Tag: USA

Grateful Dead | Let Me Sing Your Blues Away

“The self-produced Wake of the Flood … originally came out in October 1973,” (Americana Highways). “… when you compare Wake of the Flood with the group’s most recent previous studio efforts, 1970’s Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty, those earlier LPs found the group forsaking extended psychedelic jams and improvisation in favor of succinct, country-flavored rock statements that relied heavily on vocals and acoustic instruments.

You’d never describe Wake of the Flood that way, which is not to say that it takes off in a wholly new direction. Yes, there are horns and there’s also more jazz influence as well as funk and ragtime, but the album is less of a reinvention than a vinyl presentation of the sort of music the Dead had been performing in concert for years. It also retains some elements of earlier studio albums.”

“Let Me Sing Your Blues Away,” the second track on Wake of the Flood, features an consistent level of intensity throughout, which seems to be one of the band’s trademarks. There are no buildups, no quiet bridges, no intense shout choruses … rather, an eternal “now” for which the band was well known. But a more unusual quality of the track is its frequency of unconventional, generally unprepared key changes. After a start in Bb major, there’s a cavalcade of unceremonious keys of the moment starting at 0:50 leading into a section in A major at 1:15, B major at 1:30, C# major at 1:45, and some frequently shifting key of the moment connective tissue leading to a return to Bb major at 1:56. Finally, here’s a shift to G major at 2:21 and a chromatic lead-in back to Bb major at 2:47.

Maureen McGovern | Different Worlds (opening theme from “Angie”)

“Philadelphia coffee shop waitress Angie Falco (Donna Pescow) starts a romance with customer Bradley Benson (Robert Hays), a pediatrician,” (ABC.fandom.com). “While she assumes he is a struggling young doctor, he reveals that he is actually rebelling against his wealthy family, presumably residents in the Main Line region of the city’s suburbs. The other Falco family members are Angie’s mother Theresa (Doris Roberts) and her younger sister Marie (Debralee Scott).

… Angie and Brad later marry, merging their two very different families: the blue-blooded Bensons and the urban Italian-American Falcos … Angie premiered on February 2, 1979 (and ran for) two seasons and 36 episodes.”

The show’s theme song, “Different Worlds,” was performed by Maureen McGovern. Written by Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox, the tune was released by McGovern as a single from her eponymous fourth studio album in June 1979. The track peaked at #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was #1 for two weeks on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Starting in C major, the tune shifts to Eb major at 0:25, wearing its late-disco era on its sleeve. Many more key changes follow — more than anyone could reasonably expect from a 90-second opening theme!

Derek + the Dominos | Bell Bottom Blues

“Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970) is Eric Clapton’s tortured love letter to the wife of his friend, George Harrison … Clapton poured his heart into the songs on Layla,” (American Songwriter). “The five co-writes with (Derek + the Dominos bandmate) Bobby Whitlock – songs like ‘Anyday’ and the bluesy ‘Tell The Truth’ – fuse high-energy rock with some of the most emotional electric blues of all time … Clapton would never again present the blues with such urgency as on the album versions of ‘Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out’ and the Big Bill Broonzy staple ‘Key to the Highway.’

‘Bell Bottom Blues,’ the only song on the album Clapton wrote entirely by himself, is a portrait of a man on the brink of collapse. After the record’s release, Clapton sank into depression and addiction. As Whitlock recalls, one of the great all-time rock and roll bands ‘didn’t break up, it just kind of dissipated … Eric locked himself away for a couple of years, and that was that.'”

Starting in a slightly de-tuned C major, the tune shifts up to A major for its plaintive chorus (heard for the time between 0:41 – 1:16). Verse 2 reverts to the original key. The pattern continues from there.

Ben Folds | It’s the Small Things, Charlie Brown

“Up until this February, alt-pop veteran Ben Folds was an artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra.” (Stereogum). “When Donald Trump took over the Kennedy Center, Folds resigned his post, writing, ‘Not for me.’ Fair enough! It’s not like Folds wasn’t making his own music when he had that job; he released the Christmas album Sleigher last year. Now, Folds has another new project ready to go. He’s co-written the song for Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical, a new special coming out on AppleTV+ this summer.

According to an Apple press release, the forthcoming 40-minute special Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical is ‘the first Peanuts musical in 35 years.’ It’s about the Peanuts gang going to summer camp. Jeff Morrow, Ben Folds collaborator on the songs, has scored a number of more-recent Peanuts specials, as well as films like Disney’s live-action Snow White and The Little Mermaid remakes. Ben Folds, a regular Schroeder, has been in the Peanuts system before; he wrote and performed the theme to the 2022 AppleTV+ special It’s The Small Things, Charlie Brown.” The production of Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical will debut 7/18 on AppleTV+.

“It’s the Small Things, Charlie Brown” finds Folds indeed channeling the warmup moves of the Peanuts franchise’s resident pianist before he digs into the tune. Starting in G major, the track features Folds’ trademark vocals-forward sound. After the quieter texture of the bridge starts at 2:20, there’s a late key change up a whole step to A major at 2:50.

Thank you, Brian Wilson (1942 – 2025)

“Brian Wilson, who co-founded the iconic California band The Beach Boys and turned teen pop into a poetic, modernist musical form, has died at age 82,” (NPR). “‘We realize that we are sharing our grief with the world,’ Wilson’s family wrote in a statement on his website Wednesday.

The most frequently invoked description of Wilson’s music came from the artist himself when, playing on a phrase coined by Phil Spector, he declared that his goal was to write a ‘teenage symphony to God.’ Grounded in dreams of an idealized youth, his songs reflected vast ambition enmeshed in the belief that pop could be a conduit to the sublime.

… His greatest musical works made room for the deep melancholy he experienced while evoking an almost otherworldly beauty, the sunset smear of a soul longing for peace.” After the upbeat sun-and-surf early hits, 1966’s Pet Sounds was “the apex of Top 40 pop as existential reverie … a modest success upon release (but) now generally acknowledged as one of the greatest albums of all time. (The rock-era canonizing institution Rolling Stone magazine ranks it at No. 2 — right behind Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On.)”

There are so many tunes we could feature today, but “When I Grow Up to Be a Man” is our choice — a track we initially featured in 2020. It’s a release from the band’s earlier days, but with a few odd chord qualities that only begin to hint at the complexity that Wilson’s writing increasingly brought to the Beach Boys. Written and composed by Wilson and Mike Love (1965), it reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has a lyric written from an adolescent’s POV. According to the book Smile: The Story of Brian Wilson’s Lost Masterpiece, Wilson had a “fervent desire to reinvent himself as an individual, not as a boy.” The single, with a run time of only two minutes, modulates at 1:32.

Thank you, Sly Stone (1943-2025)

“Sly Stone, the remarkable, eccentric frontman, singer, songwriter and producer of his family group, Sly & the Family Stone, died in Los Angeles on Monday, June 9,” (NPR). “The musical icon had been battling lung disease, according to a statement provided by his family. He was 82. ‘While we mourn his absence, we take solace in knowing that his extraordinary musical legacy will continue to resonate and inspire for generations to come,’ the statement reads.

… Sly & the Family Stone’s sound was a dazzling fusion of psychedelic rock, soul, jazz, gospel and Latin … The Grammys gave him a lifetime achievement award in 2017 … Sly Stone was a musical visionary whose charismatic stage presence and distinctive vocals are now woven into the fabric of American joy.”

~~~~~

We reprise a post from 2020 in honor of the life of Sly Stone, covering a track which is among the Family Stone’s most affirming and joyful:

Sly & the Family Stone “harnessed all of the disparate musical and social trends of the late ’60s,” AllMusic explains, “creating a wild, brilliant fusion of soul, rock, R&B, psychedelia, and funk that broke boundaries down without a second thought. Led by Sly Stone, the Family Stone was comprised of men and women, and blacks and whites, making the band the first fully integrated group in rock’s history. That integration shone through the music, as well as the group’s message. Before Stone, very few soul and R&B groups delved into political and social commentary; after him, it became a tradition in soul, funk, and hip-hop.”

Released in 1968, “Stand” is just one of a full line of unusual singles from S&TFS, not easily described by the vocabulary that preceded them. AllMusic continues: “Like Brian Wilson, Sly Stone incorporated beautiful, magical moments on his records that were some of the most musically progressive. In this song, a simple but brilliant four-on-the-floor drum pattern and gospel vocals create what would be the virtual blueprint for what was to become known as disco. Moreover, the song is yet another message song that helped bridge the gap between the black and white rock audiences…one of the most timely records of its age.”

The verse is built around a de-tuned Ab major (I / IV / I / bVII); the bVII major serves as a sub-V for the new key of F major (0:14), repeating the same pattern for Verse 2 (0:28) before reverting to Ab for the one-word chorus (0:51). Each switch from Ab to F is accentuated by a 2/4 bar among the overall 4/4 meter (heard for the first time at 0:13 – 0:14). An entirely new groove, built around a 4-bar pattern, kicks in for an extended outro in C minor at 2:18. The outro is a joyful, uproarious shout chorus featuring multiple vocalists on a repeated wordless vocal hook, instrumentalists playing at full tilt, and gospel-style eighth-note claps building on the already high energy — just as the slow final fade kicks in.

Roger Miller | Chug-a-Lug

“Country music is known for its drinking songs. Roger Miller offered a unique twist with one of his own, ‘Chug-a-Lug,'” (American Songwriter). “‘I think originality is the end result of a man’s search for something you can do well.” … He certainly proved that statement with ‘Chug-a-Lug,’ the 1964 novelty song he wrote solo that celebrates liquid indulgence.

… ‘Chug-a-Lug’ is one of Miller’s signature hits. It peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. It was his second crossover hit following ‘Dang Me,’ which hit #1 on the country chart and #7 on the Hot 100.”

Starting in a slightly de-tuned E major, the tune shifts lazily up to F major at 0:55, then again to F# major at 1:27. The track’s run time of just barely over two minutes probably helped to build its popularity nearly as much as its off-color topic! Many thanks to regular contributor Rob P. for submitting this country classic.

Kenny Loggins | The Rest of Your Life

“A list of Kenny Loggins’ biggest hits begs the question, ‘would the movie industry have been afloat in the ’80s if Loggins hadn’t been around?’ Between 1980 and 1988, Loggins scored four No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, all via soundtrack cuts—notably in Caddyshack, Footloose, and Top Gun,” (American Songwriter). “But those songs didn’t soar to the top of the charts simply because the films were popular; his music was what a large part of what gave them their edge in the first place. Songs like ‘Danger Zone’ or ‘Footloose’ have become paradigms of their era—instant reminders of all the earnest, schmaltzy ’80s movies that are fodder for nostalgia today.

“The Rest of Your Life,” featured on Loggins’ 1997 album The Unimaginable Life and co-written by Loggins, his then-wife Julia Loggins, and Jonathan Butler, “soared to the top of the charts without a blockbuster to bolster it. From the very opening trill of this song, the listener is hit with a wall of oh-so-’90s gated reverb. ‘The Rest of Your Life’ brought Loggins into a new decade—still at the top of the heap.”

Starting in A minor, the track only hints at its power ballad status through the its opening bars, two long verses, and first chorus. Backed by a band of A-listers including Greg Phillinganes (keys), Nathan East (bass), and Omar Hakim (drums), the intensity continues to build as verse 3 begins at 2:14 and chorus 2 follows at 2:48. At 3:10, a short bridge provides a mood shift, flipping the tonality over to the relative C major (albeit mixolydian mode). In the bridge’s closing moments, it seems as if we’ll be headed back to the traditional choice of a final chorus in the original key. But instead we plow headlong into a new key at 3:32 — shifting up a half step to Bb minor, led by a short but dizzyingly intense alto sax feature.

Four Tops | Baby I Need Your Loving

“Forming in Detroit, Michigan, the Four Tops would become one of Motown Records’ most successful groups,” (Cryptic Rock). “Having twenty-four of their singles reach the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, it all began in July of 1964 when radio stations debuted the single ‘Baby I Need Your Loving.’ A song that immediately caught many listeners’ ears, it would reach #11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was a prelude to a career that produced over fifty million records sold … some would consider ‘Baby I Need Your Loving’ one of the greatest songs ever.

… With a superior instrumental foundation in place thanks to the legendary Funk Brothers, Four Tops was largely the writing/production work of the Motown hitmaking trio of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland … Truly a classic Motown-sounding album, Four Tops would hit #1 on the R&B charts and #63 on the Billboard 200, but it was merely a prelude to grander success toward the end of 1965, when the group released the Four Tops’ Second Album which featured the mega hits ‘I Can’t Help Myself,’ ‘Something About You,’ and ‘It’s the Same Old Song.’

After a start in Bb major, the chorus shifts at 0:40 to the closely related key of Eb major. The second verse shifts back to the original key at 0:55. The pattern continues from there.

The Spinners (feat. Dionne Warwick) | Then Came You

” … The Spinners … like so many of the other great soul groups of the early ’70s, had started off singing doo-wop in the ’50s,” (Stereogum). “The original group, first called the Domingoes, came together in the Detroit suburb of Ferndale in 1954. They released their first single in 1961 and joined the Motown roster in 1963, when Motown bought out all of the competing local label Tri-Phi. Even with the Motown machine behind them, the Spinners couldn’t score a top-10 single all through the ’60s. They came close once — 1970’s ‘It’s A Shame,’ which Stevie Wonder co-wrote with Lee Garrett and Syreeta Wright, peaked at #14. But the Spinners were consistently overshadowed by the other titans on the Motown roster, and they left the label for Atlantic in 1972. Atlantic paired the Spinners up with Thom Bell, and things started to click. All of a sudden, the Spinners had a bunch of hits. (Before ‘Then Came You,’ the Spinners’ highest-charting single was the 1972 Bell production ‘I’ll Be Around,’ which peaked at #3 … )

Warwick and the Spinners weren’t really a natural combination. They came from two different worlds. But early-’70s soul had absorbed some of the Bacharach/David aesthetic, that combination of orchestral flash and emotional depth. And on ‘Then Came You,’ they make sense together … written by Sherman Marshall and Philip Pugh, (it’s) a simple little trifle of a love song with a big hook … Warwick and the Spinners sing the beginning of the song together, making a sort of chocolate/peanut butter combination. But as the song goes on, they break apart, with Warwick doing the leads and the Spinners ad-libbing, pushing her on. Eventually, Warwick and Spinner Phillippe Wynne are jumping back and forth on each other, vamping hard.

But it’s the groove, more than the voices, that sells the song. There’s a central pulse to ‘Then Came You,’ one that nods toward disco without giving in to it. And there are all these great little Thom Bell production touches to it: a flanged-out wah-wah guitar, an itchy bongo ripple, a shivery string figure. All those things are there to serve the groove, which pushes relentlessly forward. Warwick and the Spinners just surf that groove, their voices dancing on top of it. That groove is what keeps ‘Then Came You’ memorable … ” In the middle of an interlude section that mimics the intro, the track features a whole-step key change at 2:12.