Category: Elise

Captain + Tennille | Love Will Keep Us Together

Originally co-written by hitmaker Neil Sedaka, who released the tune only in France, ”Love Will Keep Us Together“ hit #1 in the US, Canada, and Australia when covered in 1975 by American duo Captain and Tennille. Backed by members of the famed group of session musicians The Wrecking Crew, the tune features a huge upward half-step key change as the outro starts at 2:55. Daryl Dragon, half of the duo (who were married for many years), passed away this week at the age of 76.

Elvis Costello | Accidents Will Happen

Elvis Costello‘s 1979 release, “Accidents Will Happen,” modulates back and forth between D major on the verses and D minor on the choruses; the first of these shifts hits at 0:19. Starting at 2:10, the outro of this compact tune accelerates the pattern by shifting between the two keys every two measures!

Donna Summer | MacArthur Park

Donna Summer’s 1977 dance epic ”MacArthur Park” likely represented Peak Disco. Summer’s unmistakeable vocal style is accompanied by full orchestra, harp, and plenty of synths (all part of producer Giorgio Moroder’s signature sound). There are several key changes, the first appearing at 0:26 as a Baroque-inspired string intro transitions into pop ballad, preceding a shift to straight-ahead disco. If you need more, there’s also a 17-minute “suite” version. 😉

Childish Gambino | Pink Toes

Childish Gambino – Donald Glover (two names for the same artist, depending on whether he’s engaging in music or acting) released “Pink Toes” (featuring Jhené Aiko) in 2013 as a track on his sophomore album Because the Internet. The album later received a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album.

A blend of psychedelic Neo-Soul, rap, and R&B, the track modulates at 1:51.

Simon + Garfunkel | America

Released in 1968, Simon and Garfunkel’s “America” doesn’t modulate outright, but features a sense of restless change (befitting its road trip theme) as well as several key-of-the moment sections. AllMusic‘s review deemed it a song whose “sophisticated harmonic invention is toppled by its message,” while Classic Rock History described it as “wistful and optimistic, personal and universal, and most of all, uniquely American.”

Rufus Wainwright | The Sword of Damocles

Singer/songwriter/pianist Rufus Wainwright, a dual American/Canadian national (the son of American folk artist Loudon Wainwright III and Canadian folk artist Kate McGarrigle), is known for his cutting societal commentary. His 2018 release “The Sword of Damocles” is no exception. At 3:14, a bridge of sorts sends the tune into a series of keys-of-the-moment; at 3:26, there’s a full-blown modulation.

Fountains of Wayne | Stacy’s Mom

“Stacy’s Mom,” a 2003 power pop classic by Fountains Of Wayne, written by Adam Schlesinger, was nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance. The New Yorker magazine’s Ben Greenman called it the “second-catchiest song ever written about a girlfriend’s parent” (after Simon and Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson.”) The initial key of E Major shifts to G major at the bridge (2:25).