It seems Isaac Hayes and Barry White are remembered as masters of artistic sexy seduction. I don't know much about Barry White; it seems I should spend a week listening to his discography on the u-turb after which I just might post something here.

However, I have spent much more than a week listening to Isaac Hayes, and I gotta tell ya; this guy's musical head is HUGE! He knows how to dramaticize events, change chords in ways you may not have expected, and bring things all together like Serge Gainsbourg. It's a sound I like to fill the room with; my computer goes right into my stereo.

If you're new to Isaac Hayes, in addition to the song linked in the title, I recommend giving volume and attention to the hit that launched his big-time days, his cover of Burt Bacharach's Walk On By. He has done a lot of covers like Wes Montgomery, but Hayes' covers imo are remarkably noteworthy on account of how he dramati

This guy has a rather lengthy discography. Seems he grew up in Texas, and started recording in the 50s. He became known for his bass voice and storytelling. He recorded songs for like 15 years before he recorded this with Nancy Sinatra. I already know that "One Velvet Morning" is trippy; Hazlewood keeps talking about "when he's straight", which suggests gay stuff, but these are 1968 (or thereabouts) lyrics; so, Hazlewood imo is probably referring to moments of sobriety. He eventually even named his daughter "Phaedra". I'm hoping this song will motivate some of you to get into his other songs. As far as song composition is concerned, check out the liberty he enjoys in changing tempos and/or time signatures.

If you're in this sublemmy, imo you have already disqualified yourself as mainstream. The mainstream has a casual relationship with music; it's basically like my relationship with a napkin; I use it, but don't care to know too much how it came to be. I know that napkin production is a complicated affair from tree to final product, but I have no motivation to learn how things happen in that world. There are probably people who dream of making the ultimate 21st century napkin, and I bet they have some wild ideas, but that's a discussion I'm not really interested in joining. IMO, this is how the mainstream deals with music; for the most part, they seem ready to discard songs they liked once they no longer provide the buzz they once provided. Once the novelty is gone, the artist and the song s/he made is forgotten.

I suppose you already realize that as far as my analogy goes, you and I are napkin engineers in the eyes of the mainstream. You're here because you have felt the magic that hap

The temptation to think about songs academically can be a real impediment in my opinion (imo), a real obstacle to making great songs. Isn't knowledge essential? Aren't we all about the business of creating songs that appeal because they have something other songs don't? Isn't it true that we want the credit of making something truly original? If you're subscribed to this sublemmy, it seems reasonable to conclude that you're here to learn ways to add this novelty to your own songs like me.

Thus, we start down the path that imo eventually leads to Dream Theater (DT). I know some people love DT; so, I must choose my words carefully. Let's just say DT doesn't connect with me. I hear 10 million notes in a short period of time, and I am compelled to honor and respect the accomplishment that it represents.... but it does NOTHING for me. Simply put, I just don't feel it.

Now, there is a group called "Arena" that has a DT-sounding album called "[Pepper's Ghost](https://youtube.com/playlist?

This is clearly not the original version, but it doesn't sway my point. This song, in all renditions, begins in one key in the verses and changes key twice during the chorus, ascending by two whole tones and then one whole tone. In this Eurythmics version, the verses are in G major, the first two lines of the chorus are in B major, and the last two lines of the chorus are in D major. The song ends in G major.

It's almost like the excitement level ramps up as the singer talks about getting married. Notably, there are no minor chords in this song, which makes it feel artificially happy, which to me makes sense because this song is whimsical.

But what I find most fascinating is the transitions. We jump from G major straight to B major: the G descends to F# while the D ascends to D# and the B stays put. Then we jump right into D major: the F# remains as the D# descends to D and the B descends to A. Then we have a V-I to G again to restart the cycle.

Illustrated: G B D/ F# B D#/ F# A D

The verses have a progression of A, G, F, E, and the choruses go A, G, E.

I think that the verses are subtly clever because A leads to E in a I V I motion, but in A Mixolydian, G is part of the scale, and I think that descending to F#m would make it sound too "major." So they opt for F instead, which is a half step above E, the target. You still have the line cliche, but with that Talking Heads wit thrown in. I also find it fascinating that, in root position, we have the backwards alphabet in the fifths (E D C B A) with F and G occurring in the root notes during the sequence. The song is about the absurdity of being an infant, so it makes sense.

A C# E / G B D / F A C / E G# B

E5 (Em?), G, C, A, D, E5... are the chords to mostly the entire song until the outro sticks to D5, C5, D5 to the end. My question is: what is the key center? Assuming E5 is a stand-in for Em, we have the following options:

E: i III VI IV bVII i... or i III VI V/bVII bVII G: vi I IV ii V vi... or vi I IV V/V V C: iii V I VI II iii... or iii V I V/ii II A: v bVII bIII I IV v... D: ii IV bVII V I...

I am leaning toward G personally because it looks the most natural with Roman numeral analysis in mind. Thoughts?

The intro has the following progression: A E / F#m E / D B / E (2x) > D / Dm / C#m Cm / B7

This precedes a line cliche chorus: line cliche of F#m, E, D#m, D

Then we have a bridge with a jazzy twist: F#m / E / D#m7 / Dadd9, E7add6/D

It took me multiple listens to constrict the bridge chords namely due to that last chord. I didn't hear an F or an F# but it was definitely over D, so that was my best guess based on E's relationship with the tonic, which I believe is F# in F# minor. A couple of intriguing points:

1: The V/VII in the intro to a dance hit? Mesmerizing.

2: The diminished sounding bridge with the VII7 adds some spice to the track.

The chord progression is mellow and traipsing, yet a bit unsettling.

Abmaj7, Bb6, C, Bb6, C, Dmadd9/F, Esus4/B, Cmaj7, Emadd9, Gmaj7

I find it odd that this song starts in what sounds like F major for literally only the first ten seconds before it modulates into Ab major for the verses and Db major for the choruses. You never hear any inkling of the F major tonality again after the first seconds.

Hello, My Favorite Song of the Day is Loquat's Shaky Like The Flu. It's main progression is G, EbMAJ7, Bb, D7. I have been trying to understand this from the perspective of the Circle of Fourths and Fifths. After the initial G, I'd expect a C or a D, but they go to a EbMAJ7, which I think sounds lovely especially because of how the bassist emphasizes it; however, I don't understand theoretically why these chords work. Are all of these chords in a particular key? Perhaps someone strong in music theory can offer insight. Thanks.

The verses are in G minor, and the pre-choruses and choruses are in A major; the bridge is in Bb major and then the song ends in A major. Weird but smooth transitions.

Do you know of any other songs by other artists that change keys into the tritone? This track has verses in E major, choruses in G major, and a coda in Bb major.

The verses don't feel like they reach a cadence at all and it's unsettling.

What are your thoughts on these chords?

What's the deal with that second chord in the verses? It's like a weird v/VI thing going on. I love the mediant at the end of each chorus.

I have always been fond of 6add9 chords because they wrap you in a warm blanket on a trip to dreamland. lol