Tag: 1970s

Stevie Wonder | Golden Lady

Stevie Wonder‘s “Golden Lady” was featured on his 1973 album Innervisions. Influenced by the Cuban montuno style, the track is quintessential Wonder, with a syncopated melody and unexpected half-step harmonic resolutions. The verses are in Eb major, contrasted with the chorus in G minor. At 3:30, the chorus is repeated and raised a half step each time.

Emmylou Harris | Bluebird Wine

A guest contribution from our Twitter follower Richard Alan Searle (@richardalansear):

“‘Bluebird Wine’ kicks off Emmylou Harris’s 1975 album Pieces of the Sky. The song was written by Rodney Crowell, who went on to become a member of Harris’s band and a long-time collaborator.

The tune’s harmony could hardly be simpler. The verse chugs along over C major, then breaks out in a chorus which alternates F major and C. The magic happens at the end of the second chorus: Emmylou and her backing singers extend and embellish the final line ‘drunk on bluebird wine,’ and the last syllable lands on a Bb major chord over a held C in the bass (2:11). Immediately, the voices begin to slide the whole Bb chord up to the home key of C for a satisfying ending…

…except they don’t stop when they hit C. They pass though it and keep going up until they hit D, at which point the band joins them for a coda in the new key of D (2:15). For added surprise value, the modulation takes place over the course of three bars, breaking the song’s pattern of four-bar phrases.”

The Eagles | New Kid In Town

Boston-based pianist and music professor Mark Shilansky has submitted “New Kid In Town,” a textbook example of The Eagles’ country-tinged rock sound. The lead single from the smash hit album Hotel California (1976), the track went to #1 in the US and #20 in the UK.

Rolling Stone‘s “Eagles: The Ultimate Guide” quotes vocalist/drummer Don Henley’s description of the tune: “It’s about the fleeting, fickle nature of love and romance. It’s also about the fleeting nature of fame, especially in the music business. We were basically saying, ‘Look, we know we’re red hot right now, but we also know that somebody’s going to come along and replace us — both in music and in love.'” The version featured here is from the band’s 2004 “Farewell” tour.

Mark reports: “The modulation is SO killer: From E major to G major during the bridge, then back down to E after the final chorus — but it feels like a lift! Amazing. I’m going to start using it in my Ear Training 4 class.”

The Raspberries | Go All the Way

AllMusic’s bio of The Raspberries describes the Cleveland, OH-based band as running counter to the “epic pretensions and pomposity of ’70s-era rock to proudly reclaim the spirit and simplicity of classic pop, recalling the heyday of the British Invasion with their exquisitely crafted melodies and achingly gorgeous harmonies.” The vocalist and songwriter, Eric Carmen, also pursued a prominent solo career.

The 1972 single “Go All the Way” has a rich harmonic vocabulary from top to bottom. The first modulation hits after the guitar-driven intro as the verse starts (0:29), shifting from A major to C major. Many thanks to inveterate contributor JB for this submission.

Beautiful City (from “Godspell”)

“Beautiful City” is from Stephen Schwartz‘s musical Godspell, which opened in 1971 Off-Broadway, moving to Broadway in 1976. This song was originally written for the 1973 movie, and has since been inserted in the show in various locations, in both uptempo and ballad styles. The track seamlessly and beautifully alternates between Gb Major in the verses and Eb Major in the chorus, before an unexpected shift to D Major right at the end. Performed here by Hunter Parrish from the 2011 Broadway revival cast; key changes are at 0:47, 1:17, 1:52, 2:22, 2:45, and 3:11.

Ronnie Laws | Always There

Saxophonist Ronnie Laws, the younger brother of flutist Hubert Laws, started his career in the band of trumpeter Hugh Masekela. In 1972, Laws joined R+B/funk legends Earth, Wind + Fire and played on their album Last Days and Time before moving on to his solo career.

During 1975, Laws teamed up with jazz trumpeter Donald Byrd, known as one of the only jazz musicians from the Bebop era who also explored funk and soul while remaining primarily in the jazz genre. According to AllAboutJazz.com, with Byrd’s assistance, Laws “soon signed his first recording contract with Blue Note records, resulting in the impressive debut album Pressure Sensitive (1975)…The release rapidly emerged to become the longest-selling album,” to date, in the 42-year history of the storied record label, reaching #25 on the Billboard Soul chart and gaining extraordinarily broad rotation across R&B, Soul, Jazz, and Rock radio stations.

The track is built around slightly off-kilter tuning, but it’s closest to F# minor. What’s definitely clear is the bridge’s departure from the regular key, as well as from the otherwise all-pervasive groove, from 3:01 – 3:28.

Cat Stevens | King of Trees

Cat Stevens​’ “King of Trees” is from his 1974 album Buddha and the Chocolate Box, whose focus AllMusic​ describes as “the spiritual nature of his creative quest…the songs littered with religious imagery.” In 1977, Stevens rejected his pervasive music stardom, changed his name to Yusuf Islam​, converted to Islam, and later questioned whether music has a role whatsoever in that religion. During the 1990s, Yusuf returned to songwriting and performing.

An impassioned plea for full recognition of humanity’s inextricable connection with nature, the tune begins with church-like pipe organ and choral flourishes but then shifts to the rich contemporary instrumentation for which Stevens’ music is well known. Primarily in C major, there’s a modulation to Eb at the bridge at 2:28 and a few quick pivots before returning to C major at 2:59.

Cheryl Lynn | Got to Be Real

One of the all-time legends of the disco genre, 1978’s “Got To Be Real” was Cheryl Lynn‘s debut single. Although it’s had huge staying power, the track somehow only reached #11 on the disco charts. A writing collaboration among Lynn, Toto‘s keyboardist David Paich, and master songwriter/arranger David Foster, the tune was inducted into the Dance Music Hall Of Fame in 2005.

The whole-step key change hits early, at the 1:38 mark. But Lynn’s supple soprano continues to carry her through with ease, stretching all the way up to a lofty C6 (two octaves above middle C) at 2:58.

Many thanks to MotD regular Rob Penttinen for the submission!

The Tubes | What Do You Want From Life

Here’s one of the singles from The Tubes self-titled 1975 debut album, “What Do You Want From Life?” The track received sustained airplay, likely due to what AllMusic calls the band’s “offbeat pop splendor.” Frequent contributor JB describes the track’s iconic spoken-word outro as a “tour-de-force gameshow voice-over … one of the most scathing bits of social satire in all of pop music.”

Starting in C minor, an early bridge (1:03 – 1:39) takes us through several pivots and pushes up briefly into D minor before falling back into Db minor for the balance of the tune.