Category: Elise

They Might Be Giants | Birdhouse In Your Soul

“Birdhouse In Your Soul,” a 1989 single from the always-quirky They Might Be Giants, reached #3 on the US Modern Rock Tracks Chart, performed well on college radio, and has been the alternative rock band’s best-performing release to date. The tune bounces back and forth between C major and Eb major throughout (starting at 0:27), with the exception of an early instrumental bridge from 1:24 – 1:43, which plays by its own rulebook.

Also stranger than fiction: the tune was later covered by Broadway stars Kristin Chenoweth and Ellen Greene for the TV series Pushing Daisies (see second video below).

Nikko Ielasi + Nikkollective | Bang Bang

While this tune doesn’t feature a modulation until the instrumental outro, it’s a standout harmonically. A cover of “Bang Bang,” the hit 2014 collaboration by Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj, this 2015 live cover features a profoundly re-harmonized arrangement by bandleader and keyboardist Nikko Ielasi. Starting around the 1:00 mark, the energetic new arrangement of the one-chord original version really kicks in — and never lets up.

The Turtles | Elenore

The Turtles, an American band led by Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman (later known as Flo and Eddie), released “Elenore” in 1968. Unhappy with its record label, the band intentionally delivered a single with off-kilter lyrics. According to the liner notes for the band’s compilation album Solid Zinc: “‘Elenore’ was a parody of ‘Happy Together’…I gave them a very skewed version…with all these bizarre words. It was my feeling that they would listen to how strange and stupid the song was and leave us alone. But they didn’t get the joke.”

Nobody else got the joke, either: the two-and-a-half minute “sunshine pop” single packed a huge punch, shooting into the top 10 in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia.

Following the same pattern as “Happy Together,” one of the band’s other big singles, the E minor verses transition to E major and back again throughout the tune, starting at 0:43.

Led Zeppelin | All of My Love

1979’s “All of My Love” by Led Zeppelin is a rock ballad co-written by the band’s lead vocalist, Robert Plant, and Zeppelin’s bassist John Paul Jones. The tune was written in honor of Plant’s son, who tragically died of a sudden illness as a pre-schooler. From PopMatters‘ review: “the saddest and most heartfelt Zeppelin song … which hauntingly enough sounds like a foreshadowing of a band on the path to an impending and unforeseeable dissolution.” Indeed, the hugely popular band broke up the very next year in the wake of drummer John Bonham‘s death.

A direct whole-step modulation hits at the 4:25 mark.

Aretha Franklin | Respect

“Respect,” originally released by Otis Redding in 1965, was later a huge 1967 hit for Lady Soul, Aretha Franklin. Franklin’s cover became a feminist battle cry as well as one of the best-known American R&B tunes, winning Recording Academy / GRAMMYs, entry into the Grammy Hall, honor by The Library of Congress, a #5 perch on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time”, and a place on the “Songs of the Century” list by the The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The tune modulates on the brief instrumental bridge at 1:17 and is back to its original key at 1:34.

Rosemary Clooney | Hey There

“Hey There,” from the 1954 musical The Pajama Game, was subsequently recorded by several prominent artists after John Raitt performed it in the original theatrical production. Rosemary Clooney‘s version reached #1 on the Billboard chart in 1954. Written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, the ballad modulates at 0:42 and then reverts to the original key at 1:04.

Kevon Carter | The Greatest Love of All

Another unintentionally pitchy performance — redeemed to hilarious effect by the top-drawer musicianship and humor of Kevon Carter. Somehow, he keeps up with many, many modulations per minute, supporting each one with an awesome re-harmonization in the accompaniment.

This time, it’s “The Greatest Love of All,” originally made popular by Whitney Houston and George Benson.

Keith | 98.6

An American performer named Keith (yes, just Keith) released the single “98.6” in 1967. The song reached #7 on the Billboard chart and #24 on the UK Singles Chart in 1967. The Tokens, the Brooklyn-based doo-wop group better known for “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” provided back-up vocals.

The tune features a few instrumental breaks featuring key-of-the-moment glimpses. But the actual modulation is at 2:47 as the instrumental outro begins.

John Mayer | Bigger Than My Body

The first single from John Mayer‘s second album, Heavier Things (2003), was the mid-tempo tune “Bigger Than My Body.” Billboard reported that the tune “delivers a contagious melody, an exhilarating arrangement and lyrics that are thoughtful and touching without stooping to sentimentality or bombast.”

Primarily built around E major, the tune’s bridge centers around F major from 2:39 – 3:06, then reverts to E major.