Tag: ballad

S Club 7 | Never Had a Dream Come True

S Club 7’s “Never Had a Dream Come True” was released in 2000, and chosen to be the official BBC Children in Need song that year. It hit the top of the UK Singles chart, and was also the UK group’s only single to chart in the US, where it was the 61st best-selling single in 2001. Key change at 3:05.

The Stylistics | You Make Me Feel Brand New

“You Make Me Feel Brand New,” an R&B/Philly Soul ballad released by The Stylistics in 1974, reached the #2 position on the both the US and UK pop charts, but was kept from the #1 position in the US by the omnipresent bubblegum pop tune “Billy, Don’t Be a Hero.” However, the track achieved top 10 positions from Australia to Canada to South Africa.

Written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed, the tune has been covered by Babyface, Simply Red, Boyz 2 Men, Roberta Flack, Ronnie Milsap, and Rod Stewart/Mary J. Blige (as a duo), and more.

The intro starts in A major, transitioning to E major at the verse at 0:32, G major at 1:06, and C major-ish at 1:58 for the chorus. The cycle repeats for the second verse and chorus. Many thanks to Mark Shilansky for this submission!

Boyz II Men | Pass You By

AllMusic.com describes the sound of the remarkable R&B/Soul/Pop vocal quartet Boys II Men: “aching, tremulous harmonies (which) lifted some of the biggest pop hits of the 1990s…According to no less an authority than the RIAA, B2M are the most commercially successful R&B group of all time. They sold ludicrous numbers of records and were involved in three of the longest-running number one pop singles in history, and they did it as a unit of equals.”

“Pass You By” (2000) wasn’t one of those many runaway hits (it reached only #27 on the R&B/Hiphop chart, although it did better in Europe and Australia). The tune nonetheless scored a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group. The lush arrangement and raw emotion of the vocals suggests something a little weightier than the average breakup song; the video goes even further in suggesting the onward-and-upward route.

Starting in B minor, the tune builds in intensity through a few verses and choruses. At 2:27, a short bridge arrives, giving way to another chorus at 2:38, ascending upward a full step into C# minor.

Eric Reed | Flamenco Sketches

Though post-bop jazz and gospel flavors of his sound have developed over his many solo releases, pianist Eric Reed, a native of Philadelphia, got his first break working with trumpeter Wynton Marsalis’ band during the 1980s. Since then, he’s worked with Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Cyrus Chesnut, and many other greats.

Starting in C major, “Flamenco Sketches” (2002) cycles through several keys before returning back to C major at 2:05, repeating the cycle again at 3:54 and 5:30. From AllMusic.com’s review: “Reed takes full advantage of the modal basis, building lush chord structures, trills, and tremolo effects on top of each other for a heavy six and a half minutes.”

Beautiful City (from “Godspell”)

“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.

Roxette | Crash! Boom! Bang!

Many thanks to MotD fan Chris Larkosh for this submission: Swedish duo Roxette released the single “Crash! Boom! Bang!” in 1994, part of an album of the same name. AllMusic liked the release’s vocals and songwriting, but felt that the album was “too pop for rock listeners and too rock for mid-’90s pop fans.” The LA Times, however, enjoyed the album’s “deliciously overwrought ballads” and the New York Times praised Marie Fredriksson, the lead vocalist, as the band’s “main asset … a singer with a sob in her voice.” Fredriksson passed away in late 2019 at the age of only 61.

Starting in C# minor with on-and-off shifts to B major, the tune transitions strongly to E minor for the bridge at 2:24, then back to C# minor again at 2:49.

Annie Lennox | Why

A long-overdue MotD debut for Scottish native Annie Lennox: The lead single from her debut non-Eurythmics solo album Diva (1992), “Why,” was a global hit. The striking video featuring the uncommonly versatile Lennox was comprised of footage which served double duty as a photo shoot for the album cover. From AllMusic‘s review of the album: “The enigmatic vocalist who made a career toying with different notions of gender plays on the concept of fame here — Lennox dresses up in the persona of a solitary Diva trapped by counterfeit glory.”

Starting in C major, the tune shifts to D major at the pre-chorus (1:25), then falls back to C major for the chorus at 1:46; the cycle then repeats.

Can’t Help Falling In Love With You (from “All Shook Up”)

“Can’t Help Falling In Love With You” is featured in the 2005 Elvis jukebox musical All Shook Up. Most every cover of this song (and the original, released in 1961) includes a key change or two, but this one at 1:42 is particularly dramatic.