Category: Elise

Van McCoy | The Hustle

“The Hustle” (1975) by Van McCoy was one of the biggest early disco hits. The tune was a global smash, going top 10 in the US, the UK, South Africa, New Zealand, Canada, and most of Europe, then later appearing on the soundtracks of well over a dozen movies and TV shows.

The tune alternates between F major and Ab major (at 1:11 and 1:32, then again at 2:52 and 3:13.) After an intro featuring backup-style vocals but no lead vocal, most of the remainder of the tune is instrumental, featuring some of the most well-known flute and piccolo work in pop music. Happy weekend to all!

Mike Stern | What Might Have Been

Genre-hopping guitarist Mike Stern has worked with Miles Davis, Brecker Brothers, and Blood Sweat And Tears. He delivers a beautiful contemporary jazz fusion ballad in “What Might Have Been” (2002). Stern takes one of the guitar’s few weak links (the ability to strongly sustain a note without effects) and augments it by doubling it with the human voice, employing the enigmatic wordless vocals of Elisabeth Kontomanou.

The modulation is at 1:30, with a return to the original key at 2:05; after the guitar solo, the pattern repeats at 3:54 and 4:29.

Cathy Dennis | Too Many Walls

British pop singer and songwriter Cathy Dennis released “Too Many Walls” in 1991. The tune was co-written by Anne Dudley, best known for her work with Art Of Noise. The track reached chart positions of US Adult Contemporary #1, US Hot 100 #8, and top 20 in the UK, Ireland, and Canada.

After establishing her own performance career, Dennis went on to write songs for Clay Aiken, Kylie Minogue, and Kelly Clarkson, as well as the chart-toppers “Toxic” by Britney Spears and Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl.”

After an instrumental bridge (2:54 – 3:14), the tune modulates up a whole step.

Jonatha Brooke | New Dress

After co-founding The Story in the early 1990s, singer/songwriter Jonatha Brooke struck out on a solo career. From AllMusic: “She has always penned tunes that danced just outside the box with poetic lyrics, creative arrangements, and complex chord progressions.”

“New Dress” (2001) jumps back and forth between both A major and A minor throughout the verses and choruses. A short, string-drenched bridge (2:07 – 2:27) presents a few more harmonic pivots. Neil Finn of Crowded House provides wonderful support in covering the quirky backing vocal lines, which frequently include chromatic motion and outline the chord color; 1:05 – 1:15 is a clear illustration.

Franz Schubert | Impromptu in E-flat Major (Op. 90) | Eric Lu, pianist

Here’s a live recording of pianist Eric Lu performing Franz Schubert‘s Impromptu in E-flat major (Op. 90, 1827). Gramophone describes this impromptu and its companions as “quintessential Schubert, because they speak in the intimate tone and idiom of the drawing-room rather than the concert hall.” The first of many modulations occurs at only 0:26.

The Delfonics | La-La Means I Love You

1968’s “La La Means I Love You” was a #4 Billboard pop hit and a #2 R&B hit for Philly Sound mainstays The Delfonics. After two verses and choruses, a brief instrumental bridge starts at 2:25, bringing a modulation with it. This R&B standard was later covered by The Jackson 5, Todd Rundgren, Swing Out Sister, The Manhattan Transfer, and Prince, among others.

Tina Turner | What’s Love Got to Do With It

Soul/R&B powerhouse Tina Turner‘s solo breakthrough hit “What’s Love Got to Do With It” marked the high point of the pop-tinged second chapter of her post-Ike Turner career, scoring her only #1 solo hit in the US and her eleventh Grammy award.

Featuring compound chords throughout, the tune starts in Ab minor through the first verses and choruses, then lands in Bb minor after an instrumental break at 2:03 and a bridge (2:22 – 2:41) which features a few interesting side-steps.

“Queer Eye” themes (2003 and 2018)

Not a modulation per se, but an interesting reharmonization of the theme of a “make-better” TV franchise which has enjoyed two successful runs in different decades. Queer Eye For The Straight Guy, which ran in the early 2000s, featured a theme by Widelife in a major key.

The updated Queer Eye, which just finished its third season, features a theme by Betty Who which maintains some of the elements of the original — but overall takes a more minimalist approach in a minor key.

Yes | Leave It

Prog-rock royalty Yes released their blockbuster album 90125 in 1982, featuring a far more radio-ready sound than most of the band’s other output. “Leave It,” the album’s second single, reached #24 on the Billboard Hot 100. The video, directed by Godley & Creme, utilized cutting-edge digital effects for that era.

The intro (through 0:21) is in D major, as is the bridge from 2:46-3:17. The remainder of the tune is in G minor. Happy weekend to all!

Rufus Wainwright | Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk

Vocalist/pianist/composer Rufus Wainwright released “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk,” the first track on his sophomore album Poses, in 2001. Wainwright benefited from classical piano and composition training and has carved out two career niches: a unique brand of chamber pop and opera composition. From AllMusic‘s review: the tune “combines classic Gershwin/Brian Wilson pop feels along with a strong sense of French cabaret show tunes” — nowhere more clearly than in this live version.

Starting in E major, a modulation to E minor hits at 0:50 and reverts to E major at 1:26; the pattern continues from there.