Nickelback, one of the most commercially successful Canadian rock bands, makes their MotD debut with their 2006 single “Far Away.” Featured originally in their fifth studio album, All The Right Reasons, the track has been described as the group’s “only real love long” by lead guitarist Chad Kroeger, and was included on the 2010 compilation album Now That’s What I Call Love with other love ballads from the previous decade. Beginning in B major, the tune modulates up a step to Db Major for the final chorus at 2:52.
Elaine Elias | Through the Fire
In advance of striking out on her own, Brazilian jazz pianist Elaine Elias studied at Juilliard before joining Steps Ahead, “a jazz supergroup featuring Michael Brecker, Peter Erskine, Mike Manieri, and Eddie Gomez. She recorded one album with the group, Steps Ahead, in 1983,” reports AllMusic. Elias has garnered praise as a “versatile pianist and singer who has played straight-ahead jazz, fusion, and Brazilian jazz with equal skill.”
“Through the Fire,” a tune co-written by pop writer/producer David Foster, is best known for its 1984 rendition by R&B singer Chaka Khan, which reached #60 on the US Billboard pop chart, #15 on the Hot R&B/Hiphop chart, and also received substantial Adult Contemporary airplay. Elias covered the tune only a few years later, collaborating with former Return to Forever bandmates Stanley Clarke (bass) and Lenny White (drums) for her cover on her 1986 debut as a leader, Illusions.
Though the tune is primarily in Ab major, Elias provides an interlude in A major between the chorus and the return to the verse (first heard at 1:46 – 2:04). This harmonic shift is emphasized all the more by the suddenly gentler groove, which drops away almost completely at times. At 4:54, the interlude returns again, morphing into an extended outro featuring a solo by Clarke in his distinctively guitaristic electric bass style, shifting to C major along the way.
Jonathan Coulton | Shop Vac
For years, Jonathan Coulton has flown under the radar for many listeners while becoming required listening for the tech set. Online tech commons Slashdot praises Coulton:
“If you haven’t heard the news, Jonathan Coulton can do anything. In 2005 he quit his job in software and became an “internet rock star and former code monkey,” eventually opening for music legends like Aimee Mann and They Might Be Giants … Coulton’s work was eventually featured in three different Valve videogames … In 2017 he was even nominated for a Tony for his work on Broadway’s SpongeBob Musical, and while co-writing some songs for Aimee Mann, he was also creating his own concept album about our tech-saturated society. Oh, and Coulton also released a crowdfunded album of 1970s soft rock covers ‘that sound exactly like the originals‘ — because he can.”
Coulton’s 2005 album Thing a Week One featured “Shop Vac,” a jaunty tribute to the banality of stereotypical suburban life. This video version, featuring wall-to-wall typography of popular brand logos, couldn’t be more fitting. The bridge at 1:59 features a modulation, followed next by a guitar solo with a beautifully animated graphic transcription. At 2:30, there’s a return to the original key.
Boyzone | Love Me For A Reason
Originally written and recorded by Johnny Bristol in 1974 and later covered by The Osmonds that same year, “Love Me For A Reason” was revived by the Irish boy band Boyzone in 1994 and would become their breakthrough single in the UK. Reaching #2 on the UK singles chart that year, the track was the 20th best-selling boy band single of the 90s, and reached Gold sales status certification with 400,000 copies sold. Key change at 3:18.
Terry Jacks | Seasons In the Sun
Q: What do Belgian singer/songwriter Jacques Brel, mid-20th century American folk singers The Kingston Trio, pop music masterminds Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys, and 1990s grunge rock pioneers Nirvana all have in common?
A: They are all connected, directly or obliquely, to the maudlin 1974 #1 hit “Seasons in the Sun” by Terry Jacks. It’s a tale far too complex to summarize here, but please read the whole story as presented by Stereogum!
According to AllMusic, “It’s been a long time since ‘Seasons in the Sun’ became a monster hit for Canadian Terry Jacks, but the syrupy 1974 single is still top dog among all best-sellers issued by Canadian acts. The release spent more than three months on the U.S. charts and more than four months on the charts in Jacks‘ native country. Its accumulated sales topped more than 11 million copies. Jacks, who moved on to producing for artists such as the Beach Boys, Nana Mouskouri, DOA, and Chilliwack, reaped the good life from the monster hit’s royalties.”
Regular contributor JB is responsible for this submission. He sent it in with a note detailing the love/hate relationship with the song which many people seem to share: “The key changes are like a dump truck grinding through its gears as it climbs a hill: no warbles, no ambiguity … just slam the song into a new key.” We won’t time slate the modulations for this one; if you don’t detect them, please check your pulse.
Robin Thicke | Brand New Jones
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.
The Delfonics | Didn’t I Blow Your Mind This Time
“The sound that producer Thom Bell created for the Delfonics was the antithesis of the soul sound that came from Stax in Memphis and Muscle Shoals in Alabama,” according to AllMusic. “He sandpapered away the grit, lightened up on the backbeat, brought in string sections, and created a smooth, airy sound…a different kind of groove where subtlety and nuance reigned.”
“All of the individual elements that helped create the distinctive ‘smooth grooves’ sound synonymous with the Delfonics coalesce with undeniable intensity” on the Delfonics’ fourth LP, 1970’s The Delfonics, AllMusic continues. “Indeed, the material has arguably never been stronger … ideally scored, incorporating string and brass sections without overpowering the vocal blend or seeming pretentious … several sides on this disc are among the group’s best-known works, as well as definitive entries into the distinct Philly-brand soul music scene. The leadoff track, ‘Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time),’ would not only become a staple of Top 40 and R&B radio in 1970, but nearly two decades later inspired the 20-volume soul music compilation Soul Hits of the 70s: Didn’t It Blow Your Mind.“
After an intro in F major, the verses are in A major (for the first time at 0:19); the choruses are in F major, prominently announced by a series of Bb/C kicks (IV/Vs) pushing the door open into the new key (for the first time at 1:01). The opening moments of the intro, 2:29, and a few other spots present prominent features for french horn — not exactly a typical part of most soul horn sections.
The Blues Brothers | Rawhide
“Rawhide” was written by Ned Washington (lyrics) and Dimitri Tiomkin (music) in 1958. “The song was used as the theme to Rawhide, a western television series that ran from 1959 until 1966. According to the Western Writers of America, it was one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.
The tune has been covered by Johnny Cash, The Jackson 5, The Dead Kennedys, Liza Minnelli, Oingo Boingo, Sublime, and many other artists. It was featured prominently in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers, where it saved the day as as a last-second substitute opener for an R&B/Blues band haplessly booked into a Country/Western bar. Fortunately, the band had a lot more chops than luck …
The half-step modulation is at 2:13 at the start of a short guitar feature. The tune itself doesn’t begin until the 1:25 mark. Many thanks to MotD regular Rob Penttinen for this submission!
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.
Dusty Springfield | You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me
A long-overdue debut for UK pop/soul chanteuse Dusty Springfield. “(‘You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me”) is considered one of the greatest songs of heartbreak in the pop music canon,” documents American Songwriter. “That it combined the music of an Italian pop song and lyrics from a pair of songwriting novices also makes it one of the unlikeliest ones. Unlikely, that is, until you consider the staggeringly brilliant performance of the song by Dusty Springfield. Then it all makes sense.
Springfield’s performance manages to evoke pain and pride, hurt and hope, resignation and resilience. The end result was a #1 hit for Springfield (her first) in the UK and a top 5 spot in the US upon the song’s 1966 release. You can also argue that (it) presented a more mature side of her than some of the bubblier pop songs she had recorded had managed to do. This was a path that she would continue to traverse when she made the masterpiece album Dusty In Memphis a few years later. ‘Well, it’s a classic, isn’t it?’ mused the song’s lyricist, Simon Napier-Bell. ‘In its musical style as well as performance. Like a famous piece of opera. Totally out of date, but that’s the way it is. And we all love it.'”
Built on a insistent 12/8 feel, the tune’s intro and verses are in D minor; the choruses shift to D major. At 2:26, a whole-step modulation is the icing on the cake. This classic clearly illustrates the opening words of IMDB’s Springfield bio: “…acknowledged around the world as the best female soul singer that Britain ever produced.”
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