Tag: 2010s

Jack Antonoff, MØ | Never Fall In Love (from “Love, Simon”)

“Never Fall In Love” is featured in the 2018 coming-out film Love, Simon. Written and performed by Jack Antonoff, who also produced the soundtrack, the synth-driven song features Danish singer MØ. Beginning in D, a modulation to E occurs at 2:55.

Andra Day | What The World Needs Now

“Right now the world is full of opinions, which is always fine, and full of agendas and people making things out to be a certain way and they aren’t listening to each other,” Day said upon recording this 1965 Burt Bacharach song. “That requires love and that requires selflessness.” Day’s cover was used for Hyatt Hotels’ World of Hyatt campaign, and premiered in an ad during the 89th Academy Awards in 2017.

The track begins in A and shifts up to Bb at 1:54.

Green Day | Brutal Love

“Brutal Love” is the lead track on the 2012 album ¡Tré!, the third and final installment of a series released by the American rock band Green Day (who today make their MotD debut.) According to Billboard, the track “marries glam-rock, doo-wop and soul music. Part of the melody is lifted from Sam Cooke’s 1962 hit “Bring It On Home To Me,” leading him to be credited as a co-writer.

The song begins in Ab and modulates up to A coming out of the second bridge at 3:45.

Jean Claude and the Eclairs | Crazy For You

Jean Claude and the Eclairs is a Kansas City-based indie/ pop alternative band that has been active since 2018. The group, which includes Garrison Krotz, Quinn Maetzold, Ryan Pollock and Cooper Scott, will release its first EP next month. “Crazy For You” was released in 2018, and modulates from Ab up a half step to A at 2:30.

Dolly Parton | Blue Smoke

“Dolly Parton hasn’t really had a single as great as ‘I Will Always Love You’ or ‘9 To 5’ in a while (AV Club) … You can’t blame her for the fall off, considering her (2014) LP, Blue Smoke, is her 42nd career full-length … imbued with bluegrass melodies, instruments, and heart, making them seem like actual products of Parton’s brain rather than radio-savvy grabs at staying commercially viable … She’s written the songs to make her an icon, obviously, but it’s her down-home charm, apparently genuine goodness, and witty turns of phrase that have solidly put her in the hearts of the people. On Blue Smoke, she handily harnesses those charms — coupled with that stellar musicality, of course — to produce an absolutely lovely LP.”

Although the review describes the up-tempo track as “hokey” with “theme park-styled lyrics,” it’s also nothing short of infectiously charming. After suspending the groove momentarily, Dolly shifts the tune up a whole step via glissando at 1:48.

Danny and Alex | Friends Kiss Too

“Friends Kiss Too” is a 2019 single released by Danny and Alex, a pop duo based in St. Petersburg, Florida. Counting Steely Dan, Prince, and The Beatles among their influences, [Danny] Scordato and [Alex] Merrill write and produce all of their music; they released an EP in 2018.

The track begins in A and modulates up to C at 2:28.

Parachute | What Side of Love

“What Side of Love” is featured on Wide Awake, the fourth studio album by the Virginia-based rock band Parachute, released in 2016. “While pleasing critics has never been Parachute’s M.O., they certainly know their way around big melodic hooks,” said critic Timothy Monger, reviewing the record for AllMusic. The gospel-tinged song was written by lead vocalist Will Anderson with James Flannigan and Sean Douglas. Starting in Bb, the tune shifts up to C at 2:45.

Mariana’s Trench | The Killing Kind

“Blending the energy and melodicism of pop-punk with theatrical pop ambitions and a progressive rock spirit, Canadian quartet Marianas Trench — named after the Pacific Ocean trench which is the deepest known spot in the world — rose to widespread popularity at the end of the 2000s thanks to platinum-selling concept albums like 2009’s Masterpiece Theatre and 2011’s Ever After,” (AllMusic). “With an increasing trend toward thematic grandeur and a growing worldwide audience, the Vancouver band continued to expand both their sound and commercial reach with the ’80s adventure film-themed Astoria in 2015 and the lush, haunted pop of 2019’s Phantoms.“

Reviewing Phantoms, MelodicMag adds: “Full of theatrical moments, textures, colors, and unconventional sounds … Reminiscent of Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ (‘The Killing Kind’) sounds like multiple songs in one … Each section is like organized chaos. They build onto each other, while staying central to a certain theme or idea.”

Starting in B minor, the track ends in the relative major key of D major — but this seemingly straightforward shift is handled in an indirect fashion: a meandering path through a landscape constructed from equal parts 1970s Queen-style pomp and the gleaming grandeur of contemporary symphonic metal.

Postmodern Jukebox ft. Shoshana Bean | I Want It That Way

Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox, a music collective known for their original, inventive arrangements of well-known songs, included a soul-infused cover of the Backstreet Boys hit “I Want it That Way” on their 2015 album Selfies on Kodachrome. The track features Shoshana Bean on vocals, and modulates up from Eb to F at 2:17 and then to G at 2:35.