Mod of the Day

The Beach Boys | ‘Til I Die

‘Til I Die” from The Beach Boys’ 1971 album Surf’s Up was “one of the only songs written by Brian (Wilson) for which he wrote the lyrics as well the music, (American Songwriter). “Usually other lyricists, such as Mike Love, Van Dyke Parks and Tony Asher, wrote the words to his songs. This one was inspired by Brian’s confrontation with the immensity of the universe. ‘The ocean was so incredibly vast,’ Brian said, ‘the universe was so large, and suddenly I saw myself in proportion to that, a little pebble of sand, a jellyfish floating on top of the water; traveling with the current I felt dwarfed, temporary. The next day I began writing Til I Die, perhaps the most personal song I ever wrote for The Beach Boys.’

Don Was, (the noted producer), said that Brian told him the chords for the song were created by the way they looked geometrically. ‘He essentially created this masterpiece by contorting his fingers into really groovy shapes (on the piano),’ said Was.”

“‘Til I Die’ is the most personal and revealing track he ever wrote, depicting the troubled young songwriter as … an isolated, helplessly adrift person who will be at the mercy of others ‘until I die,” (Sputnik Music). “Surf’s Up represents desolation and despair, not visceral in nature, but rather submissive to fate and the hell it will bring. Anyone with a basic knowledge of Beach Boys history can connect the dots regarding what this album is representing: the woes of Brian Wilson as his struggles with addiction and depression spiraled to some of their lowest points.”

Dropping right into the first verse without so much as a note of introduction, the tune shifts tonality often, meandering among several keys but never quite finding a home in any of them. At 1:40, a prominent repeating bass vocal part finally provides some grounding for the outro, which is an extended one given the tune’s overall length of only 2:33.

The Brothers Johnson | Stomp

The Brothers Johnson release Light Up the Night “was the album that Quincy Jones produced in late 1979 soon after helming Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall,” (BBC Music). Light Up the Night was a real UK soul radio favourite at the turn of the 80s, as it was another window into bright, shiny Californian sunshine amid the grimness of the early part of that decade. However, (it’s) all really about its lead single, ‘Stomp,’ a truly irresistible piece of post-disco groove. It is as good as the best of anything by their peers, Chic, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Rufus. Its killer chorus, well-arranged strings and bass breakdown from Louis Johnson make it one of perennial sounds of a Saturday night.

It was a US R&B #1 and reached #6 in the UK in March 1980 … The Brothers made some more decent albums before splitting in 1982. While Louis Johnson played bass on Thriller (it’s him on ‘Billie Jean’), George played guitar for Steve Arrington; Alex Weir, meanwhile, joined Talking Heads. The Brothers Johnson now reform periodically, but nothing comes close to the glory of this album. The sound of a fun, fertile time is truly captured here.”

The verse, which sounds for all the world like a an extremely funky study of major and minor thirds, starts in G minor; then the pre-chorus, first heard at 0:37, shifts to E minor before that “killer chorus” kicks in at 0:50 with a return to the original key.

Crowded House | Weather With You

An Australian/New Zealand band perhaps best known for its 1986 international smash hit “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” Crowded House released “Weather With You” in 1991. The track did well in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and throughout Europe, but didn’t chart in the US.

AllMusic reports that “as the primary songwriter for the band, Neil Finn has always set the tone for the band’s sound … (and) has consistently proven his knack for crafting high-quality songs that combine irresistible melodies with meticulous lyrical detail.” Songfacts adds more details from Finn’s songwriting process: “‘We were trying to imagine a time and a place, and the line Walking ’round the room singing Stormy Weather helped us get into some atmosphere of somebody troubled who is always on their own in a room. We were trying to find lines that described the scene, like the small boat made of china, and that feeling of ennui or languishing that permeates the song. Ultimately, the theme of the song is, of course, that you are creating your own weather, you are making your own environment, always.'”

After an intro and verse in E minor, a pre-chorus (0:42 – 1:04) drops to D minor, then revisits the E minor intro until 1:14, when the D major chorus finally hits, including some unexpected chord inversions. A mix of these elements continues from there, including another return to the intro.

Jeff Beck | Diamond Dust

The legendary UK guitarist Jeff Beck died yesterday at the age of 78. “Often described as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, Beck … was known as a keen innovator,” (The Guardian). He pioneered jazz-rock, experimented with fuzz and distortion effects and paved the way for heavier subgenres such as psych rock and heavy metal over the course of his career. He was an eight-time Grammy winner, recipient of the Ivor Novello for outstanding contribution to British music, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame both as a solo artist and as a member of the Yardbirds.

Musicians and longtime friends began paying tribute minutes after the news broke. On Twitter, Jimmy Page wrote, ‘The six stringed Warrior is no longer here for us to admire the spell he could weave around our mortal emotions. Jeff could channel music from the ethereal. His technique unique. His imaginations apparently limitless. Jeff, I will miss you along with your millions of fans.'”

“Diamond Dust,” from Beck’s 1975 album Blow by Blow, never truly settles into one tonality, shifting every two or four measures; the relatively rare minor third key change is heard more than once. The fluid melody is primary, with the chord structure dashing to keep up. The harmonies are so rich that the 5/4 time signature only registers gradually, perhaps because the “1” of each measure isn’t overly emphasized by the rhythm section. Sputnik Music mentions Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew (1970) as having initiated the genre of jazz fusion, but Beck’s Blow by Blow as “defin(ing) the genre, moving away from his former Rock and Blues based efforts, to this all-instrumental album. It reigns as his greatest and most famous achievement.”

for JB

Girls Aloud | The Promise

“The Promise” was featured on the 2008 album Out of Control, recorded by the British girl group Girls Aloud. The track was praised by critics, debuted at #1 on the UK Singles Chart, and won Best British Single at the 2009 Brit Awards.

The track has a laid back groove and sounds like it could be from Dirty Dancing or Saturday Night Fever. It begins in A and modulates up to Bb for the final chorus at 3:33.

Eileen Ivers | Pachelbel’s Frolics

“Eileen Ivers will change the way you think about the violin,” (CapeSymphony.org). “It is a rare and select grade of spectacular artists whose work is so boldly imaginative and clearly virtuosic that it alters the medium. GRAMMY-winning Celtic fiddler Eileen is a nine-time All-Ireland Fiddle Champion and original musical star of Riverdance. The daughter of Irish immigrants, Eileen has played with the London Symphony Orchestra, Sting, and The Chieftains; performed for presidents and royalty; and is hailed as one of the great innovators and pioneers in the Celtic and World music genres. Her recording credits include over 80 contemporary and traditional albums and numerous movie scores, including Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York. Billboard magazine called Eileen a ‘sensation’ and The New York Times called her ‘the Jimi Hendrix of the violin.'”

Ivers’ 2021 track “Pachelbel’s Frolics” is based on Johann Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” (written somewhere between 1680 and 1706). The Canon has since become nothing short of omnipresent, gaining fame for its composer as something of a classical music one hit wonder. But by now the Canon, a victim of its own success, is certainly near the top of many “needs a refresh” lists: “Since the 1970s, the Canon has been played at innumerable weddings, and quite a few funerals … been called upon to underscore: a tribute to baseball hero Ted Williams at Boston’s Fenway Park (2002); a tenth anniversary commemoration of the 1992 Los Angeles Riots … (2002); a renewal of vows at a Grand Forks, ND old-age home where the harpist was over 90 and the cumulative years married totaled 735 (2006); and … a yearly ceremony in which medical students at the University of Minnesota paid final respects to the cadavers they had lately finished dissecting in first-year gross anatomy class (1997).” (Prisoners of Pachelbel: An Essay in Post-Canonic Musicology, Robert Fink).

Ivers provides a refreshing renovation to the Canon by including some well-trodden ground while also welcoming sprightly new melodic ideas, tempo changes, and a wide-ranging tour of various fiddle styles into the vocabulary. An even larger departure is the modulation to the parallel minor from 2:21 – 3:10.

The Police | Message in a Bottle

“‘Second-album slump’ is one of the most dreaded phrases you can foist upon a new rock artist, as it can often equate to another unpleasant label – ‘career killer,'” (LouderSound). “But this didn’t seem to cross the minds of The Police trio of singer/bassist Sting, guitarist Andy Summers, and drummer Stewart Copeland when they began thinking about a follow-up to the band’s hit debut album Outlandos d’Amour (which had spawned hit singles including ‘Roxanne’ and ‘Can’t Stand Losing You’).”

One of the band’s best-known tracks, “Message In A Bottle,” was a single from the its second album, Reggatta de Blanc (1979). “As with all of The Police’s hits, Sting is listed solely as the song’s author. But according to Summers, he and Copeland helped shape the final track, which Summers cited as his favorite from the band’s entire catalog. ‘We all had ideas. It was very collaborative. I think we had already found our way. The thing between Sting and I, we grew up listening to very much the same kind of music, which was a lot of jazz – a lot of Miles Davis, a lot of Thelonious Monk.’ With these shared musical tastes, Summers quickly realised that he had found the perfect songwriting partner. ‘I could play these more off-the-wall voicings on the guitar and he wouldn’t flinch – he’d just sing right through it … It was the right melting pot for the guitar skills that I had, with a singer who had the ears for it. So that’s why it was so unique. There’s no formula for it.”

Perhaps it’s Summers’ inventive, often oblique guitar voicings or Copeland’s constantly shifting cymbal work and syncopated kicks that de-emphasize the change between two already closely-related keys. But after a start in C# minor, the tonality slips down into A major for the chorus (for the first time at 0:31) before reverting to C# minor for the next verse at 1:00; the pattern continues from there.

Quiet (from “Matilda The Musical”)

“Quiet” is from the musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic 1988 book Matilda. Written by Tim Minchin, the song is sung by the title character when in Act 2 as she is feeling overwhelmed by questions about how different she feels from everyone else. The key change comes about 1/3 of the way into the song at 1:20 as the texture thins out and the melody and harmony simplify, and Matilda imagines how much more peaceful it would be if it was quiet.

A movie adaptation of the musical was released by Netflix last week, starring Alesha Weir as Matilda.

Garbage | I’m Only Happy When It Rains

“Garbage are an iconic, eclectic band that is anything but what their name implies,” (Consequence). “With the music scene awash in a sea of grunge {in the ’90s], Garbage went a different way — and to great effect. This all-star band — with world class producer Bruce ‘Butch’ Vig (Nirvana) at the production helm — has released hit after dynamic hit with an infectious pop sound that belied frequently dark lyrics. They’ve scored a number of Top 10 hits and were even chosen to record a James Bond theme.

Fronting the outfit is the charismatic and irrepressible Shirley Manson from Edinburgh, Scotland. Manson first met up with her three future [American} bandmates in Wisconsin … their self-titled debut came the iconic hit ‘Only Happy When It Rains” (1995) [is] a record that feels as fresh today as it did nearly 30 years ago.”

Starting in G# minor, the track shifts at 0:41 into a chorus that seems a bit off-kilter. On closer inspection, it’s built completely from major chords and (colorless) power chords: C#, G#, A, and B, touching on F# before moving on to the next verse.

Peggy Lee | The Glory of Love

Written by Billy Hill and originally recorded by clarinetist Benny Goodman, “The Glory of Love” has been covered by many artists including The Andrews Sisters, Rosemary Clooney, Dean Martin and Paul McCartney. Peggy Lee included the song on her 1958 album Jump For Joy, and her cover was recently featured on the Netflix series Dead To Me, which concluded its run earlier this year. There’s a quick modulation from C up to Db at 2:09