1980s

Exposé | Let Me Be the One

“Famous for Latin-flavored dance-pop as well as for adult contemporary ballads, the female vocal trio Exposé enjoyed a great deal of commercial success in the ’80s and early ’90s,” (Qobuz.com). “Exposé was the creation of Miami-based producer/songwriter Lewis A. Martineé, who assembled the original Exposé lineup in 1984.

… Neither Arista Records nor Martineé envisioned Exposé as strictly a club act, and (the group’s 1987 debut album) Exposure received considerable attention from radio thanks to major hits ranging from the adult contemporary ballad ‘Seasons Change’ (which reached number one on Billboard’s pop singles chart) to the R&B/urban-oriented ‘Let Me Be the One,’ which went to #7. Exposure sold more than three million copies in the United States alone.”

Starting with an intro and verse in Eb minor, the synth-driven track shifts to Gb minor for its pre-chorus (0:58 – 1:16) before reverting to the original key for the chorus. The pattern continues from there.

Shalamar | A Night to Remember

“‘A Night to Remember’ was the second single from American disco group Shalamar (members are Howard Hewett, Jody Watley and Jeffrey Daniel), and their sixth studio album Friends (1982).” (StoryOfSong). “It was written by Nidra Beard from American band Dynasty, as well as Dana Meyers and Charmaine Sylvers from The Sylvers. The song is also associated with the introduction of the moonwalk dance by Shalamar member Jeffrey Daniel, when the group performed the track live on UK music show Top of the Pops in 1982.

… The music video for the track was released in 1982 … ‘A Night to Remember’ hit charts in only the UK and the USA, charting at #5 in the UK Singles chart, and #44 on the US Billboard Hot 100, #8 on the US Billboard Hot Soul Singles, and #15 on the US Billboard Dance chart.”

After a start in D minor, the tune shifts to Eb minor from the 2:02 mark to the track’s end. As for the moonwalk moment on Top of the Pops: most of the band couldn’t make it the UK, leaving Jeffrey Daniel to wow the crowd with his solo dance moves (see second video below).

Lisa Stansfield | Little Bit of Heaven

Lisa Stansfield, the northern (UK) lass with a voice that belied her appearance, was (an) integral singer-songwriter storming the charts (in 1989) with her debut album Affection … Over the years, much has been made about Stansfield’s vocals not ‘matching’ her image, whatever that means,” (Albumism). “In reality, one only has to scratch the surface to see that ‘northern’ or ‘blue-eyed’ soul actually has a long standing history in the UK … (it) ultimately began in the ‘60s with British and North American singers like Timi Yuro, The Righteous Brothers, Dusty Springfield, Kiki Dee and of course the legendary Teena Marie. All of them drew inspiration from the sounds of Motown and R&B which heavily influenced their musical style and at times, even their vocals.

Lisa Stansfield was no different. Having spoken of the heavy musical influences throughout her childhood in Northern England with the likes of Barry White (with whom she would later go on to record), Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye and of course the Queen of Soul herself, Aretha Franklin, it was inevitable that these soulful influences would permeate throughout her music … Stansfield was—and still very much is—an originator and Affection, whilst clearly having been influenced by other artists and genres, is unequivocally one of the greatest original debuts to have ever been released.”

After starting in F# major, a downward half-step shift to F major hits at 2:30, just after the launch of an alto sax feature. But at 3:18, we return upward to the original key for the balance of the tune.

Michael McDonald | Love Lies

“Born in Missouri, McDonald moved to Los Angeles in 1970 with his band Blue, worked with Steely Dan from 1975-76, and then joined the Doobie Brothers in 1975, quickly giving the band two big hits — ‘Takin’ It to the Streets’ and ‘It Keeps You Runnin’.’ He’d become the band’s dominant creative force by the time they issued the multiple Grammy Award-winner Minute by Minute in 1978,” (UltimateClassicRock). “McDonald would also collaborate on recordings by good pal Kenny Loggins, Christopher Cross (notably ‘Ride Like the Wind’), Bonnie Raitt and Toto, among others.

Yet he remained steadfastly modest. ‘I came up singing in Top 40 bands, so this was just a dream come true,’ McDonald told this writer some years ago. ‘I felt like I was a kid they pushed into a game where he didn’t really belong.’ The ‘endearing thing about Mike was his almost complete inability to recognize his own talents,’ long-time Doobie Brothers producer Ted Templeman wrote in his memoir, A Platinum Producer’s Life in Music. ‘It was charming to see such humility in a musician, and he’d preface each song by telling me, ‘Oh, this one’s nothing special’ … when in fact they were great.’ … McDonald finally found his own spotlight in August 1982 … If That’s What It Takes soared to #6 and was certified gold. ‘I Keep Forgettin” reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 … If That’s What It Takes remained McDonald’s only Top 20 album, however, until a pair of LPs dedicated to Motown covers arrived decades later.”

The animated, funk-infused pop track “Love Lies” is built in F minor overall. But the pre-chorus features a quick shift down to E minor (first heard from 0:37 – 0:46), obscured by a rising melody line. The chorus returns to the original key and the pattern continues from there.

Jitendra Abisheki | Raga Mala in drut ektaal

“The notion of a Raag (Raga) is at the foundation of Indian Classical nusic … a Raag uniquely defines a set of musical notes and their allowed arrangements to form melodies to evoke certain emotions,” (IndianClassicalMusic.com). “In Sanskrit, a Raag means ‘something that colors your mind.’ … Ancient scriptures define a Raag as a composition of sounds capable of bringing joy to the human heart while attaining beauty through specific movements of notes and phrases.”

From first-time contributor Warren S.: “This ‘raga mala’ (1986) is sung by the veteran vocalist Jitendra Abisheki. The shifts from one raga (generative scale) to the next are noted on screen. Interestingly, the song text itself references the name of each raga, literally describing what the music is doing.

To an outside listener it all sounds very similar — to which I’ll just note that a musically uneducated listener hearing key changes will have the same ‘something changed, but I don’t know what’ response.”

Many thanks to Warren for submitting this piece. It presents a musical shift which runs along a different, yet closely related, axis from the Western key changes that are our regular focus.

Donna Summer | This Time I Know It’s For Real

“Donna Summer was the Queen of Disco, but had a number of hits well into the ’80s, including ‘She Works Hard For The Money’ in 1983,” (Songfacts). “She hit #21 with a cover of ‘There Goes My Baby’ in 1984, but that was her last US Top 40 until ‘This Time I Know It’s for Real’ five years later.

To find the contemporary dance sound, she enlisted Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman, the UK team responsible for some of the biggest upbeat hits of the era, including ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ by Rick Astley and ‘Venus’ by Bananarama. The trio wrote the song with Summer and produced the track along with the rest of her Another Place and Time album, giving her a solid comeback song and her last big hit. The video was done by the Swiss director Dee Trattmann, whose other clients included Cliff Richard and the Thompson Twins.”

After an intro in G major, there’s a shift to E major just before the first verse starts (0:24). At 0:53, the chorus shifts back to G major, then back to E major at 1:09 at the tail end of the section. The pattern continues from there. Sure enough, once you know about the tune’s shared origins with Rick Astley’s sound, you’ll hear it around every corner!

Dentist! (from “Little Shop of Horrors”)

“… Even if you aren’t a fan of musicals, please don’t instantly dismiss Little Shop. There’s so much more to it than people describing the minutia of their lives through song,” (The Guardian). “With nods to sci-fi and B-movies, as well as its effective self-mockery, it’s an easy way to get acquainted with the musical comedy genre. Directed by Frank Oz, the 1986 film is based on the 1982 off-Broadway stage show of the same name, which in turn is based on a 1960 Roger Corman film, which it largely honours in terms of story.

… Howard Ashman and Alan Menken are to be thanked for the lyrics and music respectively, with Ashman also writing the screenplay – though their names are probably more associated with late 80s and early 90s Disney films such as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin … (the show) draws on 60s rock’n’roll, doo-wop and swing, and I think there might even be a bit of calypso in there. Little Shop is a love story. It’s also a story about conquering your demons and discovering the best you can be – even if it takes a blood-guzzling talking plant to get you there.”

The uptempo tune “Dentist!” is immortalized in the film version of the musical by comedian Steve Martin, whose strong musicality has never gotten enough notice — perhaps because his comedic skills are even better. A textbook whole-step key change hits exactly where you’re hoping to hear it — about 60% of the way through the tune (1:34).

The Cars | Panorama

“Fans were expecting more upbeat new-wave hits on The Cars’ 1980 LP Panorama. What they got was something far darker and more exciting,” (Goldmine). “After achieving commercial success with their first two albums, The Cars (1978) and Candy-O (1979), American new wave/pop combo The Cars decided to take a left turn when it came time to begin work on their third album, 1980’s Panorama … while the music still had its inherent pop-iness, it was much darker in sound and lyrical matter … the band won the ears of both fans and critics alike with their first two albums … but fans and critics were left scratching their heads, particularly with the more avant-garde sounds on Panorama that were unlike anything heard on the band’s previous outings.

… Around the same time as the band began working on the album … synth pop was in its infancy and would soon come to dominate the early 1980s climate, with bands such as Ultravox, Devo, and Gary Numan all leading the charge in experimenting with the new sounds of synthesizers. The Cars were tapping into the zeitgeist; Panorama would see Easton’s previously upfront guitar take a back seat to the keyboard and synthesizer sounds of The Cars’ Greg Hawkes … Panorama was released August 15, 1980 … and reached #5 on the Billboard chart in September of that year … it was systematically panned by critics … (But as guitarist) Elliot Easton affirmed, ‘I look at it as our third album. Honestly, we just made this stuff up as we went along. There was no grand plan beyond making the best music we could.'”

Right out of the gate, the title track’s harmonies teeter between Bb major (with an emphasis on the flatted seventh degree of the chord, Ab, in the guitar line) and a colorless G chord during the intro — with no clues as to which chord should predominate. The verse then falls down into F# minor at 0:27. The brief chorus arrives at 1:11 in B mixolydian, followed by the next verse (1:22) in F# minor. The pattern continues from there. A long outro starts at 3:24 with a few shifts back and forth between B major and Bb major. The track ends by dropping off a cliff with a colorless E chord at 5:39. But these key changes, low in traditional harmonic progressions, speed by without much impact. Instead, the relentless groove, angular melody, and uniquely American slice of New Wave’s sonic palette and visual style were clearly the stars of this show.

Frank Sinatra | After You’re Gone (feat. Quincy Jones)

“Frank Sinatra didn’t appear troubled by superstition when he arrived at New York’s A&R Studios on Friday the 13th, in April 1984 to begin work on his 57th album, L.A. Is My Lady,” (UDiscoverMusic). “The project reunited him with record producer Quincy Jones, then basking in acclaim for his work on Thriller, Michael Jackson’s history-making blockbuster album. ‘The Voice’ and ‘The Dude’ had worked together in the studio before, on the 1964 LP It Might As Well Be Swing. After that, the pair’s schedules took them in different directions … (but) joined forces for a new venture, L.A. Is My Lady.

… Sinatra disliked overdubbing and preferred making his records by singing live with his musicians in real-time. That approach required meticulous preparation, as Jones recalled in Sinatra – Portrait of an Album … ‘We came in three hours early to get all the notes straightened out and everything,’ he revealed. ‘I learned 20 years ago when working with Frank and Count Basie that it’s a good idea to really have your homework done and have everything well-planned … Frank doesn’t like to linger,’ explained Jones. ‘He condenses his energy and puts it all together, and as a perfectionist, he goes for it in the moment. You might not get more than one or two takes, so it’s good if everybody’s ready.'”

The album featured a staggering list of legendary players, including Lionel Hampton (vibes), Ray Brown (bass), George Benson (guitar), Bob James (keyboards), Michael Brecker (tenor saxophone), Randy Brecker (trumpet), Marcus Miller (bass) and Steve Gadd (drums). “After You’ve Gone,” a chestnut dating back to 1918, was written by Turner Layton, with lyrics by Henry Creamer. Sinatra’s 1984 version is built around a classic big-band sound. Starting in D major, the track shifts up to Eb major at 0:56, then again to E major at 1:36 for a blazing solo by Benson. At 2:15, another half-step jump to F major heralds a feature for Hampton — and the key sticks, finally!

Roachford | Cuddly Toy

The band Roachford was centered around vocalist Andrew Roachford … ‘I got lucky enough to start gigging when I was about 14,” (Forgotten-Songs.com). “I was in the middle of that whole jazz scene, which was an interesting education. It taught me musically, how to listen and how to entertain. My uncle always told me that you had to give people a show.’

… Roachford was discovered by fellow performer Terence Trent D’Arby, for whom (Roachford’s) group opened at one point in 1988. This led to a contract with Columbia/CBS (depending on where in the world one was) … British singer Beverley Knight, when remaking the album’s biggest hit, said: ‘Roachford showed a cynical British media that British soul could also be fused with a rockier sound and not only work, but be a global hit. This, as well as many of his songs, influenced my own writing style.’

… ‘Cuddly Toy’ was re-released in early 1989 and became a top five hit” in the UK. “It was just after this success that Columbia released the single in the US, adding a subtitle and calling it ‘Cuddly Toy (Feel For Me).’ The track entered Billboard’s Hot 100 at a very modest #97 for the week ending April 15, 1989,” eventually peaked at #25, and stayed on the chart for 14 weeks.

Built in an uptuned F minor overall, the track shifts upwards to Bb minor during its short instrumental bridge (1:59 – 2:10).