4 Songs you didn't notice change key
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- Опубликовано: 20 июл 2024
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📌Due to a couple of my copyright disputes being rejected on this video I had to cut out a couple of clips so sorry if that has resulted in a few weird jump cuts!
Key changes don't have to be in your face! Some of the best key changes are hidden in plain sight, so today we'll take a look at 4 songs that you may not have realised change key!
The outro music to this video is my track "Mothers Day" which you can hear in full on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/0wKKJ... 🎶
And, an extra special thanks goes to Douglas Lind, Vidad Flowers, Ivan Pang, Waylon Fairbanks, Jon Dye, Austin Russell, Christopher Ryan, Toot & Paul Peijzel, the channel’s Patreon saints! 😇
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0:00 Zephyr Song
1:04 Africa
1:50 Message In A Bottle
4:30 Lovefool
The "Message in a Bottle" example makes me wonder if such key changes are perhaps made to accommodate vocalists' ranges.
same with "Africa"
Police also change Key in so Lonely, songs in C but goes into D for solo and last chorus
@luke5100Yes, it it is obvious it would be out of the vocalist's range if it stayed in key.
Yah; also the producers behind the glass suggest key changes. Of the 4 originals today, "Love Fool" was the perfect primrose path.
It's not just the vocalist's range (although that does definitely play a part in it). It's also about the overall contour of the melody/the use of different registers. For example in Zephyr Song, notice how the verse ends on a D note, and the chorus continues from that same note. If it just went to the relative major, it would be a step lower, and this would sound a bit awkward. But when it goes to D major, it continues from where the verse ended - there is a clearer connection between the two sections.
In Message in a Bottle, staying in the same key would result in too big a leap downwards, or alternatively it would stay in the same register, which wouldn't create enough of a contrast. So, the key change is used as a way of creating contrast, so that the melody isn't too low, but also doesn't stay in the same register all the time.
I'm hearing Lovefool as a modulation to the parallel major. The build-up suggests A minor. But it goes to A major instead. When it goes back to the original key, it begins with an Am chord, so it kind of sounds like Am verse, A major chorus (even though I do think C is a stronger tonic in the verse).
In Africa, the vocal range could be the reason, but I think a more likely explanation is simply that it flows better this way. The G#m A C#m actually suggests a change to C# minor, so if it went to G#m, it would simply be weird (it's like the short modulation to C#m happened for no reason, and it simply went back to the original key). If it continued in C#m, there wouldn't be enough melodic contrast. This is why the change to F#m makes sense. The C#m works as the dominant of the new key, and the modulation is quite smooth. It also switches to a higher register, which makes the chorus stand out - it creates a nice contrast that continuing in C#m would lack.
That chromatic climb in Lovefool is the best part of the song. No wonder they kept the key change!
Agree with that, it’s an integral part of the song.
The key changed one is CURSED
@@ashwinraj5826yea it sounded like a spice girls song without the key change. Also I thought he could have held that G a little longer on the cursed version. Would have helped the transition a little.
Perhaps the reason for the key change in Africa is that moving it a whole step down made it easier to sing. Repeatedly singing the high B puts too much strain on the voice.
David hasn’t actually removed the key change on this one. He’s just replaced one key change with another. The verses themselves have a modulation in them that he hasn’t taken into account. They start in B Major, but they end firmly in C#m. So that’s the key the Chorus would be in if the verse/chorus key change were removed.
Probably not. It's just a whole step up. I think that the "strain" is just from pitching up the recording.
I was thinking the same thing
@@maxlibertor: As a baritone singer, I can tell you that whole step makes a difference. It's the only reason I can cover any Brian Johnson or Bon Scott, at this point.
True, the B is harder for most guys to sing. But it's also that the energy is wrong. B was our old tonic note, a phrase that starts with it has no energy. We need the old seventh (which is now our third) to give us a little boost as we start the Chorus. Even if a soprano was singing this line the octave up, and no soprano who can hit the A would have trouble with the B, it would still be better to shift key.
Until I played it in a covers band once, I never knew the last chorus of 'Stacey's Mom' is a minor third higher than the rest.... really surprised me! I think it's because the key change actually comes in the guitar solo which distracts you, then stays in that key for the last chorus.
For me, it's more noticeable because the last chorus is right at the top of my vocal range.
I came in here to give the exact same example. Until I learned it on guitar I had no idea that it was a key change. Those last two notes of the guitar solo set it up so smoothly.
Same happens in living on a prayer from Bon Jobi
So, in the song say hello to Heaven by Temple of the dog it’s in the G major mix, Lydia it starts on G then goes to a minor D major C major the E minor.
Fire in the Canyon by Fountains of Wayne does the same thing. Once you figure it out, it's obvious, but the first time through on the bass I was like, "Oh, my fingers are two frets higher now! When did that happen?"
In my opinion, the smoothest change of key the Red Hot ever did was in Californication's solo: it moved on to the relative minor of the parallel major. It's so brilliant you don't even notice, but hits hard when the solo ends and the song returns to the verse.
Cool! I’ve never noticed that! I’ll check it out
Totally agree. It really transports you.
Another section that mesmerised me as a kid (and still does) is the outro of Sir Psycho Sexy... your brain is constantly trying to figure out the key, and it never resolves, it just keeps going like some kind of Escher staircase that has no end. Magical!
So just down a minor third?
@@mastod0n1 yep. To me it's not so much the where, but the why
I think it was Holistic Songwriting who said that John Frusciante is somewhat unique in his key changes because he doesn't lead into them. Instead, he leads out. You only notice the changes when you go back to the original key, like in Californication when the solo ends and it goes back to the minor sound
“Here, There, and Everywhere” is another one that’s pretty subtle
8:08 that 3D maze screensaver in the corner brings back some memories!
Funny because to my ears the key changes are noticeable, and especially the message in a bottle one, even though according to you it is supposed to be the most subtle one. Anyways I think it is a pity that nowadays there doesn't seem to be a lot of key changes in songs anymore.
I love the many keychanges in 'Penny Lane' from the beatles. There are a few key changes that are obvious, but others are less obvious. The song sounds like such an innocent simple song, but is so much more complex...
Thanks!
I know that song but will listen to it again with this perspective!
Indeed. But the real doozy for key changes (or "modulations," if you prefer😉) is surely _Never Gonna Let You Go_ written by Brill Building veterans, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. Taken end-to-end, Barry managed to write *22* modulations¹ in there. Many of which are so cleverly done that you only notice them if you're trying to _play_ the sucker (!).
(¹The Band Geek YT video of their cover version contains a handy key-change counter, is how I know it's 22.)
@@caddelworth An example in which I wouldn't use 'modulations', most of the key changes are abrupt and not a result of a modulating tonal progression. It is quite neat, and despite having this very unusual harmonic approach and patterns, is actually very catchy and was a pop song hit.
When it comes to key changes, Nik Kershaw is the first name that immediately springs to mind. Never noticed that the last chorus of "The Riddle" is a semitone higher than the rest of the song until I had to learn it for a wedding gig. Lots of his other songs also have loads of subtle and not-so-subtle key changes.
"Always Look on the Bright Side of Life". The key change is so subtle that Eric Idle has to shout out the words "key change!" to let everyone know it's happening! 😅
It wasn't until I listened to '60's music as an adult that I realized virtually every song played on Top 40 radio had a really significant key change -- as you said, it was clearly about injecting energy into songs you would have to get through many minutes of commercials in order to listen to and therefore make it worth the wait -- interesting stuff David, thanks!
Those new vocals on the C Major version of Lovefool are wildin
The "Message In A Bottle" key change is really smart, as both C# minor and A major all pivot around E major. Sting is so good at that stuff. Even the really stark key changes in "Fortress Around Your Heart" feel really seamless.
God Only Knows has gotta be up there - unsettled key, yet an absolute masterpiece 👍
I think for Lovefool it is subtle because the verse, although in C major, is interpreted in A minor. it makes it feel like it's going from A minor to A major playing with the parallel keys
Worth pointing out that Toto go the extent of changing the vocalist for the chorus of Africa. Paich sings the verse, Bobby Kimball the chorus. Adds to the feeling of a step change IMHO.
TMBG's Birdhouse In Your Soul bounces between two keys through the whole song, but very smoothly and not jarring at all.
*They Might Be Giants (not The Mighty Barry Gibb) ... for those who don't know.
I know my channel is extremely Mark Knopfler-oriented, but still, one of my favourite "invisible" key changes is his version of "What A Wonderful World" he did with Chris Botti, with the arrangement coming from his keyboard player and long-time collaborator Jim Cox. While Mark's version is in the key of C Major, for the solo, it returns to the original key of Louis Armstrong and switches back to C. I wonder how many people noticed this.
2:18 Africa: theres actually two key changes: the A chord and melody are consistent with E major scale (and inconsistent with B). So from a key perspective (ignore modes), it's B to E to A, rolling perfectly along the circle of fifths.
So you could argue the subtle key changes are the ones along the circle of fifth, like in scarborough fair
There are many key changes in the song. The intro is in C#m, the verse part (repeated twice each verse) begins in BMajor but ends in C#m. This is the crucial point David’s analysis misses. Rather than removing a key change, he’s just replaced one with another. If he were removing that particular key change, he’d be transposing the choruses into C#m, not G#m
I noticed. But I'm obsessed with complex harmony. It's probably the thing I'm most drawn to in music.
In my own music, I work really hard at making "strange" chord progressions sound "normal." There are all sorts of tricks for doing this that you learn over time. Obviously, you can do things like employ secondary dominants and other clever pivot chords. But the real trick, in my opinion, is having a singing melody that bridges the gap between the keys.
Love that! Same here! Check out my first ep Separate Checks on all the sites! I like to think I have some good songs with cool chords Lmk!
@@akeithing1841 i’ll give it a listen!
Another thing about the Zephyr Song is how smooth the key change is BACK to the verse, as the chorus ends on A major then switches to A minor as the tonic chord of the verse. Its like by making the key change to the chorus more stark it allowed them to line up a more smoother transition back to verse again.
I can think of a few examples:
- La lezione (The Lesson) by Premiata Forneria Marcone
- Schwarz by Rammstein
- Plant Life by Owl City
My favourite key changes are the most obvious - like splashing one's face with cold water. Not a fan of Diana Ross or the Bee Gees, but I really enjoy the frequent chordal disorientation of 'Chain Reaction'.
Just love this series! I learn so much, you’re like that special teacher we hopefully all have at school at some point, thank you 🙏
Happy to help!
Knights of Cydonia by Muse is also a great example of this, the verse melody changes key at every repeat (Em -> Cm -> Abm -> Em). It's also incredibly smooth in how its done too, especially considering how dissimilar these keys are from each other.
Yes this is like Giant Steps haha ! Amazing song
I didn't notice And I Love Her until I played it for the first time - in high school. So odd not to have caught it earlier.
Weezer's 'Undone - The Sweater Song' is in the key of Gb Major but switches to A Major for the solo.
Most songs really get better with such keychanges. Pop music is just so simple that often without keychanges, it just goes on for way too long with way too little variation, it becomes boring easily.
The cardigans song is graceful and perfectly serves the theme and the song with this subtle change of tone. As one would say in "Cyrano de bergerac" (I translate from French): "It looks like a peach smiling with a strawberry, and so fresh that one could, approaching it, take a heart cold!" "On dirait une pêche qui sourirait avec une fraise, et si fraîche qu'on pourrait, l'approchant, prendre un rhume de coeur!" Thank you, David, for your always fascinating videos!
Fascinating how playing an instrument in my childhood and young adulthood makes every single one of these changes very obvious to me. Not once did I NOT notice that the key changes before you specifically pointed it out. I haven't played my instrument for fifteen years or so but the musical hearing just stay with you.
Walk the Line by Johnny Cash… each verse is a key change, but slips right in
Good one! A more in-your-face Johnny Cash key-changing one is "5 Feet High and Rising," which actually uses the key changes as word-painting!
In the Folsom & San Quentin version of Walk The Line, he literally practices the new key by humming a note along with the guitar, in the new key, right before each verse. It makes the key changes as obvious as could be.
Yes, good example.
In the last verse, Johnny sings an octave lower than the first verse. And if you listen to the original Sun Records version, he’s actually slightly sharp on the line « Because your Mine… »
It was too low, even for him.😊
"Penny Lane" shifts down a step at the chorus as well. I stole that technique for one of my own songs to help suit my vocal range, so I wonder if McCartney and Paich did it for similar reasons.
Watch this video. somewhere in the middle, there is a brilliant explanation on what the keychanges do. It brings the song from a cheerful, to a melancholic/nostalgic mood and back to a bright new day, as is exxplained. In general a very good video: ruclips.net/video/ZQS91wVdvYc/видео.html
Shifting the chords downwards in the Chorus while the melody predictably rises is used to indicate that the singer is removed from the events that he/she is singing about. This makes perfect sense in a nostalgic song such as'Penny Lane'.
I immediately knew there was something off about the “Africa” example, because I still experience David’s modified version as a key change, despite it supposedly being a continuation of the same key. I was curious as to why.
The problem is that David’s analysis, I would argue, has missed the crucial step - a third key that always separates the B Major that begins the verses from the F#m of the choruses. That key is C#m, and it’s actually the home key in which the song both begins and ends (when it doesn’t end in a fade-out of the chorus)
The song begins straightforwardly in C#m, the intro vamping between the VI chord and the i chord (arguably stopping briefly at the v chord in between) and that exact motif reappears at the end of every verse and chorus. So we never do move directly from the key of B Major to the key of F#m. There’s always a section in C#m in between. It actually begins half-way though the (repeated) verse section, at the moment the apparently chromatic (in the context of B Major) AMajor chord is immediately recontextualised as a perfectly diatonic VI chord in a new key. This occurs on the “rises like Olympus” line, when the AMajor chord is immediately followed by C#m, firmly re-establishing the later as the tonic chord it was at the beginning of the song, aided by the vocal melody hovering around C# before resolving to it on “Serengeti”
So David hasn’t actually removed the key change, he’s just replaced one very smooth key change (to the iv of the current key) with another very smooth key change (to the v of the current key). This explains why “Africa” sticks out in the video as the only example that retains its uplift in energy even after David’s transposition. I actually think I might like David’s key change even more than the original. Somehow, it’s more arresting, lifting that extra whole tone.
But if we wanted to hear what the song would sound like with that particular key change gone, we would need to transpose Toto’s F#m chorus, not into G#m as David has done, but into C#m.
Another RCHP song with a subtle key change is Under the Bridge, it changes twice, from A, to E then back to A
The Beach Boys are full of them. One of my favorites is the key change in Don't Worry Baby going into each chorus. The ii-V, but resolving to the iii (or ii of the new key), setting up another ii-V to bring us to the new key is probably one of the most clever ways to hide a truck driver key shift. Then the iv-IV7 cadence back down to the verse. So good.
I was going to mentioned Brian Wilson but you beat me to it!
"Lovefool" starts in A minor and modulates to A major in the chorus.
Yeah, he's making confusion with major and relative minor... that's why we should express the key in modes!
I reckon that 'climb' in Lovefool elevates it from a pretty standard pop riff with cleverer-than-normal lyrics, to a great piece of alt-pop. I'd never have thought it hinged so much on that. Great analysis.
It's remarkable that the "hidden" key change is actually one of the hooks of the song. It used to work great at student indie discos as it gives you a pause for breath before you throw yourself into the uplifting chorus.
There is a lovely and fairly subtle key change in The Carpenters "Calling Occupants of INterplanetary Craft" after Karen sings the title line for the first time and is just about to sing it for the second time. It is a fairly joyous thing indeed.
I've always found the key shifts in Nik Kershaw's "the riddle" fascinating. Would love to see your analysis.
Sweet child o mine is one I always think of for a great key change
Yeah that’s a good one!
I always thought of LoveFool as simply moving from the minor (Am) to the parallel major, with the E7 acting as the pivot between both.
I thought the same.
Good Times Bad Times by Led Zeppelin is stealthy at changing keys. Verse1 is in E, Chorus goes into A then Verse2 is in F# and we only go back to E after the second chorus. And the song is well under 3 minutes.
Another interesting example is the refrains in Zeppelin's "In the Evening". Instead of having a chorus there's that "Oh, I need your love" refrain. It's in D, but after Verse2 it's in G and then later in the song it's in D again...
Nice! I’ve never noticed that one!
Eagles New kid in town is one of my favorites. Like your last example, George Harrison's Something goes from C to A. Great job!
How about a segment on songs with key changes between the intro and first verse? To me it's a stylish way of opening a song. Warning - once you've heard a few you'll be listening for them all the time! For example Everlasting love/Love affair 1960s?
There's a song, Ordinary, from the band Copeland that has its intro in F and the verse changes to Cm. It's jarring but beautiful.
Wouldn't it be nice...
A lot of songs that modulate for the chorus do that. Leave A Light On by Belinda Carlisle does that as well.
Toto’s “Africa” is actually one of these.
This is one I was really asking for and appreciate thanks!!
absolutely fantastic video, the most approachable video explaining the effects of key changes in the song. thanks so much for this 🙏
Glad it was helpful!
Squeeze, Up the junction... The key change is very hidden.
I've always loved the clever key change (or is it multiple key changes?) near the end of St. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band -- but I don't know enough music theory to analyze it.
A Man I'll Never Be by Boston has a really fluid key change in the solo (half step down).
That's a banger!
Rush have to be worth a discussion on key changes. Also Talk Talk (not the phone company!)
The best of the best and the most interesting one as for the vid of chord progressions, many thanks!
Thank you for this David. I love these subtle changes.
Glad you like them! 🙂🙂
Message in a Bottle also has the key shift down a whole step for the outro riff - adds a soupcon of drama.
Another good one is the intro from Wouldn’t it be nice by The Beach Boys
Red Hot Chili Peppers’s Under the Bridge has its instrumental intro in D, then its verse is in E.
They also do change keys in other songs such as Around the World and Knock Me Down. Or even, for that master, the solo of californication, which is in A instead of Am, like the rest of the song.
Apparently sudden change of keys is a common modus operandi of theirs.
I love this way of teaching music. What did a song do and how would it sound like if they did something else.
I am learning so much. Now I will try playing around with different ways of changing keys. Thanks.
Love your Videos too inspire my songwriting. Thank you for your awesome Work ❤
Thanks for watching 😁😁
I've always liked the key change in And I Love Her. And also the final chorus of Livin' On A Prayer
I love how you were able to show how they would sound with out the key change really great thanks!
😊😊😊
What about the verses of "Just A Girl" by No Doubt, repeatedly pivoting between D major and D minor? Cory from 12tone has described this as an example of "hybrid tonality," but what do you think? Would it be one of these?
C Major transitioning to A Major is the most amazing I've ever heard
Queen used to include those kind of subtle key changes in its most popular songs. Bohemian Raphsody goes from Bb to Eb without almost being noticed when the key changes. And Love of My Life from C to F in the same way. In both case it's a change to the IV grade of the original scale, having 6 notes in common in it. That's the cause for the changes being so smooth.
For me, in Zephyr Song the key change to the D Major gives musical imagery to support the 'fly away' lyric. If it went to the obvious Cmaj then you dont get that tonic uplift so less of a feeling of flying away evoked.
Similarly in Lovefool, I think the tonal shift fits the lyrical content of Nina's pretence that the other person loves her - she loves him, he no longer loves her, the chorus is lyrically a dream scenario, so the music reflects this.
One thing I only just realised in Lovefool is that during the "So I cry... and I beg" bits in the chorus the guitar is playing the melody from the verse in the background. Neat!
I didn’t notice it until transcribing it for solo piano!
Stunning videos. You are one of the best teachers of pop music in the world. Greetings from Perú.
Great video! One of my favorite example is Morning Has Broken by Cat Stevens, the transitions are so brilliant.
I think that another great exaple is the key change in the last chorus of "Latley" by Stevie Wonder, I love it. He uses a climbing bridge too, what makes it very smooth.
What about songs where you don't notice a key? (I'm looking at you, King Crimson)
That would be interesting to discuss
I always thought it was pretty clever how the title track of Tool's Fear Inoculum sneakily shifts from A minor to D phrygian by making just one small change at a time as the song progresses. We get a couple brief passages early in the song where the B gets flattened, giving it an A phrygian sound. This becomes permanent about halfway through the song, so this Bflat is already well established by the time the tonal center shifts to D toward the end. Then it's just a matter of adding the Eflat for a properly gnarly outro.
I do not have a musical ear but I had noticed the three first ones 😊. Thanks for the video.
This was very informative!
Yet another awesome video hooking me on theory. Super fun!
I think a big part of why C to A works so well in Lovefool is that both keys are part of the same diminished family (C, Eb, F#, A). All are relative majors/minors of one another. E7 is also fairly at home in C Major, being the V of vi.
Enjoying your channel thanks David, would it be possible at some point to make a short analysis of "Flower of Scotland", with some references to any modes used and how it comes to be for so many people, the world over, such an emotional piece of music?
I'll argue that changing the key in Africa kept the song comfortably within the sweet spot of the songwriter's range, sort of transposing it. Keeping it in the same key he would have had to sing higher and it felt awkward for him.
Great video!
Our house by madness has a nice key change
A very nice example is Roxette's "It Must Have Been Love", with a subtle key change in the middle-8 from C to F.
For 'The Zephyr Song', the 3rd from the F major (A) carries over to the D major in the chorus as the 5th. It still keeps the song rooted around A, just not obviously.
Chris Rea’s Road to hell has a lovely change at the end of the very long and slow intro.
It goes from the major to the minor.
Very good!
Stock, Aitken and Waterman’s ‘I Should Be So Lucky’ sung by Kylie Minogue. It was her breakthrough record back in 1984. So many key changes in a top of the charts pop song that you kind of accept it in a can't-see-the-forest-for-the-trees-way, cuz it's just so da** catchy.
Great video, thank you so much! So now that you've covered examples with key changes in the way up, do you have any example of key changes the way down? Like after a chorus key change for instance? :)
Eurobeat and JPop music use this technique too much that it's mostly impossible to not notice it
The 80s and 90s fusion artist Yutaka does this a lot. Three of his songs are transcribed on Hooktheory (Theorytab) and they all have subtle key changes amid their smoothly wandering chord progressions. "Lambada Nova" has an incredibly sneaky one at the end of the chorus! Worth checking out Yutaka if you haven't come across him.
Another one I love is "All The Love In The World" by The Corrs. While the key change is perhaps noticeable, the way it's pulled off is so smooth by the time you've realised what's happened the last chorus is well underway. I'm gonna save the theoretical analysis and leave everyone to see for themselves.
(Although if someone requests it in the replies I will be happy to elaborate)
Hi David, love your work. If it hasn't been mentioned, 'Breathless' by The Corrs is the most amazing unnoticed key change IMO.
I've been in bands with multiple writer's, sometimes one person writes the verse one person writes the chorus and the singer complains and something changes to accommodate the vocalists range... Resulting in "we might have to figure out how to change keys smoother than that"
Don't Worry Baby by The beach Boys, from E to F# in the pre-chorus
I find that song infuriating, one of the most beautiful melodies I have ever heard and then two verses about drag racing. Sigh.
I’d like to see a follow up showing how songs modulate back to the original key, for example, after the chorus.
Have you noticed the key changes in Road Rage by Catatonia?
Beautiful Noise by Neil Diamond is an unusual one where is goes down a whole tone after the first verse.
Sad Cafe Everyday Hurts does the same, but goes up a semitone. You don't think it will happen and then it does happen, so you almost miss it.
I would say "Miss You Love" by Silverchair
I don't guess it's particularly subtle, but the change at beginning of the instrumental section of Songs From the Woods by Jethro Tull is especially brilliant. I believe it remains in the same key but changes from a major to some sort of minor. If you understand music theory better than me (not a high bar), perhaps give it a listen and tell me what is happening precisely there because I'd love to know
Great video and I know you mentioned a few times the relationship between the shift in keys in regards to how many notes are common, however are there any more details you can tell us about how you would go about choosing and writing in a chord change to a song?
An old tip I remember (which is related to the circle of fifths concept) is that if you to go to an arbitrary key, use the fifth (dominant) chord of that key as a pivot point. e.g. It's easy to get from D to C, as you can play a G major chord. It's the IV of D, but is the V of C, so you can be in D for a bit and then use the G chord to get into C.
would love to hear you talk more often about the red hot chili peppers !
Look at Paul Simon's "Still Crazy After All These Years." Interesting key changes throughout.
Johnny Hates Jazz - Shattered Dreams is a wonderful example of good Keychange. I didn‘t realized it, just after I learned the bassline.
The key change in ‘Towers’ by Bon Iver is perfectly executed
this is becoming mi favourite youtube channel