Soul/R&B powerhouse Tina Turner‘s solo breakthrough hit “What’s Love Got to Do With It” marked the high point of the pop-tinged second chapter of her post-Ike Turner career, scoring her only #1 solo hit in the US and her eleventh Grammy award.
Featuring compound chords throughout, the tune starts in Ab minor through the first verses and choruses, then lands in Bb minor after an instrumental break at 2:03 and a bridge (2:22 – 2:41) which features a few interesting side-steps.
Prog-rock royalty Yes released their blockbuster album 90125 in 1982, featuring a far more radio-ready sound than most of the band’s other output. “Leave It,” the album’s second single, reached #24 on the Billboard Hot 100. The video, directed by Godley & Creme, utilized cutting-edge digital effects for that era.
The intro (through 0:21) is in D major, as is the bridge from 2:46-3:17. The remainder of the tune is in G minor. Happy weekend to all!
“Weekend in New England” was written by Randy Edelman and released on Barry Manilow‘s 1976 album This One’s For You. The track hit #10 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was also #1 on the Adult Contemporary (Easy Listening) chart. Key change, standard direct half step from C to Db, at 2:54.
A submission from Vladimir Dragovic, one of MotD’s newest fans:
“Nik Kershaw is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. He is arguably most popular for the song ‘The Riddle’ from the 1984 album of the same name. Kershaw called the tune’s lyrics ‘nonsense, rubbish, bollocks, the confused ramblings of an 80s popstar.’
The key change is rather interesting: the ever-shifting bridge (2:16 – 2:36) modulates from the original key of F# minor to G Major, then into G minor”
Vocalist/pianist/composer Rufus Wainwright released “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk,” the first track on his sophomore album Poses, in 2001. Wainwright benefited from classical piano and composition training and has carved out two career niches: a unique brand of chamber pop and opera composition. From AllMusic‘s review: the tune “combines classic Gershwin/Brian Wilson pop feels along with a strong sense of French cabaret show tunes” — nowhere more clearly than in this live version.
Starting in E major, a modulation to E minor hits at 0:50 and reverts to E major at 1:26; the pattern continues from there.
UK songwriter/vocalist/guitarist Dave Stewart, probably best known as half of Eurythmics, has also enjoyed a busy career as a solo rock/pop artist, music producer, and music video director. His solo release “Heart of Stone” (1994) modulates at 1:53. Then, after a guitar solo which might have come from a dream journal, Stewart falls like timber at the downward modulation back to the original key.
Yes, that is legendary funk bassist Bootsy Collins!
Many thanks to MotD fan John Powhida for this submission.
While this tune doesn’t feature a modulation until the instrumental outro, it’s a standout harmonically. A cover of “Bang Bang,” the hit 2014 collaboration by Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj, this 2015 live cover features a profoundly re-harmonized arrangement by bandleader and keyboardist Nikko Ielasi. Starting around the 1:00 mark, the energetic new arrangement of the one-chord original version really kicks in — and never lets up.
The Turtles, an American band led by Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman (later known as Flo and Eddie), released “Elenore” in 1968. Unhappy with its record label, the band intentionally delivered a single with off-kilter lyrics. According to the liner notes for the band’s compilation album Solid Zinc: “‘Elenore’ was a parody of ‘Happy Together’…I gave them a very skewed version…with all these bizarre words. It was my feeling that they would listen to how strange and stupid the song was and leave us alone. But they didn’t get the joke.”
Nobody else got the joke, either: the two-and-a-half minute “sunshine pop” single packed a huge punch, shooting into the top 10 in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia.
Following the same pattern as “Happy Together,” one of the band’s other big singles, the E minor verses transition to E major and back again throughout the tune, starting at 0:43.
An American performer named Keith (yes, just Keith) released the single “98.6” in 1967. The song reached #7 on the Billboard chart and #24 on the UK Singles Chart in 1967. The Tokens, the Brooklyn-based doo-wop group better known for “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” provided back-up vocals.
The tune features a few instrumental breaks featuring key-of-the-moment glimpses. But the actual modulation is at 2:47 as the instrumental outro begins.
MotD regular Rob Penttinen submits this feel-good 1985 tune by the family group DeBarge, “Rhythm of the Night.” Written by Diane Warren and featuring lead vocals by El DeBarge, the song went into the top 5 in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. The modulation is at 2:38.
modulationoftheday.home.blog 