Author: Mod of the Day

Jacob Collier | Moon River

Jacob Collier‘s newest release is an arrangement of “Moon River,” written by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer in 1960 — it will blow your mind. Starting in Bb, it modulates to Db at 3:48, then to D at 4:34. After a long, winding transition, we end up in Eb at 5:55, and go in many different directions from there before ultimately landing on a…C major chord. 🤯 There is no one like this guy, and this might be his most epic masterpiece yet.

UPDATE | April 12, 2020:

This update isn’t strictly a modulation, but in this 90-minute video Collier breaks down, in granular detail, how he put together the arrangement. It is staggering, and includes a fascinating discussion of harmony.

The Beach Boys | I Get Around

The Beach Boys‘ first charting single, 1964’s “I Get Around,” was co-written by band members Brian Wilson and Mike Love. Starting in G major, the tune transitions to Ab major at 1:06.

Rolling Stone magazine’s Anthony DeCurtis praised Wilson’s tendency to be “very complex and have every single thing you do have an emotional impact, and have the hearer not even be aware of it — just hear it the first time and get it. That’s hard.”

Natalie Cole | I Miss You Like Crazy

Usually, modulations tend to happen closer to a tune’s end than the beginning, but seven-time Grammy winner Natalie Cole’s “Miss You Like Crazy” (1989) breaks that trend. The track became a huge hit in the US, Canada, and Europe.

“‘So many things have happened in my life,'” Cole reflected on her father Nat King Cole’s death when she was only 15. “‘But the death of my father remains the most painful.'” (Billboard). “‘I adored him in a way that only a teenager girl can adore her dad. When he died, I fell apart. For years, I ran from his memory. I even ran from his music. When I inadvertently stumbled into a career, I was thrilled to learn that I could sing rhythm and blues. I loved singing soul. But it wasn’t until I found the courage to sing the music associated with my father that I found my deepest peace and greatest satisfaction. The fact that even in Dad’s death we have grown closer brings me a beautiful comfort. It makes me think we ascribe too much severity to death. Spirit doesn’t die. Music doesn’t die. And the love that links spirit to music knows nothing about death. That spirit, that music, that love is eternal.’”

This power ballad modulates multiple times starting nearly right out of the gate (0:42) and continues with other shifts. At 2:18, the key locks in at the bridge and remains the same for the duration.

Phil Collins | Two Hearts

Phil Collins‘ career only grew after leaving Genesis, the pioneering UK-based prog-rock band. Producing other artists’ albums, writing for movie soundtracks, and cranking out multiple solo albums were all on the menu for Collins.

“Two Hearts,” a 1988 pop confection based on a relentless fast shuffle, starts off simply enough (the music starts at the 0:40 mark) in G major. But the bridge suddenly takes flight at 2:44, featuring syncopated kicks and multiple modulations before settling into Ab minor, then transitioning back into a chorus (in the original key, although it feels entirely new) at 3:12.

The Babys | Every Time I Think of You

1979’s “Every Time I Think of You” by the UK band The Babys (yes, that’s the spelling) has too many modulations to track. Each verse/chorus pairing, after its series of modulations, reverts to the original key for the start of the next cycle. The frontman was John Waite, who later enjoyed a successful solo performance career. The tune hit top 10 in the US, Canada, and Australia.

I Know Him So Well (from “Chess”)

“I Know Him So Well” was originally released on a 1984 concept album, and subsequent musical, Chess. The original recording remains in the Guinness Book of World Records for the biggest selling UK chart ever for a female duo. Here it is performed by a male duo, John Barrowman MBE and Daniel Boys, with an epic key change, up a minor third, at 3:14.

Jaco Pastorius | Come On, Come Over

Regular mod scout JB’s latest contribution:

The legendary electric bassist Jaco Pastorius, best known for his work with the ground-breaking jazz fusion band Weather Report (and for pulling the frets off of his bass with a set of pliers to make one of the first known fretless basses!), also released several solo albums. “Come On, Come Over” (1976) is one of the most successful tracks that Jaco produced, featuring a band that boasted David Sanborn (Official), Wayne Shorter, and Michael Brecker on saxophones — for starters. The tune starts in C minor, transitioning to D major at 0:56 and then reverting to the original key at 1:14.