Category: Elise

If I Dare (from “Battle of the Sexes”) | Sara Bareilles

The theme song from Battle of the Sexes, the 2017 biopic of 1970s tennis phenom Billie Jean King. Performed by Sara Bareilles, its appearance during the film’s closing credits — after the emotional rollercoaster of the movie itself — is an overwhelming moment. Starting in C major, the chorus shifts to C minor (for the first time at 1:08), then back to C major. The bridge, starting at 2:15, brings a shift to a quieter texture, then a jump to F minor at 2:33 — leading up to a triumphant modulation to G major at 3:18.

Stevie Wonder | I Never Dreamed You’d Leave in Summer

A lesser-known beauty from 1971 — a slice of “Little Stevie” Wonder’s nearly bottomless catalog of musical miracles. Co-written by Syreeta Wright, the tune only made it to #78 on the Billboard Hot 100, but it remains one of the most enduring of Stevie’s many ballads. Modulation at 1:41.

Chris Thile, Edgar Meyer, Stuart Duncan + Yo-Yo Ma | Attaboy

Classical musicians don’t always experiment with other genres, but famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma makes a regular habit out of it. Ma has collaborated regularly on jazz projects — but here, he and his band of noted Bluegrass/Americana players present a smooth, lyrical sample of a style often called Newgrass from 2011. Mod at 2:43, then back to the original key at 4:14.

Jonny May | Despacito

Guest post from MOTD member Alex Mosher:

A cover of Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito” (2017) with a modulation around 2:40. The original might have six billion views, but this cover adds something very new.

From Jonny May’s website: “Teaching piano is one of my greatest joys, and over the past 15 years, I’ve helped over ten thousand students take their piano playing to the next level.” He performed as a Main Street Disneyland pianist for over nine years and has over 30 million hits people with his Youtube videos.

Reign of Kindo | The Hero, The Saint, The Tyrant + The Terrorist

The Reign of Kindo, a NYC-based quintet which frequently adds lots of extra instrumentation, has been releasing music somewhere between funk, jazz fusion, and progressive rock for over a decade. Featuring a 5/4 time signature, this 2013 tune modulates four times: during an instrumental break (3:13 and 3:20) and again at 3:28 and 3:42.

Seal | Prayer for the Dying

Seal‘s 1994 track “Prayer for the Dying,” which charted in both the US and the UK, pivots between two keys at each transition between verse and chorus (and vice versa). The title is a little misleading: the track overflows with funk energy and Seal’s trademark enigmatic lyrics. Mods at 1:07, 1:40, 2:01, 2:31, 3:00, and 3:44

Earth, Wind + Fire | After the Love Has Gone

“Earth, Wind & Fire held a lofty status as the perhaps the preeminent R&B band in America as they began making their 1979 album I Am,” (American Songwriter). “It was by no means an overnight journey to get to that exalted status. Early in the ‘70s, the Chicago-based outfit labored to find a widespread audience. That all changed in 1975 with the release of the album That’s the Way of the World. Spurred by a No. 1 hit single in “Shining Star,” the album ended up hitting the top of the charts as well. EWF sustained that momentum through a series of smash LPs and singles in the second half of the decade.

Although they wrote much of their own material, the band occasionally looked to outside sources as well. That’s how they nabbed “After the Love Has Gone,” which was penned by a trio of writers who didn’t have any idea they were going to be submitting the song to an R&B band.”

This classic power ballad, co-written by Bill Champlin, David Foster, and Jay Graydon, reached #2 in the USA during the summer of 1979. The first modulation is at 0:53; thereafter, the mods are too numerous to track!

UPDATE, April 2021: We were mistaken … The internet’s friendliest guide to music theory, Charles Cornell, tracked all the key changes!