The title track from Stevie Wonder’s first holiday album in 1968, “Someday at Christmas” is infused with Wonder’s signature Motown spirit. The track has stood the test of time, becoming something of a modern holiday classic, and has been covered by artists across the stylistic spectrum, including The Jackson 5, Diana Ross, Justin Bieber, and Rascal Flatts. Most recently, Wonder recorded a duet version in 2015 with American singer Andra Day for use in an Apple TV commercial, which is featured here. Key changes at 1:22, 2:22, and 2:43.
Tag: soul
Aretha Franklin | Think
“Think,” written and performed by the incomparable Aretha Franklin, was released in 1968 as a single from the gold-certified album Aretha Now. The track was also featured in the hit 1980 film The Blues Brothers, and is widely considered one of the best songs of the 1960s. Key change at 1:06.
O.C. Smith | Little Green Apples
“O.C. Smith began as a jazz vocalist and later moved into country and R&B,” reports AllMusic. After singing in Count Basie‘s band in the early ’60s, Smith then moved into into a unique soul/country mix, scoring a hit with “Son of Hickory Holler’s Tramp.”
Smith then went deeper into the soul genre. “Little Green Apples,” released in 1968, went to #2 on both the pop and R&B charts. Later in life, he became a pastor of a Los Angeles church while also continuing to perform and record until his passing in 2001.
The unusual modulation, up a minor third, hits at 2:07. Many thanks to MotD regular Rob Penttinen for this submission!
Robin Thicke | Brand New Jones
American-Canadian singer/songwriter Robin Thicke makes his MotD debut with “Brand New Jones” from his 2002 debut studio album A Beautiful World. Thicke has collaborated with Usher, Christina Aguilera, Mary J. Blige and Jennifer Hudson among others, and currently serves as a judge on the Fox reality singing competition show The Masked Singer. Key change at 3:12.
The Delfonics | Didn’t I Blow Your Mind This Time
“The sound that producer Thom Bell created for the Delfonics was the antithesis of the soul sound that came from Stax in Memphis and Muscle Shoals in Alabama,” according to AllMusic. “He sandpapered away the grit, lightened up on the backbeat, brought in string sections, and created a smooth, airy sound…a different kind of groove where subtlety and nuance reigned.”
“All of the individual elements that helped create the distinctive ‘smooth grooves’ sound synonymous with the Delfonics coalesce with undeniable intensity” on the Delfonics’ fourth LP, 1970’s The Delfonics, AllMusic continues. “Indeed, the material has arguably never been stronger … ideally scored, incorporating string and brass sections without overpowering the vocal blend or seeming pretentious … several sides on this disc are among the group’s best-known works, as well as definitive entries into the distinct Philly-brand soul music scene. The leadoff track, ‘Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time),’ would not only become a staple of Top 40 and R&B radio in 1970, but nearly two decades later inspired the 20-volume soul music compilation Soul Hits of the 70s: Didn’t It Blow Your Mind.“
After an intro in F major, the verses are in A major (for the first time at 0:19); the choruses are in F major, prominently announced by a series of Bb/C kicks (IV/Vs) pushing the door open into the new key (for the first time at 1:01). The opening moments of the intro, 2:29, and a few other spots present prominent features for french horn — not exactly a typical part of most soul horn sections.
Dusty Springfield | You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me
A long-overdue debut for UK pop/soul chanteuse Dusty Springfield. “(‘You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me”) is considered one of the greatest songs of heartbreak in the pop music canon,” documents American Songwriter. “That it combined the music of an Italian pop song and lyrics from a pair of songwriting novices also makes it one of the unlikeliest ones. Unlikely, that is, until you consider the staggeringly brilliant performance of the song by Dusty Springfield. Then it all makes sense.
Springfield’s performance manages to evoke pain and pride, hurt and hope, resignation and resilience. The end result was a #1 hit for Springfield (her first) in the UK and a top 5 spot in the US upon the song’s 1966 release. You can also argue that (it) presented a more mature side of her than some of the bubblier pop songs she had recorded had managed to do. This was a path that she would continue to traverse when she made the masterpiece album Dusty In Memphis a few years later. ‘Well, it’s a classic, isn’t it?’ mused the song’s lyricist, Simon Napier-Bell. ‘In its musical style as well as performance. Like a famous piece of opera. Totally out of date, but that’s the way it is. And we all love it.'”
Built on a insistent 12/8 feel, the tune’s intro and verses are in D minor; the choruses shift to D major. At 2:26, a whole-step modulation is the icing on the cake. This classic clearly illustrates the opening words of IMDB’s Springfield bio: “…acknowledged around the world as the best female soul singer that Britain ever produced.”
Judith Hill | Cry, Cry, Cry
“Cry, Cry, Cry” was the single released from American singer-songwriter Judith Hill‘s 2015 debut album Back in Time. The album, co-produced with Prince, marked Hill’s first foray into solo performing after she appeared as a backup singer with Michael Jackson (including as a featured soloist on his This is It tour) Josh Groban, and John Legend. Hill’s story was also featured in the acclaimed 2013 documentary 20 Feet from Stardom, for which she was awarded a Grammy Award. The tune starts in B major, and modulates to C at 3:38.
Sly + the Family Stone | Stand
A much-overdue MotD debut for the famously eclectic Sly & the Family Stone today. The band “harnessed all of the disparate musical and social trends of the late ’60s,” AllMusic explains, “creating a wild, brilliant fusion of soul, rock, R&B, psychedelia, and funk that broke boundaries down without a second thought. Led by Sly Stone, the Family Stone was comprised of men and women, and blacks and whites, making the band the first fully integrated group in rock’s history. That integration shone through the music, as well as the group’s message. Before Stone, very few soul and R&B groups delved into political and social commentary; after him, it became a tradition in soul, funk, and hip-hop.”
Released in 1968, “Stand” is just one of a full line of unusual singles from S&TFS, not easily described by the vocabulary that preceded them. AllMusic continues: “Like Brian Wilson, Sly Stone incorporated beautiful, magical moments on his records that were some of the most musically progressive. In this song, a simple but brilliant four-on-the-floor drum pattern and gospel vocals create what would be the virtual blueprint for what was to become known as disco. Moreover, the song is yet another message song that helped bridge the gap between the black and white rock audiences…one of the most timely records of its age.”
The verse is built around a de-tuned Ab major (I / IV / I / bVII); the bVII major serves as a sub-V for the new key of F major (0:14), repeating the same pattern for Verse 2 (0:28) before reverting to Ab for the one-word chorus (0:51). Each switch from Ab to F is accentuated by a 2/4 bar among the overall 4/4 meter (heard for the first time at 0:13 – 0:14). An entirely new groove, built around a 4-bar pattern, kicks in for an extended outro in C minor at 2:18. The outro is a joyful, uproarious shout chorus featuring multiple vocalists on a repeated wordless vocal hook, instrumentalists playing at full tilt, and gospel-style eighth-note claps building on the already high energy — just as the slow final fade kicks in.
The Stylistics | You Make Me Feel Brand New
“You Make Me Feel Brand New,” an R&B/Philly Soul ballad released by The Stylistics in 1974, reached the #2 position on the both the US and UK pop charts, but was kept from the #1 position in the US by the omnipresent bubblegum pop tune “Billy, Don’t Be a Hero.” However, the track achieved top 10 positions from Australia to Canada to South Africa.
Written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed, the tune has been covered by Babyface, Simply Red, Boyz 2 Men, Roberta Flack, Ronnie Milsap, and Rod Stewart/Mary J. Blige (as a duo), and more.
The intro starts in A major, transitioning to E major at the verse at 0:32, G major at 1:06, and C major-ish at 1:58 for the chorus. The cycle repeats for the second verse and chorus. Many thanks to Mark Shilansky for this submission!
The Temptations + The Supremes | I’m Gonna Make You Love Me
Released by Motown when the label was in full swing, “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me” had been previously released twice by other artists in 1966 and 1968 before The Supremes and The Temptations released it in 1969. This version of the Kenny Gamble/Jerry Ross tune reached #2 on the US Hot 100 chart; it might have gone to #1 if it hadn’t been in competition with Marvin Gaye’s hit “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.” Nonetheless, the single went platinum.
Detroit’s legendary Funk Brothers and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra combined forces to produce a lush backdrop for the vocalists. G major is in effect for the intro and the verse, but the chorus shifts to Bb major (for the first time at 0:50). At 1:09, the next verse reverts to G major and the pattern continues.
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