Category: Steck

Booker T. + the M.G.’s | Hang ‘Em High

Booker T. and the M.G.’s arranged songs like mathematicians construct proofs: just enough to get the desired result, and nothing more. As the house band for Stax Records in the 1960s, the group appeared on dozens of hit recordings for acts like Sam and Dave, Rufus Thomas, Carla Thomas, Wilson Picket, and Otis Redding. They also had a number of instrumental hits on their own, including “Green Onions,” “Time is Tight,” a cover of the Rascals’ song “Groovin’,” and “Hang ‘Em High.” Their classic lineup consisted of Booker T. Jones, usually playing the Hammond B-3 and occasionally on piano, drummer Al Jackson, Jr., bassist Donald “Duck” Dunn, and guitarist Steve Cropper.

Perhaps the group’s grandest recorded moment came in 1969, when they released the album McLemore Avenue, their reinterpretation of the Beatles’ Abbey Road.

“Hang ‘Em High” (1968) was composed by Dominic Frontiere for the Western of the same name, a vehicle for Clint Eastwood. The first cover of the soundtrack theme was released by Hugo Montenegro; the Booker T. version came out a bit later. Frontiere was responsible for the music for many television shows from the 1960s through the 1980s, such as The Fugitive and The Flying Nun (!). He also composed soundtracks for a number of movies during that period. Just before “Hang ‘Em High”, he wrote the music for the cult classic goth-horror movie Incubus, whose dialog is entirely in Esperanto, and which starred a pre-Star Trek William Shatner.

There are half-steps up at 1:15. 2:11, and 2:39. The tune stays in that key from there on, including during the spartan-even-for-the-MG’s coda that begins at 3:08.

Eleanor McCain | Up Where We Belong

In 2017, as a celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary, Toronto-based singer Eleanor McCain released her sixth studio album, True North: The Canadian Songbook, a collection of 32 songs on CD, along with a stylish, bilingual coffee-table book. Each song was written by a Canadian, and ten different Canadian orchestras provided the lush musical accompaniment. The songs run the gamut of Canadian popular music, including covers of tunes by Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, k.d. lang, and The Guess Who. McCain’s classical training is evident throughout the performances.

The selection here, “Up Where We Belong”, was composed by songwriter, singer, and activist Buffy Sainte-Marie, along with Americans Jack Nitschke and Will Jennings.

We’ve featured the original version of the song, by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes, from the An Officer and a Gentleman soundtrack. The original version features one modulation towards the end; Joe Cocker’s gruff vocals couldn’t be more different than McCain’s polished delivery. In this version, McCain is supported by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. There’s a whole-step modulation from D major to E major for the chorus at 1:32, followed by a reversion to D major for the next verse at 2:07. The pattern holds for the second verse and chorus. 3:24 sees a shift to G major for the bridge, then another transition into F major for an instrumental chorus at 3:39 before settling into Ab major for the duration at 3:23.

Dean Friedman | Ariel

“Ariel” is the only US hit for singer and multi-instrumentalist Dean Friedman (Billboard #26, 1977). His song “Lucky Stars” made to #3 on the UK charts the following year. Although he hasn’t been scoring hits since then, Friedman has toured and recorded consistently over the years, releasing the album American Lullaby in 2021.

“Ariel” is about a romance between a guy from New York City and a girl from the other side of the Hudson, Paramus, New Jersey, who likes to sing “Tears on My Pillow” (the Little Anthony and Imperials hit) and “Ave Maria” (a hit across the ages). It’s a song designed to be a radio hit, with its erudite lyrics, infectious chorus, retro yakkety sax solo, and clean production.

A repeat of the chorus goes up a step at 3:42, landing back at the original key for the final verse at 3:57.

Thunderclap Newman | Something in the Air

In the late 1960s, talk of revolution may have seemed credible. The antiwar movement, the Civil Rights movement, and of course, popular music were changing society in significant ways. The Beatles could sing “Revolution,” even if you could “count them out.” But here we are in 2023, where, as journalist George Monbiot points out, paraphrasing Rousseau, “man is born free, and is everywhere in chain stores.” At least we got some cool tunes out of the era.

One such tune is 1969’s “Something in the Air” by the short-lived English band Thunderclap Newman. The members were drummer “Speedy” Keen, who wrote the song, guitarist Jimmy McCulloch, later of Paul McCartney’s Wings, and the eponymous Andy Newman on piano. The group released one studio album Hollywood Dream, produced by Pete Townsend, who also played bass guitar on the recording. “Something in the Air” was a #1 hit in the UK, and reached a respectable #37 on the US Billboard chart.  It’s been included in the soundtracks for several movies, including The Magic Christian, also released in 1969, and Almost Famous. The lyrics asserted “you know it’s right”, and in those times, you may not have detected any irony.

There’s a whole step modulation from the original key E major to F# major at 1:04; the saloon-style piano bridge starting at 1:58 passes through a few tonalities; lastly, when we land at the final verse at 2:55, we’re in G# major, two steps up from the original key.

Various Artists | Doctor’s Orders

In the late 1960s, UK producer and songwriter Tony Hiller created the vocal group Brotherhood of Man to showcase his songs. In 1970, the group scored an international hit with “United We Stand” (UK #10, Billboard #13). The original lineup consisted of Tony Burrows, an established session singer, Roger Greenaway, a songwriter in his own right, and sisters Sue Glover and Sunny Leslie. That incarnation of the group lasted until 1971. The following year, Hiller put together a new version of the group, which is performing to this day.

The sisters had recorded a number of singles as Sue and Sunny, without a lot of success. But they kept busy as background singers on many recordings by prominent artists, including Elton John, David Bowie, Dusty Springfield, Joe Cocker, and Tom Jones. Sunny’s solo recording of “Doctor’s Orders” became a hit in the UK (#7 in 1974). The tune was written by her former bandmate Greenaway, with Roger Cook and Geoff Stephens.

In the US, a disco-flavored version by Carol Douglas became a 1974 hit (Billboard #11, Canada #1). “An ad (was run) in Showbiz magazine specifically to recruit a singer to cover Sunny’s UK hit for the US market: the successful applicant, Carol Douglas, was a veteran performer who had remained an unknown recording artist.

Douglas, who reports that she is a cousin of Sam Cooke’s, recalled when she first auditioned she was told ‘I sounded great, but too black. [The track’s] producers wanted to capture my more melodic pop/commercial tones which undeniably made me sound white on the radio,’ (EurWeb). Although Douglas admitted to reservations about the song itself – ‘I really [would have] wanted a more soulful song’ – she’d also recall ‘I felt the minute I heard the music that it was going to be something, and after hearing my voice on the track it was even more amazing…[It] did throw me off when they played me the [Sunny] version. So I had to approach [singing the song] in my own way.'” The Douglas version shifts up a whole step at 3:48.

Billy Joe Royal | Down in the Boondocks

Great artists steal, they say. And so Billy Joe Royal’s 1965 hit (Billboard #9) “Down in the Boondocks” shamelessly lifted the scratch guitar lick opening from Gene Pitney’s recording of the Bacharach/David song “Twenty-four Hours From Tulsa” from a couple of years before.

The song’s theme, a boy of lower socioeconomic status is troubled by his circumstances, which carry over to his relationship with a girl, was common in popular song of the day. Think of the Four Seasons’ “Dawn” (1963), or Johnny Rivers’ “Poor Side of Town” (1966).

Billy Joe Royal never had as big a hit again, though he came close with “Cherry Hill Park” (Billboard #15) in 1969. He continued recording for many years, with several songs registering on the country charts in the 1980s.

The verse pitches up a half-step at 1:27.

Eva Cassidy | Walkin’ After Midnight

“Walkin’ After Midnight” was written by Alan Block and Don Hecht in 1954, and originally offered to Kay Starr, whose label turned it down. A few years later, Patsy Cline recorded the tune. Though Cline didn’t especially like the tune, her 1957 recording was a big hit, becoming one of her signature songs. She recorded the song again in 1961, adding a modulation that did not appear in the original.

Patsy Cline died in a plane crash at age 30, at the peak of her career. Singer Eva Cassidy was not so well-known when she died in 1996 of a melanoma that had spread. Before her death, her recorded output was not extensive. But her posthumously-released recordings have sold tremendously well. New recordings continue to appear, including 2023’s I Can Only Be Me, which features new backing from the London Symphony Orchestra.

Eva’s recording of “Walkin’ After Midnight” appears on her 2008 album Somewhere. Her vocal is clearly inspired by the Patsy Cline original, taking a few more bluesy chances. There’s a half-step modulation for the final verse at 2:17, in the manner of Patsy Cline’s remake.

Les Flechettes | Les Gens

“People” has been Barbra Streisand’s signature song since its release in 1964. The tune was written by Bob Merill and Jule Styne for the musical Funny Girl, a play about the life of comedian Fanny Brice, with Streisand playing the lead in the original Broadway production. The producers did not much like the song, but Streisand’s compelling performance during try-outs made it a keeper. Streisand’s recording strikes a wistful, plaintive tone. The orchestral backing features sweet strings, and a plodding string bass marking the slow tempo. Her record won the 1964 Grammy for Song of the Year.

Nothing wrong with that, but enter Les Fléchettes (“The Darts” in translation), a French pop group consisting of two sisters and their cousins. They recorded a couple of albums in the late 1960s, including the 1969 tune here. The group later reformed as Cocktail, the French entrants for the 1986 Eurovision song contest.

“Les Gens” is based on “People”, though you might struggle to discern that. The French lyrics were written by Eddy Marnay, a songwriter and producer, who won the 1969 Eurovision song contest as a lyricist, and produced several of Celine Dion’s early albums. Those lyrics, while not a direct translation, retain the overall theme of the English version. The pop arrangement here is happy and bright, and the prominent electric bass offers a soupçon of funk. The key goes up a half-step at 2:06.

The B-side of the single is also a French version of a song originally recorded in English, the Turtles’ song “Elenore”. The deliberately-dumb lyrics of the original are replaced by conventional love-theme lyrics in “Une Fille Est Toujours Belle”. Like the original, it modulates between minor verses to major choruses.

The Cyrkle | Red Rubber Ball

The Cyrkle was a pop band that met as college students at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania in the mid-1960s. Their business manager was Brian Epstein who, of course, also managed the Beatles; the affected spelling of their name was suggested by John Lennon. The group had the opportunity to open for the Beatles for some of their 1966 US tour dates.

“Red Rubber Ball” was their first and biggest hit (Billboard #2 in 1966). The song was written by Paul Simon and Bruce Woodley of the Australian group The Seekers. Simon offered the song to the group during the time they opened for Simon and Garfunkel on tour.

There are several other notable recordings of the song. The Seekers recorded their own version of the song in 1966. Simon and Garfunkel performed the song at Lincoln Center in 1967, the recording of which was released in 1997. The most notorious cover of the song comes from the Canadian punk group The Diodes. In an interview, Paul Simon had made disparaging comments about punk rock, so The Diodes took that as an invitation to record their punk cover.

While none of these covers features a key change, The Cyrkle’s version offers a half-step modulation at 1:21.

Michael Bublé | Save the Last Dance For Me

The Ben E. King-era Drifters scored a Billboard #1 in 1960 with their version of “Save The Last Dance For Me,” written by Doc Pomus and Mort Schuman. In that recording, the most prominent instruments are the steady guitar, bass, and light percussion, with a brief string interlude. There’s no modulation on offer.

In 2005, singer Michael Bublé released his version of the song in his album It’s Time. Later that year, he offered several remixes by different producers, for a single release, including the music video below. The tempo is slower than in the Drifters’ version, but with a spicier, syncopated arrangement of prominent Latin-style percussion (claves and timbales!), piano, and horns.

For dramatic purposes in the video, the music comes to a halt at 1:41. The music resumes at 1:44 a half-step up.