The Irish chamber ensemble Nightnoise was active from 1984 to 1997, and was known for their fusion of Irish, Celtic, and jazz styles. Their arrangement of this traditional carol is included on the Windham Hill‘s 1993 holiday compilation album Winter Solstice IV. Key change at 2:46.
Tag: 1990s
Nando Lauria | Gloria
A native of Recife, Brazil’s fifth-largest city, guitarist and vocalist Nando Lauria is perhaps known for his wordless vocals on many tracks from the Pat Metheny Group. The Chicago Tribune describes Lauria’s work as “meld(ing) the Afro-Latin sensibilities of his native Brazil with American contemporary jazz to soothing effect.” AllMusic outlines Lauria’s sound: “Rather than blazing, polyrhythmic compositions, Lauria performs romantic, hypnotic numbers. He doesn’t downplay his ethnic heritage, but the rhythms are subdued rather than bubbling, aggressive, or intense … a tight balance between electric and acoustic instrumentation and modern and vintage arrangements, with a contemporary outlook.”
The track was released on Narada Records, which Billboard describes as “an independent New Age music label … (which) evolved through an expansion of formats to include world music, jazz, Celtic music, new flamenco, acoustic guitar, and piano genre releases.” Narada started in 1979 as a mail-order business, expanding in the 1990s to include Jazz and World divisions in addition to New Age.
“Gloria” (1992) is essentially a short multi-movement piece. The first section, centered around acoustic guitar, doesn’t introduce the melody until 1:09. This intro presents less of a specifically Christmas-y mood than a gentle scene of winter wonder. At 2:30, the track is built on the contemporary Latin text for the Catholic mass Gloria segment, performed a cappella by a multi-tracked Lauria. At 3:52, the acoustic guitar returns to accompany the vocals. 4:09, 5:05, and 5:16 bring more changes, re-visiting and expanding upon previous melodic and harmonic ideas while adding and subtracting groove elements. There are several modulations, with the first substantial shift at 2:27.
Strangers Like Me (from “Tarzan”)
“Strangers Like Me,” by English drummer and songwriter Phil Collins (best known for his work with the rock band Genesis), was originally featured in the 1999 Disney animated film Tarzan, and later included in a Broadway musical adaptation. Also popular as a pop song, the track reached the #10 spot on the US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart. Straight-forward half-step modulation at 3:06.
Nancy Wilson | When October Goes
After his death in 1976, the estate of Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Johnny Mercer revealed several unfinished lyrics. Singer/songwriter, accompanist, and music director Barry Manilow, who’d befriended Mercer in his final years, was gifted some of these lyrics by Mercer’s widow, Ginger. Mercer’s estate details that one of these lyrics was for “When October Goes.” After setting the words to music, Manilow released the resulting ballad in 1984; the track reached #6 on the US Adult Contemporary charts that year. The tune has since been covered by Rebecca Paris, Kevin Mahogany, Rosemary Clooney, and many more.
AllMusic reports “Diva Nancy Wilson was among contemporary music’s most stylish and sultry vocalists; while often crossing over into the pop and R&B markets … she remained best known as a jazz performer, renowned for her work alongside figures including Cannonball Adderley and George Shearing … By the 1990s, she was a favorite among the ‘new adult contemporary’ market, her style ideally suited to the format’s penchant for lush, romantic ballads; she also hosted the Jazz Profiles series on National Public Radio.” From the JazzIz 2018 posthumous tribute to Wilson: “(her) supple voice, natural ability as a storyteller and willingness to cross musical boundaries made her a sensation in the jazz and pop worlds … (she received) three Grammy Awards during the course of her life — the first in 1965, the last in 2007 … “
Wilson’s version of the tune was released in 1991. It starts in C minor and shifts to Bb minor at 1:51.
Marco Borsato | Waarom Nou Jij
Many thanks for this contribution from Jeux_d_Oh, a denizen of Reddit’s r/musictheory community: “Waarom Nou Jij” by Marco Borsato.
IMDB reports on Borsato, who was born in the Netherlands and later moved to Italy, ” … where Marco’s father owned a restaurant at Lake Garda. Marco thus speaks fluent Italian. Upon returning to the Netherlands, Marco tried to gain fame as a singer, singing mainly Italian songs … He released three albums, all three in Italian … In 1993, his record company advised him to release some songs in Dutch because he still hadn’t had his big break. Finally, in 1994, he released the song ‘Dromen zijn Bedrog,’ originally an Italian song which was translated into Dutch. The song shot to number one and remained there for 12 weeks.”
Jeux_d_Oh elaborates on Borsato’s success with translated lyrics: “‘Waarom Nou Jij’ was a big hit in The Netherlands in the ’90s, and apparently an adaptation of a different Italian song called ‘Quando Finisce un Amore’. The meaning of the Dutch title ‘Waarom Nou Jij’ translates roughly to ‘why did it have to be you.’ This song is absolutely jam-packed with modulations … try to count them all! Just in the first 1:15, there are four of them. Later there are a few more still. Towards the end of the song, there is a build-up to a great climax/vamp — a part where many slightly tipsy Dutch people will loudly sing along!”
The tune modulates upwards over and over again, generally by a minor third each time. Although the instrumental break at 2:12 gives Borsato a chance to take a break and then drop the vocal by an octave, by the tune’s end the tonality has traveled from Bb major to E major an octave and a half above.
Celso Fonseca | Sem Resposta
Time Out Sao Paolo defines Música Popular Brasileira (Popular Brazilian Music or MPB), as “a trend in post-Bossa Nova urban popular music in Brazil that revisits typical Brazilian styles such as Samba … and other Brazilian regional music, combining them with foreign influences, such as jazz and rock … The term is often also used to describe any kind of music with Brazilian origins and ‘voice and guitar style’ that arose in the late 1960s.”
Celso Fonseca, a Brazilian composer, producer, guitarist and singer, has been active within MPB since the 1980s. Starting as an accompanist, composer, and producer, he added solo artist to his resume in the 1990s. The BBC praises Fonseca: “although (he) has played a significant part in producing much of what is good in contemporary Brazilian music, he is hardly a household name abroad.”
“Sem Resposta” (1999), which roughly translates to “No Response,” features an intro (through 0:20) in D major; a verse in D minor (heard for the first time 0:20); and a chorus in D major (0:40). The pattern continues from there.
Boyzone | Love Me For A Reason
Originally written and recorded by Johnny Bristol in 1974 and later covered by The Osmonds that same year, “Love Me For A Reason” was revived by the Irish boy band Boyzone in 1994 and would become their breakthrough single in the UK. Reaching #2 on the UK singles chart that year, the track was the 20th best-selling boy band single of the 90s, and reached Gold sales status certification with 400,000 copies sold. Key change at 3:18.
Faith Hill | That’s How Love Moves
Faith Hill‘s fourth studio album, Breathe, is one of the most successful country/pop albums recorded to date, certified platinum in Australia, Canada, and the United States. It won the Grammy Award for Best Country Album in 2001, and two tracks (“Breathe” and “The Way You Love Me” hit number one on the US Billboard Hot Country chart. “That’s How Love Moves” was originally recorded by Bette Midler in 1998; key change at 2:43.
Back To Before (from “Ragtime”)
We have featured a number of songs from Ahrens and Flaherty’s Tony-winning score for the 1996 Broadway musical Ragtime here at MotD; the score is considered one of the masterpieces of the Broadway canon, integrating a diverse array of musical styles into an organic tapestry reflecting the roots of American music at the start of the 20th century. The Act 2 number “Back To Before,” performed here by the late Marin Mazzie at the 1997 Tony Awards, speaks to our current moment. Key changes at 2:15, 2:30, and 2:51.
Britney Spears | Sometimes
Featured on Britney Spears’ debut studio album …Baby One More Time, “Sometimes” was released as her second single on April 13, 1999. The lyric references a shy girl who is hesitant to express her feelings to her lover, and is firmly of the teen pop genre that exploded in popularity in the 90s with bands like ‘N Sync and The Backstreet Boys. “Sometimes” was a worldwide hit, charting inside the Top 10 in eleven different countries. Key change arises out of silence following the bridge at 2:47, shifting the tune a half step higher for its concluding chorus.
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