UK – Page 29

Phil Collins | Two Hearts

Phil Collins‘ career only grew after leaving Genesis, the pioneering UK-based prog-rock band. Producing other artists’ albums, writing for movie soundtracks, and cranking out multiple solo albums were all on the menu for Collins.

“Two Hearts,” a 1988 pop confection based on a relentless fast shuffle, starts off simply enough (the music starts at the 0:40 mark) in G major. But the bridge suddenly takes flight at 2:44, featuring syncopated kicks and multiple modulations before settling into Ab minor, then transitioning back into a chorus (in the original key, although it feels entirely new) at 3:12.

Cathy Dennis | Too Many Walls

British pop singer and songwriter Cathy Dennis released “Too Many Walls” in 1991. The tune was co-written by Anne Dudley, best known for her work with Art Of Noise. The track reached chart positions of US Adult Contemporary #1, US Hot 100 #8, and top 20 in the UK, Ireland, and Canada.

After establishing her own performance career, Dennis went on to write songs for Clay Aiken, Kylie Minogue, and Kelly Clarkson, as well as the chart-toppers “Toxic” by Britney Spears and Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl.”

After an instrumental bridge (2:54 – 3:14), the tune modulates up a whole step.

Dave Stewart | Heart of Stone

UK songwriter/vocalist/guitarist Dave Stewart, probably best known as half of Eurythmics, has also enjoyed a busy career as a solo rock/pop artist, music producer, and music video director. His solo release “Heart of Stone” (1994) modulates at 1:53. Then, after a guitar solo which might have come from a dream journal, Stewart falls like timber at the downward modulation back to the original key.

Yes, that is legendary funk bassist Bootsy Collins!

Many thanks to MotD fan John Powhida for this submission.

Sting | Shape of My Heart

In 1993, Sting released “Shape of My Heart,” a track from the album Ten Summoner’s Tales. Sting said of his guest soloist: “One of the greatest harmonica players this century, Larry Adler … he’s played with George Gershwin, he’s had symphonies written for him, he’s a classical player. He was blacklisted by the McCarthy people in the late ’40s, left the US to live in London, and he’s been there ever since.” Adler passed away in 2001 at the age of 87.

The track modulates for the instrumental bridge (2:24 – 2:53), then reverts back to its original key.

Scritti Politti | First Boy In This Town (Lovesick)

From prolific MotD scout JB comes this submission from New Wave UK band Scritti Politti, fronted by Welsh vocalist/songwriter Green Gartside. The band’s name, Italian for “political graffiti,” definitely fit with its early politics-heavy releases. But by the mid-80s, the band’s sound had shifted to highly polished, synth-driven pop, with a consistently broad harmonic vocabulary — perhaps best demonstrated by the 1985 single “Perfect Way,” a hit on both sides of the Atlantic.

“First Boy in This Town (Lovesick)” (1988) starts in Ab major, modulates to Bb major at the first chorus (1:00), then reverts to Ab for verse 2 at 1:27. That pattern holds throughout, except for the instrumental bridge (2:22 – 2:48), which centers around Eb major.

Mike + the Mechanics | All I Need Is a Miracle

A longtime guitarist and writer for Genesis, Mike Rutherford set out on his own in the mid-80s to form Mike and the Mechanics.

“‘Most musicians make solo albums because they’re frustrated in their main band,” (The Guardian). “I think Genesis were uniquely different: we all loved being in the band but ran solo projects … I’ve never written a song like ‘Miracle’ since. I can’t think of any other song quite like it – it’s uplifting without being sugary, hopeful rather than smug. There’s a bit of sadness in there. But there are some clever key changes and it really lifts the audience.”

The Mechanics’ top 5 US hit, “All I Need is a Miracle” (1987) modulates twice, each time up a whole step, at 1:51 and 2:54.

Culture Club | Victims

Boy George & Culture Club released the ballad “Victims” in 1983. The track was a Top 10 hit throughout Europe, but wasn’t released as a single in the US, despite the fact that the band was enjoying the height of its sudden fame at that time. The associated album, Colour by Numbers, sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and appeared on Rolling Stone magazine’s “100 Best Albums of the 1980s” list.

The intro, in Bb minor, shifts to a verse in Ab major at 0:31, then a brief chorus at 0:45 reverts to Bb minor. A long bridge (1:24 – 2:20) in Bb major then shifts to Bb minor from 2:20 to 2:39. Etc.!

Supertramp | Dreamer

The UK band Supertramp created material that’s a bit tough to categorize; their tune “Dreamer” is no exception, landing somewhere between pop tune, nursery song, and schoolyard taunt. “Dreamer,” a pop hit in two different decades (the studio version went to UK #13 in 1975; in 1980, a live version hit US #15 and Canada #1).

The tune starts in D major, dips into a gentler section in C major at 1:25, and finally returns boisterously to D major at 3:05. There are several other passing extra-key oddities here and there, as well.

Robert Palmer | Know By Now

Unlike his huge 1980s hits, pop/soul artist Robert Palmer‘s 1994 release “Know By Now” was more subtle than flashy. It reached only #25 in the UK and garnered next to no airplay in the US. Sadly, in 2003, Palmer died of a heart attack at the age of only 54. The track, which Billboard magazine reviewed as “stick(ing) to the brain after one spin,” features key changes at almost every turn. The prominent placement of the word “honey” in the lyrics (1:35, etc.) seems to be a nod to the host album’s title.

Palmer told The Canadian Press in 1994: “I happen to think that it is probably the best song I’ve written for many reasons – first of all, it’s three songs in one, in that each piece of it was a separate inspiration at a different time, not merely a reason to get from A to C.”

0:00 C# Major (intro, after a brief F# Minor key of the moment)
0:38 E Minor (verse)
1:11 C# Major (pre-chorus)
1:36 F# Minor (chorus)
1:58 E Minor (verse)
2:30 C# Major (pre-chorus)
2:55 F# Minor (chorus to end)

Thomas Dolby | Cruel

Thomas Dolby is best known for his early-80s New Wave megahit “She Blinded Me with Science.” The UK artist’s 1992 release Astronauts & Heretics featured “Cruel,” a track built around some very mysterious harmonies and Matthew Seligman‘s enigmatic fretless bass.

The main melodic fragment is stated with the first verse, by 0:06 (“Cruel … what a thing to do…”). Later, a beautifully syncopated contrasting passage by guest vocalist Eddi Reader, essentially a chorus, starts at 0:31. By 1:04, we’re at the second verse, but one-half step lower than the first. Eddi’s section, as it repeats (1:35), is also a half-step lower this time. The tune ends on a sustained Dmin7, a full step below where it began. Throughout, the largely stepwise melodies rest on a bed of off-kilter progressions and unusual inversions. It’s as if the modulations were written so that they wouldn’t stand out.

Any theory wonks care to chart this one out?