimately failed to chart in the U.S. ‘Pictures of Lily,’ #4 in the UK, peaked at #51 here. The one big success? ‘I Can See for Miles,’ which soared all the way to #9 in 1967. All of this to say, you can’t go by the charts alone … The slow start in record sales surprised Pete Townshend, who wrote, ‘(it) wasn’t shooting up the charts as a single, which was a shock to me; I really had expected my masterwork to sweep us to eternal glory.'”

The song is ranked #40 on Dave Marsh’s “The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made,” #37 on NME‘s “The Top 100 Singles of All-Time,” and #162 on Pitchfork‘s ‘The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s.’ It was ranked #262 on Rolling Stone‘s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list in 2010.

Built primarily in E major, the tune shifts up to A major at 2:54. Upon closer listening, the verses are a mix of major and minor, while the choruses remain on the major side of the ledger.

Lisa Stansfield | Little Bit of Heaven

Lisa Stansfield, the northern (UK) lass with a voice that belied her appearance, was (an) integral singer-songwriter storming the charts (in 1989) with her debut album Affection … Over the years, much has been made about Stansfield’s vocals not ‘matching’ her image, whatever that means,” (Albumism). “In reality, one only has to scratch the surface to see that ‘northern’ or ‘blue-eyed’ soul actually has a long standing history in the UK … (it) ultimately began in the ‘60s with British and North American singers like Timi Yuro, The Righteous Brothers, Dusty Springfield, Kiki Dee and of course the legendary Teena Marie. All of them drew inspiration from the sounds of Motown and R&B which heavily influenced their musical style and at times, even their vocals.

Lisa Stansfield was no different. Having spoken of the heavy musical influences throughout her childhood in Northern England with the likes of Barry White (with whom she would later go on to record), Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye and of course the Queen of Soul herself, Aretha Franklin, it was inevitable that these soulful influences would permeate throughout her music … Stansfield was—and still very much is—an originator and Affection, whilst clearly having been influenced by other artists and genres, is unequivocally one of the greatest original debuts to have ever been released.”

After starting in F# major, a downward half-step shift to F major hits at 2:30, just after the launch of an alto sax feature. But at 3:18, we return upward to the original key for the balance of the tune.

Michael McDonald | Love Lies

“Born in Missouri, McDonald moved to Los Angeles in 1970 with his band Blue, worked with Steely Dan from 1975-76, and then joined the Doobie Brothers in 1975, quickly giving the band two big hits — ‘Takin’ It to the Streets’ and ‘It Keeps You Runnin’.’ He’d become the band’s dominant creative force by the time they issued the multiple Grammy Award-winner Minute by Minute in 1978,” (UltimateClassicRock). “McDonald would also collaborate on recordings by good pal Kenny Loggins, Christopher Cross (notably ‘Ride Like the Wind’), Bonnie Raitt and Toto, among others.

Yet he remained steadfastly modest. ‘I came up singing in Top 40 bands, so this was just a dream come true,’ McDonald told this writer some years ago. ‘I felt like I was a kid they pushed into a game where he didn’t really belong.’ The ‘endearing thing about Mike was his almost complete inability to recognize his own talents,’ long-time Doobie Brothers producer Ted Templeman wrote in his memoir, A Platinum Producer’s Life in Music. ‘It was charming to see such humility in a musician, and he’d preface each song by telling me, ‘Oh, this one’s nothing special’ … when in fact they were great.’ … McDonald finally found his own spotlight in August 1982 … If That’s What It Takes soared to #6 and was certified gold. ‘I Keep Forgettin” reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 … If That’s What It Takes remained McDonald’s only Top 20 album, however, until a pair of LPs dedicated to Motown covers arrived decades later.”

The animated, funk-infused pop track “Love Lies” is built in F minor overall. But the pre-chorus features a quick shift down to E minor (first heard from 0:37 – 0:46), obscured by a rising melody line. The chorus returns to the original key and the pattern continues from there.


Jitendra Abisheki | Raga Mala in drut ektaal

“The notion of a Raag (Raga) is at the foundation of Indian Classical nusic … a Raag uniquely defines a set of musical notes and their allowed arrangements to form melodies to evoke certain emotions,” (IndianClassicalMusic.com). “In Sanskrit, a Raag means ‘something that colors your mind.’ … Ancient scriptures define a Raag as a composition of sounds capable of bringing joy to the human heart while attaining beauty through specific movements of notes and phrases.”

From first-time contributor Warren S.: “This ‘raga mala’ (1986) is sung by the veteran vocalist Jitendra Abisheki. The shifts from one raga (generative scale) to the next are noted on screen. Interestingly, the song text itself references the name of each raga, literally describing what the music is doing.

To an outside listener it all sounds very similar — to which I’ll just note that a musically uneducated listener hearing key changes will have the same ‘something changed, but I don’t know what’ response.”

Many thanks to Warren for submitting this piece. It presents a musical shift which runs along a different, yet closely related, axis from the Western key changes that are our regular focus.

Lucy Dacus | Forever is a Feeling

“Lucy Dacus’ highly anticipated fourth album Forever Is a Feeling (2025) is a love record to adulthood and relationships, and a noticeable departure from indie rock to a softer acoustic pop sound,” (WhenTheHornBlows.com). “It comes after the 2021’s critically acclaimed Home Video and 2023’s The Record, which brought wide commercial and industry success to Boygenius, her band alongside Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker … It’s a quiet record filled with emotional honesty, always looking to find meaning in the peculiar, the still, and the small.

Forever Is a Feeling gains richness not by building up, but by stripping away … Dacus sings with quiet conviction, but never certainty. An uncertainty that carries into the title track where gentle synths and echoing vocals blur the edges of time … It is a less immediate record than 2021’s Home Video. The hooks are subtler, the backgrounds quieter, and the scope narrower. Dacus isn’t chasing radio play or viral TikTok sounds, she’s inviting us into her current life. Ultimately, Forever Is a Feeling is about love in its most enduring form. With her artistic vision set on a quieter life, relationships, and the study of love, it results in her softest and most hopeful album yet.”

Dacus, a Virginia native, plays with shifting textures throughout “Forever is a Feeling,” but her vocals always remain primary. After the track begins in Ab major, the chorus shifts up (1:08) to the tonic of B major, obscured somewhat by an first-inversion voicing. The same inversion is applied when the short intro to the next verse returns to the original key (1:22). The pattern continues from there.