Tag: 2000s

Once Before I Go (from “The Boy from Oz”)

“(Thirty) years after he last had his name up in lights on Broadway, and a little over (25 years) after his death, Peter Allen lives again on stage (Theater Mania) … Allen’s life and music are celebrated the musical The Boy From Oz … (For the 2003 production), Allen was portrayed by a fellow Australian, Hugh Jackman, who achieved box-office stardom in the X-Men movies … the show’s librettist, Martin Sherman: ‘Everybody who encountered him adored him. He didn’t have the greatest voice, but he had that dynamic quality, his secret weapon.’ Jackman, for his part, has remarked that ‘Peter’s whole essence was very joyous. He was fearless, outrageous, and childlike, and he definitely lived life to the full.’

… The conceit of Sherman’s libretto is that we’re at a Peter Allen concert during which the performer recounts the story of his life. ‘When I saw him in concert, I remember thinking, These songs sound like they belong in the theater,’ says Sherman. Spinning a musical out of an existing collection of songs is not at all unusual these days: Mamma Mia! took the approach of brazenly allowing the audience into the joke of how and where the songs were placed. The Boy From Oz goes in the opposite direction, creating the illusion that Allen wrote the songs to punctuate his life story. Popular hits recorded by the likes of Melissa Manchester (‘Don’t Cry Out Loud’), Olivia Newton John (‘I Honestly Love You’), Ann-Margret (‘Once Before I Go’), and Frank Sinatra (‘You and Me’) reveal unexpectedly deep emotional layers in this new context.”

Jackman’s version of “Once Before I Go” begins in A major. The tune is full of cliché melodic shapes and chord progressions, but particularly in light of Allen’s biography, the lyric is undeniably affecting. 2:44 brings a shift to Bb major.

Ben Folds | Learn to Live With What You Are

“If Elton John had retained his original sense of fun, he might now be doing something along the lines of Ben Folds’ celebrated live act,” (The Guardian). “Having long ago embraced his inner nerd, Folds employs spectacles, piano and wit as weapons against a world that is taller, cooler and sexier, and emerges victorious. Accordingly, there’s an audience who want nothing more than to show their love for the man who describes himself, much to their delight, as a ‘piano-playing asshole.’ They sing every lyric back to him, pretend to be trumpets when requested, and generally assure the pocket-sized North Carolinian that brains beat brawn.”

Before turning his focus fully to the piano, Folds’ longtime instrument of choice was the drums; he still gleefully trots out a small set at some of his live shows to accompany his guest/opening act musicians. “Folds’ very physical playing reminds us that the piano is a percussion instrument, and he bends it to his will – as delicate accompaniment during a solo interlude, and aggressive mainstay elsewhere … a big, clever noise.”

(The video has an actual plot of sorts, but if you prefer to skip to the music, it starts at 0:30). “Learn to Live With What You Are” (2003) begins in E major. After a brief bridge, 3:44 brings a shift up a whole step to F# major for a final chorus. However, the closing seconds of the tune appear to settle back down into E major. Many thanks to our reader/listener Mandy D. for this submission to MotD — her second!

Swing Out Sister | Where the Hell Did I Go Wrong

“Swing Out Sister are a sophisticated pop duo from the U.K. Singer Corinne Drewery and multi-instrumentalist/arranger Andy Connell’s sound ranges from jazz, classic, and modern pop to hooky EDM and synth pop,” (AllMusic). “1987’s It’s Better to Travel hit the top spot on the British album charts. 1989’s cinematic Kaleidoscope World resonated in the U.S., Europe, and Japan.” Many other releases followed, received with varying success around the world.

” … Nottingham-born Corinne Drewery was a fashion designer and model. After moving to London in 1977, she attended Central St. Martin’s with a certain Sade Adu. Drewery had no professional musical experience. She met Connell by chance at the Hacienda Club just after the band had completed their demos and signed with Phonogram. They discovered a shared love for vintage Blue Note and Riverside jazz, the scores of John Barry and Ennio Morricone, the funky Brazilian fusion of Airto Moreira and Flora Purim, the high-class pop of Burt Bacharach and Hal David, the sweeping cinematic soul of Isaac Hayes and David Porter, Motown, Stax/Volt, and singers Dionne Warwick, Nina Simone, and Dusty Springfield. After a brief audition,” Drewery was invited “to be a full member — just in time to release their official first single, ‘Blue Mood,’ late that year … The single didn’t do much, but its follow-up, 1986’s “Breakout,” was a Top Ten hit in Great Britain and Japan.

… The group’s appetite for experimentation was far from sated, however. 2001’s Somewhere Deep in the Night offered a wide range of haunting vocal harmonies set in soaring string arrangements that owed an unapologetic debt to film composers such as Michel LeGrande, Francis Lai, and Pierre Barouh. It offered several instrumental tracks showcasing Connell’s arrangements. Issued in England, Japan, and Europe, its singles, including “Where the Hell Did I Go Wrong” … and the sweeping, hallucinatory title track were far too adventurous to chart.”

Starting in a D major that spends very little time on or even near its tonic chord, “Where the Hell Did I Go Wrong” shifts to Bb major for its chorus at 1:03. At 1:26, the pattern continues, with more shifts in tonality following. Many thanks to Ari S. for this wonderful find — her ninth contribution to MotD!

Tradition (from “Fiddler on the Roof”)

“Winner of nine Tony Awards when it debuted in 1964, Fiddler on the Roof is the brainchild of Broadway legends Jerome Robbins and Harold Prince; songwriters Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick; and bookwriter Joseph Stein,” (Music Theatre International). “Touching audiences worldwide with its humor, warmth and honesty, this universal show is a staple of the musical theatre canon.

Set in the little village of Anatevka, the story centers on Tevye, a poor milkman, and his five daughters. With the help of a colorful and tight-knit Jewish community, Tevye tries to protect his daughters and instill them with traditional values in the face of changing social mores and the growing anti-Semitism of Czarist Russia. Rich in historical and ethnic detail, Fiddler on the Roof‘s universal theme of tradition cuts across barriers of race, class, nationality and religion.” The original Broadway production of the show, opening in 1964, was the first musical to surpass 3,000 performances and held the record for the longest-running Broadway musical for almost 10 years until it lost that record to Grease.

This recording features the 2004 revival of the show, which starred Alfred Molina as Tevye. After opening in C mixolydian (flat 6), at 2:04, there’s a shift to D mixolydian (flat 6); more shifts follow as each group within the village is introduced.

Maria Rita | Maltratar, Não é Direito

“As the daughter of two Brazilian musical icons – legendary singer Elis Regina and acclaimed pianist Cezar Camargo Mariano – it’s no surprise that Maria Rita has followed in their footsteps to become one of her native land’s best selling artists,” (BBC). “After studying at New York University and working as a journalist, Rita didn’t release her first album until the age of 24, but over a million sales worldwide for her eponymous debut and a host of Latin Grammy awards soon established her at the pinnacle of the MPB (Música Popular Brasileira) scene.

After further success with 2005’s Segundo, Samba Meu (My Samba, 2007) sees the São Paulo-born star paying tribute to the traditional music of Brazil, featuring acoustic reinterpretations of works by some of the country’s great songwriters. Backed by some impeccably tasteful musicianship and arrangements, Rita meanders politely through 13 pleasant, yet distinctly unmemorable, tracks; her note-perfect vocals never threatening to break into anything more taxing than a breezy trill.”

Beginning in D minor, Rita’s “Maltratar, Não é Direito” (which translates approximately to “mistreating others is not right”), shifts to D major at 1:00 for its chorus. At 1:36, it returns to D minor for an interlude centering around a wordless vocal before shifting back to the next verse. The pattern continues from there, propelled by a saturated instrumentation (layered percussion and the small yet mighty cavaquinho, in particular).

Bruce Hornsby | What the Hell Happened

“Relevancy is an ambition that countless artists strive for, yet so few actually achieve,” (Glide Magazine). “Iconic pianist Bruce Hornsby can proudly count himself among those fortunate few. With a storied musical career that has spanned (50) years, the Williamsburg, VA native continues to be a prominent influence on many modern artists – from Spike Lee to Bon Iver – that seemingly encompasses nearly all aspects and genres of the music industry.

Starting in 1974 … he formed the Grateful Dead cover band Bobby Hi-Test and the Octane Kids with his older brother Bobby Hornsby … By 1980, Bruce and his younger brother John Hornsby moved to Los Angeles, where they spent the next three years writing songs together for 20th Century Fox. In 1986, Bruce, along with his newly-formed backing band The Range, released the multi-platinum album The Way It Is for RCA Records. It was that album’s eponymous chart-topping title track that propelled the group towards receiving their first Grammy Award, for Best New Artist, in 1987.”

Since then, Hornsby has continued to perform extensively — with his band The Noisemakers, touring solo, and supporing the Grateful Dead on keys and vocals. His writing style hasn’t really pivoted away from the pop-friendly sound of his days with The Range; it might be more accurate to say that his musical palette has expanded exponentially. A wonderful example of Hornsby’s relentless eclecticism is “What the Hell Happened” from 2004’s Halcyon Days. “Self-deprecating humor has always been a hallmark of Bruce’s lyrics, and the polytonal ‘What The Hell Happened’ might be his greatest example … (a) Randy Newman-esque piece.”

The tune’s intro and verse are built around Eb minor, but not without plenty of ear-bending alterations. At 0:39, the chorus shifts to Gb lydian. 0:56 brings a seams-hidden change to F major for an extended instrumental break, driven by Hornsby’s rock-solid stride technique and fluid right hand runs. At 2:41, we return to Gb lydian until near the end, when Eb minor makes another appearance. The tune’s overall feel might bring to mind one of Randy Newman’s sepia-toned tales, but the harmonic vocabulary is miles beyond — to borrow the title from another track on the album, very “Circus on the Moon.”

MGMT | The Youth

“At some point in the last decade or so, public opinion, among those who still give thought to MGMT, began quietly shifting to accommodate the notion that they are a much stranger band than their career might initially have suggested,” (Pitchfork).

“More than just one-album wonders who never recaptured the magic of their indelible early hits, or even misunderstood tinkerers who found the spotlight in a fluke accident and quickly retreated—though both descriptions are true enough—they are artists whose work addresses the very sort of glitzy mass appeal that those early hits still command. Even ‘Time to Pretend,’ one of the singles that earned them slots opening for Paul McCartney and soundtracking the season finale of Gossip Girl, was itself a grimly funny satire of rock stardom.”

The band, whose core members met while attending Wesleyan University in Connecticut, released its debut album Oracular Spectacular in 2007. “The Youth,” a track from the album, spends most of its 3:45 length in F major. But at 2:35, there’s an unprepared trapdoor shift downward into E major — certainly as compelling as any half-step key change, but in this case, perhaps moreso before of its direction.

Juanita Bynum | I Don’t Mind Waiting

“Juanita Bynum and Jonathan Butler … took the stage to bring fans Gospel Goes Classical (2007), an event of praise, inspiration and encouragement,” (CrossRhythms). “Anointed minister, author, and singer Bynum was joined by contemporary jazz and gospel artist Butler to share new songs and fan favorites in classical music splendour.

The orchestra and choir were led by renowned arranger/conductor Dr. Henry Panion III (Stevie Wonder, Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, The Winans). The extraordinary live performances of Bynum’s ‘One Night with the King’ and ‘Holy Lamb,’ and Butler’s ‘Falling In Love with Jesus’ and ‘Don’t You Worry’ were capped off with a very special duet … ‘I Don’t Mind Waiting.'”

Starting with a gentle, straightforward statement of the melody from Bynum, the arrangement grows in intensity throughout. Half a dozen half-step key changes cascade past us before all is said and done.

Frank Ticheli | Earth Song (Young New Yorkers Chorus)

American composer Frank Ticheli on his 2004 work, Earth Song: “‘ … the music … first appeared in a work called Sanctuary, for wind ensemble,'” (FredBock.com). “‘As I worked on that piece, I just kept thinking this music is just begging to be sung by a chorus. The music is so vocal in and of itself. It was also written during a time when we were sort of stuck in the Iraq War when everyone – regardless of what political side they were on – was tired of that war, and so Earth Song was written to be very pro-peace. I guess you could also say anti-war and anti-violence. It was a cry and a prayer for peace.

Earth Song means different things to different people. I know for me, it sprang out of an intense weariness of war and a wish for peace. The second half of the poem talks about music as a comforting force and a refuge. When I was bullied as a kid, music was my refuge. I often thought about bullies in relation to this piece as well, because that’s where violence starts. But music is a place where people can find acceptance and love – and it can often be their saving grace. And it’s not just choir that people can find that comfort – it’s band, it’s orchestra… it’s just people coming together to make music.'”

This 2025 performance by the Young New Yorkers Chorus was conducted by Justin Duckworth. Earth Song is built primarily in F major. But at 2:50, a soft-spoken but profound G major chord breaks the spell; a repeated E major chord then upends the tonality yet again as the piece draws to an end.

Many thanks to longtime contributor Mark B. for this beautiful piece — his fourth submission to MotD!

Sing, Be, Live, See.
This dark stormy hour,
The wind, it stirs.
The scorched earth
Cries out in vain:
O war and power,
You blind and blur,
The torn heart
Cries out in pain.
But music and singing
Have been my refuge,
And music and singing
Shall be my light.
A light of song
Shining Strong: Alleluia!
Through darkness, pain, and strife, I’ll
Sing, Be, Live, See…
Peace.