“When recollecting those perpetual hit makers of the ‘60s, singer/songwriter Tommy Roe’s accomplishments are among the elite of the music industry,” (Classic Rock Music Writer). “Tommy Roe wrote and recorded six Top 10 hits between 1962 -1969, more than any other solo American artist, including eleven Top 40 hits, four certified gold singles, and two #1 Hits.
(Atlanta native) Tommy Roe is a member of the Hit Parade Hall of Fame, The Georgia Music Hall of Fame, and The Rockabilly Hall of Fame (and the) Iowa Rock ‘n’ Roll Music Association Hall of Fame. In 1966, Roe’s #8 Top 40 bubblegum hit ‘Sweet Pea’ swept the nation, followed by a British Invasion influence release ‘Hooray for Hazel,’ which reached #6 on Billboard’s Top 100.”
“Hooray for Hazel” begins in G major, but after a short drum break, a new verse begins in Ab major at 1:02. At 1:39, following another drum break, we’re back to the original key.
“Eric Nam might not be a household name to every pop fan in the Western World. And that’s kind of the point for him (as he talks) about his atypical start on the path to stardom, and what it means to navigate the K-Pop industry as an American,” (Rolling Stone Australia). “The Atlanta, US-born artist of Korean heritage found a voice in a country where he barely spoke the language (Korea), in a market that favors teenage groups and ballad-heavy rock bands. Then, he exported his sound to one of the most populous nations on Earth, and wound up on the cover of Rolling Stone India.
‘They wanted me to do power ballads and I can’t even do power ballads. Then I wanted to be in a group and [was told] I was too old. I was 23, and [they said] you’re way too old to be in a group,’ he says. ‘Then they said try to be in a rock band – rock bands don’t really work in Korea — or you could go and be a solo power balladeer … I can’t force you to think of me as not K-Pop. Whatever you want to think of me, just go for it, but I really want you to understand that there is a complexity within K-Pop where it’s not just these massive groups with massive numbers.'”
Nam’s track “Ooh Ooh” (2014) begins in G minor. Combining Korean and English lyrics, the tune shifts up to Ab minor 2:30 — just before a rap-driven bridge. Many thanks to our UAE-based contributor Ziyad for submitting this tune!
” … Chuck Eddy, the perceptive and witty rock critic, wrote the brilliant, hilarious … Stairway to Hell: The 500 Best Heavy Metal Albums in the Universe. In said book Eddy puts Alice Cooper’s Greatest Hits at #3 on his list,” (The Vinyl District). “That’s right, #3, right below Led Zeppelin IV and Appetite for Destruction.
… Alice Cooper’s Greatest Hits, while far from perfect, lets you in on what all the excitement was about. When too many other rock bands were ‘going pro’ or jamming their live audiences into a coma, Alice Cooper was providing rock solid rock ’n’ roll thrills and chills worth every penny of your entertainment dollar. I can only compare them to Iggy and the Stooges, and how many people actually saw Iggy and the Stooges? … Alice Cooper served up ersatz madness to the masses, and everybody walked away happy. Was Alice Cooper’s Greatest Hits the best album to come out of the ’70s? Probably not. But I’ll be damned if it isn’t the best album Alice Cooper ever put out, and I have a hard time thinking of an album from 1970-79 that’s more fun.
… ‘Under My Wheels’ is an old school rave-up and comes complete with sleazy horn blurt and the guitar of ax-slinger Rick Derringer … ” The track starts in A major, but shifts up to Bb major (complete with a groove-pausing leap) at 1:44. Our frequent contributor JB adds that despite the resemblance, “Under My Wheels” was released “years before Rocky Horror‘s ‘Let’s Do the Time Warp Again.'”
“Luther Vandross is R&B music’s tragic hero – a soulful soloist who was most popular while singing backup for rockers, a strict disciplinarian who could control everything except his weight, a hopeless romantic who died alone, miserable, and far too young,” (The Guardian). “It’s a sad story revisited in a (2025) documentary … Directed by the biographical film-maker Dawn Porter, produced by Jamie Foxx and arranged by Robert Glasper, the 160-minute film is a stark reminder of the aversions and prejudices that stalled Vandross’s breakthrough and ultimately broke him.
Stardom should have happened so much earlier for Vandross, who really did have it all: songwriting chops, producing knack, and a velveteen vocal clarity and dexterity to rival Whitney Houston. But record execs refused to see past his dark skin and overweight physique. The stigma had Vandross at once determined to succeed and self-conscious about stepping into the spotlight … Decades on, Vandross endures as a timeless crooner whose vulnerability and sincerity set the standard for male R&B vocalists, practically an endangered species now. In the documentary, Vandross gets due credit for his role in breaking the color barrier in the music industry – where, ultimately, he made truer classifications for himself: adult contemporary, quiet storm.”
“‘If This World Were Mine’ was a hit single recorded by Vandross and Lynn for her album Instant Love,” (ThisIsRnB).) “The song peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart in 1982. The song was a remake of the original 1967 version recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell from their album United. The original, written solely by Gaye … (it peaked) at #68 on the Billboard Pop chart and #27 on the Billboard R&B singles chart.”
Starting in a slightly detuned D major, the ballad is a worthy vocal showcase for both Vandross and Lynn, who at first alternate leisurely verses. At 2:05, the intensity builds with a bridge, followed by a trap door of a key change to E major at 2:43.
“The Book of Mormon was developed by Matt Stone, Trey Parker, and Robert Lopez,” (Broadway World). “Trey and Matt infamously created the South Park animated series, and Robert Lopez helped conceive the puppet comedy Avenue Q. They took eight years to develop this one (small workshops that progressively grew larger), which finally opened on Broadway in 2011, launching the careers of Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad. These sublimely brilliant guys crafted an insanely fast-paced book that whips out impressive songs bordering on Sondheim in their narrative complexity and density of words.
But the twist is the lyrics and plot points are peppered with F-Bombs and jokes about Africa, AIDS, gays, Mormons, Christians, and pedophilia. The combination of well-sung songs about inappropriate observations is the genius of the show. And much like their other ventures, the material has smart things to say in an ultimately heartfelt way. That is why we are talking about this show as a ‘legacy musical’ today: at the core, it is a wonderful friendship that is incredible to watch.”
“I Believe,” one of the show’s best known tunes, states a laundry list of tenets of the Mormon faith with even more earnestness than you’d expect — and varying levels of sarcasm. The tonality shifts up from F major to F# major at 3:33.
“Bloodstone’s history goes back to 1962 when a group of Kansas City teens formed the Sinceres who later became the Soulful Emeralds before settling on Bloodstone,” (SoulandJazzandFunk). “The core lineup was Charles Love on guitar, Melvin Webb on drums, Roger Durham on percussion, McCormick on bass/vocals, Harry Williams on percussion, and Willis Draffen on guitar. Working in and around Los Angeles they became known for their ability to blend soul/funk with doo-wop harmonies and rock guitar.
Their best known song was 1972’s ‘Natural High’ – a sweet ballad that became a top 10 hit. The song was recorded under the auspices of famed UK blues producer/musician Mike Vernon. The band’s other hits included ‘Never Let You Go’, ‘Outside Woman’ and ‘My Little Lady.’ In the 80s, Bloodstone enjoyed success with songs like ‘We Go a Long Way Back’ and ‘Go On and Cry’. The ever-lovely ‘Natural High’ enjoyed further success after being featured on the soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino’s 1997 movie, Jackie Brown.“
The R+B ballad “We Go a Long Way Back” (1982) features a super-late half-step key change (4:04), but it could hardly be more dramatic. The lead vocalist belts a super-charged note through the key change which gradually adjusts upwards to the new key, but is quite … piquant(?) … in the process. The new key is fully in effect at 4:09.
“If a commercial comes up on TV and it involves a candy bar and a tropical island, you can quickly guess that it’s an ad for Almond Joy or Mounds,” (The Daily Meal). “Since 2010, the coconut-filled chocolate candy brand has leaned on the island vacation theme for advertising its products, with commercials featuring the tagline ‘Unwrap Paradise’ and more recently, ‘Almond Joy is Tropi-Calling.’ In the background of these commercials you can also hear calypso music playing, but what some people fail to realize is that it’s actually to the tune of Almond Joy’s original slogan and jingle.
Nowadays the jingle is instrumental, but in commercials pre-dating 2010, the lyrics ‘Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t’ were also sung. In a throwback of sorts, Almond Joy and Mounds released a 2021 commercial featuring the full song, and judging by the comments on YouTube, the older slogan is much more iconic, at least among the candy brand’s older fans.” The pre-2010 ads “would usually showcase different types of ‘nutty’ behavior, such as riding a horse backwards or flying a plane upside down. This concept was first introduced to TV in 1977, but the jingle and slogan was actually written seven years prior when Peter Paul Candy Company, the manufacturer of Almond Joy and Mounds, hired American composer Leon Carr … in 2003, the lyric ‘Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t’ was inducted into the Advertising Slogan Hall of Fame for the success it brought to the company.”
You’d think that a sprightly ad jingle clocking in at only 30 seconds wouldn’t need extra gas in the tank. But the Almond Joy/Mounds spot manages it, with a half-step upward shift in key at the 0:16 mark. Many thanks to our regular contributor Rob P. for sending in this sweet little tune!
(In 1980), American art-rock band Devo released their breakthrough record, Freedom of Choice,” (Variety). “The album not only spawned the new wave smash ‘Whip It,’ but the full-length still stands the test of time, with singles such as ‘Girl U Want’ and especially the title track, still resonating today with fans … “
Devo member Gerald Casale: “‘Whip It’ was a fluke. Warner Brothers put all their chips on the first single, ‘Girl U Want.’ They released that first, and it just stiffed. Then suddenly this guy named Kal Rudman [the founder of Friday Morning Quarterback, a noted radio trade publication that covered the radio and broadcast industry] — he was a regional programmer, he had a tip sheet, and this was a guy who had ears — he actually listened to the albums people sent him. And on his own, he decided that he loved “Whip It” and started playing it. Warner Bros. wasn’t sending him money to play it; he just loved it. And it took off down south first, then quickly spread up the east coast and by the time it hit New York, it was over. We had to recalibrate our whole tour that year, and we suddenly were no longer playing 400-seat clubs; instead, we were playing 2000-5000 seat venues.'”
During the verses of “Girl U Want,” the melody is in an ambiguous, colorless key of “E” (outlined by the persistently spiky flatted seventh in the melody co-existing with the prominent natural seventh in the accompaniment). 1:16 brings a shift to a more settled C major for the bridge. The pattern continues from 1:26 — until the unresolved ending suddenly drops off a cliff.
“Lenny White was 20 years old when he appeared on Miles Davis’ breakthrough fusion album, Bitches Brew,” (Progrography). “Yet it was in a different setting with Chick Corea, Return to Forever, where White would make his greatest impact as the drummer in RTF’s classic quartet lineup alongside Stanley Clarke and Al DiMeola. In the 70s, White released a steady flow of solo albums and brought his distinctively crisp drumming (and wide-brimmed hat) to various sessions. Venusian Summer (1975) and The Adventures of Astral Pirates (1978) are highly recommended to fans of prog/fusion.
In the 80s, Lenny White formed the funk band Twennynine, which released three albums: Best of Friends (1979), Twennynine with Lenny White (1980) and Just Like Dreamin’ (1981). He also recorded a few jazz albums with his Miles Davis alums, including Echoes of An Era (1982) with vocalist Chaka Khan. In the 90s, White recorded hip-hop/funk records on the Hip Bop Essence label. He continues to release occasional albums, including Anomaly (2010).”
White’s Twennynine project is now remembered by only the most ardent fans, but it’s remembered fondly! The intro and verse of the R&B ballad “Morning Sunrise,” from the 1979 album Best of Friends, are built in A minor. The chorus shifts to D major at 0:55. At 1:22, the cycle repeats. Many thanks to our Brazilian contributor Julianna A. for this submission!
“Relevancy is an ambition that countless artists strive for, yet so few actually achieve,” (Glide Magazine). “Iconic pianist Bruce Hornsby can proudly count himself among those fortunate few. With a storied musical career that has spanned (50) years, the Williamsburg, VA native continues to be a prominent influence on many modern artists – from Spike Lee to Bon Iver – that seemingly encompasses nearly all aspects and genres of the music industry.
Starting in 1974 … he formed the Grateful Dead cover band Bobby Hi-Test and the Octane Kids with his older brother Bobby Hornsby … By 1980, Bruce and his younger brother John Hornsby moved to Los Angeles, where they spent the next three years writing songs together for 20th Century Fox. In 1986, Bruce, along with his newly-formed backing band The Range, released the multi-platinum album The Way It Isfor RCA Records. It was that album’s eponymous chart-topping title track that propelled the group towards receiving their first Grammy Award, for Best New Artist, in 1987.”
Since then, Hornsby has continued to perform extensively — with his band The Noisemakers, touring solo, and supporing the Grateful Dead on keys and vocals. His writing style hasn’t really pivoted away from the pop-friendly sound of his days with The Range; it might be more accurate to say that his musical palette has expanded exponentially. A wonderful example of Hornsby’s relentless eclecticism is “What the Hell Happened” from 2004’s Halcyon Days. “Self-deprecating humor has always been a hallmark of Bruce’s lyrics, and the polytonal ‘What The Hell Happened’ might be his greatest example … (a) Randy Newman-esque piece.”
The tune’s intro and verse are built around Eb minor, but not without plenty of ear-bending alterations. At 0:39, the chorus shifts to Gb lydian. 0:56 brings a seams-hidden change to F major for an extended instrumental break, driven by Hornsby’s rock-solid stride technique and fluid right hand runs. At 2:41, we return to Gb lydian until near the end, when Eb minor makes another appearance. The tune’s overall feel might bring to mind one of Randy Newman’s sepia-toned tales, but the harmonic vocabulary is miles beyond — to borrow the title from another track on the album, very “Circus on the Moon.”
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