Category: Henry

Carrie Underwood | Inside Your Heaven

“Inside Your Heaven” was written for the final two contestants, Bo Bice and Carrie Underwood in the 2005 season of American Idol, to be released as the first single for each of them. Underwood went on to win, but each singer released a version of the track in June 2005; both were in the top 2 slots of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The arrangement Underwood recorded for her first album, Some Hearts (2005), eliminated the modulation that was included when she performed the song on the show, which we are featuring here. Key change at 4:00.

(The video below also includes Underwood being announced as the winner the beginning. Song starts at 2:02)

George Benson | Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You

Written by Michael Masser and Gerry Goffin, “Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You” was originally recorded by George Benson for his 1985 album 20/20. The track hit #1 on the charts in Canada, France, Ireland, and Spain, and was also included of a 1987 episode of the daytime soap Days of our Lives. The first of several key changes is at 2:45.

Monticello (from “Edges”)

“Monticello” is from the song cycle Edges, written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Dear Evan Hansen, La La Land) while they were undergraduates at the University of Michigan in 2005. Coming-of-age and self-discovering themes figure prominently in many of the songs. Regularly produced at colleges throughout the United States, the cycle has also been performed in Australia, South Africa, France, Singapore and the United Kingdom. Key change at 3:36.

Bobby Darin | Dream Lover

“Dream Lover” was written and recorded by singer/songwriter/actor Bobby Darin in 1959. Along with “Mack The Knife,” “Splish Splash,” and “Beyond The Sea,” it is one of Darin’s most successful hits. Darin, who died at age 37 after a heart operation, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1999. Key change at 1:45.

The Overtones | Groovin’

“Groovin'” was written and first released in 1967 by the American rock band The Rascals (formerly known as The Young Rascals.) Its Afro-Cuban groove and relaxed vibe quickly led to the tune becoming one of the band’s signature songs, and it has since been covered by numerous other artists. This performance, by the British/Irish boy band The Overtones, was featured on the 2012 album Higher. Key change at 2:16.

Shoshana Bean | I Wanna Dance With Somebody

Written and originally recorded by Whitney Houston, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” won the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 1988 Grammy Awards, and was Houston’s first platinum single in the US with over a million copies sold. This cover, performed by singer/songwriter and Broadway actress Shoshana Bean with Troy Laureta on keys, features some subtle reharmonization and a key change at 2:52.

Stevie Wonder | I Just Called To Say I Love You

“I Just Called To Say I Love You,” written, produced, and all instruments performed by Stevie Wonder, is his best-selling song ever. It was his tenth #1 song on the R&B chart, and his fourth on the adult contemporary chart. The song received Grammy nominations for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Instrumental Performance.

Beginning in Db, the song modulates up and down by half step multiple times: up 3:01 to D Major, up again to Eb Major 3:35, back down to Db at 4:21, up to D at 4:56, and finally up to Eb at 5:29.

Hans Zimmer | Homeland (from “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron”)

German composer Hans Zimmer has scored more than 150 films since 1980, including The Lion King, the Pirates of the Carribean series, and The Dark Knight trilogy. Widely considered to be one of the most best in his field, Zimmer has been recognized with four Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes and an Academy Award. In 2002, he collaborated with Canadian singer/songwriter Bryan Adams on the music for the DreamWorks picture Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. “Homeland,” the main title theme, helps establish the American West ethos of the score and features the trademark orchestral swells Zimmer is known for. The cue begins in C major and shifts to Eb at 2:45.

Frank Sinatra | All The Way

Written in 1957 by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn, “All The Way” was made famous by Frank Sinatra, both as a single and in the film The Joker Is Wild, for which it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. The tune was later covered by Bing Crosby, Same Cooke, Brenda Lee, Etta James, and Billie Holiday among others. Key change at 2:15.

Carmen Ruby Floyd | Unexpected Blessing

Actress and singer Carmen Ruby Floyd has appeared in the Broadway productions of Avenue Q, the jazz revue After Midnight, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, Chicago, and Hello, Dolly!, where she served as a cover for the title role under Bette Midler, Bernadette Peters, and Donna Murphy. “Ellington’s lyric-free but gorgeous “Creole Love Call” is delivered by Carmen Ruby Floyd with hypnotic simplicity,” critic Charles Isherwood wrote in his review of After Midnight in the New York Times. “Her voice taking flight in tandem with swooning melody, which seems to glimmer visibly in the air before you.” 

In addition to her theatre work, Floyd has performed with Gladys Knight, Toni Braxton, Babyface, Fantasia, Hugh Jackman, among others, and most recently toured with her mentor Vanessa Williams.

Earlier this year, Floyd released her first EP featuring “Unexpected Blessing.” Key change at 3:25.