“George Jones and Tammy Wynette are two of the most legendary names in country music,” (WideOpenCountry). “From them came classic songs such as ‘He Stopped Loving Her Today,’ ‘Stand By Your Man’ and ‘Golden Ring.’ The two country singers also had a complex and tumultuous relationship and marriage. However, the two singers, once called ‘Mr. and Mrs. Country Music,’ were able to patch things up prior to Wynette’s death in 1998. Jones and Wynette’s story is revisited in the Showtime series George & Tammy.”
“Jones and Wynette were a country music super couple when they released ‘We’re Gonna Hold On’ in 1973,” (Billboard). “The seemingly autobiographical tune became the duo’s first #1 on Hot Country Songs together.”
The mid-tempo tune starts in Bb major with Wynette on the melody and Jones harmonizing; Jones then modulates up to Eb major for a solo verse 0:57; at 1:23, the duo shift back to Bb. At 1:50, a half-step upward modulation goes into effect through the end of the tune.
Marion Ryan, born in 1931 in Yorkshire, England, was a “popular singer with a vivacious style, was successful in the UK on records, radio, and television in the 50s and early 60s (AllMusic) … (she) first appeared on the UK music scene in 1953 and became a favourite on UK television … In the late 50s, Ryan covered several big hits, including Perry Como’s ‘Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom).'”
From The Independent: “In 1967 (Ryan) retired after a second marriage (to) the millionaire impresario Harold Davison, who handled Frank Sinatra. … Ryan’s personality may be gauged by her entry in the 1962 Radio Luxembourg Book of Record Stars. ‘Pet likes: lounging casually at home. Pet hates: rude, loud, ill-mannered people. Favourite food: Chinese. Hobbies: reading.'”
The carnival-like instrumentation of “Hot Diggity” (1956) somehow provides no competition for Ryan’s confident vocals. At 1:29, a half-step modulation kicks in.
“Mental Illness (2017) is Aimee Mann’s quintessential statement, tempering the discord of life with elegant chamber folk,” (Pitchfork). ” … Mann doing an album called Mental Illness is a concept so fitting it took her a lifetime to find it. Having already delivered a new wave smash, scored an Academy Award nomination, recorded eight stylistically diverse solo records as well a fiesty collaboration with punk’s Ted Leo, Mann is rightfully pissed that she’s nevertheless pigeonholed as a dreary fabricator of slow, sad-sack songs. So she’s answered her critics with her slowest, sad-sack-iest album yet, one populated by ordinary people struggling against operatic levels of existential pain at odds with their humdrum lives.
Mann has long been an expert of articulating this tension. Originally written about her attraction to a woman on the down low, her 1985 ‘Til Tuesday single ‘Voices Carry’ found its defining shape when record company meddling forced Mann to recast it as a heterosexual melodrama that became a feminist anthem about overcoming male dominance. Yet no one would’ve predicted then that Mann would rank among the few new wave survivors who’d achieve both consistent sales and artistic credibility well into the 21st century … A rocker at heart if not always in practice, Mann has sometimes been muted but never mellow; her new wave training and constitutional angst haven’t allowed it. To prepare for her latest, she studied the gentle craftsmanship of Bread, Dan Fogelberg, and other unhip smoothies that punk tossed on the anti-establishment bonfire with Yes and ELP. Mental Illness is accordingly made of skeletal strings, coolly regulated commentary, and minimal drums. Juxtaposing elegant chamber folk against the discord of lives out of balance, it’s musically more delicate than even her soft rock models.”
After a start in Bb major overall, “Knock It Off” features a soft-spoken breezy bridge between 1:46 – 2:02, shifting us into Db major. Returning to Bb major for the balance of the tune, Mann decisively closes with a simple plagal cadence.
We conclude this year’s holiday season at MotD with Michael W. Smith’s “Christmas Day,” featuring American singer Jennifer Nettles and the Nashville Children’s Choir. The track was first recorded for Smith’s 2007 album It’s A Wonderful Christmas; this new arrangement appears on the 2014 record The Spirit of Christmas.
Beginning in F, there is a downward modulation to D at 0:42, and another to B at 1:17. We return to D at 1:30, and land in Gb at 1:44.
“Bless This House,” originally published in 1927 and written by Helen Taylor and May Brahe, is the final track on American singer Brian McKnight’s 2008 album I’ll Be Home For Christmas, his second holiday record. The track also features the a cappella group Take 6, known for their synthesis of jazz and spiritual themes.
The tune begins in Bb and shifts up to B at 1:48. A subtle transition to C major occurs around 3:29.
**This is the third installment in a three-part series featuring covers of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”**
American R&B/gospel singer John Stoddart featured five-time Grammy winner Lalah Hathaway (and daughter of Donny Hathaway) for this tune on his 2013 album Only On Christmas Day.
There are too many modulations to count in this cover, and throughout the album.
**This is the second installment in a three-part series featuring covers of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”**
American singer/songwriter Chris Mann featured country singer Martina McBride on his cover, the second track on his 2013 record Home for Christmas. Beginning in A, the tune modulates deceptively to D at 1:33 and then up a fourth to G at 2:31.
**This is the first installment in a three-part series featuring covers of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”**
American singer Ariana Grande’s cover of the Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane’s “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” begins in Ab and modulates up a half step to A at 1:46
Written for the end credits/soundtrack of the 2000 film How The GrinchStole Christmas, “Where Are You Christmas” is a pop adaptation of the song “Christmas, Why Can’t I Find You” that is featured in the movie.
Mariah Carey, who wrote both songs, originally recorded the former, but due to a legal dispute with her husband it could not be released, leading to Faith Hill recording it instead.
The power ballad starts in Bb, modulates briefly to C at 2:59, and ultimately lands in D at 3:16.
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