J.S. Bach | Sheep May Safely Graze (BWV 208)

This version of J.S. Bach’s “Sheep May Safely Graze,” originally Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd (The lively hunt is all my heart’s desire), part of a larger 15-movement cantata, features an orchestral instrumentation, including modern flutes. But according to Bach Digital, the original score calls for two recorders and continuo (harpsichord and cello or viola de gamba). While a large portion of Bach’s income came from the church, this 1713 work is Bach’s first known secular cantata, composed while he was employed as court organist in Weimar. It is thought to have been intended as a gift from Bach’s employer, William Ernest, Duke of Saxe-Weimar, for one of his neighbors, Duke Christian, who was a keen hunter.

Classical FM explains further: “…sheep may graze safely where there’s a good shepherd who stays awake and where there’s a good nobleman watching over a blissful nation. Why did Bach set such a line? Well, because he was writing this music for the birthday of Duke Christian in 1713 and he knew on which side his bread was buttered. The commission also gives rise to its third name, ‘the Birthday Cantata.'”

This version, featuring an English text, was performed by The Voices of Azusa Pacific University with the Concertante Ensemble of London. Starting in G major, there’s a substantial mid-section from 1:59 – 3:50 (starting in A minor but featuring plenty of pivots) before a return to G major at 3:50.

Little Feat | Mercenary Territory

AllMusic describes Little Feat as “long-running purveyors of funky southern boogie (by way of Los Angeles). Though they had all the trappings of a Southern-fried blues band, Little Feat were hardly conventional. Led by songwriter/guitarist Lowell George, Little Feat were a wildly eclectic band, bringing together strains of blues, R&B, country, and rock & roll. The band members were exceptionally gifted technically and their polished professionalism sat well with the slick sounds coming out of Southern California during the ’70s. However, Little Feat were hardly slick — they had a surreal sensibility, as evidenced by George‘s idiosyncratic songwriting, which helped them earn a cult following among critics and musicians.”

This live version of “Mercenary Territory” is from the 1978 live album Waiting for Columbus. Mostly in D major, the tune takes us through a brief but trippy key-of-the-moment patch from 1:18 – 1:25. We then embark on an extended D minor instrumental bridge from 1:55 – 3:36 featuring a boisterous romp of a sax solo, ending in stratospheric off-the-horn glissando fireworks (a horn section wasn’t a regular part of the instrumentation, but no less than the Tower of Power horns joined forces with Little Feat here). At 3:36, there’s a prominent shift back to D major.

Many thanks to recurrent contributor JB for this submission!

The Cheetah Girls | Strut

“Strut” was originally featured in the 2006 film The Cheetah Girls 2, a sequel to the 2003 Disney Channel original movie The Cheetah Girls. The story traces a talented teen quartet who take a whirlwind tour of Spain to pursue their dreams of pop superstardom; it is the eighth highest-rated Disney original movie ever. Key change at 2:30.

Marco Borsato | Waarom Nou Jij

Many thanks for this contribution from Jeux_d_Oh, a denizen of Reddit’s r/musictheory community: “Waarom Nou Jij” by Marco Borsato.

IMDB reports on Borsato, who was born in the Netherlands and later moved to Italy, ” … where Marco’s father owned a restaurant at Lake Garda. Marco thus speaks fluent Italian. Upon returning to the Netherlands, Marco tried to gain fame as a singer, singing mainly Italian songs … He released three albums, all three in Italian … In 1993, his record company advised him to release some songs in Dutch because he still hadn’t had his big break. Finally, in 1994, he released the song ‘Dromen zijn Bedrog,’ originally an Italian song which was translated into Dutch. The song shot to number one and remained there for 12 weeks.”

Jeux_d_Oh elaborates on Borsato’s success with translated lyrics: “‘Waarom Nou Jij’ was a big hit in The Netherlands in the ’90s, and apparently an adaptation of a different Italian song called ‘Quando Finisce un Amore’. The meaning of the Dutch title ‘Waarom Nou Jij’ translates roughly to ‘why did it have to be you.’ This song is absolutely jam-packed with modulations … try to count them all! Just in the first 1:15, there are four of them. Later there are a few more still. Towards the end of the song, there is a build-up to a great climax/vamp — a part where many slightly tipsy Dutch people will loudly sing along!”

The tune modulates upwards over and over again, generally by a minor third each time. Although the instrumental break at 2:12 gives Borsato a chance to take a break and then drop the vocal by an octave, by the tune’s end the tonality has traveled from Bb major to E major an octave and a half above.

Kacey Musgraves | Happy & Sad

“Happy & Sad” is featured on the 2018 album Golden Hour by American singer/songwriter Kacey Musgraves. Comprised exclusively of original songs, Musgraves ventures into disco and electropop on the record, which was awarded Best Album and Best Country Album at the Grammy’s (Musgraves also received Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance accolades for other tracks.) Key change at 3:02.

The Platt Brothers | Ahavat Olam

Broadway Buzz reports that “Ben Platt won a 2017 Tony Award for his breakout performance in Dear Evan Hansen. He got his start in a national tour of Caroline, or Change at age 11 before snagging the breakout role of Benji in Pitch Perfect and its sequel. After starring in the national tour of The Book of Mormon, Platt made his Broadway debut as Elder Cunningham in 2014. His solo album, Sing To Me Instead, was released in March of 2019. He currently stars on the Netflix’s The Politician.”

Turns out that Ben is not the only musically inclined member of his family. Here, he performs the Ahavat Olam with his brothers Jonah and Henry; this setting is by Gabe Mann and Piper Rutman. The Ahavat Olam is the second prayer of Maariv, a prayer service held in the evening or during night time in the Jewish tradition.

Starting in an uncomplicated, peaceful Bb major, a spirited bridge brings a huge change at 2:07: the text shifts from Hebrew to English and Bb minor chords ring out before the section ends in what turns out to be a false modulation to Eb major. But Bb major returns, as does the original Hebrew, at 2:42. Many thanks to our Facebook follower Elizabeth Moore for this submission!

The Ramones | I Wanna Be Sedated

Bob Boilen wrote an NPR review of “I Wanna Be Sedated,” the 1978 punk single-turned-classic, to accompany the song’s inclusion in the NPR 100. “I love The Ramones. I think The Ramones took rock ‘n’ roll back to its soul. In the mid-’70s, rock had grown into something big, fat, bloated. Bands like Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Yes and Kansas were touring huge arenas. Large truck convoys followed them, filled with light towers and smoke machines and other things that had little to do with music … Along came Joey, Johnny, Tommy and Dee Dee, four guys from Queens with a passion for short, loud and fast songs with great hooks … The Ramones’ music was a call to brandish guitars, shift music back to the clubs and sing from the heart and the gut. And don’t forget: This is supposed to be fun … The Ramones’ vision never changed: Make fast, loud, fun music. No solos. Keep it short. Play to your audience, not to each other.”

Time Magazine recognized the tune as part of its All-Time Best 100. “The Ramones’ buzz-saw bubblegum was a spitball of opposition to nearly everything else happening in pop in the mid-’70s … (it’s) hilarious where it could have been self-indulgent, mostly because nobody had ever sung so earnestly about longing for tranquilizers. And they were famously averse to rock-‘n’-roll frippery like guitar solos, so Johnny Ramone’s ultra-minimalist solo here is both an upraised middle finger and a brilliant show of compositional chutzpah.”

The band’s trademark three-chord harmonic vocabulary instantaneously doubled when a whole-step modulation hits at 1:11. The tune has become a persistent pop culture ingredient, including the 1980 movie Times Square; TV’s My So-Called Life, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Beavis + Butthead; the video games Guitar Hero, Jam Sessions, and Rock Band 3; and many others. Many thanks to MotD regular Rob Penttinen for this submission.

Waiting in the Wings (from “Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure”)

Thanks to new MotD contributor Taylor Hutchinson for this song. “Waiting in the Wings,” from the Disney animated series Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure, was awarded a Daytime Emmy this past June, completing Alan Menken’s EGOT set (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards). Performed here by Eden Espinosa, who voices Cassandra in the series who sings this number. Key change is at 1:58.

Celso Fonseca | Sem Resposta

Time Out Sao Paolo defines Música Popular Brasileira (Popular Brazilian Music or MPB), as “a trend in post-Bossa Nova urban popular music in Brazil that revisits typical Brazilian styles such as Samba … and other Brazilian regional music, combining them with foreign influences, such as jazz and rock … The term is often also used to describe any kind of music with Brazilian origins and ‘voice and guitar style’ that arose in the late 1960s.”

Celso Fonseca, a Brazilian composer, producer, guitarist and singer, has been active within MPB since the 1980s. Starting as an accompanist, composer, and producer, he added solo artist to his resume in the 1990s. The BBC praises Fonseca: “although (he) has played a significant part in producing much of what is good in contemporary Brazilian music, he is hardly a household name abroad.”

“Sem Resposta” (1999), which roughly translates to “No Response,” features an intro (through 0:20) in D major; a verse in D minor (heard for the first time 0:20); and a chorus in D major (0:40). The pattern continues from there.

Roomie | Numb

Swedish singer, songwriter and producer Joel Berghult (aka Roomie) started his YouTube channel in 2010, and has since become a sensation, amassing more than six million subscribers. His content includes original songs, covers, musical commentary and vocal imitations. “Numb,” released in 2014, is one of his originals, and features a key change at 1:36.