Category: Henry

Loverboy | Working for the Weekend

“Working for the Weekend” is the lead track on the 1981 album Get Lucky by Canadian rockband Loverboy. Written by guitarist Paul Dean, vocalist Mike Reno, and drummer Matt Frenette, the track reached 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart; MTV had just gone on the air that year also.

In an interview with Songfacts, Dean described the genesis of the song: “I was walking down close to where I was living. It was a Wednesday afternoon, beautiful afternoon, and I’m walking in this heavily populated area, and it was deserted. Everybody was at work. And me being the musician, I’m out working and my work is, okay, what am I going to do for inspiration and where can I find it? So I’m out on the beach and wondering, ‘Where is everybody? Well, I guess they’re all waiting for the weekend.'” The video below starts with the band discussing the tune.

The key alternates between C minor for the verses and the relative Eb major for the choruses.

Chris Tomlin | Crown Him (Majesty)

“Crown Him (Majesty)” is featured on American Christian singer Chris Tomlin’s 2013 album Burning Lights. “I want people to feel it in their guts when they sing a song like “Crown Him” or “Thank You God For Saving Me” or “Whom Shall I Fear?” Tomlin said in an interview with Worship Leader magazine. “I just want that to come out of their guts. That’s what we’re trying to do in these songs and really capture the emotion and write them in a way that is singable for people.”

The track, which also features singer Kari Jobe, modulates from Db up to Eb at 4:20.

Journey To The Past (from “Anastasia”)

“Journey To The Past” closes the first act of the 2017 Broadway musical Anastasia, an adaptation of the 1997 film. The song, written by Stephen Flaherty (music) and Lynn Ahrens (lyrics), was nominated for Best Original Song at the Golden Globes and Oscars in 1998. Sung by the lead character of the show, Anya, the lyric expresses her desire to find home and belonging.

“There’s something about the way the vamp starts, that sparkly little vamp and it embodies hope and fear and those are universal emotions that every woman, everybody feels as they step into their lives and take control of their lives and know that I’m at that no turning back moment in life,” Ahrens said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

There are many key changes sprinkled throughout the song, and they all help build the drama and carry the story and character forward. The track, performed here by Christy Altomare, begins in C major; the modulations are listed below:

Eb: 0:24; F#: 0:48; C: 0:59; Eb: 1:11; F#: 1:36; Eb: 1:59; C: 2:15: Eb: 2:27.

Dusty Springfield | Son of a Preacher Man

Included on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, “Son of a Preacher Man” has been recorded by Elvis Presley, Joss Stone, and Foo Fighters, among others.

English singer Dusty Springfield’s cover, included on her 1968 album Dusty in Memphis, is by far the most well-known. The song tells the story of a young girl who runs away with and falls in love with the preacher’s son. The industry magazine Cash Box wrote in 1968 that “the track is “brim-full of the special southern-combo sound and a vocal strongly influenced by Aretha [Franklin].”

The song begins in E and modulates up to A for the last chorus at 1:44

Patti Page | [How Much Is That] Doggie in the Window

“[How Much Is That] Doggie In The Window?” written by composer/lyricist Bob Merrill, was made famous by Patti Page, the best-selling female vocalist of the 1950s. The track stayed at number one on the Billboard charts for eight weeks and was the third best-selling song of 1953. It begins in G, slides up to Ab at 1:37, and A at 2:00.

Westlife | You Raise Me Up

“You Raise Me Up,” written by Rolf Løvland and Brendan Graham, was initially recorded by the Irish-Norwegian band Secret Garden with vocalist Brian Kennedy. Josh Groban’s 2004 cover brought much wider recognition to the song, and the following year the Irish pop group Westlife released it as the lead single for their album Face to Face; it has since become the eighth most-streamed song of all time in Ireland.

Beginning in Eb, there is a modulation up to F at 1:19 and another to Gb at 2:30.

Jacob Collier (feat. Tori Kelly & John Legend | Bridge Over Troubled Water

MotD favorite Jacob Collier released the seventh and final single from his upcoming album, Djesse Vol. 4, last week. His cover of Paul Simon’s classic song features vocalists Tori Kelly and John Legend; the full album will be released on Friday.

The track begins in Ab, modulates to Eb at 1:27, and to B at 3:25. The final chord ultimately resolves back in Ab major.

Barbra Streisand & Blake Shelton | I’d Want It To Be You

“I’d Want It To Be You” is featured on Streisand’s 2014 album Partners, comprised of duets with various male vocalists. Streisand originally recorded the song with Willie Nelson, but it was not finished in time for the release so a version with country singer Blake Shelton was included instead (the Nelson cut was released in 2021.)

The track begins in Eb and shifts up a half step to E following the bridge at 2:50.

Eydie Gormé & Los Panchos | La última noche

“La última noche,” written by Bobby Collazo, was featured on the 1964 album Amore by American singer Eydie Gorme and the trio Los Panchos. Gorme, who was born in New York, grew up speaking Spanish, and “Blame It On The Bossa Nova” is one of the songs that helped establish her as a mainstream star. Los Panchos, generally regarded as one of the most influential Latin American music groups of all time, sold millions of records and also appeared in more than 50 films.

The following is from an interview Gormé did with The Arizona Republic about the album:

“I knew a lot of them,” Gormé says. “I didn’t even realize I knew them until we worked on them, and they were songs I knew from my house growing up.” She has other memories of making the disc; specifically, of Los Panchos. “They were drinking a lot of wine on those sessions,” she says with a laugh. “They were lovely people. Drunk, but lovely.” Whatever the reason, the artists had a once-in-a-lifetime chemistry.

The track alternates between F minor and F major throughout.