Author: Mod of the Day

My Brother Lived in San Francisco (from “Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens”)

From MotD fan Kent P., a first-time contributor:

“My Brother Lived in San Francisco” is the most heartbreaking song about AIDS I know (and I make a point to seek them out). It’s from the off-Broadway show (song cycle) Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens (1989), based on the NAMES Project Quilt.

It begins in C for two verses about specific people (real or composites?), then modulates up to C# for the third verse, into a more upbeat feel, to address the general sociological phenomenon of San Francisco as a gay mecca in the 1970s/80s, symbolizing the hope and happiness the City represented. Lastly, the tune unexpectedly makes a devastating full-tone drop to B for the unadorned reprise of the refrain, hitting us with the gut-wretching reminder of what the song is really about. Modulating down is rare enough, never mind a full step, but the emotional journey of this song hits so much harder because of it.”

Rufus Wainwright | Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk

Vocalist/pianist/composer Rufus Wainwright released “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk,” the first track on his sophomore album Poses, in 2001. Wainwright benefited from classical piano and composition training and has carved out two career niches: a unique brand of chamber pop and opera composition. From AllMusic‘s review: the tune “combines classic Gershwin/Brian Wilson pop feels along with a strong sense of French cabaret show tunes” — nowhere more clearly than in this live version.

Starting in E major, a modulation to E minor hits at 0:50 and reverts to E major at 1:26; the pattern continues from there.

Dave Stewart | Heart of Stone

UK songwriter/vocalist/guitarist Dave Stewart, probably best known as half of Eurythmics, has also enjoyed a busy career as a solo rock/pop artist, music producer, and music video director. His solo release “Heart of Stone” (1994) modulates at 1:53. Then, after a guitar solo which might have come from a dream journal, Stewart falls like timber at the downward modulation back to the original key.

Yes, that is legendary funk bassist Bootsy Collins!

Many thanks to MotD fan John Powhida for this submission.

They Might Be Giants | Birdhouse In Your Soul

“Birdhouse In Your Soul,” a 1989 single from the always-quirky They Might Be Giants, reached #3 on the US Modern Rock Tracks Chart, performed well on college radio, and has been the alternative rock band’s best-performing release to date. The tune bounces back and forth between C major and Eb major throughout (starting at 0:27), with the exception of an early instrumental bridge from 1:24 – 1:43, which plays by its own rulebook.

Also stranger than fiction: the tune was later covered by Broadway stars Kristin Chenoweth and Ellen Greene for the TV series Pushing Daisies (see second video below).

Nikko Ielasi + Nikkollective | Bang Bang

While this tune doesn’t feature a modulation until the instrumental outro, it’s a standout harmonically. A cover of “Bang Bang,” the hit 2014 collaboration by Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj, this 2015 live cover features a profoundly re-harmonized arrangement by bandleader and keyboardist Nikko Ielasi. Starting around the 1:00 mark, the energetic new arrangement of the one-chord original version really kicks in — and never lets up.

The Turtles | Elenore

The Turtles, an American band led by Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman (later known as Flo and Eddie), released “Elenore” in 1968. Unhappy with its record label, the band intentionally delivered a single with off-kilter lyrics. According to the liner notes for the band’s compilation album Solid Zinc: “‘Elenore’ was a parody of ‘Happy Together’…I gave them a very skewed version…with all these bizarre words. It was my feeling that they would listen to how strange and stupid the song was and leave us alone. But they didn’t get the joke.”

Nobody else got the joke, either: the two-and-a-half minute “sunshine pop” single packed a huge punch, shooting into the top 10 in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia.

Following the same pattern as “Happy Together,” one of the band’s other big singles, the E minor verses transition to E major and back again throughout the tune, starting at 0:43.