ballad – Page 4

Thomas Dolby | Urban Tribal

“London-born Thomas Morgan Robertson had already made a bit of a name for himself as a synth wiz for hire – working with Bruce Woolley/The Camera Club, Joan Armatrading, Thompson Twins, Lene Lovich and Foreigner – before embarking on his debut solo album in late summer 1981,” (MovingTheRiver). “But, as he once said, he knew ‘too many chords’ to get any regular employment in the punk and new-wave bands of the era, so was pretty much forced to go it alone.

… Lyrically, The Golden Age Of Wireless (1982) … seemed to be a Janus-like vision of England – looking back to its WW2 past and forward to the kinds of urban dystopias explored by novelist JG Ballard.” Its international smash hit single, “She Blinded Me with Science,” became “a signature tune of the Second British Invasion” but was “somewhat of an anomaly. Much of Wireless is downbeat, enigmatic and haunting. Dolby proves himself a brilliant producer and arranger, a master of painting pictures with sound.” His retrofuturistic palette included passages of shortwave radio and marine shipping weather forecasts undergirding the music.

A bonus track from the album,”Urban Tribal,” is certainly a song in the haunting category. The modulations are solidly in the enigmatic mode, too: they don’t announce themselves clearly or proudly. Instead, they pivot smoothly and quietly underneath the gathering stormclouds of Dolby’s storytelling. The lead vocal is prominent enough that a synopsis of the song’s ultimately sad plot is likely unnecessary, but please take a moment to refer here if there’s any doubt. This live performance features a few sudden changes in volume, so please don’t adjust your set. The instrumental intro, featuring the chorus’ rangy melody, is in Eb minor. Just in advance of the verse (0:29), the tonality shifts to D minor. At 1:24, the chorus reverts to Eb minor; the pattern continues from there.

John McCusker | Emma + Jamie’s Wedding

“Born in Bellshill, near Glasgow, John began playing whistle and fiddle as a child and joined the legendary folk outfit Battlefield Band aged 17,” (https://www.johnmccusker.co.uk/about/). During his 11 years with the band, he also released his first two solo recordings, 1995’s self-titled debut and 2000’s Yella Hoose. His most recent albums include Under One Sky and the reissues of Yella Hoose and Goodnight Ginger re-mastered deluxe.

John has long been renowned for his skill at transcending musical boundaries: striving to keep his music fresh and exciting, never leaving the past behind but always embracing new sonic adventures. As a live and studio guest he has shared stages with Paul Weller, Paolo Nutini, Teenage Fanclub, Graham Coxon and Eddi Reader. Since 2008, he has been a member of Mark Knopfler’s band, playing arenas around the world including a double bill with Bob Dylan at The Hollywood Bowl and 20 nights at the Royal Albert Hall.

…John was awarded the coveted BBC Radio 2 Musician of the Year in 2003 and also The Spirit of Scotland Award for music in 1999 and again in 2009. 2016 saw John receive the Good Tradition Award and perform with his band at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards at The Royal Albert Hall.”

After “Emma and Jamie’s Wedding” (2016) begins in G major, a second section (0:57) seems to alternate in emphasis between Bb major and its relative G minor. Then follows a return to G major. The pattern continues from there.

The Isley Brothers | Love Put Me On the Corner

“Continuing the foray into rock begun on 1971’s Givin’ It Back, The Isley Brothers’ 10th studio album Brother, Brother, Brother serves as yet another advancement in the Cincinnati-founded R&B/soul outfit’s signature sound, which carried it to superstardom on the following year’s 3+3,” (UnderTheRadar). “Though understated and restrained in comparison to their more bombastic masterworks, Brother, Brother, Brother is an important Isley Brothers release, its crisp Midwestern soul backbone providing ample support for the group’s more ambitious rock and funk aspirations.

While less realized than much of The Isley Brothers’ future output, Brother, Brother, Brother serves as a gateway to their ’70s golden age. The following year, the band would release its monumental hit ‘That Lady’ … In retrospect, Brother, Brother, Brother feels like a blueprint of explosive greatness to come, the Isleys joining together to function as an unstoppable whole. After five decades, the album sounds unusually fresh, The Isley Brothers having remained pioneers of their genre.”

“Love Put Me On the Corner,” a ballad track from Brother, Brother, Brother, starts with a piano intro in F# minor, accompanied only by gentle mallet cymbal, that sounds like it could have been part of a Joni Mitchell interlude. At 0:22, there’s a shift to F lydian, then another (0:42) to G major with the addition of a gentle groove and a widely dynamic Hammond organ for the verse. The chorus, arriving at 2:46, pivots through 2:46-3:15 with several pairs of compound chords. The pattern continues from there.

The Eagles | The Last Resort

“The Eagles achieved stratospheric success in the 1970s, effectively bridging the country rock and soft rock styles that were popular in the early 1970s,” (Aphoristic Album Reviews). “Songwriting team Don Henley and Glenn Frey pumped out a ton of popular singles, and their Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) is one of the highest-selling albums of all time.”

In Rolling Stone, the group’s lead vocalist and drummer Don Henley reflects: “‘The Last Resort’, on Hotel California (1976), is still one of my favorite songs… That’s because I care more about the environment than about writing songs about drugs or love affairs or excesses of any kind. The gist of the song was that when we find something good, we destroy it by our presence — by the very fact that man is the only animal on earth that is capable of destroying his environment … ‘ The song begins in Providence, Rhode Island, and goes all the way across America, wrapping up in the Hawaiian town of Lahaina. Along the way, it chronicles how Americans have exploited and destroyed their own land. ‘We satisfy our endless needs and justify our bloody deeds,’ Henley sings. ‘In the name of destiny and the name of God.'”

After a gentle solo piano starts the tune in E major, the track gradually grows in intensity over time. At 3:24, an instrumental bridge starts with a shift upwards to G major before the the next verse begins.

Many thanks to our devoted reader Scott R. for this submission — his first!

Säje feat. Jacob Collier | In the Wee Small Hours

“The female vocal ensemble säje brought their ethereal, contemporary jazz to the Grammys recently, winning the award for best arrangement,” (KUOW.org). “Their winning song featuring Jacob Collier, ‘In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning,’ is off the group’s debut self-titled album, säje … You’re likely to find säje categorized as ‘jazz’ or ‘vocal jazz,’ … the group has been most influenced by Black American music. ‘There is a small subset of that in the jazz community that really prides itself on this concept of amplification of voices,’ vocalist Sarah Gazarek said. ‘Amplification of social issues. Intentional creation of music that means something beyond just romance and dreams, that is curious about music, that isn’t just nostalgic references.’

It’s that kind of support for each other and for underrepresented voices that makes säje what it is: an independent phenom. ‘It feels like so much of it is sort of gate-kept by these major labels and big publicists and big marketing machines,’ Gazarek said. ‘But at the end of the day, the majority of the music community is fighting tooth and nail. So, hopefully, that win felt like it was a win for [the independent music] community, because that’s the community that we inhabit.'”

“In the Wee Small Hours,” written in 1955 by David Mann with lyrics by Bob Hilliard, was first released by Frank Sinatra on his album of the same name. Säje’s version with Collier takes the original soft-spoken classic jazz ballad and deconstructs it further. The new arrangement’s rubato whisper is accompanied only by Collier’s piano. The transcription video shows where the several key changes occur within the arrangement, but the the video of the studio recording session is a must-see!

Barry Manilow | I Made It Through the Rain

“Barry Manilow penned ‘I Made It Through the Rain” with Jack Feldman, Gerard Kenny, Drey Shepperd, and Bruce Howard Sussman. It was the only hit in the US from Manilow’s self-titled Barry album (1980) … it was Manilow’s 11th and final Top 10 hit on the Hot 100. It also peaked at #4 on the Adult Contemporary chart (Songfacts). Gerard Kenny recorded the original version, which had different lyrics, for his 1979 album, Made It Through The Rain. In the liner notes to his 1992 compilation The Complete Collection and Then Some, Manilow recalled how he connected with the song’s message about ‘how musicians struggle to keep their songs safe and sound.’

But after recording it, he was surprised at the lukewarm reaction he received. ‘I would play it for people, assuming that it would move them as much as it had moved me. But it didn’t,’ he explained. That’s when he realized people didn’t want to hear about the obstacles of a profession they couldn’t relate to. So he brought in Feldman and Sussman to help him write new lyrics about everyday struggles. That did the trick, but he still has a soft spot for the original, which he included on The Complete Collection.“

After the tune starts in Bb major, the pre-chorus and chorus hint at stepping out of the key (0:50 and 1:08, respectively) — but then a second verse arrives at 1:50, solidly grounded in Bb. At 2:59, a trademark Manilow descending chromatic instrumental counter-melody alerts us to an important intersection approaching — and indeed, at 3:05, there’s a whole-step key change upward. By this point, the arrangement has grown from soft piano accompaniment to full orchestral swagger.

Anne Murray + Céline Dion | When I Fall in Love

What’s Canadian and sweet? A Tim Horton’s doughnut? Yes, that, and the
voices of Anne Murray and Céline Dion harmonizing on the standard
“When I Fall in Love”.

The song, written by Victor Young and Edward Heyman for the 1952 movie
One Minute to Zero, has become a jazz standard ballad over the years. The tune has had myriad interpretations: Doris Day had a hit version that same year, and Nat “King” Cole recorded his well-known version in 1956. Céline Dion did a version with Clive Griffin for the movie Sleepless in Seattle in 1993, which was also released as a charting single. In 1996, Natalie Cole recorded the song as a virtual duet with her late father, winning a Grammy for her effort.

This live version, appeared on Anne Murray’s 2007 album Duets: Friends & Legends, although it was recorded in 1998 for a DVD release. Murray takes the opening verse in the key of A major. After a climb to D major at 0:54, Dion takes the next verse. The song continues in D, featuring both voices in sweet harmony. At 3:13, there’s a flirtation with F before a return to D at 3:20.

Joe Jackson | Real Men

“Joe Jackson is known for vibrant, emotional hits like ‘Is She Really Going Out with Him?,’ ‘Breaking Us in Two,’ and the new wave-ish ‘Steppin’ Out,’ the latter two songs from his 1982 hit album Night and Day,” (American Songwriter). “That seminal release also includes a piano-driven, violin-laced ballad that didn’t manage to get quite as much attention but was way ahead of its time.

… It has been said that the Night and Day album (1982) was a tribute to Cole Porter and his view of New York, and that ‘Real Men’ was referencing the city’s gay culture (which became more prominent in the wake of the six-day Stonewall Uprising in 1969) … Jackson’s debut single and video for Night and Day, ‘Real Men’ did not chart in America and barely charted in the UK, but it managed to go Top 10 in Australia and Top 20 in the Netherlands. The album fared well, becoming one of two Jackson releases to sell half a million copies.”

Built in E minor overall, the somber verses transition to soaring wordless choruses in B major (first heard from 1:04 – 1:26). The tune’s lyrics were edgy at the time — and remain so. But Jackson’s use of “the other F-word” is likely without malice, given his longtime status as an openly bisexual man. There’s plenty of broader commentary on gender overall: Now it’s all changed / It’s got to change more is a line which wouldn’t have been out of place in a Women’s Studies textbook of the era.

The Impressions | People Get Ready

“Seldom does a song go down in history as not only one of the best popular songs ever written, but as a song that is so universal in composition and message that it can be effectively covered by almost anyone,” (American Songwriter). “But that’s the case with ‘People Get Ready,’ recorded in 1965 by The Impressions and written by the group’s lead singer, Curtis Mayfield. Nearly half a century later the song continues to be recorded and performed by a variety of acts in several genres.

From the album of the same name, (it) was released during a time of civil unrest in America, when the country was in turmoil over race relations and the Vietnam War just as Mayfield was beginning to infuse his work with social commentary. Influenced by the music of the church and his preacher grandmother, Mayfield began singing professionally as a teenager, and his work would go on to define what was the Chicago soul sound as opposed to what was coming out of Berry Gordy’s shop in Detroit at the time. In a 1993 interview with National Public Radio’s Terry Gross … Mayfield said. ‘This is a perfect example of what I believe has laid in my subconscious as to the preaching of my grandmother, and most ministers when they reflect from the Bible.'”

“People Get Ready” was awarded a Grammy Hall of Fame award in 1998, its first year of eligibility. The song has been covered by literally dozens of other artists, including Bob Dylan, Alicia Keys, Exile and Matisyahu, and guitarist Jeff Beck obviously is a fan of the song, having recorded or performed it with Rod Stewart, Joss Stone, Sting and Queen’s Roger Taylor.

A half-step modulation drops during a short, understated guitar feature at the track’s midpoint (1:21).

Boyz II Men | On Bended Knee

“When ‘On Bended Knee’ reached #1, Boyz II Men became only the second act in Hot 100 history to replace themselves (‘I’ll Make Love to You’) at the top of the Hot 100,” (Stereogum). “The Beatles had done it in 1964, going back-to-back-to-back and holding the #1 spot for 14 uninterrupted weeks. (Elvis Presley had once replaced himself at #1, too, but he did that in the pre-Hot 100 era.) When Boyz II Men pulled it off, they held that top spot even longer.

… And Boyz II Men really sing that. When singers get all showy with their melismatic runs, they can sometimes lose a song’s melody or its emotional center … Boyz II Men have these rich interweaving harmonies and these big solo moments, but they always convey the gravity of this heartbreak that they’re describing … ‘On Bended Knee’ (1994) does nothing new, but the execution is immaculate.”

The nuanced Jimmy Jam/Terry Lewis production never lets anything get in the way of the quartet’s beautifully balanced vocals. The fact that the track is also a Jam/Lewis composition makes all of the careful handling even less of a surprise. The single was a worldwide hit, but nowhere more than the US, where it reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, #8 (Adult Contemporary), #2 (Hot R+B/Hip-Hop), and #1 (Pop Airplay).

After an intro in Ab major, the tune settles into Eb major for the first verse. At 3:26, a bridge starts with emotion already turned up to 9.8 and ends somewhere around 14 on a scale of 10, delivering us into another verse in a new key of E major. Somehow, another ecstatic key change to F major hits at 4:32. The fever finally breaks around 5:20, dropping the tune into its final resting place of Bb major.