Tag: 1980s

Kool + the Gang | September Love

Funk/pop superstars Kool and the Gang, best known for 1980’s uptempo mega-hit “Celebrate,” took a decidedly mellower turn in the early 80s. According to AllMusic, the band “left the fast lanes of funk for the smoother ride of the adult-oriented R&B expressway.” The 1983 album In the Heart produced a lead single, “Joanna,” which hit #2 (pop) in the US, #2 (pop) in the UK, and #1 on the US R&B chart.

No stranger to a broad harmonic vocabulary, the band outdid itself on the mod scale with the ballad “September Love,” a non-single track. Modulations begin with an almost jarring early shift as the first verse starts at 0:21, followed by more key changes at 1:15, 1:49, 2:43, 3:18, and 3:59.

Utopia | Set Me Free

Utopia, an American rock band formed in 1973 by songwriter, performer, and producer Todd Rundgren, started with a progressive rock sound and a fluid personnel list. In the late 70s, the band morphed into a tight power pop format with a stable quartet of players. Its only top-40 hit was 1980’s “Set Me Free,” written and sung by bassist Kasim Sulton (who later became known for his work with Meatloaf, Hall & Oates, and Joan Jett as well as his own solo releases).

A whole-tone modulation hits towards the end of the track (2:36), which just might be the bounciest song ever written about a doomed relationship (in this case, reportedly, between Sulton and his record company).

Van Halen | Jump

A submission from MotD fan, double bassist, and multi-instrumentalist Peter McCutcheon:

“‘Jump’ was a 1984 single released by Van Halen in anticipation of their album, 1984. It reached #1 on the Billboard charts, as well as #1 in Canada and Italy. Typically, Van Halen’s style is heavy metal, with strong guitar, but this song shows that the group has some pop and synth in them too.

Primarily, the song is in the bright and energetic C major, possibly to accommodate Eddie Van Halen‘s less prodigious keyboard skills. But the eight bars of Eddie’s guitar solo suddenly shift to Db major, even beginning on a strong Bb minor chord (vi in Db Major). To return back to C Major, EVH plays a sequence in which the finger and fret pattern remain the same across five strings, beginning firmly in Db major and then ending on a high G to return to the original key (for a synth solo using only white keys). Since the progression of the guitar solo ends on the tonic rather than beginning on it, the shift to C Major is even more dramatic, by the half step motion in the bass — a musical breath of fresh air that separates Eddie’s two instrumental features.

The modulation is blink-and-you’ll-miss-it, but once you begin to notice it, it’s really cool. The modulations occur at 2:15 and 2:31.”

Elvis Costello | Clubland

Elvis Costello‘s 1980’s atmospheric “Clubland,” produced by Nick Lowe, is another contribution from prolific mod correspondent JB. The track features “quasi-latin” piano by Steve Nieve, according to American Songwriter, that’s “all over the place, propelling the song in different directions, without ever getting in the way of the tune.”

Starting in B minor, there’s a switch to B major for the chorus at 0:35, then back to minor for verse 2 at 0:51. At 1:37, the bridge begins, combining alternating B major and B minor within the vocal line from 1:52 – 2:07. Many thanks to blue-ribbon mod contributor JB for this tune!

Bruce Springsteen | Hungry Heart

Marking Bruce Springsteen‘s debut on MotD, “Hungry Heart” was the lead single on Springsteen’s 1980 album The River and hit #5 on the pop charts. Originally written for The Ramones, the tune ended up becoming a keeper for the Boss instead, winning the Rolling Stone Reader’s Poll for best single of the year.

The early instrumental bridge brings a modulation from C# major to E major at 1:37, and then reverts to the original key at 1:55.

Lisa Stansfield | All Around the World

UK pop/soul chanteuse Lisa Stansfield‘s career breakthrough was the smash 1989 hit “All Around the World.” The short intro ends by winding into the song’s sole modulation: a string-heavy compound chord which rings out in a crescendo from 0:14 – 0:18 leading into the first verse. The tune is driven by compound chords throughout and plenty of melodic tensions during the chorus.

Natalie Cole | I Miss You Like Crazy

Usually, modulations tend to happen closer to a tune’s end than the beginning, but seven-time Grammy winner Natalie Cole’s “Miss You Like Crazy” (1989) breaks that trend. The track became a huge hit in the US, Canada, and Europe.

“‘So many things have happened in my life,'” Cole reflected on her father Nat King Cole’s death when she was only 15. “‘But the death of my father remains the most painful.'” (Billboard). “‘I adored him in a way that only a teenager girl can adore her dad. When he died, I fell apart. For years, I ran from his memory. I even ran from his music. When I inadvertently stumbled into a career, I was thrilled to learn that I could sing rhythm and blues. I loved singing soul. But it wasn’t until I found the courage to sing the music associated with my father that I found my deepest peace and greatest satisfaction. The fact that even in Dad’s death we have grown closer brings me a beautiful comfort. It makes me think we ascribe too much severity to death. Spirit doesn’t die. Music doesn’t die. And the love that links spirit to music knows nothing about death. That spirit, that music, that love is eternal.’”

This power ballad modulates multiple times starting nearly right out of the gate (0:42) and continues with other shifts. At 2:18, the key locks in at the bridge and remains the same for the duration.

Phil Collins | Two Hearts

Phil Collins‘ career only grew after leaving Genesis, the pioneering UK-based prog-rock band. Producing other artists’ albums, writing for movie soundtracks, and cranking out multiple solo albums were all on the menu for Collins.

“Two Hearts,” a 1988 pop confection based on a relentless fast shuffle, starts off simply enough (the music starts at the 0:40 mark) in G major. But the bridge suddenly takes flight at 2:44, featuring syncopated kicks and multiple modulations before settling into Ab minor, then transitioning back into a chorus (in the original key, although it feels entirely new) at 3:12.

I Know Him So Well (from “Chess”)

“I Know Him So Well” was originally released on a 1984 concept album, and subsequent musical, Chess. The original recording remains in the Guinness Book of World Records for the biggest selling UK chart ever for a female duo. Here it is performed by a male duo, John Barrowman MBE and Daniel Boys, with an epic key change, up a minor third, at 3:14.