Elise – Page 80

Janis Joplin | Me and Bobby McGee

“Me and Bobby McGee,” written by Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster, was a #1 hit, despite the fact that its singer, Janis Joplin, passed away from a drug overdose before its release. It was her only number one single and is ranked #148 Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The tune has been covered by a wide range of artists, including Kenny Rogers, Gordon Lightfoot, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Grateful Dead, Blind Melon, Melissa Etheridge, and Pink.

According to Rolling Stone, “Joplin recorded the song for inclusion on her album, Pearl, only a few days before her death in October 1970…Kristofferson did not know she had recorded it until after her death. The first time he heard her recording of it was the day after she died.”

After starting in G major, there’s an unusually early whole-step modulation to A major at 1:15.

Aretha Franklin | Who’s Zoomin’ Who?

In this time of social distancing (or social solidarity, as a wise neighbor described it) and the resulting popularity spike of a certain video conferencing platform, Aretha Franklin’s smash hit album Who’s Zoomin’ Who? (1985) has been top of mind. The album featured several uptempo hits, including “Freeway of Love” and her iconic duo with Annie Lennox, “Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves.” The album became the best-selling non-compilation release of Aretha’s career, often compared to Tina Turner’s blockbuster 1984 album Private Dancer.

From Rolling Stone’s review: “Though Who’s Zoomin’ Who? never quite comes together as an album…this is some of Aretha Franklin’s best work since the 1960s…The example of Tina Turner acted as goad and inspiration, and the edge of rich brashness in Aretha’s performances seems sparked by Turner’s electric drive … enough vocal brilliance here to stun any listener within range.”

After a bridge starting at 2:45, the title track modulates up a full step at 2:59 — oddly, just as the wall-of-sound accompaniment dies down. But the lull in the action sets the stage for Aretha’s vocal fireworks to return at 3:20.

Thomas Dolby | The Flat Earth

After releasing his debut album Golden Age of Wireless, which featured his iconic hit “She Blinded Me With Science,” UK songwriter / keyboardist / synthesist / vocalist Thomas Dolby‘s work took a turn towards the atmospheric. Much of his second album, The Flat Earth, had a gentler, more organic sound. A huge contributing factor to the sound of both albums was bassist Matthew Seligman, whose imaginative, wide-ranging style is front and center in the mix throughout. Much of Seligman’s work on The Flat Earth was on fretless bass, further burnishing the sound.

Seligman also worked with David Bowie and The Thompson Twins; did session work for Morrissey, Tori Amos, the Waterboys, and more; and co-founded The Soft Boys. He passed away last week from complications of COVID-19 at the age of 64.

AllMusic reports that Seligman’s bass on The Flat Earth “is a welcome addition — throughout the album his work is lavish, growling, popping through octaves, funk-a-fied and twinkling with harmonics. The title track is a wondrous R&B daydream of piano and Motown stabs of rhythm guitar…”

Although the tune is largely in Db major, there’s a short bridge in D major (3:33 – 4:02), striated by layers of nearly wordless vocals, before a transition back to the original key.

Theme from “Steven Universe Future”

Steven Universe Future was an American animated series which aired on Cartoon Network for only a few months, wrapping up in March 2020. It revisited the longer-running series Steven Universe and a movie by the same name.

Starting with a brief a capella intro in Eb major, there’s an upward sweep to E major at 0:05; the theme remains in E major for all of its remaining 25 seconds!

Milli Vanilli | Blame It On the Rain

The misrepresentation which surrounded late-80s Munich-based pop artists Milli Vanilli has become legend. In a nutshell, the studio personnel didn’t match the stage personnel … In 1990, the band won a Grammy for Best New Artist. Later, it became the only musical group to ever have the award rescinded; the frontmen were dancers and lipsyncers who’d played no role whatsoever in the creation of the hit album, Girl You Know It’s True (1989).

The album’s title track was the best-known single from the outfit. But another standout single, “Blame It On the Rain,” written by American songwriter Diane Warren, is packed with unprepared, off-kilter modulations:

0:00 | B major intro
0:38 | Bb major verse
1:05 | B major pre-chorus, chorus
1:44 | Bb major verse
2:11 | B major pre-chorus, chorus
2:49 | Ab major bridge
2:57 | C major chorus

With just as much oddness as the key changes, the tune ends suddenly, mid-phrase, on a IV chord. From AllMusic: “It’s hard to imagine why there was such a fuss about an album so transparent, lightweight, and intentionally disposable…But when it comes down to it, this music is so manufactured, it doesn’t sound like anyone is really singing. And that’s what’s sort of cool about it.”

Many thanks to prolific mod scout JB for the submission!

Boyz II Men | Pass You By

AllMusic.com describes the sound of the remarkable R&B/Soul/Pop vocal quartet Boys II Men: “aching, tremulous harmonies (which) lifted some of the biggest pop hits of the 1990s…According to no less an authority than the RIAA, B2M are the most commercially successful R&B group of all time. They sold ludicrous numbers of records and were involved in three of the longest-running number one pop singles in history, and they did it as a unit of equals.”

“Pass You By” (2000) wasn’t one of those many runaway hits (it reached only #27 on the R&B/Hiphop chart, although it did better in Europe and Australia). The tune nonetheless scored a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group. The lush arrangement and raw emotion of the vocals suggests something a little weightier than the average breakup song; the video goes even further in suggesting the onward-and-upward route.

Starting in B minor, the tune builds in intensity through a few verses and choruses. At 2:27, a short bridge arrives, giving way to another chorus at 2:38, ascending upward a full step into C# minor.

Glen Campbell | By the Time I Get to Phoenix

Glen Campbell’s breakthrough single, “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” (1967) reached #2 on the US Country charts, #1 on the Canadian Country charts, and #26 on the US pop charts. The tune was written by Jimmy Webb, perhaps best known for writing “MacArthur Park.” The Philadelphia Daily News reported that Frank Sinatra called it “the best torch song ever written.” BMI ranked the tune #20 on its list of Best Songs of the Century. An example of the “Nashville Sound,” also known as “Countrypolitan,” the tune garnered Grammy awards for Best Male Vocal Performance and Best Contemporary Male Solo Vocal Performance.

The list of artists who’ve covered the track is nothing short of staggering. A partial list: Isaac Hayes, Anne Murray, Dionne Warwick, Engelbert Humperdinck, Reba McEntire, Nick Cave + the Bad Seeds, and … Sinatra.

F major is in effect until 2:22, when the tune modulates to D Major at the very end, just as Campbell sings the last few words of the lyric.

Seals + Crofts | Hummingbird

“Hummingbird” by the 70s soft-rock duo Seals and Crofts reached #20 (US Pop), #3 (Canada Pop) and #12 (Adult Contemporary) in 1973. According to AllMusic.com, the lyrics quote from the scriptures of the Baha’i faith which the duo shared and features a “segmented structure, with a chant-like opening and a sharp change in tempo, which didn’t stop it from becoming a hit…for all of its beauty, the soaring orchestral accompaniment (highlighted by lofty strings and a gorgeous horn part) never eclipses the core sound of the duo’s singing and their acoustic guitar/mandolin combination.”

An intro in 3/4 transitions between E minor and E major, ending with keening chromatic melody over A major. After transitioning to 4/4 for verses and a chorus alternating between D minor and D major, 3:20 brings a sweeping extended outro, with myriad chords floating over a consistent D pedal-point in the bass. At 3:45, a progression of C Maj | F Min | : E major | A Major : | wraps up the tune as it heads for the horizon.

Eric Reed | Flamenco Sketches

Though post-bop jazz and gospel flavors of his sound have developed over his many solo releases, pianist Eric Reed, a native of Philadelphia, got his first break working with trumpeter Wynton Marsalis’ band during the 1980s. Since then, he’s worked with Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Cyrus Chesnut, and many other greats.

Starting in C major, “Flamenco Sketches” (2002) cycles through several keys before returning back to C major at 2:05, repeating the cycle again at 3:54 and 5:30. From AllMusic.com’s review: “Reed takes full advantage of the modal basis, building lush chord structures, trills, and tremolo effects on top of each other for a heavy six and a half minutes.”

Free Nationals | Apartment

AllMusic.com describes Free Nationals as “a smooth, funk-fluent R&B band” which has “recorded and performed extensively with Grammy-winning artist Anderson .Paak…The quartet became integral to (.Paak’s) progression on Malibu, a 2017 breakthrough nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Urban Contemporary Album.” In 2019, their debut self-titled album reached #3 on Billboard‘s Heatseekers chart. NME.com reports that the band “proudly wear(s) their influences on their sleeve – the band are long-term scholars of Stevie Wonder, Parliament-Funkadelic, Herbie Hancock and many more.”

Starting in B minor, “Apartment” features a syncopated intro which shifts into a settled C# minor groove at the first verse (0:28), then back to B minor at the chorus (0:52). The intro’s syncopated kicks and compound chords return to bracket verse 2/chorus 2 (1:39 and 2:56), leaving us hanging with an unexpected ending where the third verse should have been.