Jason Robert Brown’s 2001 two-character musical The Last Five Years traces the disintegration of a five year relationship between Jamie, a novelist and Cathy, an aspiring actress. The story, inspired by Brown’s own failed marriage, is told from the perspectives of both characters even though they only interact once in the middle of the show, at their wedding. “Moving Too Fast” is sung by Jamie when everything in his professional life is going better than he ever dreamed it could, and Cathy feels left behind.
The song, performed here by Jeremy Jordan in the film adaptation, begins in A and modulates to F at 1:28 for the bridge, which quotes “Still Hurting,” the first song in the show. It then returns to A at 2:26 and dances around Bb, B and C before a final modulation to Bb at 3:38
“Growing up, (Portland’s Brooke Parrott) played music and wrote stories incessantly, eventually pursuing a degree from Berklee College of Music in Boston,” (BrookeParrott.com). “The years after found Brooke in London, living in a disused pub rumored to be an old haunt of Charles Dickens and Karl Marx, where she wrote songs on a disintegrating grand piano in the parlor. She began working for a small live music startup company that grew up to be a big one, and learned a lot in the process.
When the siren call of the Pacific Northwest became too loud to ignore, Brooke returned and found her place touring and recording music with Portland darlings Loch Lomond. She released a second studio effort, an EP called Buried, that was written between contrasting worlds—part hectic city and suffocating winter in London, part hinterland yurt in the Oregon woods.”
Starting in D minor, Parrott’s 2008 release “Persuade Me” shifts at 0:52 into a chorus in C minor. From 2:24-2:56, an angular bridge built around chromatic bass motion holds sway before a return to the chorus. The final chorus ends by hanging in the air, unresolved.
“Fall Again” was written and originally recorded by Michael Jackson in 1999, and subsequently covered by Canadian R&B singer Glenn Lewis for the 2002 film Maid in Manhattan. Lewis makes a brief appearance performing the song in the film, which starred Jennifer Lopez and Ralph Fiennes.
The track begins in E minor and modulates up a half step to F minor at 3:06.
“When Steely Dan released Two Against Nature on a leap year’s February 29 (2000) … (then their first album in two decades), critics instantly adored it,” (Esquire). “‘What makes [the album] work isn’t its cerebral ellipticity but its stunning musical clarity,’ Rolling Stone wrote in their review at the time. ‘It is a showcase for what Steely Dan’s core twosome can do—reluctant guitar god Becker remains a fluid, precise player, while Fagen covers the keyboard waterfront with a variety of jazz and R&B styles.’ ‘We might just want to jump into the disc and let the duo take us away from all this teen choreography,” Entertainment Weekly mused in their own take. ‘Even if their particular Shangri-la is peopled by perverts, creeps, miscreants, and clavinets.’
The album, dark, strange, and a near 180 musical degrees from plastic pop that was dominating the charts at the time — think Britney Spears, *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, and Destiny’s Child — cracked the Top 10 on the all-genre Billboard 200 and the Top 20 on the UK counterpart.”
The angular title track is built in either a very big, very subdivided 3/4 or a swiftly-flowing 6/8, relentlessly accented and driven by two handclap-like hits in the last third of each measure of the intro and verse. The percussion smooths out during the chorus, which shifts from Ab up a tritone to E (first heard at 1:24 – 1:40). Both sections keep the color of the keys somewhat fluid, with both major and minor third degrees mixed in. The pattern continues from there, with the exception of a meandering interlude/instrumental bridge from 2:36 – 3:28. Some neat harmonic tricks for sure, but considering the source, they’re more like routine.
“You Raise Me Up,” written by Rolf Løvland and Brendan Graham, was initially recorded by the Irish-Norwegian band Secret Garden with vocalist Brian Kennedy. Josh Groban’s 2004 cover brought much wider recognition to the song, and the following year the Irish pop group Westlife released it as the lead single for their album Face to Face; it has since become the eighth most-streamed song of all time in Ireland.
Beginning in Eb, there is a modulation up to F at 1:19 and another to Gb at 2:30.
“Whiskey Girl,” written by country singer/songwriters Toby Keith and Scotty Emerick, is featured on Keith’s 2003 album Shock’n Y’all. The album hit #1 on the Billboard Country chart, and sold over four million copies. “She’s just the epitome of a redneck girl who ain’t into wine and beer or tequila,” Emerick said, discussing his inspiration for the tune. “It’s not strong enough for her. She didn’t do anything but sip on whiskey … We wanted to make her sound like a really good-looking gal who’s also kind of rough — but not some slobbering binge drinker!”
Toby Keith passed away last week at age 62.
The intro to the track is in E minor, and it shifts up to F for the verse at 0:26. A modulation to G sets up the chorus at 0:57. There is a brief return to F for the second verse at 1:48, and a final arrival in G at 2:20.
Scottish singer Susan Boyle rose to fame as a contestant on the third season of the reality singing competition Britain’s Got Talent singing “I Dreamed a Dream” from the blockbuster musical Les Miserables. Her debut album of the same name, released in 2009, quickly became the UK’s best-selling album of all time, and with over 10 million copies sold is now one of the best-selling records of the 21st century. Boyle has gone on to release seven additional albums.
The tune begins in Eb and dramatically modulates up a whole step to F at 1:44.
“I Say Yeah” is featured on the eponymous 2000 debut album by the American boyband Dream Street. The group, which originally formed in 1999 and broke up in 2002, reunited last year and released a single this past June. It is unclear if or when they will release another full album.
This track begins in D and modulates up to E at 2:14.
This song is from Act 1 of the 2005 Broadway musical The Color Purple, announcing the arrival of Shug Avery, a jazz singer to the rural Georgia community where the show is based. The Tony-nominated score by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray synthesizes blues, gospel and musical theater influences. A revival was mounted in 2015, and a movie adaptation of the musical was released last month on Christmas.
The song begins in Bb, shifts to G at 0:34, and finally modulates to C at 2:00.
“Bless This House,” originally published in 1927 and written by Helen Taylor and May Brahe, is the final track on American singer Brian McKnight’s 2008 album I’ll Be Home For Christmas, his second holiday record. The track also features the a cappella group Take 6, known for their synthesis of jazz and spiritual themes.
The tune begins in Bb and shifts up to B at 1:48. A subtle transition to C major occurs around 3:29.
modulationoftheday.home.blog 