1970s

The Commodores | Too Hot ta Trot

“It would have been hard for any group to release a more appropriately-titled single in late 1977 than the Commodores did with ‘Too Hot Ta Trot.'” (UDiscoverMusic). “After an appropriate period of dues-paying, the Alabama collective were now in the form of their lives. Two of the Motown group’s previous four singles, ‘Easy’ and ‘Just to Be Close To You,’ had topped the Billboard R&B charts. With Lionel Richie’s ballads as a counterpoint to their funk origins, they were masters of any tempo. The irresistible ballad ‘Easy’ had been followed by another Top 5 hit in both soul and pop formats with the slinky ‘Brick House,’ and now came another winning floor-filler.

In the group’s democratic way, the songwriting credit for “Too Hot Ta Trot” went to them all, listing Richie, Milan Williams, Ronald LaPread, Thomas McClary, Walter “Clyde” Orange and William King. It originated as the closing studio cut on their then-new Live! set, which was predicted by Billboard to be a “hot holiday item with both pop and soul crowds.” It entered Hot Soul Singles at a bold #51 on the December 24, 1977 chart, and rose swiftly to spend a week at the top of that countdown in February 1978. The Commodores had their fourth R&B #1, with another around the corner in ‘Three Times a Lady,’ and another again in 1979 with ‘Still.’ With disco fever at its height, ‘Too Hot Ta Trot’ was a natural for the soundtrack of the movie Thank God It’s Friday, which appeared the following spring.”

From 1:03 – 1:20, E major flips over into its C# relative minor for a brief section (not sure what to call it, as the song’s form is a little bit atypical!). The section is repeated later in the form.

Michael Jackson | I Wanna Be Where You Are

“While most Michael Jackson fans are busy listening to The King of Pop’s most renowned albums, Off The Wall, Thriller, Bad, and Dangerous, I find great pleasure in listening to his 1972 debut solo release, Got to Be There,” (Subjective Sounds) … “it’s an exceptional album and, in the context of his continued evolution towards superstardom, has become somewhat of an underrated and forgotten release.

Yes, everyone is aware of Jackson’s earlier recordings, particularly as the frontman of the Jackson 5, but this solo outing is a world-class record with a collection of 10 timeless tunes … The production, songwriting, and artistry are exactly what one would expect from Motown during the era … it’s Jackson’s impressive vocal delivery that makes this timeless album a hidden gem, (as) he was no longer sharing the limelight with his brothers. Jackson was only 13 at the time of recording … but it’s the Motown spit and polish that is so compelling … Berry Gordy and the team at Motown played a core role in Jackson becoming the King of Pop.”

There aren’t many moments when Motown and the Baroque era of classical music overlap, but the brief solo harpsichord intro of “I Wanna Be Where You Are” qualifies. The balance of the intro leading up to the verse at 0:14 features lush instrumentation, including a tight string section. The verse straddles the relative major/minor border, starting in B minor (can it be I stayed away too long) and ending in D major (did I leave your mind while I was gone). The major section takes up the most real estate, resting on the D major chord at the end of the phrase (with flute filigree touching on the major seventh degree of the chord.) At 0:32, the pre-chorus stands ten toes down on the minor side of the line, strings and harpsichord pegging the 16th-note intensity meter. But then we return with verse 2 at 0:51, progressing straight into the B minor chorus at 1:09, where the strings are newly liberated to deliver a syncopated yet lyrical countermelody. 1:28 brings another pre-chorus, again resting on a bed of relentless 16ths.

Via what might have been the biggest compound chord of the 1970s (1:45) leading into an instrumental verse with a flute feature, we drop into the new keys (C minor and Eb major). 2:06 brings a chorus in the new key, with Michael singing even higher (repeatedly topping out at a G5) all the way to the faded ending. All of this complexity is packed into less than three minutes! The co-writers were Arthur “T-Boy” Ross and Leon Ware; the track went to #7 on the Cash Box chart, #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart, and #2 on the Billboard R&B singles chart in 1972.

Barry Manilow | Daybreak

“Daybreak” (1977) is “… one of a few Manilow songs co-written by Adrienne Anderson. This track has the happiness of a new day beginning, with lyrics of peace and excitement,” (LanceWrites). “Its upbeat feel became a bigger hit for Barry at his live shows (the song only hit #23 on the U.S. charts, and #7 on the AC charts). Encouraging people to stop running around the rat race of life and just experience life’s simple things by singing to the world of being positive and full of love, which is still relevant today. Let the sun come through the clouds, is a theme that several of his songs have, encouraging people to go through their struggles and storms with a positive attitude.”

Released at the heart of Manilow’s legendary late-70s run, the track initially appeared on his 1976 studio album This One’s For You. Starting in D major, the tune shifts to Eb major at 1:09, making use of a catchy I-v progression as soon as the verse begins. Although the beginning of the end is at 1:54 — only the halfway point! — a late outro/tag adds another layer of “the end is near” with a shift to G major at 3:26. If a single tune were chosen to telegraph that Manilow was destined for eventual Vegas residencies, it’s this one!

The Intruders | I’ll Always Love My Mama

“Legendary Philadelphia soul producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff weren’t above making novelty records, and they were transparent about their desire to write timeless songs by pegging them to timeless events, like Mother’s Day,” (AVClub). “The Intruders’ ‘I’ll Always Love My Mama,’ from the 1973 album Save The Children, grew out of Gamble and Huff’s special-occasions initiative and is its most enduring artifact. ‘Mama’ is part of a grand tradition in R&B music that continues to this day: songs honoring black (and implicitly single) mothers for toiling thanklessly to provide for their children. (There are also soul tributes to dads, like The Winstons’ ‘Color Him Father,’ but they’re as comparatively limited as Father’s Day greeting cards are to Mother’s Day cards.)

Tributes to Mama are invariably touching, but they’re almost never fun. Reportedly inspired by Gamble’s mother Ruby, The Intruders’ sweet and heartwarming ode is also a rousing, rollicking funk tune with bright instrumentation and an infectious melody. The song honors Mama’s hard work and sacrifice — ‘The way she used to clean somebody else’s house just to buy me a new pair shoes’ — but it doesn’t sacrifice joy in favor of solemnity. It’s a great song to play on Mother’s Day, especially if your mama loves to dance … “

The track starts with an extended intro in a somewhat detuned C# major, featuring a luxuriously dense instrumentation and wordless backing vocals. The tune then suddenly falls into the very different territory of its sing-along A major chorus at 0:44 rather than leading off the lyrics with a verse. The keys alternate from there.

Gino Vannelli | The River Must Flow

After releasing some commercially disappointing albums which dug deeply into the prog world, Gino Vannelli “(the ‘Canadian Elvis’) and his brother Joe realized that their most favorable chance for gaining wider recognition rested in their emphasizing the more accessible, jazz-influenced R&B side of their sound, even if it meant alienating young fans who preferred their progressive rock angle,” (Jazz Music Archives). “The result was the platinum-selling Brother to Brother (1978).” The album featured one of Vannelli’s signature tunes, the breakthrough global hit “I Just Wanna Stop.”

The album “faithfully adhered to the high standards of aural fidelity that made his first five albums stand out from the herd, the musicianship is impeccable, and Joe’s continued insistence on utilizing every innovation in the field of synthesizers and keyboards … hadn’t waned one iota. Fortunately they didn’t abandon their love and respect for jazz when they jettisoned most of their prog wardrobe

… ‘The River Must Flow’ has a rhythmic contemporary pop groove that’s brightly peppered with lively percussion outbursts courtesy of Manuel Badrena, and Carlos Rios turns in another aggressive, jazzy guitar ride.” The track begins in Bb minor, shifting to Bb mixolydian as the chorus hits at 0:50. At 1:33, the tail end of the chorus serves as an intro to the next verse, reverting to Bb minor. The two keys continue to alternate from there.

Alice Cooper | Under My Wheels

” … Chuck Eddy, the perceptive and witty rock critic, wrote the brilliant, hilarious … Stairway to Hell: The 500 Best Heavy Metal Albums in the Universe. In said book Eddy puts Alice Cooper’s Greatest Hits at #3 on his list,” (The Vinyl District). “That’s right, #3, right below Led Zeppelin IV and Appetite for Destruction.

… Alice Cooper’s Greatest Hits, while far from perfect, lets you in on what all the excitement was about. When too many other rock bands were ‘going pro’ or jamming their live audiences into a coma, Alice Cooper was providing rock solid rock ’n’ roll thrills and chills worth every penny of your entertainment dollar. I can only compare them to Iggy and the Stooges, and how many people actually saw Iggy and the Stooges? … Alice Cooper served up ersatz madness to the masses, and everybody walked away happy. Was Alice Cooper’s Greatest Hits the best album to come out of the ’70s? Probably not. But I’ll be damned if it isn’t the best album Alice Cooper ever put out, and I have a hard time thinking of an album from 1970-79 that’s more fun.

… ‘Under My Wheels’ is an old school rave-up and comes complete with sleazy horn blurt and the guitar of ax-slinger Rick Derringer … ” The track starts in A major, but shifts up to Bb major (complete with a groove-pausing leap) at 1:44. Our frequent contributor JB adds that despite the resemblance, “Under My Wheels” was released “years before Rocky Horror‘s ‘Let’s Do the Time Warp Again.'”

Almond Joy + Mounds Jingle | Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut

“If a commercial comes up on TV and it involves a candy bar and a tropical island, you can quickly guess that it’s an ad for Almond Joy or Mounds,” (The Daily Meal). “Since 2010, the coconut-filled chocolate candy brand has leaned on the island vacation theme for advertising its products, with commercials featuring the tagline ‘Unwrap Paradise’ and more recently, ‘Almond Joy is Tropi-Calling.’ In the background of these commercials you can also hear calypso music playing, but what some people fail to realize is that it’s actually to the tune of Almond Joy’s original slogan and jingle.

Nowadays the jingle is instrumental, but in commercials pre-dating 2010, the lyrics ‘Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t’ were also sung. In a throwback of sorts, Almond Joy and Mounds released a 2021 commercial featuring the full song, and judging by the comments on YouTube, the older slogan is much more iconic, at least among the candy brand’s older fans.” The pre-2010 ads “would usually showcase different types of ‘nutty’ behavior, such as riding a horse backwards or flying a plane upside down. This concept was first introduced to TV in 1977, but the jingle and slogan was actually written seven years prior when Peter Paul Candy Company, the manufacturer of Almond Joy and Mounds, hired American composer Leon Carr … in 2003, the lyric ‘Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t’ was inducted into the Advertising Slogan Hall of Fame for the success it brought to the company.”

You’d think that a sprightly ad jingle clocking in at only 30 seconds wouldn’t need extra gas in the tank. But the Almond Joy/Mounds spot manages it, with a half-step upward shift in key at the 0:16 mark. Many thanks to our regular contributor Rob P. for sending in this sweet little tune!

Twennynine (feat. Lenny White) | Morning Sunrise

“Lenny White was 20 years old when he appeared on Miles Davis’ breakthrough fusion album, Bitches Brew,” (Progrography). “Yet it was in a different setting with Chick Corea, Return to Forever, where White would make his greatest impact as the drummer in RTF’s classic quartet lineup alongside Stanley Clarke and Al DiMeola. In the 70s, White released a steady flow of solo albums and brought his distinctively crisp drumming (and wide-brimmed hat) to various sessions. Venusian Summer (1975) and The Adventures of Astral Pirates (1978) are highly recommended to fans of prog/fusion.

In the 80s, Lenny White formed the funk band Twennynine, which released three albums: Best of Friends (1979), Twennynine with Lenny White (1980) and Just Like Dreamin’ (1981). He also recorded a few jazz albums with his Miles Davis alums, including Echoes of An Era (1982) with vocalist Chaka Khan. In the 90s, White recorded hip-hop/funk records on the Hip Bop Essence label. He continues to release occasional albums, including Anomaly (2010).”

White’s Twennynine project is now remembered by only the most ardent fans, but it’s remembered fondly! The intro and verse of the R&B ballad “Morning Sunrise,” from the 1979 album Best of Friends, are built in A minor. The chorus shifts to D major at 0:55. At 1:22, the cycle repeats. Many thanks to our Brazilian contributor Julianna A. for this submission!

Eric Clapton | Let It Rain

“Eric Clapton was such a reluctant recipient of the solo spotlight in the early 1970s that he hid behind a different band name at least some of the time,” (UDiscoverMusic). “But after Derek and the Dominos’ ‘Layla’ had belatedly become a Top 10 US hit on Atco in August 1972, Polydor hoped to keep the momentum going by returning to Eric’s self-titled debut solo album of two years before.

The result was the release of his soft-rock co-write with Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett, ‘Let It Rain,’ as a US single. It was a new entry on the Billboard Hot 100 for September 23, 1972. The track entered at #80 … The song stuttered up to halfway on the Hot 100, most weeks without the “bullet” that signified major sales or airplay increases, and stopped at #48 in the chart for the first week of December. Clapton wouldn’t make the Top 10 as a solo artist again until 1974, but when he did, he went all the way to No.1, with ‘I Shot the Sheriff.’”

After an intro in A mixolydian, 0:15 brings a verse in D mixolydian. 1:17 features a return of the intro material, this time as an interlude. The sections continue to alternate from there.

Gary Wright | Love is Alive

“Gary Wright released the second single from his 1976 album The Dream Weaver, a song which hasn’t gotten nearly as much love from radio as the album’s title track,” (Rhino.com). “Maybe that’s because of all the exposure that ‘Dream Weaver’ got from its usage in Wayne’s World, (but) both songs hit the same spot on the Billboard Hot 100.

What those who weren’t around at the time often forget, however, is that ‘Love is Alive’ – which was both written and produced by Wright – was actually the first single released from The Dream Weaver … and it was a big ol’ flop. It just absolutely stiffed. But after ‘Dream Weaver’ came out and took the charts by storm, Warner Brothers reissued ‘Love Is Alive,’ and – like ‘Dream Weaver’ – it made it all the way to #2! … It also managed to make a very brief appearance on the R&B Singles chart, hitting #98 before falling back off. Not what you’d call a dramatic showing, but it’s still something that “Dream Weaver” never managed!”

The verse is built in F minor, with a prominent mischievous trill between the flat third and major third degrees of the tonic chord while the bass line sticks clearly to F minor. The chorus (first heard between 0:49 and 1:08) shifts to F major.