S Club 7 | Never Had a Dream Come True

S Club 7’s “Never Had a Dream Come True” was released in 2000, and chosen to be the official BBC Children in Need song that year. It hit the top of the UK Singles chart, and was also the UK group’s only single to chart in the US, where it was the 61st best-selling single in 2001. Key change at 3:05.

John Lennon | Woman

Released after his death in 1980, “Woman” was the second single from the John Lennon and Yoko Ono album Double Fantasy. According to an interview with Playboy, Lennon wrote “Woman” not only for his wife Yoko Ono, but for all women. The opening moments of the track feature Lennon saying “For the other half of the sky …”, a paraphrase of a famous Chinese saying about the equal importance of the sexes.

From AllMusic’s review of the album: “He’s surprisingly sentimental, not just when he’s expressing love for his wife and child, but when he’s coming to terms with his quiet years and his return to creative life. These are really nice tunes, and what’s special about them is their niceness — it’s a sweet acceptance of middle age, which, of course, makes his assassination all the sadder.”

At the opening of the last verse (2:22), a half-step modulation drops without warning. Rather than providing any preparation or ramp-up in energy, the song simply continues on, flowing like a river.

Jacob Collier (feat. Mahalia + Ty Dolla $ign) | All I Need

Jacob Collier‘s latest single, “All I Need,” dropped last week, and it is a doozy. Featuring Mahalia Music and Ty Dolla $ign, the track trends more toward mainstream pop than most of his other work, while still maintaining the incredible harmonic and rhythmic sophistication that are trademarks of this UK native’s style.

The key changes up a quarter tone at 2:14 before winding its way back down to the original key from 3:15-3:17.

The Stylistics | You Make Me Feel Brand New

“You Make Me Feel Brand New,” an R&B/Philly Soul ballad released by The Stylistics in 1974, reached the #2 position on the both the US and UK pop charts, but was kept from the #1 position in the US by the omnipresent bubblegum pop tune “Billy, Don’t Be a Hero.” However, the track achieved top 10 positions from Australia to Canada to South Africa.

Written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed, the tune has been covered by Babyface, Simply Red, Boyz 2 Men, Roberta Flack, Ronnie Milsap, and Rod Stewart/Mary J. Blige (as a duo), and more.

The intro starts in A major, transitioning to E major at the verse at 0:32, G major at 1:06, and C major-ish at 1:58 for the chorus. The cycle repeats for the second verse and chorus. Many thanks to Mark Shilansky for this submission!

The Temptations + The Supremes | I’m Gonna Make You Love Me

Released by Motown when the label was in full swing, “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me” had been previously released twice by other artists in 1966 and 1968 before The Supremes and The Temptations released it in 1969. This version of the Kenny Gamble/Jerry Ross tune reached #2 on the US Hot 100 chart; it might have gone to #1 if it hadn’t been in competition with Marvin Gaye’s hit “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.” Nonetheless, the single went platinum.

Detroit’s legendary Funk Brothers and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra combined forces to produce a lush backdrop for the vocalists. G major is in effect for the intro and the verse, but the chorus shifts to Bb major (for the first time at 0:50). At 1:09, the next verse reverts to G major and the pattern continues.

History Is Made at Night (from “Smash”)

With the announcement yesterday that the cast of the 2011 NBC drama, Smash, will reunite on May 20 to present a stream of the one-night-only 2015 Broadway concert of the musical within the show, today we feature a song from the show, “History is Made At Night,” written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman and featuring Will Chase and Megan Hilty. Key change at 3:05.

Steel Pulse | Ravers

AllMusic notes that “Steel Pulse are one of Britain’s greatest reggae bands. Generally a politically minded Rastafarian outfit, it started out playing authentic roots reggae with touches of jazz and Latin music and earned a substantial audience among U.K. punks as well as reggae loyalists.”

From AllMusic’s review of “Ravers” (1978): “…for all its debt to the Jamaican dancehalls, the Birmingham bandmembers don’t so much emulate the current island craze as bend it to their own will…set(ting) the stage with (a) flurried tattoo of militant beats and percussion…only partially soften(ed) with a pulsing bassline. One of the many highlights of Steel Pulse‘s True Democracy album.”

A brief bridge from 2:20 – 2:32 shifts the key from G major to Bb major. As the verses continue to the end, the percussion becomes increasingly free, adding unexpected kicks and tumbling triplets over the otherwise classic reggae feel.

Many thanks to regular contributor JB for submitting this track!

God Save the City (from “Dementos”)

In the late 1970’s, Robert I. Rubinsky (conceiver/lyricist) and Marc Shaiman (composer) wrote a musical called DEMENTOS that looked compassionately at the NYC street scene, the homeless, and the marginalized. The finale was a song called “God Save The City.”

Video designer Eric Marciano has created this moving video accompanying Jenifer Lewis’ striking vocal, with background vocals by Capathia Jenkins, Shayna Steele, Jason Paige, and Billy Porter, from a live recording of an AIDS benefit in NYC in 1995. Now, it’s a message of gratitude to those on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tireless workers around the world doing their best to help us through. Key changes at 2:02 and 2:18.

Ben Bram + Quartet | Smile

Written by comedian Charlie Chaplin for his film Modern Times (1936), lyrics were added to “Smile” in 1954. The tune has been covered by many artists, including Nat “King” Cole and Sammy Davis Jr. Perhaps the most iconic of these performances was by Judy Garland on the Ed Sullivan Show (1965).

According to his website, arranger Ben Bram is “a two-time Grammy Award winning vocal arranger, producer, and engineer” who has worked with a capella powerhouse Pentatonix, and productions including “Pitch Perfect, The Sing-Off, and Glee, providing expertise as an arranger, coach, vocal producer, on-set music director, and studio vocalist.”

Here, Bram and his SATB a cappella quartet present his stunning arrangement of Chaplin’s classic tune. Unexpected 3/4 sections take center stage at 1:34 – 1:50 and 3:15 – 3:40 and a beautiful modulation hits at 1:48. But the stars of this performance are the often super-close voicings, the effortless passing of the melody from part to part, and the quartet’s gorgeous blend and balance.