Harmonically, this 1979 tune is such a feast that after several decades of casually listening to it, I never caught on that it actually modulates too. In fact, multiple times: on the way out of the pre-chorus and into the chorus (first heard at 1:17) and then back to the original key (first heard at 1:50), then a second time.
Co-written by Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins, the track hit #1 in the US — one of only a handful of non-disco releases to do so in the first half of 1979.
Weekend bonus: Massachusetts-based a capella quintet Vox One delivers a beautiful performance of “Lullay, Thy Little Tiny Child/The Coventry Carol” (2017). Moduation at approximately 1:40, but many other fleeting key-of-the-moment sections, as well as a reversion to the original key.
An extra holiday mod for your Saturday: we won’t mention where the modulation is, because the musicality of this children’s choir is so exemplary and every second of this performance (2017) should be heard. Many thanks to the students and educators of Staten Island, New York’s PS 22!
Well it has been awhile since we posted anything, but this video is a must see! CDZA, a NYC-based collective which “creates music video experiments,” produced this guide to epic key changes. Thanks, Elise MacDonald!
Today’s modulation is brought to you by Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach’s “I Still Have That Other Girl” (1998). The huge modulation is around the 2:09 mark. Enjoy!
“Sounding like a revamped Jackson 5 for the ’90s, Hanson had a sunny pop sense that stood in direct contrast to the gloomy grunge that dominated the decade,” (AllMusic). “1997’s Middle of Nowhere had the sound of a hip recording and the craft of professional pop record, making the album and its infectious lead single, ‘MMMBop,’ the best of both worlds.
Hanson came storming out of Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1997, blessed with photogenic looks and a surprisingly infectious sense of melody. They were certainly reminiscent of an earlier era, namely the early ’70s, when teens could rule the top of the charts. Like the Jackson 5, the Cowsills, and the mythological Partridge Family, all of the members of Hanson were brothers.” While MMMBop didn’t feature a key change, the subsequent single “I Will Come to You” is a different story. The tune peaked at #9 on the pop charts.
After the bridge (starting at 2:17), this anthemic power ballad modulates from Db major to Eb major at 2:44, then keeps up the intensity all the way to the end.
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