Tag: 1980s

Tears for Fears (feat. Oleta Adams) | Woman in Chains

After their early 80s hits (“Pale Shelter,” “Change,” and the original version of “Mad World,” prominently covered by Gary Jules), UK duo Tears for Fears caught the peak of the New Wave with the international smash album Songs from the Big Chair. Released in 1985, Songs included three singles which went into the Top 20 in the UK, Europe, New Zealand, and Australia — and straight to the top of the US charts: “Shout” (#1), “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” (#1), and “Head Over Heels” (#3).

After the huge success of Songs, the band released the platinum-selling album The Seeds of Love in 1989. The title track, a quirky, upbeat stylistic omnibus which seemed to update the psychedelic sound for the 90s, provided no clues about the second single. “Woman in Chains” cracked the top 20 only in Canada and the Netherlands — but the track didn’t seem to have been designed for heavy radio airplay, not least because of its 6.5-minute run time. The band, whose very name was inspired by primal therapy, never shied away from heavier subject matter — and “Women in Chains” was no exception. Songfacts reports lead singer and songwriter Roland Orzabal’s reflection on the song: “I was reading some feminist literature at the time and I discovered that there are societies in the world still in existence today that are non-patriarchal … these societies are a lot less violent, a lot less greedy and there’s generally less animosity … but the song is also about how men traditionally play down the feminine side of their characters and how both men and women suffer for it … ”

The studio track featured Pino Palladino on fretless bass and Phil Collins on drums as well as showcasing the powerful, expressive alto of Oleta Adams, who would go on to score her career-making hit “Get Here” in 1991. Adams “influenced the album before she ever agreed to be on it,” continues Songfacts. “The duo watched Adams perform in Kansas City. ‘We were both knocked out by her emotional power,’ Orzabal recalled. ‘She just cut through the intellect and got straight to the heart. It made us realize that all the machinery and the complicatedness we were using were not allowing the expression to come through. It made me go back to the drawing board; it made me want to use real instruments and real soulful vocals.'”

After adding layer after layer of ostinato onto a few repeating sections, 4:00 brings a bridge and a quieter sound, suggesting a potential ending. But a resounding return drops at 4:42, complete with a massive whole-step modulation.

The Specials | Enjoy Yourself (It’s Later Than You Think)

“The Specials were the fulcrum of the ska revival of the late ’70s, kick-starting the 2-Tone movement that spurred a ska-punk revolution lasting for decades,” AllMusic reports. “As influential as they were within the realm of ska, the group and its impact can’t be reduced to that genre alone. The Specials were one of the defining British bands of new wave, expanding the musical and political parameters of rock & roll … (the) 2-Tone label (was) named for its multiracial agenda and after the two-tone tonic suits favored by the like-minded mods of the ’60s.” Originally performed by Guy Lombardo, the big band leader made famous by his multi-year televised New Year’s Eve gig, the tune was later covered by Jamaican singer Prince Buster before it reached The Specials’ repertoire in 1980.

This party tune isn’t entirely representative of the band’s full repertoire, which also includes a marked focus on social justice. The Guardian describes the 21st century version of The Specials at a reunion tour show in 2019: “Their ranks diminished by death and fallings out, the trio are part nostalgia act, part wrathful fighters for fairness, who walk on to a stage decorated with signs reading ‘Vote’, ‘Resist’, ‘Think’ and, incongruously, ‘Listen to Sly and the Family Stone’ … this highly influential group have found their feet again in an era that encourages activism and increasingly reviles apathy … The Specials’ 40-year campaign against injustice resounds down the generations.”

A whole-step modulation appears at 2:22. Many thanks to regular contributor Rob Penttinen for this tune!

Scary Pockets | Man in the Mirror

Scary Pockets is a collaborative team consisting of Jack Conte and Ryan Lerman, in collaboration with the self-described “rotating roster of the best session musicians in the LA area.” Conte and Lerman are accomplished musicians in their own right, and as Scary Pockets, they put an irresistible, funky twist on everything from modern pop tunes to older classics. Their own knack for finding the groove merges with the talent and soul of a rotating musical team to produce tunes which, though cover arrangements, take on a life and energy of their own.

Today’s tune is Scary Pockets’ arrangement of Siedah Garrett and Glen Ballard’s “Man in the Mirror,” made famous by Michael Jackson in 1988. In addition to Conte and Lerman, this tune features the soulful vocals of Rozzi Crane, the inimitable style and talent of MonoNeon on the bass, and the transcendent drum rhythms of Tamir Barzilay. While the original tune certainly wasn’t lacking in the groove category, Conte and Lerman’s arrangement condenses Jackson’s orchestral style into a compact, pulsing funk which compels the listener to dance from beginning to end. The tune begins in G Major, and — similarly to Jackson’s rendition – modulates up a half step as the tune reaches its most climactic energy (at the 2:41 mark).

If this is your first introduction to the Pockets’ music, I recommend listening to this tune around noon, so that you allow yourself enough time. I arguably did not: I discovered it just after dinner time, and found myself still bopping to the Scary Pockets discography on Youtube at an hour that most decent people reserve for sleeping. Hope you enjoy, and embrace the groove.

John Parr | St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion)

From the 1985 movie soundtrack of the same title, John Parr‘s “St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion)” was co-written by Parr and David Foster. The film starred a group of 20-something actors collectively known in pop culture as “The Brat Pack”: Demi Moore, Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, and Andrew McCarthy. The movie focuses on a group of friends as they move into post-college life.

Songfacts reports: “The phrase ‘St. Elmo’s Fire’ refers to the spectral light sometimes seen around a ship’s mast. John Parr didn’t see the movie before he and Foster wrote the song: ‘Fortunately I didn’t see the film, specifically because the phenomenal force of nature known as St. Elmo’s Fire was a metaphor. To me it was the embodiment of a dream, a focus to strive towards as it glows in the sky. In the movie, Rob Lowe pulls out a gas canister and tells Demi Moore not to get too hung up about her problems. He lights the gas and as it ignites he dismisses her plight as no big deal, just like St. Elmo’s Fire. That would have killed it for me.'”

Critical reception of the film was mixed at best. The video echoes the film’s earnest self-congratulation by combining footage from the film, a “club concert” by Parr, a set that’s crumbling and partially on fire, and Parr joining the cast at some sort of event that looks like … a photoshoot? An awkward industry event? It’s anyone’s guess. But the tune hit No. 1 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart for two weeks in September 1985 and still remains a staple of many 80s playlists. Starting in A major, the chorus shifts to F# major (for the first time at 1:11); the verse reverts to A major. Many thanks to our faithful mod wrangler JB for this submission!

Starship | Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now

Written by Diane Warren and Albert Hammond, “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” was recorded by the American rock band Starship for their 1987 album No Protection. The track was the top-selling song of 1987 in the United Kingdom, reached the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, and was nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards in 1988 (it was the theme song for the 1987 romantic comedy Mannequin.) Key change at 2:56.

Earth, Wind + Fire | You

“Earth, Wind & Fire were one of the most musically accomplished, critically acclaimed, and commercially popular funk bands of the ’70s,” proclaims AllMusic. “…EWF’s all-encompassing musical vision used funk as its foundation, but also incorporated jazz, smooth soul, gospel, pop, rock & roll, psychedelia, blues, folk, African music, and, later on, disco … More than just versatility for its own sake, EWF’s eclecticism was part of a broader concept informed by a cosmic, mystical spirituality and an uplifting positivity the likes of which hadn’t been seen since the early days of Sly & the Family Stone … at their best, Earth, Wind & Fire seemingly took all that came before them and wrapped it up into one dizzying, spectacular package.”

After several chart-topping albums in the late 70s, in particular the late-70s smashes All ‘n All (triple platinum) and I Am (double platinum), the band released Faces in 1980. “You,” Faces’ fourth single, reached #10 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart and #30 on the Adult Contemporary Songs chart. Like “After the Love Has Gone,” EWF’s quintessential power ballad, “You” was co-written by David Foster.

After starting in G major, 1:13 brings the chorus in E minor; halfway through the chorus (1:27), the tonality folds in on itself and we’ve landed in G# minor. At 1:45, verse two starts, but we’re now elevated up a whole step (A major) relative to the first verse — likely unnoticed due to the overall harmonic sleight of hand! A 2:40, the chorus arrives again, this time to stay: it morphs into an extended outro. The outro centers around three two-chord pairs (F# minor/B minor; A# minor/D# minor; and D minor/G minor), all compellingly connected by half-steps. The three sets, repeating and fading to the end, essentially form a gigantic hemiola effect over the 4/4 time. Many thanks to our faithful mod sender-inner JB for this tune!

XTC | Senses Working Overtime

AllMusic describes the cult status of UK band XTC: “(Its) lack of commercial success isn’t because their music isn’t accessible — their bright, occasionally melancholy melodies flow with more grace than most bands. It has more to do with the group constantly being out of step with the times. However, the band has left behind a remarkably rich and varied series of albums that make a convincing argument that XTC is the great lost pop band. ‘Senses Working Overtime’ (1981) showed … a bemusing, distinctive take on catchy guitar music. There’s enough hints of ringing sixties guitar and clever wordplay to keep Beatles obsessives happy, say, but this is definitely the sound of a band on its own path.”

The fact that XTC’s style has been categorized with terms as varied as pop, art rock, new wave, rock, post-punk, art-punk, and progressive pop suggests that promoting their music was anything but straightforward. Lead singer Andy Partridge also suffered from severe stage fright, leading the band to experience difficulties with touring. According to Record Collector, both the album (English Settlement) and the single were the band’s highest-charting UK successes, peaking at #5 and #10, respectively.

After a reserved intro and verse in G# minor, clanging guitars announce the pre-chorus at 0:36 — a resounding all-major progression centered around plenty of compound chords. At 0:48, an E major chorus arrives, later proclaiming that the churchbells softly chime … hardly! Next up is a multi-section, multi-key bridge, which starts boisterously in A major at 2:35, charged with yet more compound chords and a schoolyard taunt of a vocal hook at 3:23. By 3:38, we’ve somehow been hoisted into F major — but making use of its rapidly expanding songcraft, XTC skillfully hides the tune’s seams.

George Benson | Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You

Written by Michael Masser and Gerry Goffin, “Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You” was originally recorded by George Benson for his 1985 album 20/20. The track hit #1 on the charts in Canada, France, Ireland, and Spain, and was also included of a 1987 episode of the daytime soap Days of our Lives. The first of several key changes is at 2:45.

Def Leppard | Love Bites

Def Leppard released the 1987 album Hysteria after the 1983 album Pyromania boosted the band’s popularity throughout North America and Europe in the wake of several more modest album releases. Given the sustained heavy rotation of its other singles (“Photograph,” “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak,” “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” etc.), it’s surprising that “Love Bites” was the UK band’s only US #1 pop hit.

Songfacts details that “Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen … said of this song, ‘It was just a standard rock ballad but it had something else going for it. Lyrically, it kind of painted a picture, and in a song you always want to do that, paint a picture. On a dark desert highway, the first line of Hotel California, great song, it just paints an image for you straight off the bat and that’s the sign of a really good song. It takes you right there.” The emphasis on multi-layered vocals and glossy textures is the work of producer Mutt Lange, who stole the show with his trademark arena-friendly sound — just as he did with his 1990s chart-topping production of his then-wife, country star Shania Twain.

Starting in F major, the pre-chorus shifts to Eb major at 1:07; verse 2 brings a return to F major at 1:59 — with both keys placing ample emphasis on their respective relative minors.