American-Canadian singer/songwriter Robin Thicke makes his MotD debut with “Brand New Jones” from his 2002 debut studio album A Beautiful World. Thicke has collaborated with Usher, Christina Aguilera, Mary J. Blige and Jennifer Hudson among others, and currently serves as a judge on the Fox reality singing competition show The Masked Singer. Key change at 3:12.
Category: Henry
The Quad | America The Beautiful
Two-time Grammy Award-winning arranger Ben Bram has been featured on MotD previously for his arrangement of “Smile.” Here, Bram’s quartet, The Quad, performs his arrangement of “America The Beautiful,” featuring three downward modulations. Beginning in Bb, the first key change to G comes at 1:06, followed by shifts to D at 1:58 and C at 3:16.
The contemporary update of the lyrics was co-written by Bram and Jonathan Levine.
Judith Hill | Cry, Cry, Cry
“Cry, Cry, Cry” was the single released from American singer-songwriter Judith Hill‘s 2015 debut album Back in Time. The album, co-produced with Prince, marked Hill’s first foray into solo performing after she appeared as a backup singer with Michael Jackson (including as a featured soloist on his This is It tour) Josh Groban, and John Legend. Hill’s story was also featured in the acclaimed 2013 documentary 20 Feet from Stardom, for which she was awarded a Grammy Award. The tune starts in B major, and modulates to C at 3:38.
Avril Lavigne | Sk8er Boi
Released as the second single from Avril Lavigne‘s debut 2002 album Let Go, “Sk8er Boi” has been featured in every concert and tour Lavigne has performed. The lyrics depict a snobby girl who rejects the skateboarder who has a crush on her, even though she in fact secretly harbors romantic feelings for him as well. The track was nominated for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 2003 Grammy Awards, and charted in the top 10 in more than ten countries including Australia, the UK, and the United States.
The verses, set in D major (with the Bb adding an altered Phrygian vibe), contrast with the choruses, set in F major. The bridge, at 2:12, modulates to D minor, before seamlessly returning to D major for the subsequent verse at 2:38.
Faith Hill | That’s How Love Moves
Faith Hill‘s fourth studio album, Breathe, is one of the most successful country/pop albums recorded to date, certified platinum in Australia, Canada, and the United States. It won the Grammy Award for Best Country Album in 2001, and two tracks (“Breathe” and “The Way You Love Me” hit number one on the US Billboard Hot Country chart. “That’s How Love Moves” was originally recorded by Bette Midler in 1998; key change at 2:43.
Voctave | How Far I’ll Go (from “Moana”)
Featured in Disney’s 2016 animated blockbuster Moana, “How Far I’ll Go” serves as the “I Want” song (a common device used in musical theatre and Disney movies where a character expresses their fundamental ambition) for the title character in the film. Lin Manuel Miranda, who wrote and produced the track, claimed he locked himself in his childhood bedroom for a weekend in order to force his mind back to age 16 (the same age as Moana in the film) — a time when he was facing what seemed like an “impossible distance” between the reality of his pleasant middle-class childhood which had no connection to show business whatsoever, and his dreams of a career in show business. The song was nominated for Best Original Song at both the Golden Globes and Academy Awards, but ultimately lost both to La La Land; it was awarded Best Song Written for Visual Media at the Grammy Awards. Performed by MotD favorite Voctave, the key change is at 2:14.
Back To Before (from “Ragtime”)
We have featured a number of songs from Ahrens and Flaherty’s Tony-winning score for the 1996 Broadway musical Ragtime here at MotD; the score is considered one of the masterpieces of the Broadway canon, integrating a diverse array of musical styles into an organic tapestry reflecting the roots of American music at the start of the 20th century. The Act 2 number “Back To Before,” performed here by the late Marin Mazzie at the 1997 Tony Awards, speaks to our current moment. Key changes at 2:15, 2:30, and 2:51.
Grateful Dead | Sugar Magnolia
Grateful Dead makes their MotD debut today, with one of their most loved and well-known tunes, “Sugar Magnolia.” Originally released on the group’s fifth studio album, American Beauty, in 1970, it was subsequently included on many live albums, including Europe ’72, where it peaked at #91 on the Billboard Top 100 in 1973. The majority of the tune is in A major, but it abruptly modulates up a step to B at 2:30, where it remains for the duration.
Britney Spears | Sometimes
Featured on Britney Spears’ debut studio album …Baby One More Time, “Sometimes” was released as her second single on April 13, 1999. The lyric references a shy girl who is hesitant to express her feelings to her lover, and is firmly of the teen pop genre that exploded in popularity in the 90s with bands like ‘N Sync and The Backstreet Boys. “Sometimes” was a worldwide hit, charting inside the Top 10 in eleven different countries. Key change arises out of silence following the bridge at 2:47, shifting the tune a half step higher for its concluding chorus.
The Doobie Brothers | One Step Closer
Released in 1980, One Step Closer was the ninth studio album by the American rock band “The Doobie Brothers,” and the last to feature Michael McDonald before he left the group to pursue a solo career (though he continued to return as a guest performer over the subsequent decades.) The title track starts and remains in A for all but the final 30 seconds, where an unexpected modulation arises from virtual silence at 3:43 and lands the tune in B major for its playoff. Cornelius Bumpus, known primarily as a saxophonist who also played with Steely Dan, joins McDonald on vocals.
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