Tag: 1990s

A long-overdue MotD debut for Madonna: “Rain” (1993) was reviewed by Billboard‘s Larry Flick as “a gorgeous, romantic moment from the sorely underappreciated Erotica opus. A slow and seductive rhyme base surrounded by cascading, sparkling synths inspires a sweet and charming vocal.”

After the tune starts in Bb major, a thundering, sweeping synth glissando (2:37), unaccompanied by any other context, knocks us off-balance. After a bit of key-of-the-moment wandering during the bridge starting at 2:43, we transition to C major at 3:03. The 3:45 mark is a reversion to the original key, followed by another step up to C major as the tune draws to a close at 4:05.

Vocalist, keyboardist, and songwriter Brent Bourgeois released “Dare to Fall In Love” in 1990 as the single from his first solo album after leaving the band he co-fronted during the late 80s, Bourgeois Tagg. The lushly produced track builds to a modulation at the start of the bridge (2:36), remaining in the new key throughout the return of the chorus (3:03) and the remainder of the tune.

Bourgeois remembers the tune’s origins well: “I didn’t want my record company to hear it, because it was very ‘pop,’ very commercial, and didn’t fit the tone of the rest of the record. I was afraid if they heard it, they would want to make it the single, and the record would be misrepresented to the public. Well, they heard it, and that’s exactly what happened.”