Tag: USA

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.

The Bangles | In Your Room

“Bangles lead singer Susanna Hoffs wrote ‘In Your Room’ (1988) with Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, who have written many hit songs, including ‘Like a Virgin,’ ‘True Colors’ and ‘I Touch Myself,'” (Songfacts). Steinberg: “‘Right from the get-go, the Bangles were a retro ’60s kind of band. They loved ’60s music … They liked everything from Petula Clark to The Beatles, so when we got together to write with Susanna, it was right up our alley, because Tom and I grew up with ’60s music and that was what we loved also.’ The tune was written in the same batch of songs that produced ‘Eternal Flame,’ which was a #1 hit for the Bangles.” The tune was a #5 pop hit in the US and reached #35 in the UK.

The band’s distinctive mix of ’80s pop and playful ’60s psychedelic filigree is in full force here (to say nothing of the video’s visual references). An unprepared half-step modulation hits at 1:43.

Independently Owned (from “Shucked”)

“Independently Owned” is from the new Broadway musical Shucked. Composed by first-time musical theatre writers Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, the song is performed in the show by Lulu (played by Alex Newell), shown here recording the track for the cast album. Not only does the tune have a modulation, but Lulu announces it while she’s singing at 1:28; she kicks it up another notch (a third, to be precise) at 1:45.

The Mamas + The Papas | Monday, Monday

“While awaiting the release of ”California Dreamin’,’ band member Denny Doherty was prodding songwriter John Phillips to come up with some new material,” (Songfacts). “Phillips said he would come back in the morning with ‘a song with universal appeal.’ Ignoring the sarcastic comments from the group members, Phillips came up with ‘Monday, Monday’ (1966). It’s about the lousy feeling that comes with the end of the weekend and beginning of another workweek.

This was the first Hot 100 chart-topper with a day in the week in the title, and the only one with ‘Monday.’ (‘Manic Monday’ by the Bangles and “Rainy Days And Mondays” by the Carpenters both stalled at #2.) … Denny Doherty, who sang lead on this song, thought very little of ‘Monday Monday’ when they recorded it. ‘Nobody likes Monday, so I thought it was just a song about the working man,’ he said. ‘Nothing about it stood out to me; it was a dumb f–kin’ song about a day of the week.’ As you can imagine, he was taken by surprise when the song became a huge hit. Doherty wasn’t alone in his incredulity: Mama Cass and Michelle Phillips didn’t like the song either, and John Phillips claimed he had no idea what the song meant.”

Starting in F# major, the tune features some brief harmonic sidesteps along the way, but doesn’t modulate in earnest until 1:41, when it shifts up to G# major.

The Brothers Johnson | The Real Thing

“Guitarist/vocalist George Johnson and bassist/vocalist Louis Johnson formed the band Johnson Three Plus One with older brother Tommy and their cousin Alex Weir while attending school in Los Angeles,” (AllMusic). “When they became professionals, the band backed such touring R&B acts as Bobby Womack and the Supremes. George and Louis Johnson later joined Billy Preston’s band, and wrote “Music in My Life” and “The Kids and Me” for him before leaving his group in 1973.”

After scoring hits with “I’ll Be Good to You,” “Stomp,” and “Strawberry Letter 23,” The group released the single “The Real Thing” in 1981, reaching #11 on the R&B charts.

“The Real Thing” starts in A minor, but prominently shifts to C# minor at 0:50 and again to E minor at 1:20 before returning to A minor at 1:35. More changes follow from there.

Bobby Vinton | Mr. Lonely

“Mr. Lonely” was the last #1 single released by American singer Bobby Vinton, and the only one that wasn’t a cover.

Vinton wrote the song while serving in the army, and the lyric depicts a solider who is missing home. Epic Records initially gave the song to Buddy Greco to record, but his rendition didn’t crack the top 50 on the charts; when Vinton included the track on his greatest-hits collection in 1964, it quickly became a hit and remained his favorite recording.

The tune begins in E and modulates up to F at 1:26.

Counting Crows | Chelsea (live)

“Leave it to the Counting Crows to follow its first two studio albums with a double live release,” (MusicBox Online). “Many have questioned the need for Across a Wire (1998), but one listen to the music contained on this set reveals the ingenious creativity of this multi-faceted group. The recordings were taken from the band’s appearances on VH-1’s Storytellers and MTV’s Live at the 10 Spot. One of the Counting Crows’ goals of performing on Storytellers was to present reworked versions of its songs. Therefore, although several of the tunes are repeated between the two discs, they are given remarkably different treatments …

Throughout Across a Wire, Adam Duritz’s voice has never sounded better. He masterfully channels the deep-seated emotion behind his lyrics as the band bathes his vocals in both swirling angst and subtle nuance. There’s never a dull moment at a concert by Counting Crows, and this set certainly captures the group at its best.”

Originating in F major, “Chelsea” shifts to a chorus in the closely related key of Bb major (first heard between 1:00 – 1:24). The change is played up yet further by the contrast between the hypnotic I-IV repetition of the the verse and the broader harmonic vocabulary of the chorus.


for Kelli

Randy Rainbow | Grumpy Trumpy Felon from Jamaica in Queens

MotD favorite Randy Rainbow released his latest song parody yesterday, riffing on the 1941 song “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” written by Don Ray and Hughie Prince and originally recorded by The Andrews Sisters. The tune starts in Bb and modulates up to B at 2:58.

Bleachers | I Wanna Get Better

“I Wanna Get Better,” released in 2014, was the debut single of the indie band Bleachers, fronted by Jack Abramoff. ” [I see this song as] the story of my existence so far and a lot of the things I struggled with,” Abramoff said in an interview with Rolling Stone. “A lot of things on the album, including this song, are about loss…It feels joyous, but for me it’s very desperate.”

Abramoff recorded all the instruments himself in addition to singing the lead vocal. The track was critically acclaimed and remains the group’s #1 song. It begins in E and modulates very briefly up a step to F# major at 1:52 before returning to E at 2:02.