*This is the fifth and final installment of a week-long series featuring songs from the 1985 Off-Broadway musical Nunsense*
“Holier Than Thou” is a gospel-infused number that brings the show to a rousing finish. There are four half-step modulations over the course of the song; beginning in C, it modulates to Db at 2:09, then up to D at 2:53, to Eb at 3:59, and finally lands in E at 4:16.
*This is the fourth installment of a week-long series featuring songs from the 1985 Off-Broadway musical Nunsense*
“I Could’ve Gone to Nashville” is the “11 o’clock number” in the show, during which Sister Amnesia remembers her real name. The tune has a laid-back country groove, reminiscent of the music to the 1978 musical The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas. It alternates back and forth between Ab and B a few times, and at Amnesia’s point of revelation at modulates up to C at 2:54.
*This is the third installment of a week-long series featuring songs from the 1985 Off-Broadway musical Nunsense*
This duet comes halfway through Act 2, and pays homage to Jerry Herman with its old-fashioned “boom-chick” accompaniment and kick-line at the end. George Gershwin’s 1919 song “Swanee” is also quoted. The track is sprinkled with key changes throughout. Beginning in F, we transition to Bb for the first verse at 0:27, up a half step to B for the second verse at 0:53, and up again to C for the third verse at 1:46. Finally, the “Swanee” quote leads to a modulation down to A at 2:40 for the final verse.
*This is the second installment of a week-long series featuring songs from the 1985 Off-Broadway musical Nunsense*
“The Drive-In” comes towards the end of Act 2 in Dan Goggin’s Off-Broadway musical Nunsense. The number has an Andrews Sisters vibe with a swinging groove and tight, 3-part harmony. It starts in C minor and opens up into C major at 0:50.
*This is the first installment of a week-long series featuring songs from the 1985 Off-Broadway musical Nunsense*
Dan Goggin’s 1985 musical Nunsense is the second-longest-running Off-Broadway show ever, and led to six sequels and three spinoffs. “I Just Want To Be a Star” comes near the end of the second act, and is a big, brassy showtune number that recalls the style of Jerry Herman. Beginning in F, the song briefly detours into Gb at 1:24, then returns to F at 1:41 before a final modulation up to Ab at 2:16.
*This is the fifth and final installment of our weeklong series on “Do You Hear What I Hear”
American R&B group Destiny’s Child released their only Christmas album, 8 Days of Christmas, in 2001. The album peaked at 34 on the Billboard 200, and was certified platinum in 2020. “Do You Hear What I Hear” is the sixth track, and modulates from Bb to B at 0:57.
*This is the fourth installment of our weeklong series on “Do You Hear What I Hear”
The cast of the TV show Glee released their second Christmas soundtrack album, Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Volume 2, in 2011, featuring ten covers and two original songs. Alex Newell and Lindsay Pearce are the featured vocalists on “Do You Hear What I Hear,” which modulates from C up to D at 1:58.
*This is the third installment of our weeklong series on “Do You Hear What I Hear”
Country singer Jennifer Nettles released her first Christmas album, To Celebrate Christmas, in 2016. Her arrangement of “Do You Hear What I Hear” is the sixth track on the record, and modulates from C to D at 2:31.
*This is the second installment of our weeklong series on “Do You Hear What I Hear”
The a cappella group Pentatonix took Whitney Houston’s 1987 recording of the holiday standard and dubbed in her vocals to their arrangement, which was included on their 2019 holiday compilation album The Best of Pentatonix Christmas. Modulation from Ab up to A at 2:05.
*This post is the first in a week-long series featuring different arrangements of “Do You Hear What I Hear”
Written by Gloria Shayne and Noel Regney during the Cuban Missile crisis in 1962, the song was a plea for peace. Shayne and Regney were married when they wrote the song, with Regney contributing the lyrics and Shayne the music. In an interview Shayne said it was difficult for both of them to perform the song because of the emotions surrounding it. “Our little song broke us up,” she said. “You must realize there was a threat of war at the time.”
The song has since been covered by hundreds of artists and is frequently included on Christmas albums. Idina Menzel’s rendition is the first track on her 2014 album Holiday Wishes. It begins in C major, modulates briefly to Db at 1:53, and lands in E at 1:58. A common tone modulation back to C occurs at 2:30, and we stay there until the end.
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