pop – Page 97

Five | Until the Time Is Through

Five has sold over 20 million records worldwide and has produced 11 top ten singles and four top ten albums in the UK. “Until the Time is Through” (1998) features a unique modulation prep type — silence! Key change at 3:14.

Player | Baby Come Back

“Yacht Rock” royalty, Player’s polished southern California sound was all over the charts in the late 70s. Multiple lead vocalists, complex chords, and tight vocal harmonies were some of the band’s hallmarks.

For “Baby Come Back,” the band’s smash 1977 hit, the modulation lasts for the duration of the bridge (2:23 – 2:48) before reverting to its original key.

Michael Buble | I Believe in You

Here’s Michael Buble’s 2017 hit “I Believe In You.” The album which is home to the track, Nobody But Me, hit #2 on the Billboard album chart and was also a hit across Europe and much of Asia. The modulation is at 2:49.

Jennifer Hudson | Where You At

Here’s some JHud with “Where You At,” the lead single from her 2011 album I Remember Me. Key change at 2:48.

The Fifth Dimension | One Less Bell to Answer

Among the top hits for legendary songwriting team Burt Bacharach and lyricist Hal David, 1970’s “One Less Bell to Answer” helped to cement the career of The Fifth Dimension.

Starting with Bacharach’s trademark torch song melancholy in the first verse, a more hopeful tone is reflected in the long bridge, which starts with a modulation at 1:07. An instrumental verse, beginning at 1:43, returns to the original key.

Chicago | Hard Habit to Break

“Hard Habit to Break,” a 1984 power ballad, was one of Chicago’s biggest hits and part of the band’s era of increasingly pop-friendly tunes. David Foster, well-known for producing lush songwriting, was one of the song’s co-writers and arrangers at this time, layering the band’s trademark horns with towering strings and synth saturation like there was no tomorrow.

The modulations are everywhere: 0:35, 1:00, 1:32, 1:56, 2:19, several quick pivots during the bridge around 3:12, and 3:18.

Jason Mraz | The Remedy

“The Remedy,” Jason Mraz’s 2002 breakthrough hit, reached #15 in the US. It features a bridge which initially continues in the tune’s overall key of Bb major (2:33). Mraz then jumps to Bb minor for the second segment of the bridge (2:53) before returning to the feel-good chorus in Bb major.

Duncan Sheik | Barely Breathing

Duncan Sheik‘s tunes are full of quirks — harmonic and otherwise — but fewer full modulations. His best-known hit, 1996’s “Barely Breathing,” sticks to fairly straightforward territory through the first two verses and choruses. But then the bridge (2:40) presents several short but compelling key-of-the-moment segments (I major / V minor pairs) that don’t closely relate to the rest of the tune — but then, that’s often true of a good bridge. By 3:09, we’re ready to dive back into the familiarity (and relative simplicity) of the chorus as it reverts to the original key.

Boyzone | When You Say Nothing at All

Another new artist for MotD, and another common tone modulation. Here is Boyzone’s “When You Say Nothing At All” (1999). Key change is at 2:29 is unorthodox in that it goes from G to E. It stays there only briefly though before returning to G to stay to the end.

Kenny Loggins | This is It

This 1979 release by Kenny Loggins, with co-writing, keyboards, and back-up vocals by Michael McDonald, features the harmonic complexity for which both artists are known. The bridge starts at 2:43, shows signs of a big change on the way at 2:57, and wraps up at 3:06 as the modulation hits.

According to Loggins, the melodic and harmonic ideas for the tune were finished long before the lyrics. The songwriting team had initially focused on a crossroads moment in a troubled romantic relationship. But the topic shifted to an adult son encouraging his ailing elderly father to fight hard for his health in the face of a worsening medical condition — a slice from Loggins’ own life. An unlikely hit, for sure, but it reached #11 and won a Grammy.