Tag: 1990s

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