Tag: 1980s

John Lennon | Woman

Released after his death in 1980, “Woman” was the second single from the John Lennon and Yoko Ono album Double Fantasy. According to an interview with Playboy, Lennon wrote “Woman” not only for his wife Yoko Ono, but for all women. The opening moments of the track feature Lennon saying “For the other half of the sky …”, a paraphrase of a famous Chinese saying about the equal importance of the sexes.

From AllMusic’s review of the album: “He’s surprisingly sentimental, not just when he’s expressing love for his wife and child, but when he’s coming to terms with his quiet years and his return to creative life. These are really nice tunes, and what’s special about them is their niceness — it’s a sweet acceptance of middle age, which, of course, makes his assassination all the sadder.”

At the opening of the last verse (2:22), a half-step modulation drops without warning. Rather than providing any preparation or ramp-up in energy, the song simply continues on, flowing like a river.

Lee Ritenour | Turn the Heat Up

Co-written by Kelly McNulty, guitarist/composer Lee Ritenour, and Eric Tagg, “Turn the Heat Up,” is an album track from Ritenour’s 1987 album, Portrait. The sound came from the most pop-centric corner of jazz fusion. One of the few tracks on the album to feature vocals, it caught the crest of the smooth jazz wave.

Starting with an intro in F minor, the emphasis shifts to the relative Ab major as the verse begins at 0:23. At 1:03, the pre-chorus leads us back to F minor as the chorus starts at 1:12. The pattern holds until 2:35, where there’s a whole-step modulation up to G minor/Bb major.

Aretha Franklin | Who’s Zoomin’ Who?

In this time of social distancing (or social solidarity, as a wise neighbor described it) and the resulting popularity spike of a certain video conferencing platform, Aretha Franklin’s smash hit album Who’s Zoomin’ Who? (1985) has been top of mind. The album featured several uptempo hits, including “Freeway of Love” and her iconic duo with Annie Lennox, “Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves.” The album became the best-selling non-compilation release of Aretha’s career, often compared to Tina Turner’s blockbuster 1984 album Private Dancer.

From Rolling Stone’s review: “Though Who’s Zoomin’ Who? never quite comes together as an album…this is some of Aretha Franklin’s best work since the 1960s…The example of Tina Turner acted as goad and inspiration, and the edge of rich brashness in Aretha’s performances seems sparked by Turner’s electric drive … enough vocal brilliance here to stun any listener within range.”

After a bridge starting at 2:45, the title track modulates up a full step at 2:59 — oddly, just as the wall-of-sound accompaniment dies down. But the lull in the action sets the stage for Aretha’s vocal fireworks to return at 3:20.

Thomas Dolby | The Flat Earth

After releasing his debut album Golden Age of Wireless, which featured his iconic hit “She Blinded Me With Science,” UK songwriter / keyboardist / synthesist / vocalist Thomas Dolby‘s work took a turn towards the atmospheric. Much of his second album, The Flat Earth, had a gentler, more organic sound. A huge contributing factor to the sound of both albums was bassist Matthew Seligman, whose imaginative, wide-ranging style is front and center in the mix throughout. Much of Seligman’s work on The Flat Earth was on fretless bass, further burnishing the sound.

Seligman also worked with David Bowie and The Thompson Twins; did session work for Morrissey, Tori Amos, the Waterboys, and more; and co-founded The Soft Boys. He passed away last week from complications of COVID-19 at the age of 64.

AllMusic reports that Seligman’s bass on The Flat Earth “is a welcome addition — throughout the album his work is lavish, growling, popping through octaves, funk-a-fied and twinkling with harmonics. The title track is a wondrous R&B daydream of piano and Motown stabs of rhythm guitar…”

Although the tune is largely in Db major, there’s a short bridge in D major (3:33 – 4:02), striated by layers of nearly wordless vocals, before a transition back to the original key.

Milli Vanilli | Blame It On the Rain

The misrepresentation which surrounded late-80s Munich-based pop artists Milli Vanilli has become legend. In a nutshell, the studio personnel didn’t match the stage personnel … In 1990, the band won a Grammy for Best New Artist. Later, it became the only musical group to ever have the award rescinded; the frontmen were dancers and lipsyncers who’d played no role whatsoever in the creation of the hit album, Girl You Know It’s True (1989).

The album’s title track was the best-known single from the outfit. But another standout single, “Blame It On the Rain,” written by American songwriter Diane Warren, is packed with unprepared, off-kilter modulations:

0:00 | B major intro
0:38 | Bb major verse
1:05 | B major pre-chorus, chorus
1:44 | Bb major verse
2:11 | B major pre-chorus, chorus
2:49 | Ab major bridge
2:57 | C major chorus

With just as much oddness as the key changes, the tune ends suddenly, mid-phrase, on a IV chord. From AllMusic: “It’s hard to imagine why there was such a fuss about an album so transparent, lightweight, and intentionally disposable…But when it comes down to it, this music is so manufactured, it doesn’t sound like anyone is really singing. And that’s what’s sort of cool about it.”

Many thanks to prolific mod scout JB for the submission!

Madness | The Sun and the Rain

The Guardian suggests that Madness “are still perhaps England’s greatest post-Beatles singles group. ‘The Sun and the Rain’ was a tribute to precipitation, and what could be more English than that? Accompanied by an urgent, string-laden stomp,” the lyric speaks of “standing up in the falling down.” The track was released in 1983 as a stand-alone single, reaching 10 weeks on the UK Singles chart (peaking at #5). It later appeared on the group’s subsequent album, but only after its strong showing as a single.

Setting the tone, there’s a quick key change from the intro into the first verse at 0:34. Taking a back seat to the band’s unique piano-driven post-ska sound and goofy, irreverent style, the main modulation drops with minimal fanfare between two choruses at 2:49. Many thanks to MotD regular Rob Penttinen for this submission!

Kenny Rogers + Dolly Parton | Islands In the Stream

Kenny Rogers, a chart-topping country and pop artist over many decades, passed away yesterday at the age of 81. According to About.com: “Though he was most successful with country audiences, Rogers charted more than 120 hit singles across various music genres, topped the country and pop album charts for more than 200 individual weeks in the United States alone, and sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musical artists of all time.”

Written by the Bee Gees, the 1983 hit was named after an Ernest Hemingway novel. The track was originally intended for release by R&B legend Marvin Gaye, which would have made for quite a different sound! The song went to #1 on Billboard Pop, Country, and Adult Contemporary charts.

Starting in C major, the tune features an early modulation to Ab major (1:24).

Melissa Manchester | You Should Hear How She Talks About You

According to Billboard, producer Arif Mardin described Melissa Manchester’s “You Should Hear How She Talks About You” (1981) as “a real departure, because it has a new wave dance quality and she had been known for her ballads.” A 1985 Albany Herald interview stated that the singer “had to be dragged kicking and screaming into [the] studio” to record the tune.

She needn’t have been concerned. Although she’s better remembered for the ballads “Don’t Cry Out Loud” and “Midnight Blue” now, YSHHSTAY became Manchester’s highest charting and most broadly appealing record, reaching #10 or higher on the Billboard Hot 100, Adult Contemporary, and Dance charts and winning a 1982 Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

The tune starts in A minor, modulating to B major as the chorus begins at 0:44 and reverting to the original key at 1:15; the pattern continues from there.

The Spinners | Cupid

Covering the original Sam Cooke #17 hit “Cupid” (1961) was not a task to be taken lightly; the beloved single weighed in at #452 on 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, by Rolling Stone. The track was described by AllMusic as a “perfect pop song.”

The Spinners re-made the the tune almost entirely in 1980, combining it with Michael Zager‘s “I’ve Loved You For a Long Time.” This updated version hit #4 (pop) and #5 (R&B). The modulation hits at 3:08.