Tag: USA

James Ingram | I Don’t Have the Heart

“If there’s one explanation for why the late James Ingram didn’t get the respect he deserved in life for being one of the great soul singers of the ’80s, it’s probably that most of his signature hits… well, they weren’t totally his,” (Billboard). “Ingram broke through in 1981 with two top 20 Hot 100 hits rightly seen as classics of their period, ‘Just Once’ and ‘One Hundred Ways’ — but both were as a guest vocalist, on tracks that ended up on legendary producer Quincy Jones’ set The Dude. He was nominated for best new artist at the 1982 Grammys, before he’d ever even released a single of his own. Then, his first hit apart from Quincy was 1982’s ‘Baby, Come to Me,’ a duet with Qwest labelmate Patti Austin that rode a General Hospital placement all the way to No. 1 on the Hot 100 in early 1983 — but which ended up being housed on Austin’s Every Home Should Have One album, never appearing on an Ingram LP.”

He later went on to more chart success, but as a duet partner to a very rangy list of artists: Michael McDonald, Kenny Rogers, Kim Carnes, Linda Ronstadt, Barry White, Al B. Sure, El DeBarge, Dolly Parton, and Anita Baker. “All of this combined to make Ingram’s solo showcase ‘I Don’t Have the Heart’ one of the most unexpected Hot 100-topping singles of the early ’90s. ‘Heart’ was something of an anomaly, both within turn-of-the-’90s R&B and within Ingram’s own catalog. Melodically, the single was firmly in his wheelhouse — a massive showstopper co-written by pop-soul vets Allan Rich and Jud Friedman … It’s a torch song by proxy, a stunning expression of empathy … (for the track), Ingram (reached) all the way back to ’70s superproducer Thom Bell, one of the primary sonic architects of Philly Soul, via iconic hits for The Spinners, The Stylistics and The Delfonics.

… We may remember James Ingram better as a co-star than as a solo sensation, and that’s fine: Even just a compilation of his biggest collabs would be more impressive than a single disc of 90 percent of his peers’ solo greatest hits. But ‘I Don’t Have the Heart’ and the #1 chart success it briefly experienced remains a crucial part of Ingram’s legacy, showing how his voice and musical instincts were strong and bold enough to essentially materialize a memorable chart-topper out of nowhere — and giving him a signature hit that no one could claim as anyone’s but his …”

The inversion-heavy track, scored primarily for keyboard and strings, is built in D major overall. After the bridge (2:27 – 2:47), another iteration of the chorus at first leads us to believe that the tune will simply fade out without ever having transcended the borders set within the first few measures. But another run through the chorus at 3:10 finally brings percussion, electric guitar, Ingram’s trademark high wordless falsetto, and a crashing whole-step key change up to E major as the track kicks the power ballad afterburners into gear.

Sarah Vaughan + Count Basie Orchestra | Moonlight in Vermont

“Ben and Jerry’s, Bernie Sanders, and maple bourbon are some of things that Vermont is world-famous for,” (Burlington Free Press). “But for some, what truly puts the state on the global map is (the) jazz standard ‘Moonlight in Vermont.’ An unofficial anthem of Vermont, the tune has been recorded hundreds of times, including by Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Sam Cooke, Sarah Vaughan, and Willie Nelson.

The song was written in 1944 by Karl Suessdorf and John Blackburn … The song’s lyrics are unusual for not rhyming, but instead following a haiku pattern … They also pay tribute to the sycamore tree, which is native to Vermont, but is not among its most common trees … Still, its quirky charm had wide appeal, especially for soldiers stationed away from home for World War II … In the 1990s, a group of lawmakers tried to make ‘Moonlight in Vermont’ the state’s official song, but were ultimately defeated. Some thought the song’s melody would be too difficult for the average person to sing.”

Vaughan performs the tune in Db major in this version, although it generally appears in Eb major (see below). The middle eight travels far afield from the overall key before returning, but this 1957 arrangement of the standard also modulates in earnest up to D major at 2:37.

Camp Isn’t Home (from “Theater Camp”)

“Camp Isn’t Home” is the closing song from the film Theater Camp, which was released this summer. The song is written by Ben Platt and Noah Galvin, who both star in the movie, as well as Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman, and Mark Sonnenblick. It begins in A and modulates up to B at 2:44.

The film is now available to stream on Hulu.

Classics IV | Traces

“Anyone who doesn’t have a clear image of the Classics IV can be forgiven — they went through so many shifts in personnel and sound … they were little more than a name attached to some excellent (and very good-selling) records of the second half of the 1960s, without a personality or identity to grab onto easily,” (Tivo).

“They’re one of those bands that will never, ever get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” (BestClassicBands), “but we bet you fondly recall their three Top 10 hits—all logged within a period of less than a year and a half—and wouldn’t turn them off if they came on the radio right now … those soft-rock hits with the single-word titles—’Spooky,’ ‘Stormy,’ and ‘Traces’—were true classics of the late ’60s AM radio scene.”

Released in 1969, “Traces” was a single from an album of the same name. The track is full of jazz voicings and a surprisingly broad harmonic vocabulary, carried by gentle instrumentation (oboe, guitar, vibes, strings, an ambling bass line, and muted percussion); the vocal couldn’t be any more prominent in the mix. The track which likely launched 1,000 prom themes was also named part of BMI’s Top 100 Songs of the Century. The single hit #2 on both the US Pop and Easy Listening charts — certainly, one of the last of that category. The intro begins in B minor, but the emphasis flips over to D major for verse 1 (0:19). As the bridge ends at 1:55, there’s a shift upwards to Eb major. The track ends rather jarringly when an instrumental verse (2:31) withers on the vine with a fast fade midway through — likely an attempt to keep the single under three minutes in length.

Anastacia | Paid My Dues

“Paid My Dues” is featured on American singer Anastacia’s 2001 album Freak of Nature. Reviewing the album for Slant magazine, critic Sal Cinquemani wrote “her tenacious attitude on songs like “Paid My Dues” and the funky title track carve a unique niche for the singer.”

The track reached the #1 spot on the charts in Denmark, Hungary, Italy, Norway, and Switzerland. It begins in C# minor and modulates up to D minor for the last two times through the chorus at 2:38.

Home Free | Sea Shanty Medley

Home Free, an American country a cappella group, won the NBC reality singing competition The Sing-Off in 2013, which led to signing a record contract with Sony. The group, comprised of Austin Brown, Rob Lundquist, Adam Rupp, Tim Foust, and Adam Chance, is actively touring, and their most recent album, So Long Dixie, came out last November

Sea Shanty Medley was released as a single in 2021. There are modulations scattered throughout the track; particularly distinct ones occur at 1:48 and 2:21.

Gary Wright | Really Want to Know You

“Gary Wright, the spiritually minded singer-songwriter who helped modernize the sound of pop music with his pioneering use of synthesizers while crafting infectious and seemingly inescapable hits of the 1970s …” died last week at the age of 80. “… Along with his work with (George) Harrison, Mr. Wright was a session keyboardist for musicians like Harry Nilsson, B.B. King and Jerry Lee Lewis, and he continued to record solo albums,” (New York Times).

“Because he (was) the co-founder of U.K. progressive rockers Spooky Tooth and a close friend of George Harrison, many assume Gary Wright is English, but the performer was actually born in New Jersey,” (Rhino.com). “The Right Place was the singer-songwriter’s final album for Warner Brothers; the 1981 collection is sure to please ‘Dream Weaver’ fans. Like that iconic earlier hit, the album pairs Wright’s subtly philosophical lyrics with synthesizer-dominant arrangements that follow a strong groove (future Chicago drummer Tris Imboden keeps the beat here).”

“Really Wanna Know You” reached #16 in the US and #14 in Canada. It was his last charting hit in the US and was the 96th most popular tune in the US for the year, according to Billboard. The tune was co-written by Wright and Ali Thompson (who is the brother of Dougie Thompson, a member of the UK band Supertramp).

The tune starts in Db major, sounding at first like garden variety early-80s pop. After two verses and choruses, 1:09 brings a shift upwards to D minor for a more complex section that bears a closer resemblance to the more layered textures of his #2 hit “Dream Weaver” (1976). From 1:32-1:52, a mini-bridge takes us down a meandering path which settles us back into Db major. Going forward, the two keys continue to alternate.

Many thanks to our listener/reader from Brazil, Julianna A., for submitting this intriguing tune — her third contribution to MotD!

Theme from “Buckaroo Banzai”

From Genregrinder‘s review of The Advuentures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984): “Neurosurgeon. Physicist. Rock Star. Hero. Buckaroo Banzai (Peter Weller) is a true ‘80s renaissance man. With the help of his uniquely qualified team, The Hong Kong Cavaliers, Buckaroo is ready to save the world on a moment’s notice. But after his successful test of the Oscillation Overthruster – a device that allows him to travel through solid matter – he unleashes the threat of “evil, pure and simple from the 8th Dimension”… the alien Red Lectroids. Led by the deranged dictator, Lord John Whorfin (John Lithgow), the Lectroids steal the Overthruster with the intent of using it to return to their home of Planet 10 ‘real soon!’ But, no matter where you go, there Buckaroo Banzai is… ready to battle an interdimensional menace that could spell doom for the human race.”

Was the movie a comedy, a sci-fi geekfest, or a fast-paced race-against-time thriller with sky high stakes? Yes. Was it so visually jam-packed with cutting-edge tech trinkets while simultaneously so light in plot continuity that it confused audiences? Also yes. But for audiences happy to see a movie with the look and feel of a cartoon book come to life — particularly one that featured an all-new universe where the effortlessly charismatic hero was somehow a top neurosurgeon by day and also a guitar-slinging rockstar by night — the movie was a cult hit. In addition to Weller and Lithgow, the cast’s other A-list actors include Ellen Barkin and Jeff Goldblum. Descriptions of the film pretty much can’t cut it, so watch the trailer, below!

The theme, which played under the movie’s closing credits, features the high-pitched three-note call of Buckaroo’s abovementioned overthruster (first heard at 0:26 as the theme starts), which was so centrally important to the plot that it should have been listed in the credits itself. After a start in A major, 1:04 brings a shift to Eb major for the B section. The modulation is ushered in by sudden shift to a I minor chord and then a V chord in A major just before the key change. So somehow, the improbable modulation feels more like a gentle exhale down a half-step to the new Eb tonic than a jarring shift. The overthruster’s call chimes in often as the two sections alternate again throughout. At 3:24, the regal fanfare which brings the theme to an end still features the now-iconic three-note chirp.

for Roger

Georgia Stitt (feat. Jessica Vosk) | Maybe It’s Me

“Maybe It’s Me” is featured on American composer Georgia Stitt’s 2020 album A Quiet Revolution. Stitt, who put together the album during the pandemic, said in an interview with Forbes that “to me these songs highlight some very real, very contemporary characters who are fighting for relevance, meaning, and connection in a world that seems to value those things less and less.”

This track, which opens the album, is performed by musical theatre actress Jessica Vosk. It begins in A and modulates up to Bb for the final chorus at 2:24.

Molly Tuttle | She’ll Change

“One of the most compelling new voices in the roots music world, Molly Tuttle is a virtuosic multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter with a lifelong love of bluegrass, a genre the Northern California-bred artist first discovered thanks to her father (a music teacher and multi-instrumentalist) and grandfather (a banjo player whose Illinois farm she visited often throughout her childhood). On her new album Crooked Tree (2022), Tuttle joyfully explores that rich history with bluegrass, bringing her imagination to tales of free spirits and outlaws, weed farmers and cowgirls resulting in a record that is both forward-thinking and steeped in bluegrass heritage,” (MollyTuttleMusic.com)

The Nashville-based Tuttle, a Berklee alumna, began attending bluegrass jams at age eleven. ” … She was the first woman ever named Guitar Player of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association,  as well as her voice—an instrument that shifts from warmly understated to fiercely soulful with equal parts precision and abandon, occasionally treating the listener to some high-spirited yodeling … On the album-opening ‘She’ll Change,’ for instance, her vocals take on a breakneck momentum as she pays homage to the type of woman who fully owns her unabashed complexity.”

“[Molly Tuttle] sings with the gentle authority of Gillian Welch, yet plays astoundingly fleet flat-picking guitar like Chet Atkins on superdrive.”

— American Songwriter Magazine

“She’ll Change” is built in B major for the first two verses and choruses, but at 1:31 a multi-section bridge arrives: the first features vocals and stays more or less grounded, but the second instrumental section shifts to C# major (1:45), remaining there for the balance of the tune.