“Say The Word” is from Kerrigan-Lowdermilk‘s 2009 musical The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown, performed here by Laura Osnes. Key changes are at 1:25, 2:02, 2:25, and 3:20.
Tag: 2000s
Mike Stern | What Might Have Been
Genre-hopping guitarist Mike Stern has worked with Miles Davis, Brecker Brothers, and Blood Sweat And Tears. He delivers a beautiful contemporary jazz fusion ballad in “What Might Have Been” (2002). Stern takes one of the guitar’s few weak links (the ability to strongly sustain a note without effects) and augments it by doubling it with the human voice, employing the enigmatic wordless vocals of Elisabeth Kontomanou.
The modulation is at 1:30, with a return to the original key at 2:05; after the guitar solo, the pattern repeats at 3:54 and 4:29.
Jonatha Brooke | New Dress
After co-founding The Story in the early 1990s, singer/songwriter Jonatha Brooke struck out on a solo career. From AllMusic: “She has always penned tunes that danced just outside the box with poetic lyrics, creative arrangements, and complex chord progressions.”
“New Dress” (2001) jumps back and forth between both A major and A minor throughout the verses and choruses. A short, string-drenched bridge (2:07 – 2:27) presents a few more harmonic pivots. Neil Finn of Crowded House provides wonderful support in covering the quirky backing vocal lines, which frequently include chromatic motion and outline the chord color; 1:05 – 1:15 is a clear illustration.
Sarah McLachlan | Ordinary Miracle
“Ordinary Miracle” was written by Glen Ballard and Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics, and originally performed by Sarah McLachlan in the 2006 film adaptation of Charlotte’s Web. It won the Film Critics Society Award that year for Best Song. Key change at 2:28.
“Queer Eye” themes (2003 and 2018)
Not a modulation per se, but an interesting reharmonization of the theme of a “make-better” TV franchise which has enjoyed two successful runs in different decades. Queer Eye For The Straight Guy, which ran in the early 2000s, featured a theme by Widelife in a major key.
The updated Queer Eye, which just finished its third season, features a theme by Betty Who which maintains some of the elements of the original — but overall takes a more minimalist approach in a minor key.
Rufus Wainwright | Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk
Vocalist/pianist/composer Rufus Wainwright released “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk,” the first track on his sophomore album Poses, in 2001. Wainwright benefited from classical piano and composition training and has carved out two career niches: a unique brand of chamber pop and opera composition. From AllMusic‘s review: the tune “combines classic Gershwin/Brian Wilson pop feels along with a strong sense of French cabaret show tunes” — nowhere more clearly than in this live version.
Starting in E major, a modulation to E minor hits at 0:50 and reverts to E major at 1:26; the pattern continues from there.
Scott Alan (feat. Shoshana Bean) | Home
Continuing with Scott Alan‘s music, this is Shoshana Bean (currently starring in Waitress on Broadway) singing “Home” (2008) with an epic key change at 5:42.
There’s a lot of banter at the start of this live video; skip to 2:15 if you want to go straight to the music.
Scott Alan | Never Neverland
Scott Alan‘s “Never Neverland” (2007), performed here by three-time Tony Award nominee vocalist Stephanie J. Block, alternates between A and F major throughout the song.
Tim McGraw | Live Like You Were Dying
Tim McGraw’s “Live Like You Were Dying” was the #1 Country song of 2004, according to Billboard, and the 2005 Grammy winner for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. The title track of McGraw’s 8th studio album, the tune has a dramatic key change at 3:16.
John Mayer | Bigger Than My Body
The first single from John Mayer‘s second album, Heavier Things (2003), was the mid-tempo tune “Bigger Than My Body.” Billboard reported that the tune “delivers a contagious melody, an exhilarating arrangement and lyrics that are thoughtful and touching without stooping to sentimentality or bombast.”
Primarily built around E major, the tune’s bridge centers around F major from 2:39 – 3:06, then reverts to E major.
modulationoftheday.home.blog 