Tag: pop

Barrett Strong | Money and Me

“In July of 1959, Berry Gordy was working with Motown songwriter and office administrator Janie Bradford on a new song,” (Motown Museum). “He explained to her the thing he wanted most at that moment was not love but money. (Vocalist) Barrett Strong was in the studio that day and heard them working. He took over the piano playing from (Motown chief) Berry Gordy, and together the trio created ‘Money (That’s What I Want).’ The song took off, reaching #2 on the US R&B charts, and almost broke the top 20 on US Pop charts. It was Motown’s first major hit, and no one was prepared. Requests were coming from around the country for a copy of the iconic song and the small Tamla label struggled to keep up.

While Barrett Strong released a few follow-up songs including ‘Yes, No, Maybe So’ (1960), he eventually left Motown in 1961 … Strong would not return to Motown as a performer, but he began to write for other artists, including countless songs in partnership with Whitfield. They penned the iconic ‘Heard It Through The Grapevine’ performed by both Marvin Gaye and Gladys Knight and the Pips, ‘War’ performed by Edwin Starr, and a slate of songs for the Temptations. His work helped usher in the ‘Psychedelic’ era for the Temptations, which included songs ‘Cloud Nine’ and Grammy-winning ‘Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone.’ Barrett Strong ended his working relationship with Motown in 1971, but his contributions to the company’s success would earn him induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004. 

“Money and Me” (1959) is much more harmonically and melodically basic than most Motown tunes, but the tune’s compelling groove gives a hint of the great future in store for the iconic Detroit record label. After a start in F major, a half step key change hits after an instrumental verse (1:30). Another half step key change drops at 1:53 as the intro starts.

The Tubes | I Want It All

“Produced by Todd Rundgren, Remote Control (1979) is a concept album that could be seen as the next installment in Utopia, so similar are the two,” (Progrography). “Rundgren is credited with co-writing two songs (‘Love’s a Mystery’ and ‘TV Is King’), but his fingerprints are all over Remote Control, from the high-register choruses to the compressed and sped-up arrangements. Of course, sounding like Utopia isn’t a bad thing; in fact, this is probably my favorite Tubes album after their first. The album generated a legitimate hit (okay, in the UK) with ‘Prime Time,’ and should have had a second with ‘Love’s a Mystery (I Don’t Understand).’ If the reports are true that the band entered the studio with a concept but without any songs, then this record is a testament to the band’s creativity, because there isn’t a bad song in the batch.

Along with (Rundgren and Utopia albums) Adventures In Utopia, Healing, and Swing To The Right, Remote Control represents a sort of Rundgren renaissance for art pop fans between 1979 and 1982. The Tubes never made another album like it, and they never made a better one after it. If you haven’t heard this or the three Utopia/Rundgren records I just mentioned, turn off the TV tonight and turn on to some great music instead.”

Starting in B major with plenty of compound chords ringing out over the tonic pedal point, the chorus (0:40 – 0:55) shifts into D mixolydian; the most prominent building block at that point is a D/C chord until the next verse returns to B major. The pattern continues until the second portion of the bridge (2:14 – 2:45) in G# dorian before the chorus returns at 3:00 and fades to the end.

Bill Wurtz | Mount St. Helens Is About to Blow Up

“(Bill) Wurtz’s unique combination of absurd, surreal and non-sequitur lyrics and smooth jazz/pop/easy listening makes him quite difficult to classify as an artist, and I’m pretty sure he’s OK with that,” (TheProgressiveAspect.net). “Add to that his growing number of self-produced music videos featuring random imagery, signature neon text and careful synchronisation with the music and suddenly it feels like you’re in a different universe when listening to his songs. On an initial listen to one of his tunes, the bizarre lyrics really stand out: ‘Mount St. Helens is about to Blow Up’ (2018) features the lyrics:

‘All of these business suits that I’ve just purchased
Gonna have to throw them all away
And slip into something more reasonable and dance the night away.‘

The Beatles only wrote ‘I Am the Walrus’ once, John Lennon’s attempt to confuse listeners as to the meaning of his lyrics. Jon Anderson time and time again wrote faux-mystical lyrics about seasoned witches and sharp distances. But Bill Wurtz employs a different strategy, with lyrics that are grounded in reality, yet used in a non-sequitur fashion so that they resonate with nobody and everybody at the same time. You can spend hours puzzling over the patterns in his lyrics, which are generally positive but can, on a dime, evoke more unpleasant images: see ‘Outside’s’ Now I’m pregnant/With aliens. It seems that there are no rules, but Wurtz has managed to tread carefully and with precision to ensure that his lyrics are truly unpredictable and without any religious, political or any other sort of bias.”

Built in G major overall, the tune diverts to Eb major for the bridge at 0:49. At 1:12, we return to G major — a move that continues throughout, despite plenty of outright key changes and brief steps outside the key. For a much more detailed analysis of this tune’s 900-thread count fabric, we’re also including a video below from the brilliant and insanely fun theory wonk/educator Charles Cornell — very worth the time!

Seal | Dreaming in Metaphors

“The 1990s were a great decade for music,” (Sputnik). “While the output wasn’t always consistent, it was undeniable that there was quality abound. Such is the case for Seal, an oddity himself in that his nationality is officially British, while his mother was Nigerian and his father Brazilian (and he himself was born in Nigeria). As such, Seal, having had this interesting background, would go on to sell several million records during the 1990s; this (eponymous 1994) record being his most remembered one.

… Unlike such pop artists as Michael Jackson and Prince, Seal is hardly the upbeat or danceable type … Instead, he goes for a softer, melodic style, emphasizing a smooth groove, which serves his lyrics well. While his vocal rage is limited, it fits the music perfectly as well, which makes each listen a rather hypnotic experience. His music is not meant for parties at the disco, but for reflective listening. Nevertheless, his songs stick once you get a taste for them. Indeed, it’s fair to say that Seal is the best at what he does, and this album proves it very well. This isn’t music for pop haters, or for lovers of exclusively upbeat music. This is an album for personal reflection. If you dig some refreshing pop, with deep lyrics, and ballads that don’t feel sappy, this album is for you.”

A perfect example of one of Seal’s “sticky” songs might be “Dreaming in Metaphors.” Driven by a fast-flowing yet peaceful 7/8 meter, the track’s harmonic rhythm is generally pretty slow, centering the unusual meter, layered percussion, and vocal throughout. The intro and verse alternate intriguingly between F# minor and F lydian. At 0:56, the pre-chorus focuses only on F lydian. At 1:14, A major is prominently added into the mix, but the pull of F lydian remains.

Don Henley | The Heart of the Matter

“Don Henley knew to listen when Mike Campbell came calling with a piece of music,” (American Songwriter). “The first time it happened, Campbell provided Henley with the foundation for his biggest solo hit, 1984’s ‘The Boys Of Summer.’ When Campbell delivered another unused instrumental piece as Henley was making 1989’s The End Of The Innocence, the end result was ‘The Heart Of The Matter,’ which became the album’s closing track and turned into one of the most resonant ballads of the decade. Indeed, the first lines of ‘The Heart Of The Matter’ tell the news of the narrator’s former flame finding someone new, putting him in a wistful, reminiscing mood: ‘And I thought of all the bad luck and the struggles we went through/How I lost me and you lost you.’

Henley muses about the tendency for even those who are seemingly at peace in a relationship to seek greener pastures: ‘What are these voices outside love’s open door/Make us throw off our contentment and beg for something more?’ ‘The Heart Of The Matter’ strikes such a chord because the themes are universal, especially for those who have lived, and lost, a little. Many breakup songs get bogged down in rancor and recrimination, but here is one that strives for something nobler, even as it admits how hard it is to get there.”

Built in D major overall, the track shifts to C major for most of its brief bridge (3:32 – 3:49) before shifting back into D major via its Vsus/V chord (3:49-3:54). Then we drop back into another verse in the original key.

Keely Smith | I Want to Hold Your Hand

Singer Keely Smith was an active recording artist during the 1950s and 60s, though she recorded occasionally in later years. Her stage partner in the 1950s was her perhaps more famous then-husband, bandleader Louis Prima. Together, they recorded a hit version of “That Old Black Magic,”  which earned them an award at the very first Grammy Awards in 1959

After her divorce from Prima, Keely Smith established a solo career, garnering a contract with Sinatra’s Reprise Records. In 1965, she released Keely Smith Sings the John Lennon-Paul McCartney Songbook on Reprise. Most of the songs had been recorded by The Beatles, though McCartney’s “A World Without Love” had been made famous by Peter and Gordon. The big band and string arrangements on the album were decidedly not rock, offering new interpretations of the songs.

The verses in Smith’s cover of “I Want to Hold Your Hand” are in waltz time, while the bridge reverts to the more familiar 4/4. There are some cringeworthy moments when she bends notes to the point of breaking on the tune’s highest melodic point and then rhymes “girl” with “hand.” But she manages to turn in one of the most distinctive Beatles covers ever! There’s a half-step upward modulation at 2:09.

Jill Sobule | Sad Beauty

“Jill Sobule, who raised eyebrows with her cheeky 1995 anthem ‘I Kissed a Girl,’ has died,” (NPR). “According to her publicist David Elkin and manager John Porter, the 66-year-old singer-songwriter died in a house fire in Woodbury, a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota (this week) … Sobule was staying with friends in Minnesota before heading to her hometown of Denver to perform songs from her autobiographical coming-of-age musical F*ck 7th Grade on Friday.

‘Jill Sobule was a force of nature whose music is woven into our culture,’ said Porter. ‘I hope her music, memory and legacy continue to live on and inspire others.’ Sobule’s confessional songs sparkled with irony and humor and often told stories. Her hit ‘Supermodel’ appeared in the 1995 movie Clueless and she even once wrote a song at the behest of NPR. Her guitar-accompanied performance of ‘Philosophy 101‘ on All Things Considered in 2009 included the lyrics: ‘I am who I am today / Philosophy 101 / Before class, we’d all get high / Philosophy 101 / We think therefore we are / I’m thinking here on NPR.’

But the single that Sobule is most remembered for is ‘I Kissed A Girl.’ Recounting with tongue-in-cheek humor a tryst between two women, the single reached 67 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was one of the first openly gay anthems … In a 2018 interview with NPR, she added, ‘Still to this day, I get people who are saying, you know, that song meant a lot to me growing up in Alabama.’ ‘Jill Sobule wasn’t just a trailblazer in music—she was a beacon for queer artists,’ said Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD President & CEO in an online statement. ‘Long before it was safe or common, Jill was writing and singing about sexuality and identity with raw honesty and wit. At a time when doing so could have cost her everything, she chose truth. That courage helped pave the way for today’s artists like Brandi Carlile, Tegan and Sara, Lil Nas X, Sam Smith, Adam Lambert, and so many others who now stand proud and open in their music.'”

Sobule’s 1989 debut album, Things Here Are Different, was produced by Todd Rundgren and features many subtle touches which enhance the singer/songwriter’s guitar-centric live sound. The mid-tempo track “Sad Beauty,” driven by gentle latin percussion, might be surprising to listeners who are familiar only with Sobule’s broad array of lighter-hearted material. Starting in a distinctive A lydian, the first verse shifts to C lydian at 0:32, the rangy melody vying for attention with the surprising harmonies. The chorus, starting at 0:48 after a long grooveless pause, is in E minor. Verse 2 begins at 1:24; the pattern continues from there.

Natalie Cole | I Live for Your Love

“Nine-time Grammy Award–winning singer, songwriter, and performer Natalie Cole has proven to be one of the most beloved performers of all time,” (The Kennedy Center). “Natalie Cole rocketed to stardom in 1975 with her debut album, Inseparable, earning her a #1 single, ‘This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)’ and two Grammy Awards for Best New Artist, as well as Best female R&B Vocal Performance. More hit singles followed, including 1977’s “I’ve Got Love on My Mind,” 1987’s “I Live for Your Love,” and a remake of Bruce Springsteen’s “Pink Cadillac.”

In 1991, Natalie took a bold leap that would change her life and career forever. Already a highly successful R&B artist, Natalie amazed everyone when she recorded Unforgettable … With Love, an album of standards from the American Songbook that included a duet with her late father — Nat King Cole — on the title track. The album spent five weeks at #1 on the pop charts, earned six Grammy Awards (including Song, Record, and Album of the Year) and sold more than 14 million copies worldwide.” Branching out beyond music, she made more than 300 major television appearances, including Law and Order and Touched by an Angel and talk show episodes with Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, and Larry King. She went on to release other albums through the 2010s; her final album, En Espanol, was an entirely Spanish language album. Cole died of kidney disease in 2015.

1987’s “I Live for Your Love,” written by Steve Werfel, Pam Reswick, and Allan Rich, reached #13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1988; it was also a big Adult Contemporary (#2) and R&B hit (#4). The track shifts keys even before the first verse starts: the intro is in C# major, while the verse falls down to B major! The chorus returns back to C# major at first (1:11), but then transitions to E major before ending in C# major (1:32). Verse 2 starts at 1:41 in B major; the pattern continues from there, other than the bridge (2:51 – 3:18), which throws a few more changes in just for good measure. The tune wraps up in D# major.

Mickey Woods | They Rode Through the Valley

The 1961 release “They Rode Through the Valley,” performed by Mickey Woods, was “The first Motown writing credit for (Motown founder) Berry Gordy’s brother Robert, aka ‘Bob Kayli,’ this is – rather unbelievably – a second weak ‘historical comedy’ record about the Battle of the Little Bighorn, apparently a vein Gordy didn’t feel was tapped out yet following Popcorn Wylie’s baffling ‘Custer’s Last Man.’ Oh, except this isn’t just a comedy record – it’s a comedy country record. Sweet Jesus … Seriously, if you don’t want to jab knitting needles in your ears when we get to the (charitably-named) ‘chorus’ and he jauntily announces ‘Sittin’ Bull and his Injuns / At the little bitty bitty Bighorn!‘, you’re made of sturdier stuff than this listener,” (MotownJunkies.co.uk).

“Anyway, it’s a story about how Custer got all his men killed by telling them to wait until they saw the whites of the Native warriors’ eyes, only to be foiled because ‘all them big bad Injuns / have big red bloodshot eyes!‘ That’s it. That’s the punchline. A borderline racist joke at the end of a comedy song about a mass slaughter during a vicious war of racial extermination. Fantastic.

(It’s bleakly entertaining in one way, and just one: bitter irony. The company which the whole world would come to identify as synonymous with the smashing down of racial barriers, the shining, all-conquering jewel of racial integration in Sixties America, putting out a casually racist joke record. It’s now starting to dawn on me why, if Mickey Woods really was Motown’s first white solo vocalist, it’s not a landmark that’s been publicised more; it’s almost as if Motown worked hard to erase this jejune blip from their history) … This is utter, utter, utter crap, and best forgotten by all involved. Let’s move on.”

The key changes for this “least Motown-sounding” of all possible Motown tunes hit at 0:52 and 1:40. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Dionne Warwick | I’ll Never Love This Way Again

After singing a long string of legendary hits hits written by composer Burt Bacharach and lyricist Hall David through the 1960s and early 1970s, “Dionne Warwick’s career was revived when she teamed with Barry Manilow” for 1979’s Dionne. “Manilow’s production of such heavily orchestrated numbers as ‘I Know I’ll Never Love This Way Again’ put Warwick back in the spotlight, as she once again sounded confident and compelling,” (AllMusic). “It was the first platinum album of her career, and also her first album in ten years to crack the Top 20 on the pop album chart. Warwick scored another hit with ‘Deja Vu,’ and was back on track.”

Bacharach’s tunes routinely featured broad harmonic structures, surprising meter side-steps, atypical modulations so subtle they sometimes flew under the radar while still lending a renewed energy to a tune, and textures that often bordered on symphonic. Barry Manilow’s hits, broadly known by the late 70s, had a big strings-heavy sound of their own, but 4/4 always remained 4/4 and a song’s high point (frequently accompanied by a classic upward direct modulation) often chewed the scenery many measures before hitting their mark at center stage.

Richard Kerr and Will Jennings were the co-writers of “INLTWA,” but the track’s finished sound bears the unmissable imprint of Manilow, who played piano in addition to handling production. At 2:31, a quintessentially Manilow half-step key change hits, announced in advance by a huge crescendo, swelling strings, and a massive floor tom feature. Warwick lets the writing, the supporting musicians, and the production carry the day, giving the impression that she’s never belting at anywhere near 100%. She was rewarded with a top-10 hit in the US and Canada, and a top-50 hit in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.