Tag: pop

Marco Borsato | Waarom Nou Jij

Many thanks for this contribution from Jeux_d_Oh, a denizen of Reddit’s r/musictheory community: “Waarom Nou Jij” by Marco Borsato.

IMDB reports on Borsato, who was born in the Netherlands and later moved to Italy, ” … where Marco’s father owned a restaurant at Lake Garda. Marco thus speaks fluent Italian. Upon returning to the Netherlands, Marco tried to gain fame as a singer, singing mainly Italian songs … He released three albums, all three in Italian … In 1993, his record company advised him to release some songs in Dutch because he still hadn’t had his big break. Finally, in 1994, he released the song ‘Dromen zijn Bedrog,’ originally an Italian song which was translated into Dutch. The song shot to number one and remained there for 12 weeks.”

Jeux_d_Oh elaborates on Borsato’s success with translated lyrics: “‘Waarom Nou Jij’ was a big hit in The Netherlands in the ’90s, and apparently an adaptation of a different Italian song called ‘Quando Finisce un Amore’. The meaning of the Dutch title ‘Waarom Nou Jij’ translates roughly to ‘why did it have to be you.’ This song is absolutely jam-packed with modulations … try to count them all! Just in the first 1:15, there are four of them. Later there are a few more still. Towards the end of the song, there is a build-up to a great climax/vamp — a part where many slightly tipsy Dutch people will loudly sing along!”

The tune modulates upwards over and over again, generally by a minor third each time. Although the instrumental break at 2:12 gives Borsato a chance to take a break and then drop the vocal by an octave, by the tune’s end the tonality has traveled from Bb major to E major an octave and a half above.

Kacey Musgraves | Happy & Sad

“Happy & Sad” is featured on the 2018 album Golden Hour by American singer/songwriter Kacey Musgraves. Comprised exclusively of original songs, Musgraves ventures into disco and electropop on the record, which was awarded Best Album and Best Country Album at the Grammy’s (Musgraves also received Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance accolades for other tracks.) Key change at 3:02.

Celso Fonseca | Sem Resposta

Time Out Sao Paolo defines Música Popular Brasileira (Popular Brazilian Music or MPB), as “a trend in post-Bossa Nova urban popular music in Brazil that revisits typical Brazilian styles such as Samba … and other Brazilian regional music, combining them with foreign influences, such as jazz and rock … The term is often also used to describe any kind of music with Brazilian origins and ‘voice and guitar style’ that arose in the late 1960s.”

Celso Fonseca, a Brazilian composer, producer, guitarist and singer, has been active within MPB since the 1980s. Starting as an accompanist, composer, and producer, he added solo artist to his resume in the 1990s. The BBC praises Fonseca: “although (he) has played a significant part in producing much of what is good in contemporary Brazilian music, he is hardly a household name abroad.”

“Sem Resposta” (1999), which roughly translates to “No Response,” features an intro (through 0:20) in D major; a verse in D minor (heard for the first time 0:20); and a chorus in D major (0:40). The pattern continues from there.

Roomie | Numb

Swedish singer, songwriter and producer Joel Berghult (aka Roomie) started his YouTube channel in 2010, and has since become a sensation, amassing more than six million subscribers. His content includes original songs, covers, musical commentary and vocal imitations. “Numb,” released in 2014, is one of his originals, and features a key change at 1:36.

The Turtles | She’d Rather Be With Me

“Indebted to the harmony-heavy sound of the British Invasion,” AllMusic summarizes, “The Turtles were the quirkiest mainstream guitar pop group Los Angeles produced in the ’60s.” Of 1967’s “She’d Rather Be With Me,” one of the band’s biggest hits, Songfacts reports that “this bright and brassy pop song was written by Gary Bonner and Alan Gordon, the same songwriting duo that were responsible for The Turtles’ previous hit, ‘Happy Together‘. Joe Wissert’s production features an entire orchestra and a prominent clanging cowbell.”

Songfacts continues: “The band was ‘disappointed with the choice of follow-up to Happy Together,'” according to vocalist Howard Kaylan. “‘We were kind of distraught, because it was such a 1920s razzmatazz kind of a song compared to this mysterious and glorious record we had just bought out. It was like following up Good Vibrations with Barbara Ann. I can’t explain it, but it got higher on the (UK) charts than ‘Happy Together’ did, and on the strength of that record we went over to England.'” The tune title was frequently mistaken as “Some Girls,” including on the cover of a few vinyl releases, as well as this video!

The Turtles’ co-lead vocalists Mark Volman and Kaylan later “joined Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention for two years, billing themselves as the Phlorescent Leech and Eddie (later Flo and Eddie). Their handiwork is found on the Zappa LPs Chunga’s Revenge, 200 Motels, Live At The Fillmore, and Just Another Band From L.A.“

Starting in B major, a sub-V intrudes for a moment at 1:08, giving the impression of the start of a modulation, but it’s a false alarm. Immediately thereafter, a crazy new instrumental double-time groove takes center stage, punctuated by enough syncopated kicks to provide a “where’s 1?” moment to the casual listener. At 1:17, the tune modulates for real, up a half-step, before a new verse starts at 1:24.

Michael Buble | Cry Me A River

Canadian singer Michael Buble recorded the standard “Cry Me A River” for his 2009 album Crazy Love, which was certified five times Platinum and awarded the Best Traditional Pop Vocal album Grammy Award. The BBC used Buble’s dramatic cover of the tune for its advertising of the 2010 Winter Olympics. Key change at 2:57.

Helen Reddy | Delta Dawn

“Every social movement has its definitive song,” The Guardian reports, “and feminism got its anthem in 1972, when the Australian singer Helen Reddy released the single ‘I Am Woman.’ In three elegant minutes, it hewed a portal through which schoolgirls and their mothers saw an empowered future. Reaching No 1 in the US and selling one million copies there, it also established Reddy, who has died aged 78, as one of the top-selling female vocalists of the decade.” News of Reddy’s passing spread today.

The Guardian continues: “Accepting the 1973 Grammy award in the best female pop vocal category, Reddy rubbed salt into the wound by saying: ‘I would like to thank God, because she makes everything possible.’”

While “I Am Woman” was certainly Reddy’s most prominent release, 1973’s “Delta Dawn” was a clear crossover hit, reaching #72 on the Billboard Hot 100 but climbing all the way to #6 on the Hot Country Songs chart, following another top 10 Country hit rendition of the song by Tanya Tucker just a year earlier.

There’s a whole-step modulation at 1:14. But an additional modulation (2:27) is only a half-step. The combination of these two key changes in one tune is quite unusual! Many thanks to our regular Rob Penttinen for this submission.

Elvis Costello | Oliver’s Army

Rolling Stone‘s capsule review of Armed Forces, the 1979 album by UK post-punk rocker Elvis Costello, proclaimed that the single “Oliver’s Army” was “…the pièce de résistance … on an album that’s a killer in several senses of the word. The tune sounds bright and bouncy, with a jangly keyboard riff along the lines of ‘Here Comes Santa Claus,’ and it’s enough to make you want to rock around the room.”

AllMusic elaborates: “‘Oliver’s Army’ was a 45 that radio could hardly refuse — that is, until programmers listened closely to the words and discovered it was a bitter screed about how impressionable youth were being used as cannon fodder by Tory leaders whose political agendas had little to do with the concerns of the man on the street.”

According to American Songwriter, keyboardist Steve Nieve’s “buoyant” piano part was stylistically inspired by ABBA’s 1976 hit single “Dancing Queen” — confirmed by Nieve himself. Starting in A major, the F# major bridge arrives at 1:35; Costello’s own backing vocals go out of phase here, echoing the lead or disappearing entirely, rather than the wide-ranging two-part harmonies which adamantly speak together elsewhere. Another jaunty verse kicks in at 1:53, this time in B major, carrying us to the end of the tune. Many thanks to prolific mod submitter JB for this classic!

Shayne Ward | That’s My Goal

Vocalist Shayne Ward was the winner of the second season of the British reality music competition The X Factor, and “That’s My Goal” was his debut single after his victory in 2005. The track sold over 300,000 copies in the two days after its initial release, making it the fastest- selling song of 2005, and ultimately the third fastest-selling song of all time in the UK. Key change at 2:48.

Beatles | Something

American Songwriter features a post on The Beatles’ 1969 release “Something” that can’t be improved upon:

“The only Harrison-written Beatles tune to top the US charts, this song’s simple beauty has earned it a place in the hearts of millions and in the repertoires of countless other artists (‘Something’ is the second most-covered Beatles song after ‘Yesterday’).

Harrison’s three lyrically parallel and sonically even verses are interrupted by a key change, which prompts an up-tempo bridge. A spirited but mellow solo by Harrison shows off his unparalleled chops and brings the song back into its original key, thus leading into a final verse that lends closure to this gorgeous track…For all its initial intricacies and experimentation, a song that once hit the eight minute mark was ultimately whittled down to a three minute number that defied the band’s musical conventions.” The article mentions that Harrison had an aural image of Ray Charles in mind when writing it, but added “I’m not Ray Charles.”

According to BeatlesEBooks.com, the humble Harrison told BBC radio “They blessed me with a couple of B-sides in the past. This is the first time I’ve had an A-side. A big deal, eh? Ha-ha.”