Tag: 1990s

Crowded House | Weather With You

An Australian/New Zealand band perhaps best known for its 1986 international smash hit “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” Crowded House released “Weather With You” in 1991. The track did well in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and throughout Europe, but didn’t chart in the US.

AllMusic reports that “as the primary songwriter for the band, Neil Finn has always set the tone for the band’s sound … (and) has consistently proven his knack for crafting high-quality songs that combine irresistible melodies with meticulous lyrical detail.” Songfacts adds more details from Finn’s songwriting process: “‘We were trying to imagine a time and a place, and the line Walking ’round the room singing Stormy Weather helped us get into some atmosphere of somebody troubled who is always on their own in a room. We were trying to find lines that described the scene, like the small boat made of china, and that feeling of ennui or languishing that permeates the song. Ultimately, the theme of the song is, of course, that you are creating your own weather, you are making your own environment, always.'”

After an intro and verse in E minor, a pre-chorus (0:42 – 1:04) drops to D minor, then revisits the E minor intro until 1:14, when the D major chorus finally hits, including some unexpected chord inversions. A mix of these elements continues from there, including another return to the intro.

Garbage | I’m Only Happy When It Rains

“Garbage are an iconic, eclectic band that is anything but what their name implies,” (Consequence). “With the music scene awash in a sea of grunge {in the ’90s], Garbage went a different way — and to great effect. This all-star band — with world class producer Bruce ‘Butch’ Vig (Nirvana) at the production helm — has released hit after dynamic hit with an infectious pop sound that belied frequently dark lyrics. They’ve scored a number of Top 10 hits and were even chosen to record a James Bond theme.

Fronting the outfit is the charismatic and irrepressible Shirley Manson from Edinburgh, Scotland. Manson first met up with her three future [American} bandmates in Wisconsin … their self-titled debut came the iconic hit ‘Only Happy When It Rains” (1995) [is] a record that feels as fresh today as it did nearly 30 years ago.”

Starting in G# minor, the track shifts at 0:41 into a chorus that seems a bit off-kilter. On closer inspection, it’s built completely from major chords and (colorless) power chords: C#, G#, A, and B, touching on F# before moving on to the next verse.

The Boys of the Lough | That Night in Bethlehem

The Boys of the Lough, a Scottish/Irish group specializing in Celtic music, released their first album in 1972. “That Night in Bethlehem” is included on their 1996 album, Midwinter Night’s Dream. The vocal verses are set in D minor, separated by instrumental interludes in A minor.

Thanks to MotD contributor JB for this selection.

Michael Bolton | When a Man Loves a Woman

Written by Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright, “When a Man Loves a Woman” was originally recorded by singer R&B singer Percy Sledge in 1966 and became his biggest hit. Michael Bolton included a cover of the tune on his 1991 album Time, Love & Tenderness, winning a Grammy for the track and making it the seventh tune reach the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 as recorded by multiple artists.

The song begins in Db and directly modulates up a half step to D at 2:04.

Toto | One Road

“Toto was a lab accident. Obviously, not a tragedy, like Chernobyl. More like Bruce Banner getting exposed to Gamma Rays and becoming The Hulk,” (PastPrime). “With time, their odd greatness and great oddness have become much clearer. But back in 1982, they sounded both hulkingly awesome and completely normal. They won the Grammys for best song (‘Rosanna’) and album (IV) of the year. They sold over ten million records. They were proof that Rock music could be sonically pristine and exceedingly popular; that musicians could look just like regular guys — or worse — and still be stars; and that Pop music could be ‘all encompassing’ (in toto).”

During the 21st century, after more than a fair share of personnel changes and the untimely death of one of the band’s founding members (drummer Jeff Porcaro), guitarist Steve Lukather has become the band’s undisputed center. “When Lukather gets exposed to those Gamma Rays, he reunites some version of the mutant supergroup … But, contrary to their name, no band — not even The Beatles — can be all encompassing. Toto was perhaps the only band to have ever really tried. Their hypothesis ultimately proved invalid or, at least, inconclusive. But, in 1982, after the Iran Hostage Crisis but before Thriller, they sounded like a miracle of science.” The band’s website details the towering influence of its members’ contributions as first-call LA studio musicians: “… the band members’ performances can be heard on an astonishing 5,000 albums that together amass a sales history of half a billion albums. Amongst these recordings, NARAS applauded the collected works with 225 Grammy nominations.”

The 1999 version of the band heard on “One Road,” however, sounds “alternately like Richard Marx fronting Aerosmith … or Donald Fagen writing and producing for Foreigner.” The term mutant fits, as the band doesn’t conform to any one particular genre. For a rock/pop/kitchen sink band with a multi-decade reputation for rich harmonic sensibilities and meticulously crafted arrangements, Toto’s discography features surprisingly few outright modulations. But “One Road” starts in E minor, then shifts up to F# minor (2:30-2:45) for an instrumental bridge built around a Lukather guitar solo.



Wick (from “The Secret Garden”)

Based on Frances Hodgson Burnett’s 1911 book of the same name, The Secret Garden premiered on Broadway in 1991. The Tony-nominated score, written by Marsha Norman (lyrics) and Lucy Simon (music), is one of the most lush and operatic ever written for the musical theater stage. Simon passed away last week at the age of 82.

“Wick,” which comes in Act II, is sung by Martha and her brother Dickon and reflects his delight at teaching her about nature. The song begins in Bb and emerges into C at 1:36. It then modulates up briefly to E for Martha’s verse at 2:00 before returning to C at 2:19. It then shifts to E at 3:31, where it remains till the end.

Tony Toni Toné | Holy Smokes and Gee Whiz

“As the title of their crown jewel Sons of Soul (1993) boldly declared, Tony! Toni! Toné! were true descendants of soul and funk music’s golden age from the very start,” (Albumism). “Hailing from the undeniably tough and vibrant streets of Oakland, California, the family trio absorbed the social, cultural, and political climate that defined the Bay Area during its most incendiary era. Above all, the Bay Area was one of the powerhouse cornerstones of funk and soul, where several influential luminaries like Sly & the Family Stone, Larry Graham & Graham Central Station, Tower of Power, and Con Funk Shun laid down their gusty, muscular, and righteous grooves all over the music landscape.

They were a band that were truly rooted in the tradition of yesteryear funk and soul bands, devoting themselves to retaining the beauty of live instrumentation, while utilizing hip-hop technology of the time … By the mid-1990s, the Tonies’ signature touch was felt all over the R&B world … Instead of merely wearing their influences on their sleeve, as they’d done on previous offerings, the trio embodied them organically and proudly on House of Music, making it the most classically overt and sophisticated dip in the revisionist waters of Black pop they pioneered for over a decade.” House of Music didn’t quite equal the success of TTT’s previous album, Sons of Soul, reaching #32 on the Billboard album chart and #10 on the Top R&B Albums chart. The release, the band’s fourth, ended up as its last. “Following a nearly ten-year standing as one of R&B’s most creative vanguards, the Tonies officially called it quits a year after the release … it proved to be the summation of everything the Oakland soul brothers ever sought to accomplish musically … They went out on top and didn’t look back.”

Sounding every bit like a lush early-70s soul ballad with the exception of its updated sound engineering, “Holy Smokes and Gee Whiz” seems to owe even its title to the tradition which brought us The Stylistics’ classic “Betcha By Golly Wow” (1970). After a start in Bb minor, the bridge (3:00) builds to an overflowing fountain of layered vocals that would do Earth, Wind + Fire proud, heralding a whole-step key change to C minor (3:33). A faded ending would likely have made it all complete — but 4:29 brings another whole-step modulation to D minor for an instrumental outro, re-stating the hook but forgoing harmonic resolution.

Angela Lansbury | Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast was the first Disney animated feature adapted for the Broadway stage, where it premiered in April 1994. The score, by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, was recognized with an Academy Award for Best Original Score, and the title song, featured here, won Best Original Song.

Angela Lansbury voiced Mrs. Potts for the film, and her universally acclaimed performance of the tune has since been enshrined in the minds of thousands of children who have watched the film. In 2004, the American Film Institute ranked “Beauty and the Beast” at number 62 on their list of the greatest songs in American Film History. Lansbury died today at the age of 96 after a remarkable eight decade career in film, television, and theater.

The key change comes at 1:21.

Dave Koz | Show Me the Way

“By virtue of his many achievements, Dave Koz has long been considered the prime contender for the saxophone throne of contemporary jazz,” (AllMusic). “Active since 1990 when he arrived on the scene from seemingly nowhere to issue his self-titled leader debut, he climbed onto the Billboard contemporary jazz charts and stayed there for several weeks. The platinum-selling Koz was nominated for nine Grammys, hit the top spot on the contemporary jazz charts five times, placed 14 singles in the Top Ten, and earned a total of 20 cuts on the jazz songs charts. He is also a seasoned radio and television host … His sound is full of fire and intensity, often recalling that of his musical forebear David Sanborn, and which often crosses over to the adult contemporary R&B side of the genre line.”

Along the way, Koz has collaborated with guitar phenom Cory Wong, jazz fusion standard bearer Jeff Lorber, pop songwriter/performer Richard Marx, legendary bassist Marcus Miller, pop/R&B vocalist Jeffrey Osborne, vocalist/keyboardist songwriter extraordinaire Michael McDonald, and many others.

Featuring pianist Greg Phillinganes, bassist Nathan East, and percussionist Lenny Castro, 1993’s “Show Me the Way” is a slow burn of a track. Building gradually from a soft-spoken ballad to a fully-fledged gospel-centered summit, it features a shift from C major to D major at 3:51. Many thanks to Christopher Fox for submitting this tune!

Unworthy of Your Love (from “Assassins”)

Stephen Sondheim’s 1990 musical Assassins depicts the inner lives of various real-life figures who tried (and sometimes succeeded) to assassinate the president of the United States, and the repercussions their actions had on themselves and the country and its history. “Unworthy of Your Love” is sung by John Hinckley to his fantasy girlfriend Jodie Foster; he is joined by partway through by Squeaky Fromme, who declares her love Charles Manson.

By Sondheim standards, the tune is a remarkably conventional love ballad. It begins in B, shifts down to A for Squeaky’s verse at 1:42, and returns to B for the final chorus at 2:57.