Singer/songwriter AJ Rafael covers “Only Us” (2017) from the musical Dear Evan Hansen, featuring Deedee Lynn Magno Hall. The first modulation (1:43) somehow sneaks up on the listener gradually, while the second (2:55) clearly announces itself.
Author: Mod of the Day
Peabo Bryson | If Ever You’re In My Arms Again
Peabo Bryson is featured today with his hit “If Ever You’re In My Arms Again” (1984). A true 80s jam, with a muscular key change at 2:57.
Madness | Our House
Madness occupied a very specific corner of 1980s New Wave — a UK-based ska/pop hybrid band that that was more about the music than the era’s flashy fashions. “Our House,” released in 1982, reached top-5 status in the US, Canada, the UK, and much of Europe.
The tune cycles through piles of modulations: 0:46, 0:54, 1:10, 1:18, 1:26, 1:41, 1:49, 2:05, 2:13, 2:44, and then every four bars all the way to the end.
Whitney Houston | One Moment in Time
Here is the legendary Whitney Houston’s live performance of “One Moment in Time,” with a modulation at 4:00.
The Temptations | My Girl
The Temptations had plenty of hits, but 1965’s “My Girl” went straight to #1 and probably remains the group’s best known release. Co-written by Smokey Robinson, the tune featured a trademark early Motown sound. The modulation is at 1:43.
Cincinnati Pops | Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
Something a little different today — featuring the Cincinnati Pops playing Bugle Boy, originally released in 1944 by The Andrews Sisters (modulation around 2:55). The tune ranks #6 on RIAA’s list of Songs of the 20th Century.
Ben Folds Five | Don’t Change Your Plans
Ben Folds, probably best known for his 1997 single “Brick” with his band Ben Folds Five, features several modulations in 1999’s “Don’t Change Your Plans.” Centered around Folds’ trademark confessional storytelling, this song’s first modulation is in the middle of the multi-section bridge (2:20); the last, a rare downward modulation, is in the closing seconds of the tune (4:46). There are several other modulations in between as the lyrics shuttle between future and past, hopefulness and melancholy.
James Taylor | Your Smiling Face
Here’s James Taylor’s “Your Smiling Face” (1977) featuring a double modulation (0:48 and 1:25). The track reached #12 on the US pop chart and #6 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Rock critic Timothy White described the tune as a “pop sonnet.”
Paul Simon | Still Crazy After All These Years
One of Paul Simon‘s many solo hits, 1975’s “Still Crazy After All These Years” pushed the album of the same name to #1. The form is quite unpredictable: the first modulation happens at 1:25 (at the start of a bridge, including an odd-metered measure thrown into the mix). Then another pivot at 1:38 into a darkly intriguing instrumental interlude, followed by a key change into a sunnier instrumental section at 2:12, finally settling into another verse and another harmonic shift at 2:50.
Connect-the-dots songwriting, this ain’t!
Dirty Loops | Wake Me Up
Swedish pop virtuosi Dirty Loops covered Avicii‘s smash hit “Wake Me Up” in 2014, completely re-making the song in the process. They modulate while translating verse two into a bridge (starting at 1:39) and throw in another key change at the start of the outtro (2:56).
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