Aretha Franklin was a legendary soul/gospel/R&B/pop vocalist — but also a civil rights icon and humanitarian.
Though it wasn’t one of the mega-hits among her huge catalog, this track clearly shows Aretha’s warm, dignified persona and the uncontainable range of her artistry. “United Together” (1980) modulates at 3:50.
UK/US hybrid band Garbage, led by Scottish vocalist/frontwoman Shirley Manson, had scored several hits by the time it arrived at its third studio album in 2001. In keeping with the band’s history of meticulous arrangements and production, the sound of “Androgyny” alternates between synth timbres on the verses and strong guitar-driven choruses, jumping back and forth between A minor and E minor, respectively. But the bridge (1:57 – 2:17) opens up into a completely different texture, bringing strings to the fore as it jumps to an entirely unexpected tonality (Eb major) before returning to the original key.
Another gem from Stevie Wonder‘s deep catalog of classics: “Where Were You When I Needed You.” Released as a B-side in 1972, it was one half of a two-part medley (along with “Superwoman”). The sound was truly ahead of its time, featuring multi-layered synths and state-of-the-art production. Key change at 2:06.
Here’s contemporary composer and keyboardist Glasys (Gil Assayas), who toured with Todd Rundgren’s Utopia Tour 2018. Hailing originally from Israel but now based in Portland, Oregon, he’s somehow brought a slice of Frédéric Chopin‘s sound into the 21st century with this track, 2017’s “Unwinder.” There are several modulations, starting as early as 0:10.
In 1993, Steely Dan‘s co-writer / keyboardist / lead vocalist Donald Fagen released Kamakiriad, his second solo album, which later garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Album. The album featured the retro-futuristic track “Tomorrow’s Girls.” After Verse 2 and Chorus 2, the bridge starts with a brief, sunny G major bridge (2:00) before a gritty guitar riff marks the return of the original key of Bb minor at Verse 3 (2:44).
Ranked #31 on Rolling Stone‘s 100 Best Songs of the 2000s, The Flaming Lips‘ “Do You Realize?” (2002) features a rather unorthodox modulation from 2:25 – 2:42 before reverting to the original key.
The Guardian reports on The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne’s process in bringing the song into being: “It wasn’t too far into making the album that ‘Do You Realize??’ emerged. Steven Drozd, our guitarist, liked the line: ‘Everyone you know someday will die.’ You don’t really know where the song is going until that point. There’s storytelling and it has wisdom, romance, and heartache. It’s gentle but not mellow and has elements of propulsion and triumph even though it’s lazy and sad at the same time. It also benefits from not knowing it’s going to be an important song. That’s the best thing about it. The ‘1, 2, 3, 4’ at the beginning is like the laughter at the end of ‘Within You Without You’ on the Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Anything we could do to lift the song and deliver a great but not heavy message.”
The first musical artist to have a #1 hit (Stay / “I Missed You”) without the benefit of a contract with a record label, Lisa Loeb has gone on to release many other distinctive tunes. There’s a modulation in “Bring Me Up” (2002) during the bridge (2:10 to 2:39); then the tune reverts to its original key on its verse-based outro.
Here’s Patti Page‘s 1957 tune “Old Cape Cod.” It became a gold record, selling over a million copies; peaking at #7 on Billboard’s Top 100 chart, it became the unofficial Cape Cod regional anthem. Modulation at 2:04.
Shape-shifting guitarist/vocalist George Benson, a Pittsburgh native, had a string of hits in the 1970s and 1980s, pulling from his 36 albums to date. “20/20” (1984) made a splash on three charts: #45/Pop, #20/R&B, and #3/Jazz.
The tune features a bridge with plenty of compound chords (1:50 – 2:25) which remains in the original key. The third verse (2:25) hits with a direct modulation, followed by Benson’s effortless duet combination of guitar and wordless vocals.
Like much of his work, guitarist / composer Pat Metheny‘s 1999 soundtrack release for the film Map of the World features quickly shifting, sometimes nearly constant key-of-the-moment passages. The track features two main sections, each played twice. Section 1 (0:00 and 2:30) pivots between G major and E minor (among others), while section 2 (1:13 and 3:41) is loosely built around A major. At 5:12, there’s a brief return to section 1’s tonality for the outro.
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