Diana Ross | It’s My Turn

“It’s My Turn” (1980), the theme song for the film of the same name, was written by Carole Bayer Sager (lyrics) and Michael Masser (music). The late 70s and early 80s saw Diana Ross‘ continued professional ascent, despite the 1977 breakup of The Supremes, the group which brought her to prominence. A major single for Ross, the tune peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, #14 on the Soul chart, and #9 on the Adult Contemporary chart. There are multiple modulations, with the first at 0:26.

To quote a friend who is definitely a Diana fan: “When has it EVER not been her turn?” 🙂

The Who | My Generation

#11 on Rolling Stone magazine’s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” list is “My Generation” by The Who. A short section of AllMusic‘s review of the 1965 release: “An explosive debut, and the hardest mod pop recorded by anyone. Pete Townshend‘s exhilarating chord crunches and guitar distortions threaten to leap off the grooves…” This classic features modulations at 1:19, 1:49 and 2:26.

Cher | The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore

Many thanks to MotD fan Paul Steckler for this contribution!

Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio, writers of many of the Four Seasons’ hits, wrote “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine (Anymore)”, originally sung by Frankie Valli, and a big international hit for the Walker Brothers in 1966. Thirty years later (1995), Cher covered it. Her version starts in F# and then alternates to G# at 1:50; then back, etc.

The Fifth Dimension | Up, Up and Away

MotD fan Ryan Sigurdson has contributed the monster worldwide hit “Up, Up and Away,” written by Jimmy Webb and released by The Fifth Dimension in 1967. The track won six major Grammy Awards and was listed #43 on Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI)‘s “100 Songs of the Century.” The modulations are too numerous to list.

Neil Sedaka | Laughter In the Rain

Neil Sedaka‘s 1975 release, “Laughter in the Rain,” is well under three minutes long — but it packs in plenty of harmonic complexity. Sedaka had a long career as a Brill Building-based songwriter (including composing “Where the Boys Are” for Connie Francis) but also found his own success as a performer.

The F major of the intro and verse transitions to Ab major at the chorus (0:36) and then back to F major for the next verse (0:57), etc. The track hit #1 in the US and Canada — and #2 in Yugoslavia!

Mike + the Mechanics | All I Need Is a Miracle

A longtime guitarist and writer for Genesis, Mike Rutherford set out on his own in the mid-80s to form Mike and the Mechanics.

“‘Most musicians make solo albums because they’re frustrated in their main band,” (The Guardian). “I think Genesis were uniquely different: we all loved being in the band but ran solo projects … I’ve never written a song like ‘Miracle’ since. I can’t think of any other song quite like it – it’s uplifting without being sugary, hopeful rather than smug. There’s a bit of sadness in there. But there are some clever key changes and it really lifts the audience.”

The Mechanics’ top 5 US hit, “All I Need is a Miracle” (1987) modulates twice, each time up a whole step, at 1:51 and 2:54.