UK

Tim Curry | Easy Street (from “Annie”)

Film and stage actor Tim Curry, a UK native, left us this week at age 80 after a long illness. After 1975’s classic film interpretation of the musical theatre classic Rocky Horror became a hit, “Tim Curry found himself in demand both on Broadway and in Hollywood,” (The Independent). “On the stage, he was nominated for a Tony Award three times over the course of 24 years, for roles as varied as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1981’s Amadeus, swashbuckling movie star Alan Swann in 1992’s My Favorite Year, and King Arthur in 2005’s Spamalot … His film and television roles were just as eclectic.” Curry’s co-star Rob Schneider remembered: “’I have never known another actor who could say more with a knowing grin or a raised eyebrow than the splendid Tim Curry. I was astonished as a young actor to witness Tim do a scene seven completely different ways and ALL OF THEM FANTASTIC!’ remembered Schneider.”

” … Rocky Horror became a cult classic hit and the center of its own devoted subculture,” (W Magazine). “Curry, suddenly famous, found himself inside a celebrity world he would later chronicle in his 2025 memoir Vagabond, with encounters with David Bowie and nights at Studio 54 alongside Truman Capote, Andy Warhol, and Carly Simon … By the end of his career, Curry had acting credits in roughly 126 movies and feature films, making him the sort of omnipresent figure that feels like part of the very fabric of pop culture … Of his penchant for playing villains, Curry told The Guardian in a 2025 interview, ‘I’ve always tried to make them amusing, which gives them a bit more edge. It’s like people being drawn to the scene of a car crash … ‘”

Curry is of course best known for his role in Rocky Horror, but we are featuring his performance as the con artist Rooster Hannigan in the 1982 movie version of Annie, alongside Bernadette Peters and Carol Burnett. With a score written by Charles Strouse, the film followed the 1977 Broadway hit. “Initially intended as a major production number, the final version (of ‘Easy Street’) is more contained, but still crackles with villainous chemistry,” (Golden Age Flicks). Starting in Bb major, the tune makes a bouncy shift to B major around the 1:25 mark. Several more dizzy jumps in tonality follow; meanwhile, the actors are completely absorbed in delivering relaxed-looking but exquisitely choreographed physical comedy.

Madness | Coldest Day

“While a keen feature of London’s musical tapestry, Madness seem to have bottled whatever the British spirit is, unmistakably moulded by the nation’s working class households, terraced streets, and enthusiastic embrace of Caribbean cultural import in keeping with the rest of the Two-tone generation,” (Far Out Magazine). “There’s an infectious invite to Madness at their best, which has assured pop ubiquity ever since, any spin of their hits letting you in on the Nutty gang’s weird world.

Fundamentally, Madness are fantastic popsmiths … the lads wielded a strange ability to report on the lay of the land, even with the grey bits left in … Madness can often pull the rug up while still larking about in fezzes, a bouncy ska number can easily jump into a peek at urban malaise, poverty-induced crime, or racial tensions via their tattered, Beano lyrical lens.

As the 1980s rolled by, so did the studio toys. While never completely losing themselves in the decade’s production trends and digital gadgets, a little of that sophistipop gloss trickled into Madness’ sounds … there’s plenty to enjoy from (1985’s) Mad Not Mad’s vivacious offering … Madness dwell in a deeper introspective realm than fans were used to.”

After beginning in G minor, “Coldest Day” a pre-chorus in F major(ish) kicks in at 0:26. The 0:45 arrives as the chorus shifts to E minor via some thoroughly Madness-style flourishes, despite the tune’s prominent synthetic drums and decidedly non-Ska groove. 1:10 brings a return to G minor; more shifts continue from there.

Many thanks to Julianna A., a longtime contributor from Brazil, for submitting this distinctive tune!

Rod Stewart | You’re In My Heart (The Final Acclaim)

“Over the course of his career, Rod Stewart has … written several songs that turned into modern standards; he’s sung with the Faces, who rivaled the Rolling Stones in their prime; and he’s had massive commercial success” as a solo artist (AllMusic). “He’s one of rock & roll’s best interpretive singers, as well as an accomplished, innovative songwriter whose work created a raw, loose, and charming combination of folk, rock, blues, and country. After Stewart became successful, he began to lose the rootsier elements of his music, adapting his style to suit the times, leading to smash hits in the disco, new wave, and MTV eras.”

Stewart’s 1977 release “You’re In My Heart,” a single from Footloose and Fancy Free, hit #1 on the Australian and Canadian pop charts, peaking at #4 on the Billboard pop chart in the US and in the top ten in Ireland, the Netherlands, and the Stewart’s native UK.

After a start in B major, the soft-spoken mid-tempo tune’s chorus shifts to A major from 1:36 – 1:54 before returning to its original key. The pattern continues throughout. Surprisingly, the song performed much better on the singles charts than “Hot Legs,” the album’s lead track, which was much more in keeping with Stewart’s raucous image at the time; Billboard called “Hot Legs” a “blistering blues rocker.”

George Michael | You Have Been Loved

“Think back to August 1997. George’s album Older had already been out for a year, spinning off a quintet of top 3 singles in the UK whilst being largely ignored in the US,” (The Singles Jukebox). “And then the heretofore unthinkable happened: Diana, Princess of Wales, died in a car crash in Paris. In light of Diana’s death — not to mention that most knew of the friendship between George and Diana — ‘You Have Been Loved’ took on added resonance and became a profoundly moving, albeit unintentional, tribute to the late Princess.

‘You Have Been Loved’ was included a few months later on the Diana, Princess of Wales: Tribute compilation, alongside a number of suitably somber songs, both previously released and newly recorded. ‘Loved’ is the second song on the double album, behind only ‘Who Wants to Live Forever’ by Diana’s beloved Queen, and immediately prior to Annie Lennox’s ‘Angel.'”

The tune begins with an E minor that spends very little time on its tonic chord. But after briefly wending its way through several other tonalities, the chorus ends squarely on C major, starting at 2:37 and running until an interlude and verse 2 begin at at 3:04 in the original key. The track’s final measures are also in C major.

Bonnie Tyler | Total Eclipse of the Heart

“Bonnie Tyler, the gravelly voiced, Grammy-nominated Welsh pop star whose 1983 chart-topping power ballad ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ enchanted succeeding generations with its bombastic charms during solar and lunar eclipses, has died. She was 75,” (AP, 7/9/26). “Tyler earned three Grammy nods and … was honored as a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2022 for her services to music by Queen Elizabeth II, thanks mainly to ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart,’ which has had more than 1 billion streams, boosted by real eclipses in 2017 and 2024.

The song spent four weeks at #1; when Stereogum re-evaluated it in 2020, the music outlet declared it an ‘extinction-level event rendered in musical form … It’s pop music as heart-pounding, chest-thumping, blood-gargling, heavens-falling passion explosion. It’s sheer spectacle. It’s fireworks and lasers and lightning and thunder. It soars and swoops and barrel-rolls,’ the site said … The song has never really gone away: it was covered by the English singer Nicki French in 1995 and the band Westlife in 2006. Cate Blanchett sang it while hitting Billy Bob Thornton with her car in 2001’s Bandits, it appeared in a wedding scene in 2003’s Old School, and One Direction sang it in 2010 on a U.K. version of The X Factor.“

The tune was written and produced by Jim Steinman, Meatloaf’s longtime collaborator. Steinman’s flair for the dramatic is immediately on display from the track’s opening bars. The tune provided Tyler, a Wales native, with her biggest hit; it was later voted the third favorite #1 1980s hit in the UK. Beginning in a slightly uptuned Bb minor, the tune shifts upward to B mixolydian at 0:22, then E major at 0:37, before jumping back to begin a second verse in the original key. At 1:29, the Ab major chorus makes its first entrance, followed by a short interlude that runs through 2:59, leading into an instrumental verse. The pattern continues from there. Many thanks to “Copley Scott” for his suggestion of this tune!

Scott Walker | Angelica

“Scott Walker … the pop idol turned crooner turned shocking avant-garde auteur, died (in 2019) at age 76, but not before leaving behind one of the most fascinating catalogues of the rock era,” (The Second Disc). “An American and child actor on Broadway who found his success in England as one third of The Walker Brothers, Scott could have been content reliving his glory days of ‘The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore,’ ‘Make It Easy on Yourself,’ and ‘Joanna.’ But the uncompromising artist never stopped pushing the envelope, as a songwriter, performer, and producer.

… The music business is famous for hyperbole, but it’s no exaggeration to say that few have had a career anything like that of Scott Walker. An American who skyrocketed to fame on British shores in the heady time that was the mid-1960s, Walker (born Noel Scott Engel in 1943) turned his back on the world of a pop idol. He became one of the first major performers to embrace and champion the dark musical melodramas of Jacques Brel but that, too, didn’t last long. After some largely undistinguished albums recorded during his self-described ‘lost years’ and a period of relative seclusion, Walker emerged, creating provocative soundscapes that dispensed with any traditional notions of melody or songwriting.”

“Angelica” (1967), written by Brill Building legends Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, begins in B minor. At 1:10, a soaring vocal melody leads us into the first chorus, with a shift into B major. At 2:03, the pattern repeats, beginning with a second minor verse.

David Bowie | Life on Mars

“In music, there are some songs that speak to some people, and some speak to every one of us,” (Anurag Arya). “This is a song that makes us think of escapism and disillusionment with the world: ‘Life on Mars’ by David Bowie. The song is a career-defining one for Bowie, and one of his most-covered songs. Originally appearing on his Hunky Dory album (1971), it isn’t your standard rock ballad by any means. Bowie could have easily made a four-chord hit out of this one, but instead, this song contains about twenty chords, with unusual scale and tempo changes.

… In a song with a duration of about four minutes, David Bowie made us think of life, a sense of purpose versus a tendency to escape the real world, and commercialism with vivid imagery and a beautiful melody. No wonder his genius lives on even after his death: Among the generic and commercial tropes within pop music, David Bowie managed to cut through the clutter and redefine songwriting musically and lyrically.”

After beginning in E major, 0:42 brings us to a transitional pre-chorus with plenty of pivots in tonality. But at 0:58, we land squarely in A major for the chorus. After another unsettled section — this time an instrumental interlude (1:38 – 1:53), another E major verse returns. The pattern continues from there, with the tune ending with a return to A major.

Many thanks to Mark B. for submitting this tune — his fifth contribution to MotD!

The Police | Every Breath You Take

“’I woke up in the middle of the night with that line in my head,’ Sting told the Independent” about “Every Breath You Take” (1983), (Ultimate Classic Rock). “He ‘sat down at the piano and had written it in half an hour. The tune itself is generic, an aggregate of hundreds of others, but the words are interesting. It sounds like a comforting love song. I didn’t realize at the time how sinister it is.’ Sting brought a demo of the song to his bandmates. Tensions were at their height back then, and arguments were commonplace. In keeping, the Police squabbled over the best way to attack ‘Every Breath You Take,’ and reportedly spent six weeks disagreeing on how to move forward. Eventually, everyone added their unique influence. Stewart Copeland’s backbeat propelled things along, while Andy Summers made an infectious contribution.

‘Without that guitar part, there’s no song,’ Summers told Record Collector. ‘ … I actually came up with it in one take, but that’s because Sting’s demo left a lot of space for me to do what I did. There was no way I was just gonna strum barre chords through a song like that.’ … the lead single for Synchronicity, ‘Every Breath You Take’ became a massive hit. The song reached #1 in six different countries, including the U.S., U.K. and Canada. It was the best-selling single of 1983 and won two Grammy awards, including Song of the Year.”

Written in a slightly uptuned G# major overall, the track’s chorus (first heard from 1:22 -1:43) shifts to F# mixolydian before returning to the original key.

Rick Astley | Take Me to Your Heart

“Best known for his global 1987 hit ‘Never Gonna Give You Up,’ Rick Astley is an icon of British pop, his style marked by a rich, deep voice and love of classic soul and R&B,” (Qobuz). “An overnight sensation, Astley topped the U.K. charts with 1987’s Whenever You Need Somebody and again hit the Top Ten with 1988’s, albums that also reached the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 and spawned more hits like ‘Together Forever’ and ‘Whenever You Need Somebody.’

However, looking for more creative autonomy, Astley broke with his production team for 1991’s Free before largely stepping away from the spotlight. He reemerged with 2005’s Portrait and gained widespread viral fame via the “rickrolling” meme, a phenomenon he purportedly found amusing, and which brought a wave of renewed interest in his work, leading to him winning Best Act Ever award at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards. In 2016, Astley released 50, an organic, soul-infused production returned to the top of the U.K. Albums Chart. He has continued to enjoy a career renaissance with releases like 2018’s Beautiful Life and 2023’s Are We There Yet?“

1988’s “Take Me to Your Heart” features an instrumental intro in D major, but at 0:17, verse 1 shifts down to C major. The chorus (first heard at 0:49 – 1:05) returns to D major. The keys continue to alternate from there.

The Jam | Absolute Beginners

“The Jam were the most popular band to emerge from the initial wave of British punk rock in 1977; along with the Sex Pistols, the Clash, and the Buzzcocks, the Jam had the highest impact on pop music,” (Qobuz). “While they could barely get noticed in America, the trio became genuine superstars in Britain, with an impressive string of Top Ten singles in the late ’70s and early ’80s. The Jam could never have a hit in America because they were thoroughly and defiantly British … More than any other group, the Jam kept the tradition of the three-minute, hook-driven British guitar pop alive through the ’70s and ’80s, providing a blueprint for generations of bands to come.

Under the direction of guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Paul Weller, the trio spearheaded a revival of mid-’60s mod groups, in the style of the Who and the Small Faces. Like the mod bands, the group dressed stylishly, worshipped American R&B, and played it loud and rough. By the time of the group’s third album, Weller’s songwriting had grown substantially, as he was beginning to write social commentaries and pop songs in the vein of the Kinks … as the Jam grew more popular and musically accessible, Weller became more insistent and stubborn about his beliefs, supporting leftist causes and adhering to the pop aesthetics of ’60s British rock without ever succumbing to hippie values. Paradoxically, that meant even when their music became more pop than punk, they never abandoned the punk values — if anything, Weller stuck to the strident independent ethics of 1977 more than any other punk band just by refusing to change.”

“Absolute Beginners” (1981) begins in D major; at 0:53, the chorus shifts down to B major, but the tune ends decisively in E major. Despite not getting much airplay in the US, the video couldn’t adhere any more closely to the standards of the earliest days of MTV, featuring over-exposed, over-lit footage.