“Perfect Illusion,” a 2016 dance release by Lady Gaga, reached #15 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #1 in France, Finland, and Greece. It also achieved a top 10 ranking in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Scotland, and Slovakia. The Verge likened the song to “Bad Romance” but with the “extra adrenaline shot of a big stadium rock song and some twinkly, vaguely creepy ’80s synthesizers.” The whole-step modulation is at 1:50.
Robert John | Sad Eyes
1979 saw the release of the soft rock tune “Sad Eyes,” written and performed by Robert John. It topped the US pop charts and went top 10 on the US Adult Contemporary, Australian pop, and Canadian pop charts. The track was one of only a handful of non-disco tunes to hit #1 on the pop charts that year as the disco mega-trend started to wind down.
Starting off gently in breakup anthem mode, the song jumps into overdrive as John revs up his striking falsetto at 3:32, preparing for a whole-step modulation at 3:36.
Stevie Wonder | Sweetest Somebody I Know
Stevie Wonder‘s “Sweetest Somebody I Know” is from his 2005 album A Time to Love. From AllMusic’s album review: “Many of these songs, save for their warm and polished digital production values, could have easily found a home in Talking Book, Music of My Mind, or any of the other albums for which Wonder will forever be praised. In an age when the majority of R&B is about money, drugs, infidelity, or getting it on, Wonder‘s lyrics (especially during the love songs) recall the simplicity and innocence of early Motown without sounding trite.” The key change is at 3:01.
Hank Snow | I’ve Been Everywhere
“I’ve Been Everywhere” is a song which was originally made popular upon its initial Australian releases (with Aussie place names) in 1959 and 1962. In 1962, the song was also a #1 US country hit by Hank Snow — with multiple half-step modulations at 1:12, 1:37, and 2:03.
More recently, Johnny Cash had another country hit with the tune in 1996, with several TV ad placements; the video is posted second. However, Cash’s version has no modulations.
Jonathan Coulton | NDA
Weekend bonus: No pure modulations here, but plenty of fun shifting through key(s) of the moment. Software guy Jonathan Coulton became a full-time singer/songwriter in the mid-2000s, releasing several albums since. Recently, he was commissioned to write a series of Schoolhouse Rock!-style short songs for the TV series The Good Fight — detail-packed miniature musical explainers of legal and political terminology.
“NDA,” which describes the ins and outs of Non-Disclosure Agreements, features verses which are solidly in G Major. But the choruses (first at 0:10!) and bridge (0:27 – 0:41) cycle briefly through other keys.
Steely Dan | Haitian Divorce
Frequent contributor JB has submitted yet another mod: The Royal Scam, Steely Dan‘s 1976 release, which achieved gold status and reached #15 on the album charts. Hearkening back to the mid-century era when Americans traveled to tropical locations for relatively quick divorces (which required a brief residency by one half of the couple), “Haitian Divorce” showcases the band’s colorful, cynical lyrics at their best.
Ultimate Classic Rock reports that the reggae-infused tune was “reportedly inspired by a recording engineer who asked for time off to fly to the Caribbean nation and obtain a quickie marriage annulment. Intrigued, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker asked for details on his return…” The E major verse transitions to E minor for the chorus at 0:46, then reverting to major at 1:15, etc.
Joey Scarbury | Believe It or Not
“Believe It or Not,” performed here by Joey Scarbury, was the theme song for the 1980s TV show The Greatest American Hero, and was also a Billboard Top 40 hit. Direct whole step modulation at 2:24.
Garbage | Cup of Coffee
In a catalog replete with minor key paeans to misery, Garbage’s “Cup of Coffee” (2001) might be Exhibit A.
The Guardian calls Garbage’s sound “mongrel pop…(a) smelting-pot studio project cooked up from industrial remix sensibilities.” The focus on production and varying textures is certainly in the forefront here. The repeating triple eighth-note pattern which starts the tune continues throughout the relative hush of the verses — forming an uneven ground in combination with the 4/4 meter. Vocalist Shirley Manson unflinchingly increases the volume, intensity, and narrative on the choruses.
Starting in F# minor, the tune modulates up a whole step at 2:52 — uncharacteristically, during one of the song’s lowest-energy sections. This reverent fan-made video is patched together from various clips, but certainly captures the mood.
Voctave | Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Voctave has released a new album entitled Somewhere There’s Music featuring this arrangement “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” the track below. Modulation at 1:47, but do yourself the favor of listening to the whole thing.
The Ventures | Perfidia
Another contribution from MotD fan Paul Steckler:
“Who can turn a dolorous Mexican popular song into a surf guitar classic? Why, The Ventures, of course. Their 1960 version of “Perfidia” (Spanish for “perfidy”, meaning faithlessness, treachery or betrayal) changes key at 1:07.”
Other than the Ventures’ version, which hit #18 on the pop charts, the tune has been covered by Desi Arnaz, Nat King Cole, and Linda Ronstadt, among many others.
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