1968 saw a distinctive cover of The Beatles‘ “The Fool on the Hill” by Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66. Like the original, the tune modulates from major to minor as the verse shifts to the chorus (here at 0:47) and back again (1:03).
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Mendes was enamored of the tune and thought “‘Wow, I think I can do a totally different arrangement.’ He said Paul McCartney later wrote him a letter to thank him for his version of the song.”
“Can’t Help Falling In Love With You” is featured in the 2005 Elvis jukebox musical All Shook Up. Most every cover of this song (and the original, released in 1961) includes a key change or two, but this one at 1:42 is particularly dramatic.
Wrapping up Beach Boys week is “Fun, Fun, Fun,” a 1964 single by The Beach Boys which features a guitar riff during the opening inspired by Chuck Berry’s iconic “Johnny B. Goode”. The track hit #5 in the US, #5 in Australia, and #8 in New Zealand.
The tune modulates at 1:51. Many thanks to frequent contributor JB for this submission and so many others!
Continuing with Beach Boys week: “Be True to Your School,” by Brian Wilson and Mike Love of The Beach Boys, was released in 1963. The melody of the University of Wisconsin fight song, “On, Wisconsin,” can be heard on the track. There was also single version, which was released with “In My Room”. The tune peaked at #6 on the Billboard charts, but also #3 in New Zealand, #6 in Sweden, and #10 Australia. However, the single performed best back home in Los Angeles: three weeks at #1, according to airplay on KFWB.
The key change is at 1:54, interspersed with cheerleader chants. Many thanks to Rob Penttinen for this submission!
#3 of 5 of our Beach Boys Week posts: 1964’s “Don’t Worry Baby” was the B-side of one of The Beach Boys’ all-time biggest hits, “I Get Around.” It’s part of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list, ranked #178 on The 500 Rolling Stone Magazine greatest songs, and #14 on Pitchfork‘s “200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s”.
Starting in E major, there’s a transition to F# major at the start of the chorus (0:41), then a return to E major at the start of the next verse (0:58); the other verses follow suit. Continued thanks to our guest contributor JB for this week’s tunes!
Continuing with Beach Boys week: AllMusic refers to The Beach Boys‘ “That’s Not Me” as “the closest thing to a conventional rocker” on the experimental Pet Sounds album (1966). According to Jim DeRogatis, author of “Turn on Your Mind,” it’s a work “influenced by psychedelic drugs that inspired Brian Wilson to turn his attention inward and probe his deep-seated self-doubts.”
Starting in A major, the tune has multiple modulations, starting at 0:34. Plenty of compound chords and inversions add to the overall harmonic richness. Thanks again to frequent contributor JB for submitting this tune!
Because frequent contributor JB has sent in over a dozen tunes by this classic American band over the past few weeks — and because it’s now the depths of January AND the material is a harmonic feast — we bring you a week devoted entirely to The Beach Boys!
“When I Grow Up (To Be a Man),” written and composed by Brian Wilson and Mike Love (1965), reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has a lyric written from an adolescent’s POV. According to the book “Smile: The Story of Brian Wilson’s Lost Masterpiece,” Wilson had a “fervent desire to reinvent himself as an individual, not as a boy.” The single, which is only two minutes long, modulates at 1:32.
Originally written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin in 1962, “Go Away Little Girl” was covered later that year by Steve Lawrence, and held the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks. Key change at 1:18.
“One Little Christmas Tree” is a beautiful little tune from Stevie Wonder‘s 1967 Christmas album Someday at Christmas; it features a key change at 2:14.
Originally released as a single in 1964, “Dance, Dance, Dance” was included on The Beach Boys‘ eighth studio album, The Beach Boys Today!, the following year. A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it key change occurs in the middle of the third verse at 1:16.
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