Best known for his 1982 dance/funk mega-hit “She Blinded Me With Science,” Thomas Dolby has continued to make music in the decades since. He was also pivotal in the process of advancing the tech behind cell phone ring tones and is now the Homewood Professor for the Arts at John Hopkins University’s Peabody Recording Arts and Sciences program.
Dolby’s 2011 release, A Map of the Floating City, is a full slate of harmonically wide-ranging tunes which were recorded onboard his solar and wind-powered converted lifeboat studio, The Nutmeg of Consolation, at his North Sea beach house in eastern England. “Simone” unfurls the tale of a trans woman’s romance with Dolby’s usual flare for timelessness. This fan-produced video beautifully captures Dolby’s penchant for a retro (and often retro-futuristic) mood.
Starting in Bb, the tune shifts to Ab minor partway through the chorus (at 1:28). At 1:47, verse 2 is in B major. The pivots continue throughout the tune, with harmonic transitions marking each new form section.
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