Tag: 1990s

Barbra Streisand | Children Will Listen

Today we feature Barbra Streisand’s “Children Will Listen” (1993). Modulation comes early at 1:34, but the whole track is just stunning. As Allmusic.com reports, ” As a singer, Streisand‘s rise was remarkable because her popularity was achieved in the face of a dominant musical trend — rock & roll — which she did not follow.”

Pretenders | I’ll Stand By You

US/UK’s Pretenders, better known for guitar-driven, uptempo rock raveups, released the power ballad “I’ll Stand By You” in 1994. The tune was co-written by Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde, Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg.

Songfacts reports on Steinberg’s memory of the songwriting experience: “I remember when we wrote it I felt two things: I felt one, we had written a hit song and I felt two, a little sheepish that we had written something a little soft, a little generic for The Pretenders … I know that Chrissie felt that way too to some extent. I don’t think she really entirely embraced it to begin with, but she certainly does now because when she plays it live, it’s one of the songs that gets the strongest response. It’s done really well for her and for us.”

The anthemic track starts in D major and features a compelling I-vi-v progression in the chorus. We’re then surprised by a rare downwards modulation to C major at 1:13, which reverts back up to the original key at 1:55.

Sergio Mendes | Pipoca

Like much contemporary Brazilian jazz, Sergio Mendes‘s “Pipoca,” composed by Hermeto Pascoal, is loaded with modulations. This 1992 track starts off with a tumbling, mischievous feel, throwing us its first modulation at only 0:16 (!) after a playful ascending chromatic run.

The intro sets the scene for key changes which continue to to turn on a dime as they arrive frequently throughout the track.

Ben Folds Five | Don’t Change Your Plans

Ben Folds, probably best known for his 1997 single “Brick” with his band Ben Folds Five, features several modulations in 1999’s “Don’t Change Your Plans.” Centered around Folds’ trademark confessional storytelling, this song’s first modulation is in the middle of the multi-section bridge (2:20); the last, a rare downward modulation, is in the closing seconds of the tune (4:46). There are several other modulations in between as the lyrics shuttle between future and past, hopefulness and melancholy.

Seal | Prayer for the Dying

Seal‘s 1994 track “Prayer for the Dying,” which charted in both the US and the UK, pivots between two keys at each transition between verse and chorus (and vice versa). The title is a little misleading: the track overflows with funk energy and Seal’s trademark enigmatic lyrics. Mods at 1:07, 1:40, 2:01, 2:31, 3:00, and 3:44