Far removed in time from his early hits, 1997’s Hourglass was a James Taylor album home to wonderfully woven stories, increasingly complex harmonies, and multi-layered textures. The artist described the collection as “spirituals for agnostics.”
“Enough to Be On Your Way,” reported to have been written in the wake of the death of Taylor’s brother Alex, is quietly stunning even before the modulation — but JT adds a key change to the mix at 4:35. The track features cello by Yo-Yo Ma.
“Hush, Hush, Hush,” a supporting track on Paula Cole‘s breakout 1996 album This Fire (the single was something about cowboys), guest features the singer/songwriter’s mentor, Peter Gabriel as well as some gorgeous and unusual instrumental features. Starting in a minor key, a transition to a major-key bridge starts at 2:01; at 2:33, we return to the original key. An unexpected 4-chord repeating harmonic progression loops from 2:50 to the end.
R&B chanteuse Deborah Cox released “Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here,” the track for which she’s perhaps best known, in 1998.
“‘The song crossed my path in early ’98. I had taken a little time off — I got married in Jamaica — and was really searching for a direction for the second album,” (Billboard). “When Anthony ‘Shep’ Crawford and Montell Jordan (the co-writers) played it for me, I immediately knew the song was a smash. I just remember hearing it and going, ‘Oh my God, this speaks to me!’ I had just gone through the same thing: I was caught off guard with the love of my life, so it really resonated.”
This gospel-infused ballad builds to a big modulation at 3:00.
More vintage 90s coming at you today with 1999’s “Bring It All Back” by S Club 7. Key change at 2:42. Enjoy!
Five has sold over 20 million records worldwide and has produced 11 top ten singles and four top ten albums in the UK. “Until the Time is Through” (1998) features a unique modulation prep type — silence! Key change at 3:14.
Duncan Sheik‘s tunes are full of quirks — harmonic and otherwise — but fewer full modulations. His best-known hit, 1996’s “Barely Breathing,” sticks to fairly straightforward territory through the first two verses and choruses. But then the bridge (2:40) presents several short but compelling key-of-the-moment segments (I major / V minor pairs) that don’t closely relate to the rest of the tune — but then, that’s often true of a good bridge. By 3:09, we’re ready to dive back into the familiarity (and relative simplicity) of the chorus as it reverts to the original key.
Another new artist for MotD, and another common tone modulation. Here is Boyzone’s “When You Say Nothing At All” (1999). Key change is at 2:29 is unorthodox in that it goes from G to E. It stays there only briefly though before returning to G to stay to the end.
Bocelli’s “Because We Belive” has a textbook example of a “common tone” modulation: a single note is sustained through key change, thus transforming its harmonic function. And the second, at 4:20, is the rare downward modulation, moving from E to D. David Foster is at the keys (he co-wrote the song with his daughter Amy for the 2006 Turin Olympics).
Sting‘s 1993 single “If I Ever Lose My Faith In You” features plenty of pipe organ in addition to traditional rock instrumentation. It modulates at the bridge (2:20), then reverts to the original key. A striking downward modulation (3:19) runs until the last key change (3:38).
Here’s Celine Dion performing live at the 1996 Olympic Games with “The Power of the Dream.” Her performance was heard by 100,000 people in the arena as well as 3.5 billion others worldwide. The modulation is at 3:18.
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