From MotD member Rob Penttinen, who happened across this modulation while casually listening to the radio as he did housework(!)
The hit Michael Jackson 1979 release Off the Wall, featuring the smash hit single “Rock With You,” was produced by the legendary Quincy Jones. The 4-on-the floor groove was the sound of the clearly waning phase of Disco. Key change at 2:32.
The Spinners‘ 1975 R&B release “Games People Play” begins with deceptive simplicity. But then a long line of compound chords starts at 0:41, joined by a descending chromatic bassline at 0:54. We return to the original key as we reach verse 2 at 1:05 … Etc.! There’s no single prominent modulation, but rather a feeling of pivoting easily and frequently between keys.
The Doobie Brothers‘ longstanding rock/folk/Americana sound expanded suddenly when the soul-infused songwriter Michael McDonald joined their lineup. 1978’s “Minute by Minute” features crazy amounts of syncopation, long instrumental-only breaks, and a modulation up two full steps as the bridge arrives at 2:28. The tune hit #14 on the pop charts, helping the album it appeared on to reach #1.
“Yacht Rock” royalty, Player’s polished southern California sound was all over the charts in the late 70s. Multiple lead vocalists, complex chords, and tight vocal harmonies were some of the band’s hallmarks.
For “Baby Come Back,” the band’s smash 1977 hit, the modulation lasts for the duration of the bridge (2:23 – 2:48) before reverting to its original key.
Among the top hits for legendary songwriting team Burt Bacharach and lyricist Hal David, 1970’s “One Less Bell to Answer” helped to cement the career of The Fifth Dimension.
Starting with Bacharach’s trademark torch song melancholy in the first verse, a more hopeful tone is reflected in the long bridge, which starts with a modulation at 1:07. An instrumental verse, beginning at 1:43, returns to the original key.
A classic Steely Dan track from 1974, “Any Major Dude Will Tell You” is among the shortest and most harmonically straightforward tunes in the band’s catalog. But 1:51 brings us to a modulation, then a quick return to the original key at the instrumental verse (2:03.)
Another harmonically lush track by the Philly Soul gurus The Stylistics. “Stop, Look, Listen” (1971) packs so much into a hit song of less than three minutes’ length — including a few time signature shifts, plenty of orchestral instrumentation, and an uncharacteristically simple direct modulation at 2:21.
This 1979 release by Kenny Loggins, with co-writing, keyboards, and back-up vocals by Michael McDonald, features the harmonic complexity for which both artists are known. The bridge starts at 2:43, shows signs of a big change on the way at 2:57, and wraps up at 3:06 as the modulation hits.
According to Loggins, the melodic and harmonic ideas for the tune were finished long before the lyrics. The songwriting team had initially focused on a crossroads moment in a troubled romantic relationship. But the topic shifted to an adult son encouraging his ailing elderly father to fight hard for his health in the face of a worsening medical condition — a slice from Loggins’ own life. An unlikely hit, for sure, but it reached #11 and won a Grammy.
Barry Manilow makes his MotD debut with his 1974 hit “Mandy,” with a vintage music video to boot! The track was a #1 hit and cemented his career as a performer. Modulation at 2:40.
1977 saw a bouncy, harmonically restless pop hit by British band 10cc, “The Things We Do for Love.” The instrumental intro starts in key A; verse 1 modulates at 0:19 into Key B; another key change at the intro to verse 2 reverts back to Key A (1:15); another at the bridge (which could also be heard as an instrumental verse) into key B at 1:38; back to Key A at 2:16; and finally back to key B at 2:34.
modulationoftheday.home.blog 