A longtime guitarist and writer for Genesis, Mike Rutherford set out on his own in the mid-80s to form Mike and the Mechanics.
“‘Most musicians make solo albums because they’re frustrated in their main band,” (The Guardian). “I think Genesis were uniquely different: we all loved being in the band but ran solo projects … I’ve never written a song like ‘Miracle’ since. I can’t think of any other song quite like it – it’s uplifting without being sugary, hopeful rather than smug. There’s a bit of sadness in there. But there are some clever key changes and it really lifts the audience.”
The Mechanics’ top 5 US hit, “All I Need is a Miracle” (1987) modulates twice, each time up a whole step, at 1:51 and 2:54.
Category: Elise
Beck, Robyn + The Lonely Island | Super Cool (from “Lego Movie 2”)
The closing credit sequence for Lego Movie 2 (2019) has something for everyone, including a smile or two for the parents in the audience for its unapologetic “pro-credits = pro-reading” stance. Beck, Robyn, and The Lonely Island collaborated on this funk/pop/hiphop track. The tune starts in A major, drops a rollercoaster instrumental mini-bridge at 2:28, and lands in B major at 2:32.
The Monkees | Theme from “The Monkees” TV Show
A boy band before the term was even coined, The Monkees were assembled by TV professionals to cast a music-centric sitcom (1966-1968) “about an imaginary band… that wanted to be the Beatles,” according Monkee Mickey Dolenz. Eventually, the actors learned to play their instruments for real, continuing as a band until 1971 and producing several huge hits. The brief theme song from the TV show manages to pack in two direct modulations at 0:26 and 0:36.
Culture Club | Victims
Boy George & Culture Club released the ballad “Victims” in 1983. The track was a Top 10 hit throughout Europe, but wasn’t released as a single in the US, despite the fact that the band was enjoying the height of its sudden fame at that time. The associated album, Colour by Numbers, sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and appeared on Rolling Stone magazine’s “100 Best Albums of the 1980s” list.
The intro, in Bb minor, shifts to a verse in Ab major at 0:31, then a brief chorus at 0:45 reverts to Bb minor. A long bridge (1:24 – 2:20) in Bb major then shifts to Bb minor from 2:20 to 2:39. Etc.!
Lee Ritenour | Is It You?
Described by AllMusic as a “flawless musical chameleon,” Grammy-winning guitarist Lee Ritenour has collaborated as a session musician with artists from Pink Floyd to Quincy Jones to Dizzy Gillespie as well as releasing many of his own albums. His pop/jazz hybrid release “Is It You” (1981) reached number 15 on both the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts.
There’s a classic direct modulation at 3:17, but the bridge (2:23 – 2:53) is perhaps more interesting, pivoting all over the place harmonically.
David Bowie | Young Americans
David Bowie‘s 1975 album, Young Americans, featured a title track which played up Bowie’s love for soul and R&B — a departure from his previous glam-rock style. R&B/soul vocalist Luther Vandross contributed backup vocals to the track. Self-deprecating as usual, Bowie described the album as “plastic soul…the squashed remains of ethnic music as it survives in the age of Muzak rock, written and sung by a white limey.” Modulation at 2:39.
Dionne Warwick | Always Something There to Remind Me
MotD member Christopher Larkosh contributes Dionne Warwick‘s “Always Something There to Remind Me” (1963), written by songwriting dream team Burt Bacharach and Hal David. At 1:37, the bridge brings a half-step direct modulation along with it; then another key change, perhaps a bit less expected, at 1:51. The tune has enjoyed several covers, the best known probably being Naked Eyes’ 1983 version, which really changes it up by featuring a swing groove!
Chris adds: “This is my favorite modulation; I was born to love it, and I will never be free; it’ll always be a part of me.”
Pharrell Williams | Number One
R&B/pop phenom Pharrell Williams is best known for his worldwide smash hit “Happy.” Earlier in his career, he released “Number One,” featuring a somewhat more sane version of Kanye West. The 2006 tune features a lot of descending chromatic bass motion — rather unusual. The intro (through 0:17) is based on a 4-chord vamp built around F# major, but the first verse (0:17 – 0:53) drops down into an F major/E minor vamp (the F major serving as a “sub V” for E minor.) The chorus, starting at 0:53, reverts to the same setup as the intro; subsequent verses and choruses follow suit.
Nik Kershaw | Life Goes On
Songwriter Nik Kershaw is perhaps best known for his 1984 hit “Wouldn’t It Be Good.” His tunes spent 62 weeks on the singles charts throughout 1984 and 1985 in his native UK — more than the work of any other artist. Kershaw’s 1986 release, “Life Goes On,” features a huge harmonic vocabulary right out of the gate: starting in C# minor, there’s a shift to A minor at 0:08…the first of many.
Tower of Power | So Very Hard to Go
Tower of Power‘s biggest US hit wasn’t one of the powerhouse uptempo funk tracks for which the band is famous. Instead, it was a ballad, “So Very Hard to Go,” which reached #17 on the pop charts in 1973. The verse and pre-chorus are in Bb major, but a modulation to G major hits at the chorus, reverting back to Bb major for the second verse, and so on.
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