During the summer of 1981, Rick Springfield‘s power pop hit “Jessie’s Girl” completed its climb up the charts, finally hitting #1 in August — six months after its release and just as MTV hit the airwaves. Song of the summer? An understatement.
The bridge, starting at 1:39, transitions with a direct modulation to an instrumental section at 2:00, changing back to the original key at 2:14.
Before his solo fame, Lionel Richie scored several big hits with The Commodores, including “Easy” (1977). The tune nears its end with a classic direct modulation at 3:44.
Thomas Dolby is best known for his early-80s New Wave megahit “She Blinded Me with Science.” The UK artist’s 1992 release Astronauts & Heretics featured “Cruel,” a track built around some very mysterious harmonies and Matthew Seligman‘s enigmatic fretless bass.
The main melodic fragment is stated with the first verse, by 0:06 (“Cruel … what a thing to do…”). Later, a beautifully syncopated contrasting passage by guest vocalist Eddi Reader, essentially a chorus, starts at 0:31. By 1:04, we’re at the second verse, but one-half step lower than the first. Eddi’s section, as it repeats (1:35), is also a half-step lower this time. The tune ends on a sustained Dmin7, a full step below where it began. Throughout, the largely stepwise melodies rest on a bed of off-kilter progressions and unusual inversions. It’s as if the modulations were written so that they wouldn’t stand out.
Any theory wonks care to chart this one out?
UPDATE, 6/14/21:
Dolby responded today to a post I made awhile back on a thread about this tune, featured on a Facebook group which he and his staff run. Fascinating!
Here’s an uplifting Yolanda Adams track, “Never Give Up” (2001), with key changes at 2:31 as well as into the bridge at 3:24.
Far removed in time from his early hits, 1997’s Hourglass was a James Taylor album home to wonderfully woven stories, increasingly complex harmonies, and multi-layered textures. The artist described the collection as “spirituals for agnostics.”
“Enough to Be On Your Way,” reported to have been written in the wake of the death of Taylor’s brother Alex, is quietly stunning even before the modulation — but JT adds a key change to the mix at 4:35. The track features cello by Yo-Yo Ma.
What better way to start off the week than with some Babs? This 2016 release features a stunning vocal throughout, and such a great song. Modulation at 3:25. Enjoy!
In honor of his 70th birthday today, here’s “Parallel Lines,” a 1989 release from Todd Rundgren‘s album Nearly Human. The huge band was a complete departure from Rundgren’s history of standard 4-piece rock ensembles. Bridge at 2:21, modulation at 3:10.
Brazilian chanteuse Vanessa da Mata, the winner of several Latin GRAMMYs, produced the track “Longe Demais” (too far away) in 2002. This laid-back tune features direct modulations at 1:01, 1:43, and 2:43.
The 1970s post-punk UK songwriting scene brought to light many dynamic songwriters and performers — including Elvis Costello and Dave Edmunds. The original version of “Girls Talk,” written in 1979 by Costello, clocked in at only two minutes in length, as bare-bones as could be. Edmunds’ cover version, released the same year, added plenty of new features, including a fuller sound and three modulations: the first at the end of the intro (0:11); the second for the duration of an instrumental verse (2:07); and third, returning to the main key at the end of that verse (2:22).
Stacked with compound chords from its very first measure, “Street Life” (vocalist Randy Crawford, along with The Crusaders, featuring Joe Sample) was one of the most harmonically rich hits of the Disco area (1979). Modulating up a half-step at 1:33, the compound chords hit again around the 2:00 mark, dropping us back into the original key — and then up again at 3:32. The track made a strong appearance on the US pop, soul, and disco charts and hit #5 on the UK pop charts.
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