Author: Mod of the Day

The Temptations + The Supremes | I’m Gonna Make You Love Me

Released by Motown when the label was in full swing, “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me” had been previously released twice by other artists in 1966 and 1968 before The Supremes and The Temptations released it in 1969. This version of the Kenny Gamble/Jerry Ross tune reached #2 on the US Hot 100 chart; it might have gone to #1 if it hadn’t been in competition with Marvin Gaye’s hit “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.” Nonetheless, the single went platinum.

Detroit’s legendary Funk Brothers and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra combined forces to produce a lush backdrop for the vocalists. G major is in effect for the intro and the verse, but the chorus shifts to Bb major (for the first time at 0:50). At 1:09, the next verse reverts to G major and the pattern continues.

History Is Made at Night (from “Smash”)

With the announcement yesterday that the cast of the 2011 NBC drama, Smash, will reunite on May 20 to present a stream of the one-night-only 2015 Broadway concert of the musical within the show, today we feature a song from the show, “History is Made At Night,” written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman and featuring Will Chase and Megan Hilty. Key change at 3:05.

Steel Pulse | Ravers

AllMusic notes that “Steel Pulse are one of Britain’s greatest reggae bands. Generally a politically minded Rastafarian outfit, it started out playing authentic roots reggae with touches of jazz and Latin music and earned a substantial audience among U.K. punks as well as reggae loyalists.”

From AllMusic’s review of “Ravers” (1978): “…for all its debt to the Jamaican dancehalls, the Birmingham bandmembers don’t so much emulate the current island craze as bend it to their own will…set(ting) the stage with (a) flurried tattoo of militant beats and percussion…only partially soften(ed) with a pulsing bassline. One of the many highlights of Steel Pulse‘s True Democracy album.”

A brief bridge from 2:20 – 2:32 shifts the key from G major to Bb major. As the verses continue to the end, the percussion becomes increasingly free, adding unexpected kicks and tumbling triplets over the otherwise classic reggae feel.

Many thanks to regular contributor JB for submitting this track!

God Save the City (from “Dementos”)

In the late 1970’s, Robert I. Rubinsky (conceiver/lyricist) and Marc Shaiman (composer) wrote a musical called DEMENTOS that looked compassionately at the NYC street scene, the homeless, and the marginalized. The finale was a song called “God Save The City.”

Video designer Eric Marciano has created this moving video accompanying Jenifer Lewis’ striking vocal, with background vocals by Capathia Jenkins, Shayna Steele, Jason Paige, and Billy Porter, from a live recording of an AIDS benefit in NYC in 1995. Now, it’s a message of gratitude to those on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tireless workers around the world doing their best to help us through. Key changes at 2:02 and 2:18.

Ben Bram + Quartet | Smile

Written by comedian Charlie Chaplin for his film Modern Times (1936), lyrics were added to “Smile” in 1954. The tune has been covered by many artists, including Nat “King” Cole and Sammy Davis Jr. Perhaps the most iconic of these performances was by Judy Garland on the Ed Sullivan Show (1965).

According to his website, arranger Ben Bram is “a two-time Grammy Award winning vocal arranger, producer, and engineer” who has worked with a capella powerhouse Pentatonix, and productions including “Pitch Perfect, The Sing-Off, and Glee, providing expertise as an arranger, coach, vocal producer, on-set music director, and studio vocalist.”

Here, Bram and his SATB a cappella quartet present his stunning arrangement of Chaplin’s classic tune. Unexpected 3/4 sections take center stage at 1:34 – 1:50 and 3:15 – 3:40 and a beautiful modulation hits at 1:48. But the stars of this performance are the often super-close voicings, the effortless passing of the melody from part to part, and the quartet’s gorgeous blend and balance.

Cher | Dark Lady

“Dark Lady” was a 1974 #1 hit for singer/actress Cher in the US, Canada, and Sweden; the track also reached the top 20 throughout much of the rest of Europe, New Zealand, and Africa, according to About.com. The title track from her eleventh studio album, it was her third US #1 hit; she didn’t top the pop chart again until her worldwide smash hit “Believe,” nearly a quarter century later (1998). The album was released just as her divorce from Sonny Bono became public.

The tune features quite a repetitive melody in the verses — but Cher’s storytelling flair, a varying phrase length (5/6/5/6 measures in each verse, with an extra instrumental measure thrown in just before the chorus), and a half-step modulation (2:01) win the day. Many thanks to our Twitter follower Yellow Walrus (@biggytupac) for this submission!

Berklee and Boston Conservatory Ensembles | What the World Needs Now

We’ve featured this 1965 Bacharach/David tune before, but this 2020 cover, performed and produced by students at Berklee College of Music and Boston Conservatory at Berklee, really speaks to our current moment. It’s certainly one of the most successful virtual choir/orchestra endeavors I have seen. Key change at 2:00.

Lee Ritenour | Turn the Heat Up

Co-written by Kelly McNulty, guitarist/composer Lee Ritenour, and Eric Tagg, “Turn the Heat Up,” is an album track from Ritenour’s 1987 album, Portrait. The sound came from the most pop-centric corner of jazz fusion. One of the few tracks on the album to feature vocals, it caught the crest of the smooth jazz wave.

Starting with an intro in F minor, the emphasis shifts to the relative Ab major as the verse begins at 0:23. At 1:03, the pre-chorus leads us back to F minor as the chorus starts at 1:12. The pattern holds until 2:35, where there’s a whole-step modulation up to G minor/Bb major.

Tommy James + The Shondells | Crimson + Clover

Tommy James + The Shondell’s “Crimson and Clover” had an unexpectedly quick release in 1968 after it was leaked by a radio station. The track went to #1 in the US, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, and South Africa. Pitchfork named it the 57th best song of the 1960s.

According to Wikipedia, the tune has been covered by many artists, including Joan Jett and Prince. However, the tune’s cultural impact goes far beyond cover versions: it’s mentioned in the movie Less than Zero and dozens of other films and TV shows. Its distinctive title has been dropped into lyrics by artists and bands including The Dandy Warhols, Bob Dylan, Jimmy Eat World, Kings of Leon, Elliott Smith, Liz Phair, Green Day, and Lana Del Rey.

As the tune builds in intensity near its end, the modulation hits (4:19) and the extreme tremolo used by the guitars throughout the tune spreads to the vocals. Many thanks to expert mod stringer JB for this contribution.