Mark Shilansky + Fugue Mill | Ordinary World

After becoming Exhibit A for chart-topping synth-pop blockbusters in the early 80s, Duran Duran scored an uncharacteristically understated hit in 1993 with the ballad “Ordinary World.”

Boston-based pianist/bandleader/educator Mark Shilansky and his band Fugue Mill have thoroughly re-harmonized and restructured the tune with their 2014 cover, stacking verse after verse.

Finally, the single extended chorus arrives (at 3:33) with cascading modulations nowhere to be heard in the original.

Five Stairsteps | O-o-h Child

Q: What do Lisa Loeb, The Spinners, Trey Anastasio, and Milton Nascimento have in common?

A: They’ve all covered the classic R&B tune by the Five Stairsteps, “O-o-h Child.”

Not content to wait for a bridge or a last verse, this 1970 release features modulations starting almost right out of the gate (0:38, between the first verse and the first chorus). The track hit top 10 status in both the US and Canada.

Reba McEntire + Kelly Clarkson | Does He Love You

Today we feature Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson singing “Does He Love You” (2002) with a modulation around 4:49. The track won a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Collaboration back in 1994. This audience knows what’s going down, since they applaud right when the key change happens!

Doobie Brothers | What a Fool Believes

Harmonically, this 1979 tune is such a feast that after several decades of casually listening to it, I never caught on that it actually modulates too. In fact, multiple times: on the way out of the pre-chorus and into the chorus (first heard at 1:17) and then back to the original key (first heard at 1:50), then a second time.

Co-written by Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins, the track hit #1 in the US — one of only a handful of non-disco releases to do so in the first half of 1979.