soundtrack – Page 25

Rosemary Clooney | Hey There

“Hey There,” from the 1954 musical The Pajama Game, was subsequently recorded by several prominent artists after John Raitt performed it in the original theatrical production. Rosemary Clooney‘s version reached #1 on the Billboard chart in 1954. Written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, the ballad modulates at 0:42 and then reverts to the original key at 1:04.

Betty Hutton | Murder, He Says

They don’t make them like this anymore. Betty Hutton makes her MotD debut with “Murder, He Says” from the film Happy Go Lucky (1943). The tune was written by Frank Loesser and Jimmy McHugh. Key change at 2:14, but you have to experience this whole performance.

Run, Freedom, Run (from “Urinetown”)

“Run, Freedom, Run” from the hit 2001 musical Urinetown by Greg Kotis and Mark Hollmann, features a key change at 1:56. Inspired to post this song this week, as I am about to open Kotis and Hollman’s new musical, Yeast Nation, at College Conservatory of Music on Thursday.

Electric Light Orchestra | I’m Alive

The 1980 film Xanadu featured the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) track “I’m Alive.” While the film did poorly at the theaters and with critics, its soundtrack was a double-platinum smash hit, peaking at #4 on the end-of-year charts. The tune, which features Jeff Lynne‘s trademark stacked vocals and plenty of real strings layered in with synths, modulates at 2:03.

Eydie Gorme | As Long As He Needs Me

We’ve posted this song before, but it is high time Eydie Gorme made her debut on MotD. They don’t make them like this anymore. From the musical Oliver (1960), written by Lionel Bart. This 1969 performance features a key change at 2:16.

My Bathroom (from “Bathtubs Over Broadway”)

The documentary Bathtubs Over Broadway included this tune, “My Bathroom,” from a 1969 industrial musical entitled The Bathrooms are Coming. There’s a key change at 1:26. For more on what an industrial musical is, check out https://www.industrialmusicals.com.

Jeremy Jordan + Laura Osnes | The Next Ten Minutes Ago (from “R+H Goes Pop!”)

From the Rodgers & Hammerstein Goes Pop! series, Laura Osnes and Jeremy Jordan sing a mash-up of “Ten Minutes Ago” from R&H’s Cinderella with “The Next Ten Minutes” from Jason Robert Brown‘s The Last Five Years. There are a few key changes, but the big one is at 3:48. The track starts at 0:25.

Beck, Robyn + The Lonely Island | Super Cool (from “Lego Movie 2”)

The closing credit sequence for Lego Movie 2 (2019) has something for everyone, including a smile or two for the parents in the audience for its unapologetic “pro-credits = pro-reading” stance. Beck, Robyn, and The Lonely Island collaborated on this funk/pop/hiphop track. The tune starts in A major, drops a rollercoaster instrumental mini-bridge at 2:28, and lands in B major at 2:32.

The Monkees | Theme from “The Monkees” TV Show

A boy band before the term was even coined, The Monkees were assembled by TV professionals to cast a music-centric sitcom (1966-1968) “about an imaginary band… that wanted to be the Beatles,” according Monkee Mickey Dolenz. Eventually, the actors learned to play their instruments for real, continuing as a band until 1971 and producing several huge hits. The brief theme song from the TV show manages to pack in two direct modulations at 0:26 and 0:36.