Tag: USA

John Mayer | Still Feel Like Your Man

“I feel like I never touched the ground those three days,” John Mayer said in an interview with Rolling Stone, discussing his process for writing this tune. “Like ‘Let’s not worry about what this might draw from and be true to whatever it is.'”

Mayer also confirmed that the ex he is singing about in the lyric is Katy Perry, who he dated for four years, and claimed he spent more hours fine tuning the song than any other he has recorded.

The track is the lead single from the extended EP The Search for Everything: Wave 2, released in 2017. It begins in D and then detours briefly to Bb (and a new half-time feel) for the bridge after the second chorus at 1:47 before seamlessly returning to the chorus in the original key at 2:28.

Trijntje Oosterhuis | What the World Needs Now

Vocalist Trijntje Oosterhuis has been part of the Dutch pop scene since the 1990s. After touring with saxophonist Candy Dulfer, she formed the band “Total Touch” with her brother Tjeerd, releasing two successful albums in the late 90s. She went on to embark on a solo career.

She has released two albums of Burt Bacharach songs, The Look of Love (2006) and Who’ll Speak for Love (2007), with Bacharach performing on some of the tracks.

The selection here, “What the World Needs Now,” another Bacharach/David song, was a hit for Jackie DeShannon in 1965 (Billboard #7). The video is taken from a 2008 DVD release, Ken Je Mij (Do You Know Me), a series of duets with Uruguayan guitarist Leonardo Amuedo.

There’s a dramatic whole-step modulation at 2:40.

Bobby Darrin + Judy Garland | That Lonesome Road

Taken from the December 29, 1963 episode of The Judy Garland Show, “That Lonesome Road” was one of many music numbers from that evening’s offerings, which were produced among some difficult times for Garland and for all of the United States. “Show 14 lacks a little of the sparkle of other episodes, but this is hardly surprising when you consider that Judy should really have been resting during the time it was filmed,” (JudyGarlandProject). “The taping occurred in the aftermath of President Kennedy’s assassination. However, rather than take time off, it appears that Garland worked harder than ever following the death of her friend.

… Looking back on the entire series, over fifty years after it was broadcast, one can only be astounded at the huge achievement that it was, and still is. American seasons are lengthy, and here we have 26 episodes, each of nearly one-hour running times. Not only do they star the ‘World’s Greatest Entertainer’ but also a roll-call of the some of the great singers of the twentieth century, including Peggy Lee, Lena Horne, Tony Bennett, Vic Damone, and Barbra Streisand. These shows will be around long after all of us have gone, and amen to that.”

Bobby Darin, an eventual inductee into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame, was an established pop star and movie actor by the time of his guest appearance on Garland’s show. Converting Darin’s well-known tune “That Lonesome Road” into a duet for the episode, the two vocalists change keys at 0:58 and 1:40.

Michael W. Smith | Place In This World

American singer/songwriter and three-time Grammy winner Michael W. Smith wrote “Place In This World” with Wayne Kirkpatrick and Amy Grant for his sixth studio album, Go West Young Man, released in 1990. The track ended up being his biggest mainstream success, reaching the #6 spot on the Billboard Hot 100.

In an interview with Songfacts, Smith recalled hearing a story about how the song helped someone who was suffering. “Well, the one story I remember vividly, I could still go back to reading the letter, was some young girl, I think she was 18 or 19 years old, and had a horrific childhood in terms of abuse and that sort of thing. And she was suicidal. She gave me this whole story in a two page letter. She was driving down the freeway and listening to a pop radio station and heard ‘Place In This World’ and pulled over and began to weep. And had this encounter with God on the side of the interstate. And her life forever changed. And that’s the one that I’ll never forget. There’s been plenty of people talk about ‘A Place In This World’ but that’s the one letter that I’ll never forget.”

The track begins in B and modulates to C leading into the instrumental bridge at 2:15.

David Sanborn | A Change of Heart

“A Change of Heart” is the title track of David Sanborn’s 1987 album, which “reached #74 on the Billboard 200, #43 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart and #3 on the Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart.” (SessionDays).

“By the mid 1980s, saxophonist Sanborn’s sound was dominated by the synthetic tinge of keyboards and synthesizers, falling in line with the slick, crossover jazz style of the era,” (JazzAtelier). “Change of Heart is emblematic of Sanborn’s direction at the time, and its eight tracks alternate between funky, danceable numbers and smooth ballads, all with a highly polished commercial veneer.” Crossover was something of a code word for the more frequently used term smooth jazz, a genre which peaked in the 80s and could easily be found on the FM dial in most major North American cities at that time. AllMusic describes the genre as “an outgrowth of fusion, one that emphasizes its polished side.”

The track begins with a melodically acrobatic intro led by a panpipe-like patch on a wind-controlled (“EWI”) synthesizer, a new development in synthesis. The EWI player was one of the instrument’s foremost players and boosters, tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker, who also used the instrument on some of his own material. The tune begins in earnest as a slow funk groove kicks in at the 0:50 mark, alternating between A minor and its relative C major. At 1:14 – 1:38, there’s a shift into Eb lydian mode and then a return to the original A minor/C major. A quick revisit to the intro’s territory from 2:25 – 2:50 brings a dialogue between Brecker’s birdsong-like EWI lines and Sanborn’s trademark jump-to-lightspeed sonic intensity. At 4:02, a late kitchen-sink bridge kicks in, led by Marcus Miller’s driven stepwise descending bass lines and a saturation of every possible square inch with multiple synth textures and compound harmonies. But at 4:24, the groove falls away and the intensity dissipates for the outro as Brecker’s darting EWI sound is once again the focus.

Little Anthony + The Imperials | Shimmy Shimmy Ko Ko Bop

New York City-based singer Jerome “Little Anthony” Gourdine joined a group called The Chesters in 1957 “as the lead vocalist. The group recorded ‘Tears on My Pillow,’ which became an instant success. The Chesters changed their name to Little Anthony + The Imperials in 1959, and released their second hit single, ‘Shimmy, Shimmy, Ko Ko Bop,’ which sold one million records,” (TheHistoryMakers.org).

The group went on to more success with songs including “‘I’m Outside Looking In,’ ‘Goin’ Out of My Head,’ and ‘Hurt So Bad.’ They appeared on the The Ed Sullivan Show, the Kraft Music Hall Television Show, and Dick Clark’s television specials. In 1969, Little Anthony + The Imperials signed with United Artists and recorded several chart singles. Gourdine left the group in 1975 to begin a sixteen year long acting and solo singing career.”

“Shimmy Shimmy Ko Ko Bop” features several half-step key changes during its run time of less than two minutes.The first modulation hits at 0:58.

The Choir | It’s Cold Outside

“The Choir was a garage rock band largely active in the greater Cleveland (Ohio) area from the mid-1960s into the early 1970s. Originally called the Mods, their largest commercial success came with the release of their first single ‘It’s Cold Outside’ in December 1966. The song (is) considered to be a classic of the garage rock era … The Choir is well known for containing three of the four original members of The Raspberries (all except lead singer Eric Carmen).”

A Cleveland Scene interview with one of the band’s members, Randy Klawon, details the city’s surprisingly active music scene during the late 1960s: ” … We played a show with the Who at the Music Hall in 1967. It was Herman’s Hermits and the Who. We were on that bill. I was 12 feet in the wings from [guitarist] Pete Townshend. I saw [drummer] Keith Moon throw his kit into the orchestra pit. It was amazing. Everybody saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. As these bands toured America, the Choir was on a lot of those shows. We were on the same bill with the Dave Clark Five and the Yardbirds and all kinds of bands.”

“It’s Cold Outside” starts in D major and shifts up to E major at 2:04.


Antonin Dvořák | String Quartet in F Major (Op. 96, B. 179, “American”), movement I: Allegro ma non troppo (Dover Quartet)

“In 1892, the American philanthropist Jeanette Thurber persuaded Czech composer Antonin Dvořák to head her newly formed National Conservatory of Music in New York City for three years, (MusicProgramNotes.com) … “Within a year, Dvořák had composed his Symphony in E-Minor ‘from the New World,’ … Directly after composing the ‘New World’ Symphony, Dvořák took a long summer holiday in 1893 in Spillville, Iowa … Amidst nature and his countrymen, Dvořák overflowed with musical ideas. Within three days he sketched out his entire String Quartet No. 12, later nicknamed the ‘American‘ … There is no movement without a gorgeous melody, and equally enticing are their delightful accompaniments … The American is unreservedly a masterpiece and crowd pleaser.”

The Guardian, placing Dvořák in his overall historic context: “As well as raising American consciousness of its Native American and African American traditions – a stance seen by some as vindicated by the emergence of jazz – Dvořák influenced a new generation of Czech composers, whose work was even more implicitly nationalistic. He befriended the young Janáček, who would eventually develop his music differently, but his mentor’s example was crucial. Dvořák also influenced his violinist and composer son-in-law, Josef Suk, who in turn briefly taught Bohuslav Martinů. Martinů’s assessment of Dvořák said it best: ‘If anyone expressed a healthy and happy relationship with life, it was he.’”

The quartet’s first movement begins in F major and features many side-steps into other keys, but an A major section starting at 1:38 is particularly striking.

Rhetta Hughes | Best Thing You Ever Had

” … soul vocalist Rhetta Hughes seemed about ready to move into the spotlight in 1969, when her remake of the Doors’ ‘Light My Fire’ made the R&B Top 40,” (AllMusic). “But she never sustained any momentum, with the next song ‘Angel Man’ flopping for Aria, and Hughes was soon back on the supper club circuit, opening for such comedians as Bill Cosby.”

AllMusic didn’t quite catch all of Hughes’ resumé, which included substantial musical theatre. She was featured in Dreamgirls, Amen Corner, Paris Lights, and other productions on Broadway, national tours, and off-Broadway. She was also nominated for a 1984 Tony award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical in Amen Corner, according to Broadway World.

“Best Thing You Ever Had” (1968) features multiple textbook half-step modulations, starting at 0:35. Others follow at 1:07 and 1:39.