Author: Mod of the Day

The Cars | Got a Lot On My Head

Pitchfork describes the eponymous debut album by The Cars: “It’s a tale as old as time. A band arrives on the scene with an album so fully formed, it seems impossible that they could improve upon it, let alone escape its gravitational pull. The Cars would seem to define this trope. The 1978 debut contains so many classic rock staples, a modern listener could mistake it for a greatest hits collection. But the band is the exception that proves the rule: They managed to move forward from The Cars with a pair of albums that both refined and expanded their tightly wound new wave.”

1979’s Candy-O was an album of equal ambition. AllMusic reports that “the group were a little unhappy with how slick their debut sounded, so they asked (producer) Roy Thomas Baker to dial back the stacked vocals and make sure there was a little dirt in the machine … Candy-O is the rare follow-up to a classic debut that almost reaches the same rarified air … it may be one of the best second albums ever made, full of great songs, inspired performances, and sporting a still-perfect sound …”

Serving as something of a fulcrum for the American branch of New Wave, The Cars were known for “classic-rock riffs and melodies, synthy new-wave cool, wry, often deadpan vocals … a sound unlike any other in 1978,” according to Guitar World. But perhaps the most consistently memorable ingredient which the Boston-based quintet brought to the table was its massive hooks, which were frequently performed by keyboardist Greg Hawkes. In the case of Candy-O’s “Got a Lot on My Head,” lead guitarist Elliot Easton serves up the hook, bursting brashly out of the gates at the very top of the tune over a four-measure A major –> C major loop. The chorus (0:13) oddly appears before the verse, featuring a ii-bVII-I progression in C; 0:31 brings a verse in A major.

Michael Buble | Cry Me A River

Canadian singer Michael Buble recorded the standard “Cry Me A River” for his 2009 album Crazy Love, which was certified five times Platinum and awarded the Best Traditional Pop Vocal album Grammy Award. The BBC used Buble’s dramatic cover of the tune for its advertising of the 2010 Winter Olympics. Key change at 2:57.

Helen Reddy | Delta Dawn

“Every social movement has its definitive song,” The Guardian reports, “and feminism got its anthem in 1972, when the Australian singer Helen Reddy released the single ‘I Am Woman.’ In three elegant minutes, it hewed a portal through which schoolgirls and their mothers saw an empowered future. Reaching No 1 in the US and selling one million copies there, it also established Reddy, who has died aged 78, as one of the top-selling female vocalists of the decade.” News of Reddy’s passing spread today.

The Guardian continues: “Accepting the 1973 Grammy award in the best female pop vocal category, Reddy rubbed salt into the wound by saying: ‘I would like to thank God, because she makes everything possible.’”

While “I Am Woman” was certainly Reddy’s most prominent release, 1973’s “Delta Dawn” was a clear crossover hit, reaching #72 on the Billboard Hot 100 but climbing all the way to #6 on the Hot Country Songs chart, following another top 10 Country hit rendition of the song by Tanya Tucker just a year earlier.

There’s a whole-step modulation at 1:14. But an additional modulation (2:27) is only a half-step. The combination of these two key changes in one tune is quite unusual! Many thanks to our regular Rob Penttinen for this submission.

Diana Krall | But Beautiful

Canadian jazz vocalist Diana Krall makes her MotD debut today with the jazz standard “But Beautiful,” the first track on her fifteenth studio album, This Dream of You, which was released last Friday. Krall, a three-time Grammy winner and one of the best-selling recording artists of all time, is the only jazz singer to have eight albums debut at the top of the Billboard Jazz chart. Her unique, smoky vocal style and understated arrangements have led to 15 million albums sold worldwide. There’s a key change at 2:17, with a return to the original key at 3:22.

Sarah Vaughan | Prelude to a Kiss

Sarah Vaughan’s 1954 version of Duke Ellington’s 1938 jazz standard ballad “Prelude to a Kiss,” including lyrics by Irving Gordon and Irving Mills, marks a long-overdue MotD debut for the vocalist widely known as the “Divine One.” Biography.com details that Vaughan “was invited to perform at the White House and Carnegie Hall, was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 1989, and was selected to join the Jazz Hall of Fame in 1990.” From WBUR’s retrospective of Vaughan’s life: “Where more idiosyncratic jazz artists like Billie Holliday excelled at interpretation, Miss Vaughan was a contralto who gloried in displaying the distinctive instrumental qualities of a voice that had a comfortable three-octave range.”

JazzStandards.com reports: “Written in an A1-A2-B-A2 form, the melody in the first and third measures of each A section sidles down the scale five halftones in a chromatic decline while the fifth measure starts out with a note repeated four times. The overall effect is a general flattening of the melody, drawing the ear to Ellington’s rich supporting harmonies. Starting in C major, there’s a modulation to E major during the ‘B’ section.

The chromatic nature of ‘Prelude to a Kiss’ produces a plaintive sound, a sad serenade that Gordon and Mills reflect in their lyrics. It’s the bridge, however, that brings true emotional release, almost to the point of seeming celebratory. Its corresponding lyrics express Ellington’s dramatic change in mood, relating the transformation of a pitiful love song into a Schubert symphony.”

In this version, the simplicity of the instrumentation truly shows off the complexity of the harmony while centering Vaughan’s vocal. The pivotal B section begins at 1:20.

Elvis Costello | Oliver’s Army

Rolling Stone‘s capsule review of Armed Forces, the 1979 album by UK post-punk rocker Elvis Costello, proclaimed that the single “Oliver’s Army” was “…the pièce de résistance … on an album that’s a killer in several senses of the word. The tune sounds bright and bouncy, with a jangly keyboard riff along the lines of ‘Here Comes Santa Claus,’ and it’s enough to make you want to rock around the room.”

AllMusic elaborates: “‘Oliver’s Army’ was a 45 that radio could hardly refuse — that is, until programmers listened closely to the words and discovered it was a bitter screed about how impressionable youth were being used as cannon fodder by Tory leaders whose political agendas had little to do with the concerns of the man on the street.”

According to American Songwriter, keyboardist Steve Nieve’s “buoyant” piano part was stylistically inspired by ABBA’s 1976 hit single “Dancing Queen” — confirmed by Nieve himself. Starting in A major, the F# major bridge arrives at 1:35; Costello’s own backing vocals go out of phase here, echoing the lead or disappearing entirely, rather than the wide-ranging two-part harmonies which adamantly speak together elsewhere. Another jaunty verse kicks in at 1:53, this time in B major, carrying us to the end of the tune. Many thanks to prolific mod submitter JB for this classic!

Shayne Ward | That’s My Goal

Vocalist Shayne Ward was the winner of the second season of the British reality music competition The X Factor, and “That’s My Goal” was his debut single after his victory in 2005. The track sold over 300,000 copies in the two days after its initial release, making it the fastest- selling song of 2005, and ultimately the third fastest-selling song of all time in the UK. Key change at 2:48.

Beatles | Something

American Songwriter features a post on The Beatles’ 1969 release “Something” that can’t be improved upon:

“The only Harrison-written Beatles tune to top the US charts, this song’s simple beauty has earned it a place in the hearts of millions and in the repertoires of countless other artists (‘Something’ is the second most-covered Beatles song after ‘Yesterday’).

Harrison’s three lyrically parallel and sonically even verses are interrupted by a key change, which prompts an up-tempo bridge. A spirited but mellow solo by Harrison shows off his unparalleled chops and brings the song back into its original key, thus leading into a final verse that lends closure to this gorgeous track…For all its initial intricacies and experimentation, a song that once hit the eight minute mark was ultimately whittled down to a three minute number that defied the band’s musical conventions.” The article mentions that Harrison had an aural image of Ray Charles in mind when writing it, but added “I’m not Ray Charles.”

According to BeatlesEBooks.com, the humble Harrison told BBC radio “They blessed me with a couple of B-sides in the past. This is the first time I’ve had an A-side. A big deal, eh? Ha-ha.”

The Pointer Sisters | Jump (For My Love)

“Jump (For My Love)” was released by the American R&B singing group The Pointer Sisters in 1984 on Break Out, their tenth studio album. The track charted in the top ten in numerous countries and was awarded the Grammy Award in 1985 for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. The verses and chorus alternate between G major and A major, and a final modulation to F at 3:21.