“Beautiful City” is from Stephen Schwartz‘s musical Godspell, which opened in 1971 Off-Broadway, moving to Broadway in 1976. This song was originally written for the 1973 movie, and has since been inserted in the show in various locations, in both uptempo and ballad styles. The track seamlessly and beautifully alternates between Gb Major in the verses and Eb Major in the chorus, before an unexpected shift to D Major right at the end. Performed here by Hunter Parrish from the 2011 Broadway revival cast; key changes are at 0:47, 1:17, 1:52, 2:22, 2:45, and 3:11.
Tag: 2010s
Empty Chairs at Empty Tables (from “Les Miserables”)
From Schönberg and Boubil’s musical Les Misérables, “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” (2014) is performed here by Ramin Karimloo, who has appeared in productions of the show on both the West End and Broadway in multiple roles. Key change at 2:14.
Knower | Trust the Light
In a departure from its trademark uptempo jazz/funk sound, electronica duo Knower‘s “Trust the Light” (2010) is a gentle waltz. Full of harmonic pivots, the tune features a simple but compelling 5-note melodic motif, first heard at 0:06 – 0:08. The motif is the only constant as the harmonic ground falls from beneath our feet between 0:24 and 0:50. At 0:51, we’re back in the original key for a second verse of this engaging miniature; starting at 1:08, the motif echoes again over the outro. This tiny jewelbox of a tune runs for a total of only 1:40.
Many thanks to MotD fan Jonathan JHarms Harms for this submission!
Infinite (인피니트) | The Chaser
Infinite (인피니트) is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010. According to Billboard.com, the band’s single “The Chaser” (2012) made its list of “20 Best K-Pop Songs of 2012”, taking listeners “on a ride the second they start the track…proving risk and innovation in K-pop can trump all.”
The frenetic dance track’s accompaniment shifts throughout, cycling through varying patterns of syncopation in the sung and rapped verses before reaching the sing-along choruses. 2:34 brings an unexpectedly spiky modulation amid all of the glossy production and multiple hooks: the vocal line shifts keys a full beat earlier than the accompaniment!
Tori Kelly | You’re Never Alone
Tori Kelly‘s “You’re Never Alone” won the 2019 Grammy for Best Gospel Performance/Song, and features legendary performer, choir director, and 15-time Grammy winner Kirk Franklin. The key change is at 2:52.
Some background on the song’s inception courtesy of Songfacts: “The track finds Kelly singing about the reassurance of not being alone during times of struggle since God is with her. She recalled to NewReleaseToday how the morning before her first writing session with Kirk Franklin she got anxious. She was going to write songs about God for the first time in her life and started whether she had the ability to do it. ‘I’ve always loved God,’ Kelly explained, ‘but could I articulate this in a song?’ On top of this, Kelly was in a new city, missing her friends and family back home, and just feeling lonely.
At that moment God ‘dropped a little reminder’ into her heart, in which he said, ‘remember I told you I’d never leave you? I’ve already gone before you and I am in control. Just trust me.’ Kelly immediately felt God’s peace and emboldened she grabbed her phone and typed out the phrase ‘I’m never alone.’ Later that day she sat down with Kirk Franklin to write their first ever song together. They started talking and she read the note to him from her phone. ‘Let’s start with this,’ she said, ‘I am never alone.’ Around that simple phrase their first song together was built.”
Guster | Overexcited
According to Boston.com, the NYC-based/Boston-made band Guster is “a buoyant pop act formed by Tufts University students (which) has used its word-of-mouth popularity to hit the big time.” Apparently the “intelligently playful pop band” gives a bit of extra thought to its Boston appearances: “When the band last played the Pavilion, it arrived in a rubber dinghy. And once, at the Orpheum Theatre, band members came in from the ceiling.” Guster has cranked out college radio anthems for years, but none more quirky than 2019’s “Overexcited.” The video, an earnest homage(?) to modern dating, adds a few more smiles and cringeworthy moments to the simplicity of the lyrics and the earworming melody.
Modulation at 2:04. Many thanks to chronic contributor JB for this submission!!!
Lawrence | It’s Not All About You
From longtime MotD fan Carlo Migliaccio comes this jam-packed pop/soul confection of an arrangement from NYC-based band Lawrence, “It’s Not All About You” (2019). Siblings Clyde and Gracie Lawrence are at the core of the band, both as songwriters and performers. Relix‘s overview: “The rich 9-piece arrangements pay tribute to Motown, Muscle Shoals, and everything in between.”
The tune starts at the 0:56 mark, but watch the entire video to catch the full snark quotient of the narrative arc. A half-step modulation hits at 2:39, with a second key change at 3:04.
Once More I Can See (from “Wonderland”)
“Once More I Can See” is from Frank Wildhorn‘s 2011 Broadway musical Wonderland, a contemporary setting of Lewis Carroll‘s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking-Glass.” Performed here by Janet Dacal, the song features a key change at 2:05.
Jay Som | Tenderness
From our follower Alex Gold comes the 2019 track “Tenderness” by Jay Som. Known as a DIY/”bedroom pop” singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, the LA-based Som released her first tracks via the Bandcamp platform. The New York Times calls Som “a nimble, honest songwriter (who) never sacrifices grooves or hooks for some forced idea of lo-fi intimacy.”
The fast 12/8 groove, which initially takes its sweet time falling into place during the intro, drops out at 1:14. Then the groove returns with much more force a few seconds later before a big modulation, jumping up a perfect fourth, hits at 3:15.
The Maccabeats + Naturally 7 | Shed a Little Light
This tune features more of a key-of-the-moment shift than a true modulation, but we hope we’ll be forgiven. ❤ Here are two top-drawer a capella ensembles, The Maccabeats and Naturally 7, collaborating on a gorgeous 2016 cover of James Taylor‘s “Shed a Little Light” (1991), honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. amid Washington, DC’s monuments.
Set overall in Bb major, the tune shifts to a v minor / bVII major / I major vamp as the bridge starts at 1:53, returning to a straightforward Bb major at 2:17.
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