Elise – Page 22

Johannes Brahms | Piano Quartet #3 in C Minor, Op. 60

“The Brahms Third Piano Quartet offers plenty of interpretive temptations. A young Brahms began the piece during Robert Schumann’s last illness, when Brahms was torn between despair for his friend and love for his friend’s wife,” (LAPhil.com). “He then tabled the project for nearly two decades before picking it up again and making thorough revisions (including lowering the key a half step), resulting in the current work. An older Brahms confessed to his publisher in characteristically sarcastic terms, ‘On the cover you must have a picture, namely a head with a pistol to it. Now you can form some conception of the music! I’ll send you my photograph for the purpose. Since you seem to like color printing, you can use blue coat, yellow breeches, and top-boots.'”

“It was a tongue in cheek reference to Goethe’s 1774 epistolary novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther, in which the Romantic hero commits suicide after falling in love with a married woman whose husband he admires,” (The Listeners’ Club). “Piano Quartet No. 3 in C minor was the last to be published of Brahms’ contributions to the genre. Yet, its first version, which preceded the other two quartets, was completed in 1856 at a time when the 23-year-old composer had become devoted to Clara Schumann. While Robert Schumann spent his final years languishing in an asylum amid deteriorating mental health, Brahms assisted Clara in taking care of the Schumann household. Obvious parallels can be drawn between Brahms’ deep affection for Clara and the emotional tumult of the fictional Werther.”

Beginning in C minor and touching briefly on several other keys, the piece clearly shifts to the relative Eb major at 2:13, starting with a piano solo section which is joined by the string trio at 2:27. Many other shifts in tonality follow.

Kirk Franklin | Melodies From Heaven

“Kirk Franklin, set up with his band and choir in a corner of Uncle Jessie’s Kitchen, makes a declaration. ‘I know you’re at home right now, in your draws, listening to some Jesus music. It’s ok. Jesus loves you in your draws!’ The Arlington, Texas studio, named after a long time close friend, features a large photo of the iconic ‘I AM A MAN’ protest signs from the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Strike on the wall,” (NPR Music). “The jubilant energy that Franklin and company emit, juxtaposed with a visual reminder of the strife that Black people have endured, is illustrative of the importance of gospel music in the Black community.

For nearly 30 years, Franklin has been widely regarded for revolutionizing gospel. He incorporated secular music, particularly hip-hop, while preserving the message and integrity of traditional gospel. Here, he and his powerhouse choir pace through a decades-long, sixteen Grammy award winning discography of faith, praise and encouragement while cracking plenty of jokes. I cannot recall a more moving Tiny Desk home performance.”

The triumphant half-step key changes in the abbreviated NPR Tiny Desk version (2021) of “Melodies from Heaven” hit at 8:38 and 8:49. In an older live version of the tune, originally released in 1996 (also posted below), we hear the shifts at 2:21 and 2:43.

Dougie MacLean | Ca’ the Yowes

“Technically, Dougie MacLean is a ‘Scottish singer-songwriter.’ But that minimal moniker doesn’t tell half the tale … the Perthshire native can look back on a hugely successful recording career with more than 15 albums,” (Seven Days). “MacLean toured as a member of the rocking Scottish folk supergroup the Tannahill Weavers in the 1970s and was briefly a member of Silly Wizard, another legendary traditional band from Scotland. But his popularity was assured in the early 1980s with his solo album, Craigie Dhu. This recording contains MacLean’s ballad ‘Caledonia,’ a love song to his homeland that has become a veritable Scottish national anthem.

… MacLean sings and plays his own pretty compositions as if each song were a lullaby for a loved one, or for his own pleasure, as if he doesn’t have a care in the world. His vocals are silky and crystal-clear, his guitar work unhurried and graceful. His is not music for the cynical. If you dislike the texture and sentiment of, say, James Taylor’s ‘Sweet Baby James’ or Cindy Kallet’s ‘Working on Wings to Fly,’ MacLean’s sound may not be for you. He has a deep sentimental streak, which seems indigenous in Scotsmen who write folk songs — or folk ballads, or something more acoustic-music specific than just ‘songs.’ But to his fans, that sweetness is one of the reasons so much of his work is memorable. His recordings could also function as master classes in how to accompany a voice with acoustic guitar.”

“Ca’ the Yowes,” from 1995’s Tribute, indeed features a gentle lullaby feel, starting in C minor. At 1:59, the tonality shifts to D minor underneath an instrumental interlude. At 2:58, the tune passes back into C minor in advance of more vocal verses; the beginning of the D minor section seems more difficult to discern than its end. According to the Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary, ca’ the yowes tae the knowes means ‘drive the ewes to the knolls.’ The tune was based on a poem written by Robert Burns in 1789.

Barry Mann | Who Put the Bomp?

“Exactly who put the bomp in the bomp-bomp-bomp, the ram in the rama-dama-ding-dong and the oop in the oop-shoop, and the wop in doo-wop, remains a mystery mired in the greasy annals of teenage pre-history, back around the late 1940s and early 1950s,” (The Guardian). “Maybe it’s better that way, that the glories of the bomp belong not to an individual or two, but to a cavalcade of creators. You didn’t need instruments, just a few guys who could sing, a stairwell for an amplifier and a dream of following heroes like The Inkspots or the Mills Brothers, or just of impressing the girls from the next block.

… It was flashy, ridiculous, and dated, but extravagant and beautiful (doo-wop groups often named themselves after cars – The Cadillacs, The Impalas, The Bel-Airs). And just as the motor industry has never indulged in chrome and fins in the same way, so pop has never equalled doo-wop’s surreal Esperanto.”

Barry Mann went on to marry his songwriting partner Cynthia Weil, set up camp in NYC’s famed Brill Building, and crank out hits for a variety of artists (Songwriters Hall of Fame). Among their more recognizable tunes are “On Broadway,” “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” “We Gotta Get Out of This Place,” “Here You Come Again,” “Just Once,” and “Sometimes When We Touch.” But “Bomp” got Mann’s career started with chart success in 1961, peaking at #7. The doo-wop flavored pop tune shifts up a half-step at 1:22 — very close to the half-way mark for the single. The track easily hit the standard of the day for radio play: a run time of under three minutes.

Joan Jett + the Blackhearts | Little Liar

“Joan Jett calls out a duplicitous lover in ‘Little Liar,’ the follow-up to her hit ‘I Hate Myself For Loving You,” (Songfacts). “She wrote both songs with Desmond Child, who was also working with Aerosmith (‘Dude (Looks Like A Lady)’) and Bon Jovi (‘Born to Be My Baby’) around this time.

… ‘Little Liar’ (1988) was a modest hit for Jett, reaching #19 in the US. Her biggest hits came early in the ’80s and were mostly covers, including ‘I Love Rock and Roll,’ originally by The Arrows. Jett had the chops to write her own songs, but there was such a big well of songs by male artists that she could transform, and those went over very well – ‘Crimson And Clover’ (Tommy James and the Shondells) and ‘Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)’ (Gary Glitter) are examples. “Little Liar” is one of the biggest hits she had a hand in writing; others include ‘Bad Reputation’ and ‘Fake Friends.'”

After a start in D minor, the second half of verse 1 shifts up to F minor at 0:34. At 0:44, verse 2 reverts to D minor and then features another jump into F minor at 0:54. The chorus (1:03 – 1:28) remains in F minor. Verse 3 (1:28) and chorus 2 (1:49) follow the same pattern. From 2:09 – 2:28, an instrumental chorus shifts to Ab minor. At 2:28, there’s another verse in D minor, but the last choruses of this raw power ballad jump all the way up to Ab minor again at 2:51 — this time with no intermediate step — to end the track.

Missing Persons | Words

“Notwithstanding singer Dale Bozzio’s outrageous auto-sexploitation and the overall commercial-record-industry-hype packaging that permeated the group, Missing Persons were one positive manifestation of the ’80s accommodation between new and old in rock,” (Trouser Press). “Designed to shift product but retaining high musical standards and an adventurous outlook, Missing Persons fell between genres, simultaneously offending and intriguing intelligent sensibilities.

Originally built on the core of Bozzio, her then husband — drummer/keyboardist Terry (once a Zappa employee and a member of would-be supergroup U.K.) — plus ex-Zappa guitarist Warren Cuccurullo, Missing Persons changed their name from U.S. Drag and were given a boost by producer Ken Scott who recorded and released their debut EP on 7-inch; it became a hit when picked up and reissued as a 12-inch by Capitol (1982). In the latter form, it contained both ‘Words’ and ‘Destination Unknown,’ idiosyncratic songs that also turned up on the first LP.”

After a start in A major for the intro and verse, the chorus shifts up to B major at 0:54 before a return to the original key for the next verse (1:10). The pattern continues from there.

Eddie Kendricks | If You Let Me

“By 1972, Eddie Kendricks, the Temptations singer who led the ensemble through classics like ‘Just My Imagination,’ was ready for a new sound,” (Downbeat). “The vocalist’s first solo effort, 1971’s aptly titled All By Myself, still hewed toward classic Motown, so when Kendricks was set to record its follow-up, People … Hold On, he enlisted a new raft of players to back him,” and enlisted a group called the Young Senators … “‘We took Motown away from the Motown Sound,’ Young Senators percussionist Jimi Dougans, 74, said recently about the pivotal 1972 Kendricks album. ‘If you listen to any Motown records, they had a certain rhythm, a certain groove … They locked into that, and that’s the Motown Sound. Even the producer [of People], Frank Wilson, said we wanted to get away from that.’

… Motown had enjoyed stratospheric success, finding an uncanny ability to cross over. But People—accented with a heavy swing—seemed less pop-oriented. If Motown had been The Sound of Young America, this music was the sound of the streets, and the title was no accident. People was one for the people, not for Middle America. Tracks like ‘If You Let Me’ and ‘Eddie’s Love’ showcased slinky two-step rhythms and horn charts steeped in an urban sound that never were intended to appeal to every demographic in America.”

“If You Let Me” doesn’t clearly state its Bb tonic chord until the 0:18 mark; its unpredictable harmonic sensibility and frequent syncopations don’t allow us to get too comfortable. Starting at 0:43, a contrasting section briefly implies that Ab is the new key, but at 0:52, a strong cadence in Bb re-asserts the original key. The contrasting section repeats several times throughout the track.

Skeeter Davis | The End of the World

“Although she was a mainstay on the country charts for decades, Skeeter Davis’ crossover success on the pop charts was mostly limited to a pair of Top-10 singles,” (American Songwriter). “But one of those songs, her 1962 hit ‘The End of the World,’ stands as one of the greatest songs ever about the aftermath of a devastating loss.

… ‘The End of the World’ was written by the songwriting pair of Arthur Kent and Sylvia Dee. Dee, the lyricist, was inspired to write the song by the death of her father, although the lyrics keep the loss general enough to make it seem like it could be a breakup. In any case, Davis’ performance, understated and vulnerable, took it to another level. Instead of remaining within country music circles, ‘The End of the World’ took off when New York DJs started spinning it on the regular. Not only did it work its way into the pop charts, hitting #2 in 1962, but it also hit the Top 5 on the Hot R&B, Easy Listening, and Country charts, an unprecedented feat.”

After a start in Bb major, a shift up to B major at 1:56 is followed by a partially spoken verse, leading up to a sung rubato for the balance of the verse as the tune draws to its end. Although it feels far from rushed, the 12/8 ballad has a run time of under 2:45.

Jeff Goldblum + the Mildred Schnitzer Orchestra (feat. Scarlett Johansson) | The Best Is Yet to Come

Having starred “as The Wizard of Oz with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in the critically acclaimed global box office smash Wicked, Jeff Goldblum’s storied career now spans six decades of award-winning work as a starring actor in film, television, and theater,” (Atlanta Symphony Orchestra). “He has also produced both film and television projects and is an Oscar nominated director for his short feature film, Little Surprises. Goldblum’s many cinema credits include The Big Chill, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and The Fly— and box office behemoths Independence Day, Jurassic Park, and Thor Ragnorak. As a pianist, “… Goldblum launched the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra 30 years ago. Since then, he and his band have performed for delighted audiences … playing contemporary arrangements of classic jazz and American Songbook standards.

“Speaking to the New York Times, Goldblum explains that he picked up the piano at a young age: ‘I’m from Pittsburgh and was one of four kids, so our parents got us music lessons, very wisely and nicely and life-changing-ly,’ he says. ‘I had a facility for it. But I didn’t yet know the joys of discipline.’ After a couple of years of vague commitment to lessons, it took an intro to jazz to really focus our Jeff.” (Classic FM) … “’That did something to my innards. That’s when I got better, because I wanted to learn that thing.'”

“The Best Is Yet To Come” (1959) was written by the team of Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh, who also wrote Frank Sinatra’s 1957 classic “Witchcraft.” (Songfacts). The tune is perhaps most associated with Sinatra; the phrase “The Best Is Yet To Come” is etched into the singer’s gravestone. But Goldblum’s version 2025 version takes a very different approach, with its bossa nova feel complimenting the vocals of actor Scarlett Johansson. The chromatic exactitude of the melody turns each long phrase its own little world, making the frequent key changes almost an afterthought. The intro is built in Bb minor, but as verse 1 starts at 0:17, there’s a shift to D major; verse 2 shifts to F# major at 0:42. More shifts continue throughout.

Lou Christie | Lightnin’ Strikes

“’Listen to me, baby, you gotta understand / You’re old enough to know the makings of a man.’ That’s how Lou Christie opens ‘Lightnin’ Strikes,’ his one #1 hit,” (Stereogum). “He sounds like an early-’60s teenybopper crooner, slick and composed. But as the song builds and unfurls, he comes more and more unhinged before jumping into a wild Frankie Valli falsetto on the chorus.

… Christie, born Lugee Sacco in Pittsburgh, was a gifted classical musician and singer when he was a teenager. When he was 15, he met the 37-year-old classical concert pianist Twyla Herbert, and the two of them started a long and presumably pretty unconventional songwriting partnership. Just out of high school, Christie recorded a few singles that he’d written with Herbert, and one of them, 1963’s ‘Two Faces Have I,’ made it to #6 in 1963. Soon afterward, he was drafted into the Army. After being discharged, he signed with MGM Records, but the label didn’t like ‘Lightnin’ Strikes,’ so Christie paid out of his pocket to get radio DJs to play it. The scheme worked out, and ‘Lightnin’ Strikes,’ another Christie/Herbert collaboration, made it to #1 a couple of months after it came out.

… The producer, Four Seasons member Charles Callelo, used New York session musicians to chase the Phil Spector sound. It’s full of pounding pianos and stabbing guitars and howling backing singers, and there’s a wild and borderline avant-garde bass solo in there, too.”

After the gentle verse starts in Eb major, the tune shifts to C major for the first pre-chorus section at 0:22, intensifies through another pre-chorus section at 0:36, and then opens into the huge chorus in F minor at 0:44. After all of that, the second cycle through the form starts at only 0:58! The pattern continues from there. The lyrics were bordering on NSFW for the era, but the novelty of the wildly contrasting sections seemed to carry the day.