“Spirit” by Beyoncé, featured in the 2019 remake of The Lion King movie, was reviewed by Slate.com‘s Carl Wilson as an “award-baiting piece of Hollywood-goes-gospel.” After an intro built around choristers singing in Swahili, Beyonce shows off not only her trademark fluid melisma, but also the far edges of her range, both high and low. The half-step modulation is at 3:30.
Tag: 2010s
The Cardinals | I Dreamed a Dream
Vocal quartet The Cardinals (Ben Forster, Carrie Hope Fletcher, Celinde Schoenmaker, and Ramin Karimloo) perform “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Miserables, arranged by Nick Barstow (2019). According to Barstow’s website, “the group has a unique folk-musical theatre crossover sound, characterized by bold re-imaginings of musical theatre classics and modern pop with lush vocal harmonies.”
Starting around the 1:00 mark, this new arrangement of the Broadway classic is compelling yet harmonically relatively static, droning on the tonic of F major as the iconic melody floats above. At 2:02, the growing harmonic motion more closely resembles that of the original. From 2:24 -2:35, the arrangement piles on several pivots, landing in C major.
Merle Hazard | (Gimme Some of That) Ol’ Atonal Music
Weekend bonus mod: Merle Hazard is billed as “America’s foremost country singer/economist.” According to his website, his songs have appeared in The Economist and the Financial Times; on the PBS NewsHour and on radio; and in college classrooms.
Hazard explains: “I love Tom Lehrer and Cole Porter. In some ways, they are my natural musical home, more than country. I listened to a lot of Tom Lehrer and Top 40 pop, growing up. The name ‘Merle Hazard’ is first and foremost a pun on the economic concept of ‘moral hazard.’ It is also a tip of the cowboy hat to the Merles who preceded, particularly Merle Travis and the late, great Merle Haggard.”
“(Gimme Some of That) Ol’ Atonal Music” (2019) modulates at 1:36 and 2:22.
Only Boys Aloud | You Will Be Found (from “Dear Evan Hansen”)
From live theatre critic Michael J. Curtiss comes this knockout crowd-sourced 2019 cover of “You Will Be Found” from Dear Evan Hansen. Boys’ choruses from Welsh towns and cities large and small were brought together through Only Boys Aloud, the boys’ division of The Aloud Charity. Aloud’s mission is “to engage young people across Wales with the power of choral singing.”
The modulation is at 2:29 after a gorgeous transition passage starting at 2:18.
Knower | Overtime
Some hard funk/electronica from KNOWER: The band has recently opened for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and has featured prestigious guest artists such as percussionist/vocalist Nate Wood of Kneebody and keyboardist/vocalist Jonah Nilsson of Dirty Loops.
The frenetic pace of “Overtime” (2017) finds the entire band in an almost impossible flow state, led by drummer/keyboardist/composer Louis Cole and Genevieve Artadi, vocalist. After the tune starts in F# minor, the main groove hits at 0:33. A modulation to G# minor (0:50) is introduced by a 2-bar break, sparely punctuated by a few huge syncopated kicks. At 1:18, the tune reverts to F# minor and the cycle repeats.
Voctave | Moon River
Here is another rendition of “Moon River” by Henry Mancini, originally from the Breakfast At Tiffanys soundtrack (1961). This performance by Voctave features modulations at 1:36 and 2:23.
Taylor Swift | Getaway Car
The synth-pop track “Getaway Car” was a 2018 release for pop princess Taylor Swift, now seemingly a permanent expatriate from the country music world that launched her career.
The whole-step modulation hits at the beginning of the bridge at 2:17.
Lady Gaga | Perfect Illusion
“Perfect Illusion,” a 2016 dance release by Lady Gaga, reached #15 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #1 in France, Finland, and Greece. It also achieved a top 10 ranking in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Scotland, and Slovakia. The Verge likened the song to “Bad Romance” but with the “extra adrenaline shot of a big stadium rock song and some twinkly, vaguely creepy ’80s synthesizers.” The whole-step modulation is at 1:50.
Jonathan Coulton | NDA
Weekend bonus: No pure modulations here, but plenty of fun shifting through key(s) of the moment. Software guy Jonathan Coulton became a full-time singer/songwriter in the mid-2000s, releasing several albums since. Recently, he was commissioned to write a series of Schoolhouse Rock!-style short songs for the TV series The Good Fight — detail-packed miniature musical explainers of legal and political terminology.
“NDA,” which describes the ins and outs of Non-Disclosure Agreements, features verses which are solidly in G Major. But the choruses (first at 0:10!) and bridge (0:27 – 0:41) cycle briefly through other keys.
Voctave | Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Voctave has released a new album entitled Somewhere There’s Music featuring this arrangement “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” the track below. Modulation at 1:47, but do yourself the favor of listening to the whole thing.
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