German singer Kim Petras describes her song Malibu, released in 2020, as a “pick-me-up song” with a “punchy mix of synth-bass squirts and tropical-funk guitar that lives up to its namesake.” The music video for the track features over a dozen artists, including Todrick Hall, Demi Lovato, and Jonathan Van Ness, and was filmed in isolation during the pandemic.
Starting in G, the tune shifts up to A at 1:58.
English singer Louise Cordet had one big UK-charting hit, “I’m Just a Baby,” in 1962. Her parents were both French-born, and she attended a French lycée in London. So she was not only a singer, but also a *chanteuse* — she had Decca releases in both the UK and France.
The song “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying” was written for Cordet by Gerry Marsden, and her version was the first released, in February 1964. Nonetheless, the Pacemakers’ version, released in April, became an international hit.
Using the same backing track, she also recorded the version here, with French lyrics. Translated literally, the title means “Let the sun dry your tears”.
The song starts in B, and modulates to C at 1:20.
Written and released at the height of the AIDS epidemic, “One Sweet Day” is about the sadness of losing loved ones, regret about taking them for granted, and faith that we can be reunited in heaven. “When you lose people that are close to you,” Carey said discussing the message of the song, “it changes your life and changes our perspective.”
Co-written by Boyz II Men and Carey, the song originally appeared on Carey’s 1995 album Daydream. Widely praised by critics, it was the most successful single ever on the Billboard chart up to that point, sitting at the number 1 spot for a record 16 weeks. “On ‘One Sweet Day,'” wrote New York Times music critic Stephen Holden, “the singer joins forces with Boyz II Men, those masters of pleading post-doo-wop vocal harmonies for a tender eulogy that suggests that the singers have been personally touched by the AIDS crisis.” In a readers poll conduct by Rolling Stone, the track was heralded as the Best Collaboration of All Time.
The song begins in Ab and modulates to B for the final chorus at 3:23.
“Mozart’s last three symphonies come from the extraordinarily creative summer of 1788,” (RedlandsSymphony.com) “In the space of slightly over six weeks, he composed the Symphony in E-flat, K. 543; the Symphony in G minor, K. 550; and the Symphony in C major, K. 551 …
Of the three 1788 symphonies, the Symphony in G minor, K. 550 (popularly referred to as No. 40, but probably No. 53), is the most original and has had the greatest influence on future composers. Few works from the 18th century are as intense, chromatic, and unconventional … few classical works more clearly point the way toward 19th century romanticism.”
Beginning in G minor, the movement transitions to the relative major key, Bb, for the first time at 0:27. Many other shifts in tonality follow.
“Dolly Parton hasn’t really had a single as great as ‘I Will Always Love You’ or ‘9 To 5’ in a while (AV Club) … You can’t blame her for the fall off, considering her (2014) LP, Blue Smoke, is her 42nd career full-length … imbued with bluegrass melodies, instruments, and heart, making them seem like actual products of Parton’s brain rather than radio-savvy grabs at staying commercially viable … She’s written the songs to make her an icon, obviously, but it’s her down-home charm, apparently genuine goodness, and witty turns of phrase that have solidly put her in the hearts of the people. On Blue Smoke, she handily harnesses those charms — coupled with that stellar musicality, of course — to produce an absolutely lovely LP.”
Although the review describes the up-tempo track as “hokey” with “theme park-styled lyrics,” it’s also nothing short of infectiously charming. After suspending the groove momentarily, Dolly shifts the tune up a whole step via glissando at 1:48.
“(It’s Got to Be) Now or Never” was released in 1972 by the American gospel singer Dooley Silverspoon, AKA Little Dooley.
The tune modulates from Db up to D at 2:08. Thanks for first-time MotD contributor Chris Fox for this find!
“In interviews, he has attributed the radical shift in his mid-20s less to his own changing perspective than to other people’s perspective on him—he got tired of being seen as merely another piano-playing, lovesick troubadour,” (Pitchfork). “While he still stands by the folk-pop simplicity of his earliest solo records, Rundgren is quick to note their lack of depth, citing their obvious reference points (thematically, a high-school break-up; musically, the work of Laura Nyro). After achieving commercial success on his 1970 debut with the slick single ‘We Gotta Get You a Woman’ and critical success a year later with his moodier sophomore album, Rundgren sought to expand his range. And he wanted to do it by himself.
Throughout (the 70s), Rundgren was one of the first prominent artist-slash-producers, as competent behind the scenes as he was in front of the microphone, earning him the admiration of a young Prince and, later, Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker. As he discovered his own identity on record, Rundgren was hellbent on learning what happens when those two roles converge. When everything about a record is fully under the artist’s control, he suspected, the product can become something singular.”
Todd (1974) featured the single “A Dream Goes on Forever” and “I Think You Know,” ballads which are at the very heart of Rundgren’s catalog for most fans. However, much of the rest of album is comprised of shorter tracks which form a dense audio collage, including “Izzat Love.” In some ways, the track is right down the fairway when considering Rundgren’s younger years marinating in Philly Soul; with a slower tempo and more relaxed arrangement, the track might have been a hit. But instead, a frenetic feel and relentlessly uptempo rock delivery ruled the day, shifting up a whole step at 1:08. Be forewarned: the loud connective tissue to the next album track, “Heavy Metal Kids” (apparently the sound of analog recording tape being suddenly rewound) is inextricably included at 1:52.
Brasstracks is a Grammy Award-winning hip-hop production duo based in New York City. Founded by Ivan Jackson and Conor Rayne in 2014, the group released their first album, Golden Ticket, in 2020. This cover of Mariah Carey’s “Always Be My Baby” was released in 2019, and modulates at 2:40.
Husky-voiced Timi Yuro scored a big hit in 1959 with “Hurt” (Billboard #4), a tear-jerker ballad replete with a true-to-form spoken recitative. She had another hit in 1962 with “What’s a Matter Baby” (Billboard #12), with a mid-tempo rock arrangement. She continued to record and perform throughout the 1960s, with only modest success. In 1969, she decided to leave the music business. In the early 1980s, she managed a comeback in the Netherlands, with new recordings reaching the top of the Dutch charts.
“And That Reminds Me” qualifies as a standard; it’s been covered many times. Based on an Italian instrumental “Concerto d’autunno,” by Camillo Bargoni, English lyrics were added by Al Stillman and Paul Siegel. The recording here appeared on Timi’s 1961 album Hurt!.
The first verse begins in B♭, continuing in that key through the beginning of an instrumental verse. At 1:27, there’s a modulation up to B. By the second verse, we’ve made it up to C♯, staying put in that key through the end. Regardless of key, Timi’s voice drips with emotion throughout!
“The English Beat is a band with an energetic mix of musical styles and a sound like no other,” (NPR Music). “The band’s unique sound has allowed it to endure for decades and appeal to fans, young and old, all over the world. When The English Beat (known simply as The Beat in their native England) rushed on to the music scene in 1979, it was a time of massive social and political unrest and economic and musical upheaval. This set the stage for a period of unbridled musical creativity, and thanks in large part to the Punk movement and its DIY approach to making music, artists like The Beat were able to speak out and speak their mind on the news of the day, as in ‘Stand Down Margaret’, things that mattered to them and the youth culture, as in ‘Get A Job’, and universal matters of the heart and soul, as in their classic hits ‘I Confess’ and ‘Save It For Later’.”
Massachusetts-based ArtsFuse reviewed a 2019 performance in Lowell, MA: “(The band has) always embraced both love and social justice in its music, from joy to anger. Now in its 40th year, the Birmingham, England-bred band was born in the punk movement but based its messages and beats in ska … to form what was called the two-tone movement in England. The result was highly danceable and lyrically edgy.”
1982’s “She’s Going” packs all of that edginess into a track which clocks in at just barely over two minutes, yet seems anything but incomplete. After a start in B major, 1:00 brings an instrumental break which goes airborne at 1:17, quickly shifting through several keys and landing us in E major for a frenetic closing verse and chorus.
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