Category: Henry

Postmodern Jukebox | We Can’t Stop

Founded by arranger and pianist Scott Bradlee in 2011, Postmodern Jukebox is a music collective, featuring a rotating group of instrumentalists and vocalists, that is known for reworked and inventive takes on popular modern songs, focusing particularly on swing and jazz. The group originated with Bradlee jamming and shooting videos in his basement with his friends, and took off with the release of a cover of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ “Thrift Shop,” featuring Robyn Adele Anderson on vocals, which clocked a million views the first week after its release in 2012.

“We Can’t Stop,” originally released by Miley Cyrus, was given a doo-wop treatment by the group in 2013, again featuring Anderson on vocals as well as the NYC-based TeeTones. “I think everyone on some level loves doo-wop,” said Bradlee when discussing why he thought his cover was so successful. “It’s feel-good music. It’s easy to listen to. It has a strong melody. It’s simple…And sure, it’s funny that the lyrics are ridiculous by ’50s standards, too.”

The track modulates at 3:09.

The Nolans | I’m in the Mood for Dancing

“I’m in the Mood for Dancing” was released as a single by the Irish pop group The Nolan Sisters (later known as The Nolans) in 1979, and featured on their debut album that year. The track reached the #3 spot on the UK Singles in 1980, and is the most successful song the group ever recorded (it was so successful in Japan that they recorded the tune again in Japanese.) The tune modulates at 1:38, and returns to the original key at 2:15.

Paciencia y Fe (from “In The Heights”)

Before Hamilton, composer/lyricist/actor Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote In The Heights, a musical focused on a group of Hispanic immigrants living in Washington Heights, looking to create a sense of home and belonging while also maintaining a connection to their roots. Miranda began writing the show during his sophomore year at Wesleyan College in 1999, and it opened on Broadway in 2008, winning four of the thirteen Tony Awards it was nominated for. Like Hamilton, the score incorporates rap and hip-hop, and Miranda starred as the lead in the original cast. A film adaptation of In The Heights opened last week.

“Paciencia Y Fe” features two key changes — from D down to C minor at 2:00, and up to C major for the final 8 measures at 4:19.

Sia | Free Me

Australian singer/songwriter Sia released “Free Me” as a single and music video in July 2017. The video, narrated by Julianne Moore, depicts an expecting mother (played by Zoe Saldana) who is told she is HIV-positive after going in for a routine check-up. The mother’s emotional journey is communicated through choreography, set by Ryan Heffington. “The HIV/AIDS epidemic is one that can affect anyone, particularly child-bearing women around the globe,” Sia said upon the song’s release.

“I’ve proudly joined forces with the Abzyme Research Foundation and the #endHIV Campaign for the release of my song, ‘Free Me,’ to help raise funds and awareness for a potential breakthrough cure of the epidemic.” All proceeds of the song support efforts to eliminate HIV/AIDS. A half-step modulation from Eb to E occurs at 4:02.

TinWhistler | Down By The Sally Gardens

“Down By The Sally Gardens” is a traditional Irish folk song based on a poem by W.B Yeats, performed here by the duo TinWhistler. “We’re PJ and JJ, two brothers from the Mediterranean island of Mallorca,” they say in the description of their group on YouTube. “We mostly play traditional Irish music but also other kinds of “Celtic music”: Scottish, Breton, Galician, Asturian… Mostly on Irish tin whistles/low whistles (PJ) and guitar (JJ).” You can learn more and order their album on their Bandcamp page. Key change at 2:12.

For Forever (from “Dear Evan Hansen”)

Pasek & Paul’s 6-time Tony Award-winning, blockbuster 2016 musical Dear Evan Hansen opened in London in November 2019 before closing the following March due to the COVID-19 pandemic; it is scheduled to re-open this October. English actor Sam Tutty plays the title character in the production, and is featured here singing “For Forever” with three other Evans: Andrew Barth Feldman from Broadway, Robert Markus from Toronto, and Stephen Christopher Anthony from the national tour. The show’s music supervisor Alex Lacamoire produced and arranged the vocals, Dillon Kondor wrote the guitar arrangement, and Tim Basom and Ethan Pakchar accompanied for this performance.

A film adaptation of the musical, starring Ben Platt who originated the role of Evan, will be released this September. Key changes at 2:47 and 3:49.

The Struts | Where Did She Go

“Where Did She Go” is the final track on the 2014 album Everybody Wants, the debut release by the English rock band The Struts. The group, comprised of vocalist Luke Spiller, guitarist Adam Slack, bassist Jed Elliot, and drummer Gethin Davies, count Queen, Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones and Michael Jackson among their influences; they released their third album, Strange Days, last fall. Key change at 3:11.

Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta | Summer Nights (from “Grease”)

“Summer Nights” is one of the most popular songs from the 1971 musical Grease by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta performed the song in the 1978 film adaptation of the musical, and their recording reached the #5 spot on the Billboard Top 100 (and the #1 spot in the UK.) Two ascending half-step modulations occur at 1:42 and 2:22, and we return to the original key of D at 2:35.

Sammy Davis Jr. | The Candy Man

Written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley for the the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, “The Candy Man” was recorded and released by Sammy Davis Jr. in 1972 for his album Sammy Davis Jr. Now. Davis himself did not like the song: “This record is going straight into the toilet,” he reportedly said. “Not just around the rim but into the bowl, and it may just pull my whole career down with it.”

Despite his misgivings, the track became his only #1 hit and was also nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 1973 Grammy Awards. The song has since been used in dozens of commercials and films, including a recent Apple promotion for the iPhone 12. Key change at 2:19.