Duane Eddy | Rebel Rouser

“Duane Eddy, a pioneering guitar hero whose reverberating electric sound on instrumentals such as ‘Rebel Rouser’ and ‘Peter Gunn’ helped put the twang in early rock ‘n’ roll and influenced George Harrison, Bruce Springsteen and countless other musicians,” died last month, (NPR). “With his raucous rhythms, and backing hollers and hand claps, Eddy sold more than 100 million records worldwide, and mastered a distinctive sound based on the premise that a guitar’s bass strings sounded better on tape than the high ones.

‘I had a distinctive sound that people could recognize and I stuck pretty much with that. I’m not one of the best technical players by any means; I just sell the best,’ he told The Associated Press in a 1986 interview. ‘A lot of guys are more skillful than I am with the guitar. A lot of it is over my head. But some of it is not what I want to hear out of the guitar.’ He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Eddy was not a vocalist, saying in 1986, ‘One of my biggest contributions to the music business is not singing.'”

“Rebel Rouser” (1958) rose to #6 on the Billboard Hot 100, #8 on the Canadian pop chart, and #8 on the R+B Best Sellers chart. Starting in E major, the tune shifts up a half step at 1:01, 1:19, and 1:37.

Leon Russell | Lady Blue

“Leon Russell became part of an elite group of studio musicians called the Wrecking Crew and played on hundreds of hit records in the 1960s,” (LeonRussell.com). In addition to serving as a session player for dozens of artists, “as a songwriter, Leon’s songs have hit the charts across all genres and have been covered by a diverse range of artists. Ray Charles recorded ‘A Song For You,’ B.B. King had a hit with ‘Hummingbird,’ The Carpenters with ‘Superstar,’ and Joe Cocker with ‘Delta Lady.’ The Carpenter’s cover of “Superstar,” written by Leon and Bonnie Bramlett, went to #2 on the pop music charts. George Benson won the ‘Record of the Year’ Grammy in 1976 for his cover of Leon’s song, ‘This Marquerade,’ and it became the first song in music history to hit #1 on the jazz, pop, and R&B charts.”

Billboard reviewed Leon Russell’s album Will o’ the Wisp in 1975: “… with the vocals moving back toward the drawling, bluesy style most fans prefer but at the same time showing a sophistication he never displayed before. The same may be said for the songs, which are ballads or mid-tempo for the most part, though there is some fine blues rocking. Basically, the material here is what makes the set exceptional, including several cuts that rival the intensity of his brilliant ‘Song For You.’ There’s lots of help from Mary McCreary on backup vocals and some fine Memphis musicians. Key here, however, is that Russell seems to have taken himself seriously … he can write with the best when he tries. This time he’s trying.”

Built in F major overall, the mid-tempo track shifts at 1:38 into a brief bridge. The key shifts up to G major and there’s a subtle shift in the groove as well. At 2:01, the original key returns.

Andrea Bocelli | Mi Mancherai

“Mi Mancherai,” (which translates to “I’ll miss you”) is from the critically acclaimed 1994 Italian movie The Postman. Composer Luis Bacalov won the Academy Award for Best Original Score, and the film was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay.

Italian singer Andrea Bocelli included the song on his 2015 album Cinema, which features classic film soundtracks and scores. The track starts in D and modulates briefly to Bb at 1:51 before returning to D at 2:28. After an instrumental interlude, the vocal returns at 2:56 again in Bb. There is a final modulation to Eb at 3:30.

Camille Saint-Saëns | ‘Cyprès et Lauriers,’ Op. 156, for Organ and Orchestra

“‘I compose music’, said Camille Saint-Saëns, ‘as a tree produces apples,'” (DeutscheGrammophon.com). “A child prodigy, virtuoso pianist and accomplished travel writer, the prolific French composer came to embody the spirit of Classicism in an era of high Romantic creativity … Saint-Saëns took pride in his family’s Normandy roots, but his father had moved to Paris before his birth and Camille was thoroughly Parisian in his upbringing and outlook.

… In 1871 he was the driving force behind the new Société Nationale de Musique, formed to promote instrumental music in the face both of German pre-eminence – this was the year after the Franco-Prussian War.” Regarding his most prominent piece, ‘Carnaval des Animaux’ (‘Carnival of the Animals’), “Saint-Saëns would only allow this satirical piece to be played in private in his lifetime, as he feared its light-hearted character would tarnish his reputation as a serious composer. All, that is, except for one movement: ‘The Swan’. Played by a solo cello and piano duet, the lyrical melody has a depth of feeling that is unusual for Saint-Saëns … Living on for half a century after he founded the Société Nationale, Saint-Saëns was able to witness the great flowering of French chamber music that took place during the period, led by his pupil (Gabriel) Fauré.”

From the video’s description: “‘Cyprès et Lauriers,’ Op. 156, for Organ and Orchestra was written … in 1919 to celebrate the Allied victory in World War I and dedicated to then President of France, Raymond Poincaré.” The gravity of The Great War was still reverberating throughout Europe at that time; the artistic community did its best to respond to the tremendous shock waves which the war set into motion. The piece’s chromaticism can at times obscure its modulation points (the first takes place at the 2:15 mark), but the video’s score format is useful for keeping track, via changing key signatures!

Bunny Sigler | Sunny Sunday

“Walter ‘Bunny’ Sigler—a songwriter, singer, and producer … helped pioneer soul music’s ‘Philly Sound’ along with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff in the early 1970s,” (Pitchfork) … “Sigler was best known for songs such as ‘Let the Good Times Roll and Feel So Good’ and ‘Girl Don’t Make Me Wait.’ He began his recording career in 1959 and went on to work with numerous acts, including Patti LaBelle, The O’Jays, and Lou Rawls. He often performed with the funk/disco group Instant Funk.

Later in life, Sigler collaborated with the Roots on their Game Theory track ‘Long Time.’ His songs were sampled by Jay-Z, OutKast, Nelly, Kelly Rowland, and many more. ‘He wrote classics that stood the test of time,’ Questlove wrote in a remembrance … ‘He was the DEFINITION of cool, man.'”

“Sunny Sunday” (1967) starts in G minor, then shifts to Ab minor for the second verse at 0:45. A brief bridge touches on Ab major before transitioning to the next verse, this time in A minor. The tedium of the workweek and and the relative shortage of leisure time with loved ones never sounded so good!

The Association | Along Comes Mary

“With the two smashes ‘Along Comes Mary’ and ‘Cherish,’ The Association became one of the hottest new bands of 1966, the singles charting at #7 and #1 respectively,” (RichieUnterberger.com). “It was no surprise that their debut album, featuring both of those songs, was also a big success, rising to #5 and remaining their highest-charting LP ever, with the exception of their Greatest Hits compilation.

 … With its dynamic interplay between (the) lead and the rest of the band’s vocal harmonies, as well as an intriguing lyric that jammed about as many syllables as were possible to fit into individual lines of a pop song in 1966, the song took a few months to catch on nationally.” The single reached the top 10 in both the USA and Canada.

The intro and (very short!) verse are in A minor. The first section of the chorus, heard for the first time at 0:31, shifts to A mixolydian. By 0:52, the end of the chorus has reverted to A minor. Another verse starts at 1:05 and the pattern continues.

Michael McDonald | You Are Everything

“You Are Everything” was originally recorded and released in 1971 by the Philadelphia soul group The Stylistics, and written by Thomas Bell and Linda Creed, who both helped pioneer the Philadelphia soul sound. The track, which was also covered by Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye, is included on American singer Michael McDonald’s 2003 album Motown, comprised entirely of covers.

It winds through many different keys, starting in Db for the intro and shifting to Bb when the vocal enters at 0:26. There is a modulation to Eb for the first chorus at 0:57, and then a downward mod to C for the second verse at 1:20. The last chorus, starting at 1:52, is in F.

Postmodern Jukebox | Criminal

“Imagine wandering into a nightclub somewhere on the outskirts of time. A classic jukebox in the corner plays timeless music with oddly familiar modern lyrics, incongruously marrying the 21st-century party vibe of Miley Cyrus or the minimalist angst of Radiohead with the crackly warmth of a vintage 78 or the plunger-muted barrelhouse howl of a forgotten Kansas City jazzman,” (Concord.com). “The dance floor is full of revelers twerking in poodle skirts, while at the bar, well-heeled hipsters balance a martini in one hand with a smartphone in the other.

If such a place actually exists, no doubt the soundtrack is Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox. Founded by pianist and arranger Scott Bradlee in 2009, the ensemble reimagines contemporary pop, rock, and R&B hits in the style of various yesteryears, from swing to doo-wop, ragtime to Motown – or, as Bradlee himself puts it, ‘pop music in a time machine.’ The band parlayed a series of YouTube videos shot in Bradlee’s Queens living room into massive success, accruing more than 450 million YouTube views and over 2 million subscribers, an appearance on Good Morning America, and performances at packed houses across the globe.”

On PMJ’s 2016 cover of “Criminal,” according to the tune’s Youtube description, “the sultry Ariana Savalas returns to take Fiona Apple’s 1997 hit … back a half century, to the heyday of the torch song.” The tune is built primarily in A minor with forays into C minor, but there are moments when the bass line moves chromatically, not diatonically — only adding to the slinky feel of the lyrics. The bridge (2:49 – 3:16) shifts to Eb minor, driven by Dixieland filigree. At 3:16, an upward shift leads to a closing chorus, this time in D minor.

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark | If You Leave

“When you hear the swirling synths and clattering beat that open ‘If You Leave’ by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD, for short), you just might be transported to some long-ago theater, or maybe back to nights at home with the VCR running,” (American Songwriter). “Or maybe, just maybe, you’ll recall the nervous excitement of a high school dance. This ‘80s anthem has a way of evoking nostalgia for that era like few other songs. In fact, the song is such a perfect example of desperate romanticism that you might imagine it to be one that was toiled over for weeks in an effort to make it the perfect fit for what would turn out to be an iconic movie scene. But what if we told you it actually was written and recorded in the span of an evening or so?

… Luckily, one of (OMD’s) U.S. fans was John Hughes, the noted writer and director … He contacted OMD to submit a track for his 1986 film Pretty in Pink … In around 14 hours, Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys wrote ‘If You Leave’ and created a rough mix. Once Hughes heard it the next morning, he was blown away, which meant that OMD had to get back to the studio on just a few hours sleep to polish up the track for an official recording … Even though it was rushed and put together without any kind of forethought, ‘If You Leave’ delivered just what OMD wanted. The song went to the Top 5 in the U.S., and it hasn’t ever quite departed from the public consciousness since … they ended up with a stone-cold classic …”

The tune is built around such a simple melodic idea (re-mi-do) carried from the verses into the chorus, paired largely with a cliché chord progression (I-vi-IV-V or I-IV-V-IV), that it’s difficult to imagine how this tune could work without a key change. No need to worry — there are ten! Starting with a shift from F major to D major before the vocal even makes an appearance (0:17), various sections of the tune shift among the keys of F, D, G, and E major.