Elise

The Chuck-a-Lucks | Dingbat Diller

“The Chuck-A-Lucks … first started singing together at Amarillo College immediately after World War II, and then moved to Denton, TX, where the three of them enrolled in North Texas State College,” (AllMusic). “They were known as the Dipsy Doodlers for a time, and turned semi-professional after becoming popular on the North Texas State campus.

… By 1953, the trio were forced to give up the name Dipsy Doodlers, owing to the large number of other acts using it by then. They chose the Chuck-A-Lucks, and they began working around Texas and building a following for their mix of vocalizing and comedy, which made them very popular. The trio was working the area around Ft. Worth when they were discovered by Joe Leonard and signed to his Lin Records label out of Gainesville, TX. The Chuck-A-Lucks eventually evolved into a duo … and kept working a very lucrative string of gigs in clubs throughout the United States right up through 1972. Their act was much more oriented toward comedy than music, especially as time went by, being a kind of a country/right-wing version of the Smothers Brothers as satirists — their 1967 live album, cut for Shannon Records, the label owned by Mary Reeves, the widow of Jim Reeves, is notable today for its jokes at the expense of hippies, homosexuals, and others considered ‘alien’ to the southern/western audience they appealed to. The group reunited in 1996 for a 50th anniversary show in Texas.”

Their 1963 track, “Dingbat Diller,” was released on Motown Records. The tune shifts up a half step at 1:19 and 1:33, but the fast swing feel and the tight vocal harmonies are the main features.

Roachford | Cuddly Toy

The band Roachford was centered around vocalist Andrew Roachford … ‘I got lucky enough to start gigging when I was about 14,” (Forgotten-Songs.com). “I was in the middle of that whole jazz scene, which was an interesting education. It taught me musically, how to listen and how to entertain. My uncle always told me that you had to give people a show.’

… Roachford was discovered by fellow performer Terence Trent D’Arby, for whom (Roachford’s) group opened at one point in 1988. This led to a contract with Columbia/CBS (depending on where in the world one was) … British singer Beverley Knight, when remaking the album’s biggest hit, said: ‘Roachford showed a cynical British media that British soul could also be fused with a rockier sound and not only work, but be a global hit. This, as well as many of his songs, influenced my own writing style.’

… ‘Cuddly Toy’ was re-released in early 1989 and became a top five hit” in the UK. “It was just after this success that Columbia released the single in the US, adding a subtitle and calling it ‘Cuddly Toy (Feel For Me).’ The track entered Billboard’s Hot 100 at a very modest #97 for the week ending April 15, 1989,” eventually peaked at #25, and stayed on the chart for 14 weeks.

Built in an uptuned F minor overall, the track shifts upwards to Bb minor during its short instrumental bridge (1:59 – 2:10).

Thomas Dolby | To the Lifeboats

“As recently conjectured by Mark Fisher’s audio-essay On Vanishing Land, the Suffolk (UK) coastline is a haunted landscape, littered with the relics of past conflicts, awash with ghosts and subject to the ever-intensifying erosion of the tides,” (The Quietus). “Electronic music pioneer Thomas Dolby is intimately acquainted with the strange magic of the place, having spent a sizeable portion of his childhood under its spell.”

Thomas Dolby’s extensive 2013 UK tour featured “a live soundtrack to his new film, The Invisible Lighthouse. This highly personal work was inspired by the closing of Orford Ness lighthouse, whose beam has illuminated the shingles since 1792. ‘It’s a love letter to this part of England,’ explains Dolby, who moved from California back to Suffolk in the latter part of the last decade. “It’s not the picture postcard England that we usually export to the rest of the world. It’s a fairly bleak place, and it has this eerie atmosphere. East Anglia is always the frontline when there’s an invasion threatening, so there are lumps of concrete dissolving into sand, bits of barbed wire and tank tracks that act as a constant reminder.’

On his return to East Anglia, Dolby set up studio in a solar and wind-powered 1930s lifeboat christened The Nutmeg Of Consolation. Here, docked on the very edge of England, he recorded his first album of original material for almost 20 years, A Map of the Floating City (2011). ‘The album really absorbed the atmosphere,’ he says. ‘I was immersed in it, surrounded by it, 360 degrees.’

The album’s East Anglian influence is felt most strongly on ‘To the Lifeboats’ … an elegy … for a future England finally engulfed by the waves.” Beginning in a quiet-textured A minor, the tune shifts to the parallel A major at 1:33, announcing a much denser chorus. 2:18 brings an instrumental verse, this time in F# minor, leading back to a vocal verse in the original A minor that seems nonetheless new.

Tim Minchin | I Wouldn’t Like You

“I Wouldn’t Like You,” from Australian comedian/musician Tim Minchin’s 2025 release Time Machine, “begins as a tender piano ballad, gently unfolding with Minchin’s signature lyrical wit and emotional nuance, before gradually building into a more guitar-driven, alt-rock finish,” (Amnplify). “At its heart, the track is a wry and quietly romantic ode to loving someone exactly as they are, quirks, contradictions and all. With lines like ‘I wouldn’t like you if you weren’t like you,‘ Minchin delivers a love song that’s both offbeat and sincere, playfully rejecting perfection in favour of authenticity. It’s equal parts dry humour and heartfelt truth, wrapped in a deceptively simple melody that swells with feeling as the track evolves.

Tim Minchin said: ‘Of all the tunes on this record that have been reinvented, this one has had the most successful vibe update. I always thought this was a keeper, but now with Evan’s loping groove, and the pure undeniable jank of Jak’s guitar in the chorus… I love it.’ The track adds a new layer to the growing portrait painted by Time Machine, a curated anthology of previously unreleased material. This collection of 11 songs offers a glimpse into the mind of the songwriter Tim was before global acclaim, showcasing a raw, witty, and deeply human side of his artistry.”

The intro verses are built in Bb major; the pre-chorus (0:49) and brief chorus (1:14) shift to the closely-related key of Eb major. At 1:26, the cycle repeats.

Tears for Fears | Sowing the Seeds of Love

UK-based Tears for Fears’ third studio album was The Seeds of Love (1989). “Kicked off with the release of the titular single, Tears For Fears presented a new sound that drew strongly from the influence of The Beatles with a track that was at once deliberately nostalgic and fully present,” (Albumism). “An epic ode to the musical influence and production brilliance of the fab four (five if you include George Martin, and you should) “Sowing the Seeds of Love” plays to the strengths of Tears For Fears’ songwriting, weaving a tapestry of captivating melodies and sing-along lyrics that carry a serious undertone.

With a jubilant energy, it flourishes with kaleidoscopic production that transcends being a grab-all of Beatles production and becomes a joyful exuberance that is all its own. But anyone expecting a TFF meets Sgt. Pepper’s album was pleasantly surprised as The Seeds of Love unfurls. Pushing beyond the Beatles-esque psychedelia, the album embraces tones of soul, jazz, pop, world music and orchestral flourishes.”

Starting in G minor for the verse, the tune transitions to C major for chorus (heard for the first time at 0:40). At 0:57, verse 2 returns to G minor. At 1:48, a sprawling multi-section bridge unfolds: an instrumental interlude shifts into F major, shifting into a bridge with vocals at 2:22. At 3:12, a primarily instrumental chorus turns on the hot-and-cold running “Penny Lane”-era Beatles taps in full, complete with a sprightly trumpet feature in C major. 3:29 brings yet another bridge section to the table, this time in A minor. 3:59 provides a new section, returning to G minor; the harmonic material suggests another verse, but the melody and lyric structure are different from the initial verses, providing what might as well be a central tenet of the band’s trademark focus on self awareness: time to eat all your words / swallow your pride / open your eyes. At 4:49, the C major chorus makes its triumphant return. This track is arguably the most vivid section of The Seeds of Love, perhaps Tears for Fears’ most multi-layered canvas.

Pentatonix (feat. Kelly Clarkson) | Grown-Up Christmas List

Written by MotD favorite David Foster with Linda Thompson-Jenner, “Grown-Up Christmas List” is the fourth track on the 2016 holiday album Christmas Is Here! by Pentatonix. The arrangement, which also features Kelly Clarkson on vocals, is based on Amy Grant’s cover.

Starting in Eb, there is a shift to C at 0:51 for the first chorus. It returns to Bb for the second verse and C for the second chorus. There is a modulation up a third to E for a brief interlude at 3:05, and a final key change down to Db at 3:20.

Big Brother + The Holding Company (feat. Janis Joplin) | Combination of the Two

“Cheap Thrills (1968) was the breakthrough album for Janis Joplin and Big Brother & The Holding Company,” (Daily Vault). “Topping the charts for eight weeks and spawning a top 20 single, this was the album that solidified the reputation that the band had spawned with their set at the Monterey Pop festival. It also marked the end of the band; not terribly long after the album’s release, Joplin left the band to pursue a solo career.

… Musically, (Big Brother co-founder, songwriter, and guitarist) Sam Andrew and crew had worked themselves into a tight musical unit by the time these tracks (some of which were recorded live at the Fillmore Auditorium) were cut. But on the other end of the spectrum, you can hear the strain on Joplin’s vocals … She had vocal power beyond many female blues singers; pity that she overused that power. ‘Piece of My Heart,’ the hit single from Cheap Thrills, remains a classic song that has lost little of its power over the course of three decades. Likewise, ‘Combination of the Two’ is an underrated classic that allows Joplin the fiery freedom to cut loose with her vocal abilities.”

After starting with an instrumental intro in A minor, “Combination of the Two” shifts up to B major for its first verse at 0:54. At 1:16, another verse falls into place, this time in G# major. 1:29 brings a whoa-only vocals section in E major which leads into a short chorus. At 2:00, we’ve returned to the B major verse; the sections repeat from there.

Mama Cass | Different (from “PufNStuff”)

“Cass Elliot didn’t just sing on a kids’ show,” (Kendall LeJeune). “She turned a children’s puppet fantasy into pure camp gospel. The way she sings ‘Different’ as a spell, equal parts lullaby and incantation. That’s presence. That’s control … she transforms a TV cameo into a cultural artifact. Witch hat, velvet cape, full vocal power. She knew the audience would remember. And we do.”

“‘Different’ is the sixth song in the soundtrack of the movie Pufnstuf (1970) and is the first of two songs which are sung the antagonists of the movie,” (Fandom.com). “During the Witch’s Council, after the Boss Witch’s assistant starts the record player, Witch Hazel sings about how she discovered from a very young age that she was different from other people and how she used her difference to her advantage before meeting the other witches. During the course of the song, Hazel is joined by the other witches in refrains of certain words in the verses and for three quarters of the song’s chorus. After the song is finished, while the other witches applaud Hazel, Witchiepoo acts unamused, since Hazel is also up for Witch of the Year.”

The track begins in F major, shifting to G major for a second verse at 0:23. The chorus, starting at 0:38, leads up to a melodically surprising ending. 0:58 brings a G major interlude which connects us to another verse which reverts back to F major (1:01). The pattern continues from there.

Below is a video with high audio quality, but also check out the second posted video of the actual footage from Pufnstuf. For a synopsis and review of the film, check out the 366 Weird Movies site — it was too dense with detailed descriptions to choose an excerpt!

Many thanks to Maureen BZ for calling our attention to this one-of-a-kind track.

And no, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you: this footage does include a Nazi rat character who happens to hang out with witches:

Tavito | Tua Ramalhete

“One of the members of Som Imaginário, a band organized to back Milton Nascimento in the ’70s and which also accompanied Gal Costa and other artists, Tavito had his song ‘Hey Man’ (with Zé Rodrix) successfully recorded by the group on its first LP. In 1973 he became a music producer,” (AllMusic). “In 1979 he recorded his first solo album, Tavito, followed by two others recorded before 1982. His biggest hit was ‘Casa no Campo’ (with Zé Rodrix), recorded by Elis Regina in 1971, and ‘Rua Ramalhete’ (with Ney Azambuja)” in 1979.

In the central Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte is a street called Rua Ramalhete (Bouquet Street). The area is well known for its romantic setting, where couples often stroll in the evenings. Tavito lived nearby; a plaque recognizing his work has been placed on a wall overlooking the street.

Online information about Tavito is sparse, but the same can’t be said for his arrangements! After “Tua Ramalhete” starts in E minor, 0:37 brings a pre-chorus leading to a chorus at 0:56 in C# major and a harmonically meandering interlude. At 1:36, E minor returns for another verse. The pattern continues from there. Many thanks to our frequent contributor, Julianna A. from Brazil, for submitting this beautiful tune!

Wang Chung | To Live and Die in L.A.

“… A strong case can be made that To Live and Die in LA is (director William) Friedkin’s masterpiece … Friedkin (director of The French Connection and The Exorcist) gave the British pop group, Wang Chung, near free rein and the results chime perfectly with the gritty neon tinted vision of a city enslaved by Reagan era greed,” (Sense of Cinema). “The title track lays down the unsparing tone in the pre-credit opening. A presidential motorcade moves through the sun scorched streets towards a Beverly Hills hotel. Cut to night time; President Reagan can be heard giving a speech advocating tax cuts to a well-heeled banquet room crowd as his security team warily moves through the hotel …

With its fatalistic lyrics (‘I wonder why we waste our lives here / When we could run away to paradise / But I am held in some invisible vise’), the title track is not so much a love theme as a requiem for the casualty rate that ensues in the film. The song makes clear that Los Angeles in the mid-‘80s is a place whose glamour is out of reach for most inhabitants, but addictive all the same … Wang Chung’s music makes the film’s resonance with the grotesque Malthusian tenor of Trump’s America all the more haunting, but mercifully tinged with a hint of grace and absolution.”

Within the overall bounds of 1980s pop, the film’s atmospheric theme song “To Live and Die in LA” (1985) couldn’t be much more different from Wang Chung’s marquee hits (the relentlessly energetic “Dance Hall Days” and “Everybody Have Fun Tonight”). The intro starts in F minor and transitions to a verse in Bb minor (0:32), punctuated by a rapid-fire, percussive keyboard hook. After a grand pause grants us a moment to breathe, a gentler chorus begins at 1:09, shifting among several tonalities. At 1:31, the pattern repeats with another verse, followed by another chorus at 2:16. In the middle of an interlude (2:42), the track climbs up a whole step to G minor, for another verse and chorus (3:05). From 3:27 to the track’s end, we’ve returned back to the original F minor for an outro/chorus.