pop – Page 11

Al Stewart | Year of the Cat

“By the time Al Stewart finally achieved his commercial breakthrough with 1976’s ‘Year of the Cat,’ it was the culmination of a decade-long odyssey to bring the song to completion,” (Guitar Player). “Its bones date back to 1966, when Stewart penned a set of lyrics titled ‘Foot of the Stage.’ ‘It was about British comedian Tony Hancock,’ the Scottish folk-rocker recalls. ‘But the American record company had never heard of Tony Hancock and asked me to rewrite it.’ Stewart responded with a new set of lyrics about Princess Anne called ‘Horse of the Year.’ Not surprisingly, he says, ‘they requested another rewrite,’ … Luck would finally prevail on the third try. ‘I had a girlfriend who had a book on Vietnamese astrology, and it was opened on a chapter called Year of the Cat,’ Stewart reveals.

… A hallmark of the song is Stewart’s use of a major-seventh chord throughout the main progression, which imbues ‘Year of the Cat’ with a rich, wistful nostalgia. ‘Major sevenths are great and kind of cool,’ he exclaims. ‘I’ve probably never met a major seventh I didn’t like,’ … Released as a single in the U.S. in October 1976, ‘Year of the Cat’ climbed to #8 on the Billboard Hot 100, earning Stewart his first U.S. charting single … (and) remains a staple in the guitarist’s live set. He believes the song’s film noir undertones and varied instrumentation are pivotal to why the song continues to enthrall audiences. ‘The song’s longevity affirms that one should write about what one is interested in, without regards to fashion or favor of the crowd. Which is exactly what I did.’”

Built in E minor overall, the bridge (2:47 – 3:07) flips the emphasis over to the relative major key of G before the original minor key returns for an extended series of solos. The tune’s leisurely pace, lush textures, and storytelling focus somehow added up to hit status for the track, which at 6:4o clocked in at nearly twice the length of many singles.

Nat King Cole | L-O-V-E

In the 1950s, “the studios had been trying to get (Cole) from behind the piano and sing more … despite being hailed as one of the key greats,” (PSAudio) ” … As this played out there was an outcry from the diehard jazz community, especially jazz publications like Downbeat and Metronome. (Cole reported): ‘For years we did nothing but play for musicians and other hip people,’ he said. ‘…we practically starved to death.’

Despite Cole’s disdain for his voice, he was a classic crooner, a beautiful master of a phrase with flawless enunciation and perfect pitch. His recordings during the late 40s and the 50s are some of the most perfect and iconic love songs ever recorded … Nat Cole’s career barely lasted 20 short years, but in that time he collected 28 Gold Record awards and was inducted into every Hall of Fame imaginable, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an Early Influence. Cole was an inspiration as a man and a performer.”

“L-O-V-E,” the title track from a 1965 album of the same name, was released by Cole shortly before his death and became his final release. The tune begins in G major, shifts up to Ab major for an instrumental verse at 0:57, then changes keys again to A major at 1:21, remaining there for the balance of the track. Many thanks to Scott, a new visitor to MotD, for this submission!

Engelbert Humperdinck | A Man Without Love

“In a career spanning over 50 years, Engelbert has generated sales in excess of 140 million records, including 64 gold albums and 35 platinum, four Grammy nominations, a Golden Globe, and stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Las Vegas Walk of Fame, and Leicester Walk of Fame,” (artist website).

“He has performed for the Queen four times, several presidents and many heads of state. He has recorded everything from the most romantic ballads to movie theme songs, disco, rock, and even gospel … Engelbert exploded on to the music scene with The Beatles and the Rolling Stones … He became great friends with Elvis and the two legends often performed each other’s songs.”

1968’s “Man Without Love” by the UK native, the title track of an album of the same name shifts keys several times: up a half-step at 0:34, back down a half step to the original key at 1:26, then back up a half step again at 2:21 for the balance of the tune. The album reached high points of #3 in the UK and #12 that year.

Chad Price | Somehow, Someway

” … ‘Somehow, Someway’ … is soulful, uplifting and hopeful, impassioned and achingly expressive; this song aches in all the right ways – all because of Price’s radiant voice, his soul-stirring lyrics, magnificent instrumental work, and the talent he’s surrounded himself with.

‘(It’s) a song that feels confessional to me,’ Price tells Atwood Magazine. ‘It feels like me confessing that I often feel lost, out of control, at the end of my rope, and like an imposter. It feels uncomfortable, because I really do struggle with opening up about my emotions and being vulnerable. But the weight we carry around feels a lot lighter when we become strong enough to face our darkness/demons/trauma…whatever you choose to call it … head on. When we actually look at it, it can become less scary. That’s what this song is to me. It’s about freeing myself from myself, realizing that I am not broken, and to continue moving forward no matter what.”

After a gentle intro apparently played on a long-untuned piano, the 2022 track begins in earnest at 0:55. Following a grand pause, the tune returns a half-step higher at 3:36. The track has won wide acclaim for Price, a Toronto native.

Whitney Houston | How Will I Know

“’Falling in love is so bittersweet,’ Whitney Houston wails. ‘This love is strong. Why do I feel weak?’ But falling in love doesn’t sound bittersweet, and Whitney Houston doesn’t sound the slightest bit weak,” (Stereogum). “Instead, she sounds like an volcano of joy, an unstoppable natural force of pure exhilaration. At least on paper, ‘How Will I Know’ (1985), Houston’s second chart-topper, is a song about uncertainty — about feeling your way around in the dark, trying to understand if someone else feels the same way you do. But that’s not how Houston sings it. Instead, Houston sings ‘How Will I Know’ as if she can barely contain the excitement that comes along with that uncertainty. She sings it like she already knows.

… Houston just goes off on this thing. It’s amazing to behold. Houston sells the emotion of the song, sounding like she’s utterly caught up in this dazzling, exciting, world-ending crush. She also nails every little melodic turn … But even in the context of a song as fast and bubbly as this one, you can still hear the power and control in her voice. There’s a lot of gospel in her delivery, in the unearthly joyous yelps and whoops and out-of-nowhere high notes. (There’s a whole lot of gospel in those backing vocals, too.) And while Houston never fully cuts loose on ‘How Will I Know,’ she also keeps her abilities in full view. You can hear that voice bursting its way out of the song, ready to dive and curl and soar. The biggest note — the ‘how will I knoooooow‘ just as the sax solo kicks in — is enough to give a motherfucker goosebumps.”

After a start in Gb major, the bridge consistently builds via a repetitive short melody fragment (“If he loves me / If he loves me not”) layered over harmonies that shift with each iteration of the lyric (3:07 – 3:31). As the sax solo kicks in, there’s a massive downward jump to Eb major — but there’s no accompanying deflation in energy, as Whitney’s vocal moves decisively up at that point, not down. In the closing bars, however, the return of the chorus clearly demonstrates the lower key.

Tommy TuTone | 867-5309

“Who here remembers Tommy Tutone’s ‘867-5309’? The 1982 radio staple once gripped the nation, and gave away the digits of the fetching Jenny, last name unknown … Spencer Potter, the New Jersey owner of (201) 867-5309, auctioned off the telephone number, along with his DJ company, netting $186,853.09 on eBay. ‘This is really, in my opinion, one of the last cultural remnants of 80s pop,’ Potter told CNN, ‘other than the mullet.’ Potter said he received over 100,000 phone calls a year from overzealous fans.

… Why is the song so valuable? ‘The sound of the number has a certain hypnotic quality, and I’m not sure what it is. It must be something in the number itself,” Tutone told the Wall Street Journal.” (American Songwriter).

Built in a noticeably de-tuned G minor overall, the tune’s short bridge (1:59 – 2:13) shifts to the closely related key of D minor.

Heart | What About Love

“This was Heart’s first single under their new contract with Capitol Records,” (Songfacts). “It marked a turnaround for the band, which after a triumphant run of hits in the ’70s got off to a rough start in the ’80s with a decline in sales and little airplay for their new material on radio or MTV … It was written by Brian Allen and Sheron Alton of the Canadian band Toronto, along with Jim Vallance, who co-wrote many of Bryan Adams’ hits. The song was written for Toronto but they didn’t record it. The demo found its way to Heart, which turned it into their first Top 10 US hit since their cover of ‘Tell It Like It Is’ in 1980. Their next two singles did even better: ‘Never’ hit #4 and ‘These Dreams’ went to #1.

The video was directed by David Mallet, who was known for avante-garde videos like David Bowie’s ‘Ashes To Ashes’ and Queen’s ‘Radio Ga Ga’ … It was the first Heart video to get significant airplay on MTV (and) was the first Heart song to chart in the UK, where it reached #14.”

Built in D minor overall, the 1985 track features a very late shift to the parallel D major at 3:12.

The Summarily Dismissed | Limerent Buzz

“Ari Shagal’s … bold, brash, electrifying album, To Each! channels Laura Nyro, Donald Fagen, jazz in general, Broadway, and a lot more,” (Soundstage Experience). Songwriter Ari Shagal “proves to be a triple-threat performer, singer, and composer/arranger.

Though there are up- and down-tempo songs on this set, it’s full of swagger and confidence — the same feelings I get from a Steely Dan album. Shagal’s music is chic, cool, and invigorating, even when it’s the blues. It goes down easy while leaving a lasting impression.”

“Limerent Buzz,” a track from 2014’s To Each! by the Shagal-led band The Summarily Dismissed, starts in Bb major, but shifts to Db major for all but the tail end of its chorus, first heard between 0:50-1:14). At 1:21, we return to the original key for the next verse; the pattern continues from there.

Maureen McGovern | Different Worlds (opening theme from “Angie”)

“Philadelphia coffee shop waitress Angie Falco (Donna Pescow) starts a romance with customer Bradley Benson (Robert Hays), a pediatrician,” (ABC.fandom.com). “While she assumes he is a struggling young doctor, he reveals that he is actually rebelling against his wealthy family, presumably residents in the Main Line region of the city’s suburbs. The other Falco family members are Angie’s mother Theresa (Doris Roberts) and her younger sister Marie (Debralee Scott).

… Angie and Brad later marry, merging their two very different families: the blue-blooded Bensons and the urban Italian-American Falcos … Angie premiered on February 2, 1979 (and ran for) two seasons and 36 episodes.”

The show’s theme song, “Different Worlds,” was performed by Maureen McGovern. Written by Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox, the tune was released by McGovern as a single from her eponymous fourth studio album in June 1979. The track peaked at #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was #1 for two weeks on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Starting in C major, the tune shifts to Eb major at 0:25, wearing its late-disco era on its sleeve. Many more key changes follow — more than anyone could reasonably expect from a 90-second opening theme!

Ocean | Put Your Hand In the Hand

“Toronto, Canada quintet Ocean’s … first single, ‘Put Your Hand in the Hand,’ a #2 pop hit in America in 1971, was written by Gene MacLellan, who’d played with Robbie Robertson in both the Consuls and the Suedes,” (Songfacts). “Several singles followed during the early ’70s, but none were as popular as the debut. Ocean disbanded in 1975.

The song also references when Jesus calmed the sea in (the books of) Matthew, Mark, and Luke. In the midst of a storm that threatened to overturn their boat, the panicked apostles woke Jesus and begged him to help. Jesus didn’t see what all the fuss was about and simply commanded the waves to be still. He asked his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?’ Ocean wasn’t a gospel group, didn’t feel a strong connection to the religious aspect of the song … and were hesitant to release the single … They were right. The group was typecast as a gospel rock band thanks to the Jesus-themed debut.”

Starting in E major, the tune features a big downward leap to A major (1:13) to accommodate the shift from the female lead vocal to verses featuring several of the band’s male singers on lead.