TV – Page 3

Cross That Bridge (from “Schmigadoon!”)

Schmigadoon!, a comedy TV series that premiered on Apple TV+ last month, is a parody of and homage to Golden Age musicals from the 1940s and 50s. “Schmigadoon! is nothing if not corny,” said Vulture TV critic Kathryn VanArendonk in her review. “It is a backstage musical (like Cabaret or Follies, a musical about putting on a show) that’s stuck in the world of integrated musicals, shows like Oklahoma! or Sound of Music, where songs are naturalistic extensions of the narrative’s emotional arc. In other words, it is a show where the only real way to register your feelings about being trapped in the aesthetics and the morality of a Golden Age musical is to burst into song about how weird and frustrating it all is. And really, what could be cornier than eventually giving in and singing about the transformative power of love (and also musicals)?”

“Cross That Bridge” is from the third episode of the show, and takes its inspiration from the Frank Loesser songs “Brotherhood of Man” (from his 1961 musical How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying) and “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ The Boat” (from the 1950 musical Guys & Dolls). The tune features modulations at 1:58 and 2:14.

Hannah Montana (Miley Cyrus) | The Other Side of Me

If someone asked you to name artists whose repertoire features ingenious modulations, chances are Hannah Montana would not rank high on the list. But the writers of Miley Cyrus’ sensational Disney Channel show’s soundtrack (2006) created some intriguing compositions, especially in the sense of music theory and modulation. Matthew Gerrard and Robbie Nevil formed a partnership around 2006 working for Disney and wrote often for Hannah Montana as well as some other hit Disney Channel productions, including High School Musical.

These two writers used modulations often in their tunes to create that intense burst of energy we all know and love. However, one tune in particular modulates in an extremely strategic and unique way — something not often done in commercial music, let alone youth television soundtracks. “The Other Side Of Me” is part of Hannah Montana’s first season soundtrack. The song has an extremely uplifting energy, constantly shifting and continuously engaging the listener. This engaging quality is driven by the harmonic contour of the song, which includes four keys in total! Rather than using the classic one-time key change at the end of the song, Gerard and Nevil employ a series of modulations to keep the tune moving forward and evolving harmonically, creating sectional contrast and an elevated sense of passion as Miley Cyrus moves through the song.

The tune starts out in the key of A major with a rockin’ V – iv – IV – I progression in the intro and first verse. The pre-chorus progression shuffles these chords but maintains a clear tonic of A major. Suddenly, a transition into the chorus brings the tune up a whole step to B major (0:38), where we remain for the chorus until moving back to A major for the second verse and pre-chorus (1:05). From here, the song modulates back to B major and then moves into the bridge, which includes a modulation to G major for the first half (1:54) and E major (2:02) for the second half. The final chorus brings listeners back to the third chorus in B once again, going out with a bang as the hook, “the other side of me,” plays in the chorus’s home key of B major.

The tune is absolutely genius and well thought out; the transitions among keys are seamless. Miley Cyrus handles the shifting tonality in her stride.

The Walker Brothers | I Can’t Let It Happen to You

“They weren’t British, they weren’t brothers, and their real names weren’t Walker, but Californians Scott Engel, John Maus, and Gary Leeds were briefly huge stars in England (and small ones in their native land) at the peak of the British Invasion,” reports AllMusic. “…They favored orchestrated ballads that were a studied attempt to emulate the success of another brother act who weren’t really brothers: the Righteous Brothers.”

The tune appeared in the recent TV series Master of None in 2017, part of a soundtrack that was nothing if not eclectic. “I Can’t Let it Happen to You” wasn’t a single for the Walker Brothers, but the album track, released in 1967, fit the quirky series perfectly. Pitchfork quotes the show’s music supervisor, Zach Cowie, speaking about the series’ star and co-writer, Aziz Ansari: “‘We’re both record collectors that are kind of always looking for crate-digging kind of deeper stuff. That sort of becomes a sound that unifies the whole series. A lot of it is just mixed up sort of records, and it does fit well with the character.'”

The Righteous Brothers’ influence is strong on this track, complete with a leisurely, behind-the-beat delivery, the lead vocal’s casual approach to pitch, and the spacious, reverb-soaked production. Starting in E major, the tune shifts to F major at 1:55 at the start of a brief instrumental bridge.

Fresh Prince: Google Translated

In 2013, Mother Jones magazine asked “what happens when highly trained musicians and actors do Broadway and pop culture with a meta twist?” The answer is CDZA, short for Collective Cadenza. CDZA creates “viral videos starring Juilliard-trained musicians, local rock and jazz artists, Broadway singers, and sketch comedians — done in a single Steadicam shot. ‘Our creative process looks like us sitting in an apartment, saying, this would be funny, this would be cool — and then we begin to divide and conquer.’”

The process for 2013’s “Fresh Prince: Google Translated,” according to Joe Sabia, the group’s lead “conceptor”/director: “’One of our main things is producing videos that also serve as a commentary on American culture. Google Translate is something everyone uses, so we put together a song everyone knows and a device everyone knows.’”

This expanded version of the tune is built on the theme from the wildly popular 1990s sitcom Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Featuring a much stronger accompaniment than the original, the entire tune centers around a I minor –> bVII major/I vamp. As the lyrics grow progressively more inane with each pass through Google Translate, the key ascends a half-step at 2:02, 2:27, and 3:09.

Theme from “Jeopardy!”

Alex Trebek, the beloved host of the game show Jeopardy! for 35 years, announced in 2019 that he had been diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer. He continued to work throughout his treatment, often in excruciating pain. “I’m not afraid of dying,” he said. “I’ve lived a good life, a full life, and I’m nearing the end of that life. If it happens, why should I be afraid of that?”

Trebek taped his final episode on October 29, 2020, and passed away at age 80 on November 8. In honor of the airing of that episode tonight, we are bringing back our 2012 post of the Jeopardy! theme song. Key change about halfway through.

The Cheetah Girls | Strut

“Strut” was originally featured in the 2006 film The Cheetah Girls 2, a sequel to the 2003 Disney Channel original movie The Cheetah Girls. The story traces a talented teen quartet who take a whirlwind tour of Spain to pursue their dreams of pop superstardom; it is the eighth highest-rated Disney original movie ever. Key change at 2:30.

Waiting in the Wings (from “Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure”)

Thanks to new MotD contributor Taylor Hutchinson for this song. “Waiting in the Wings,” from the Disney animated series Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure, was awarded a Daytime Emmy this past June, completing Alan Menken’s EGOT set (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards). Performed here by Eden Espinosa, who voices Cassandra in the series who sings this number. Key change is at 1:58.

Danny + The Juniors | Rock + Roll Is Here to Stay

Although a little less well known than “At the Hop,” their biggest hit, “Rock’n’Roll is Here to Stay” was a hit for doo-wop group Danny and the Juniors; the single reached #19 on the pop charts and somehow also attained a #16 peak on the R&B chart. The quartet, originally called The Juvenaires, was comprised of four Philadelphia-area high school classmates. The group was a natural to be featured performers on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand, but had to wait until a last-minute call when Little Anthony + the Imperials cancelled!

There are half-step modulations at 1:40 and 1:56. In addition to singing, the boys do a great job of helping the entire crowd clap on two and four!

Flight of the Conchords | I Told You I Was Freaky

AllMusic describes Flight of the Conchords as “New Zealand’s self-proclaimed ‘fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo a cappella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo,’ (who) became international stars in the 2000s thanks to a successful television series that fictionalized their exploits. Formed by actors, comedians, and musicians Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement, FotC were the rare comedy band whose music was often as celebrated as their gags. Their songs fused witty lyrics with music that often parodied various artists and genres.”

The title track to the 2009 album I Told You I Was Freaky strays a long distance from the duo’s early days of acoustic self-accompaniment: an electronics-driven absurdist funk romp which lands somewhere near the stylistic confluence of Prince, Cameo, and George Clinton. Starting in G major for the intro, the verse transitions to a static G7 chord with a flexible “blue note” third degree at 0:18; at 0:53, the chorus transitions to Ab minor, then back to G7 at 1:11 for the next verse. At 2:05, the percussion drops out to bring us a hushed bridge in A major; 2:34 returns to G7 for a rap outro.

The shorter version included in the TV show lacks the rap outro, but gives an idea of the series’ fearlessly eccentric visual style.

I Know Where I’ve Been (from “Hairspray”)

There’s a road
We’ve been travelin’
Lost so many on the way
But the riches
Will be plenty
Worth the price we
Had to pay

There’s a dream
In the future
There’s a struggle
We have yet to win
And there’s pride
In my heart
‘Cause i know
Where I’m going
And I know where I’ve been

From Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman’s 2002 Broadway musical Hairspray, set in 1962 Baltimore and highlighting themes of racial prejudice and discrimination, these lyrics seem more relevant, urgent, and necessary today than ever. Just this week, the show’s creators announced that going forward, all productions of the show will be required to cast the show to accurately reflect the race of the characters as they were written. The Tony-winning score incorporates elements of rock & roll and rhythm & blues. Hairspray is widely performed in schools and other theaters across the country today. In reflecting on the genesis of this song in particular, Marc Shaiman said:

This was … inspired by a scene late in the [1988] movie that takes place on the black side of town. It never dawned on us that a torrent of protest would follow us from almost everyone involved with the show. ‘It’s too sad … It’s too preachy. … It doesn’t belong. … Tracy should sing the eleven o’clock number.’ We simply didn’t want our show to be yet another show-biz version of a civil rights story where the black characters are just background. And what could be more Tracy Turnblad-like than to give the ‘eleven o’clock number’ to the black family at the heart of the struggle? Luckily … the audiences embraced this moment, which enriches the happy ending to follow, and it is our proudest achievement of the entire experience of writing Hairspray.”

Performed here by Jennifer Hudson, who portrayed Motormouth Maybelle in the 2016 NBC Live broadcast of the show. Key change at 3:17.