"In The Year 2525" - Zager & Evans, 1969

The 60's were a unique time both musically and culturally.  One of the aims of this project is to uncover musical elements that contribute to a song's success.  While cultural elements are undoubtedly a factor in how high a song reaches on the Billboard Hit 100 chart, I am choosing to gloss that part over, believing that a good song is indeed a good song, regardless of when, why or how it became popular.  Which brings us to "In The Year 2525."

On the first listen (and the 2nd through 8th), I was perplexed as to how this song could have possibly reached no.1 and stay there for 6 weeks!  In part, the cultural climate of the times, I am certain, played a large role in this song's popularity (more on that in Lyrics).  But as I started to transcribe vocal parts and listen close to what was actually happening, the musical picture became more clear.  "In The Year 2525" utilizes musical techniques we have seen in so many other no.1 hit songs.  As I uncovered these techniques, it's easy to see why, musically anyway, this song made such a big impact.

July 12 - August 16, 1969: "In The Year 2525" by Zager & Evans strikes fear into the heart of man, going on a six week run at no.1 and then disappearing from the charts shortly there after, never to be heard from again. 

Upon first glance, the data for this song does not look unusual.  There is about an octave vocal range, familiar intervals, typical instrumentation for the times and a form with multiple sections....oh wait.....12 verses!?!?!

This song is a classic example of strophic form, or singing every verse of the text to the same music.  To be fair, there are slight variations in the melody, but for the most part, we get the same thing 11 times (the 12th time fades out quickly, but it's there).

How can you keep a song with the same music interesting for 11+ verses???  Zager & Evans accomplish this in a few ways.  First, the song starts in a free, rubato tempo.  Then, the band kicks in for the interlude (I) to set up the groove we hear for a majority of the tune.

Another way they keep things moving are through key changes.  This tune modulates through 3 different keys, each maintaining the same chord progression.  This happens in the second and third interlude sections.  The modulations up a 1/2 step really help to build tension, playing nicely off of the lyrics.

In verses 9 and 10, the drums cut out and we return to a free feel, similar to the intro.  This free tempo section is actually more rushed than the intro, so even though it feels like we are slowing down, the sense of urgency, again playing off the lyrics, keep the suspense high.  These two verse (V'9, V'10) are unique also due to the lyrics; the only verses in the song to not use the hook of "in the year ____."

To follow up on a topic I have traversed in other analyses ("Old Town Road," "I Gotta Feeling," and "Genie In A Bottle"), we could argue the song has a refrain.  A refrain could indicate a repeated section of music or a repeated lyric.  Think of "this land was made for you and me" being the refrain in "This Land Is Your Land," occurring in both the verse and chorus sections.  "In the year ____" is sort of a refrain, repeating 10 times throughout the song.

Chord Progressions 

Like so many songs "on the 9's," this one is made up of one unchanging chord loop.  We hear it in the intro played freely on a Mariachi sounding guitar and then more rocking in the verses.  Here is the start to verse 2, in tempo, set up by the guitar:

verse 2 -5 changes

This progression is a minor key staple!   i - bVII - bVI - V

There many songs that use this, like "All Along the Watchtower (Dylan/Hendrix)," "Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin)," "Stray Cat Strut (Stray Cats)," "Love Song (The Cure)," and many many others.  The strong V- i motion keeps the tonal center intact among the other chords.

The bass line propels the song with pulsing 8th notes and a sly little turnaround:

bass line example

Each chord gets this basic treatment.  There's chromatic motion at the end of the first bar, replaced with pentatonic motion before moving to the next chord in the second bar.

The song modulates twice, going up to A minor and then Bb minor, maintaining the progression.  We have seen repeated chord progressions in nearly every song analyzed.  Modulations do not happen so often though.  In fact, "Hello, I Love You" by the Doors, no.1 just a year prior to this song, used a modulation to break up the repeated chord progression.  60's music man, so trippy!

Melody 

Strophic form can get redundant, using the same melody and chord progression, changing only the lyrics.  While this song certainly has lyrics that keep one engaged, the melody helps the cause with a few interesting nuances.

The song starts freely with guitar, strings, trumpet and vocals.  Here is the first verse, which has a call and answer between the vocals and trumpet:  *note:  all vocal parts are written out 1 octave higher than they sound.....who wants to look at a bunch of ledger lines??

verse 1

The melodic motif is set up clearly, with this R - 2nd - min3rd pattern, answered by the trumpet on the upper part of the scale.  On the F# chord, we hear 3rd - 2nd - R - 3rd, a reverse of the opening statement.  The E chord gets the same treatment (3-2-R-2-3) with a similar trumpet call on the upper scale notes.  The D# chord gets away from opening intervals and hits A# -B- A#, 5th, b6 and 5th of D#.  He does dip down to the G natural (F double sharp), or major 3rd of D# here, which pulls up to the tonal center for the 2nd verse. 

When the band kicks into verse 2, we hear a great harmony that enhances the hook.

verse 2

The 2nd verse begins the same as the intro, but then develops rhythms and melodies.  Over the F# chord, we see use of the 3rd and 5th, instead of 3-2-R as in the intro.  the E chord uses 3-2-R with the D# focusing again on the 5th of the D# chord.

Also notice above the 4th and 6th measures.  In m4, the melody lowers down to the F# and in m6, it goes down to the E.  Now look at the 4th and 6th measures in verse 3:

verse 3

 Here, the phrases end on A# and G#, higher than in the previous verse.  This subtle nuance gives the melody a flowing feel, preventing things from going stagnant.  As we head into verse 4, we see a mix of these melodic choices from previous verses in m4 and m6.

verse 4

This tweaking of pitch and rhythm happens through each verse.  When we arrive in verse 8, the melody climaxes with the highest notes in both lead and harmony vocals:

verse 8

 The end of this verse also contains a "whoa oh oh," which happens previous to this in verses 7 and 5, another example of a small change that keeps the melody fresh.  These "whoa oh oh's" occur before each modulation and before the 2nd rubato section.

Musical Sticking Points

This song masterfully takes repeated material and enhances with the addition and subtraction of musical elements.  This technique has been seen in just about every song analyzed "on the 9's."  Here is a verse by verse breakdown of those elements:

V1 (2525) - Freely - trumpet, strings, guitar

V2 (3535) - Tempo - + bass and drums

V3 (4545) - + sustained strings following chords

V4 (5555) - + Horns sustaining chords

V5 (6565) - + syncopation through the chords (strings or horns?) + "whoa oh oh"

verse 5 syncopation

Interlude - 4 measures - up 1/2 step in the second half.

V6 (7510) - + more developed horn syncopation

verse 6 horns ex.

V7 (8510) - Horn syncopation develops further + "whoa oh oh"

verse 7 syncopation ex.

Interlude - 2 measures, up 1/2 step

V8 (9595) - horns and strings continue to develop in rhythm and dynamics + "whoa oh oh"

V9/V10 - free tempo - guitar, bass and vocals with drums simmering in the background

V11 (2525) - Full elements

V12 (3535) - fades early into 3rd bar

Though each verse is similar, no verse is exactly the same.  The element of continuous development help to keep this relatively simple song progressing towards the finish, sneakily mixing around melodic and rhythmic elements the entire time.

Lyrics

In my opinion, this is the musical element that puts this song over the top in.  I suggest you watch the lyric video linked above or view the lyrics here.

The basic gist: what will life be like in the year 2525?  How about 3535, ad so on and so forth?  With the passing of each millennia, man's prognosis grows more grim.  In this bleak future, machines and science take credit for most of our human-like activity and we completely deplete Earth's resources.  Eventually God makes an appearance and contemplates some sort of Judgement day level event.

These lyrics are completely terrifying in their Orwellian prophecies of doom.  Just as "man's reign is through" and you think the doom is over, it restarts with "in the year 2525," begging our attention and making us rethink choices to prevent this future.  Though in a few instances, there are actually moments of proven prophecy.  Consider the 5th verse:

In the year 6565

Ain't gonna need no husband, won't need no wife

You'll pick your sons, pick your daughters too

From the bottom of a long glass tube

All of these societal choices are certainly common place in 2020.  Let's hope in the next x-1,000 years we will still be utilizing our teeth and eyes.

I would imagine the in your face nature of the lyrics, at a time when people where questioning man's motives in the wake of war and the Hippie movement in general, would have gotten many interested in the song, which apparently, is exactly what happened.    

If "In The Year 2525" came out today,  I think lyrically, it would be a huge turnoff.  These lyrics would probably be deemed "too cliche" and "too niche" in our hyper-categorical views of everything.  Musically though, it might have a chance.  It's fun to think of the question "if song ____ came out in the year ____, would it still be popular?"  That's a blog for another day!

Common Threads

Comparing "In The Year 2525" with other songs "on the 9's," we see several commonalities.

• Hook that uses the title of the song
• Repeated melodic themes
• Texture changes through instrumental additions and subtractions

This song is notably similar to others in this round for the use of extra musical elements throughout the arrangement.  Like so many other songs, little instrumental bits are sprinkled in to make similar sections feel different.  Musical development through slight variation has been a unifying factor in all songs analyzed.  People love surprises, but only if they are not too surprising.   When songs slightly vary some aspect, this type of sweet spot surprise is achieved.  

So even if this song is lyrically way out there, musically it's not so different.  It's popularity,  though largely influenced by the current time, has to be somewhat rooted in familiar musical sensibilities that people can connect with. 

Final Takeaways

Zager & Evans are a bonafide one hit wonder.  They hit no.1 in the US and UK and never charted on the top 100 again.  They tried, but their other songs, dealing with rape and religion, did not take off. [1] I guess the old adage "timing is everything" is true.

I like this song on many levels.  I enjoy the lyrics as they paint a dystopian picture that modern society perpetuates in TV and movies all the time.  This is a slightly different take on some common tropes and caught me off guard.  I also like the music.  The theme I have been observing "on the 9's" involving layered instruments over a single chord progression are front and center in this one.  There is so much evolution of melodies and instrument parts as well as tempo shifts and moments of tension.  

The hook in this one is very strong.  I asked a few people who would have been youngsters when this song came to sing a bar.  All of them instantly came out with "in the year 2525," sang at full tempo with wreckless abandon.  It's interesting to me that this lyric happens once in the beginning, at the slow tempo and again at the very end.  I guess the year doesn't matter, just the simple minor scale setup. 

What do you think of "In The Year 2525?"  If you have never heard it, please listen and give some thought to the lyrics.  I'm still floored this song sat at no.1 for 6 weeks!

Up next time, the last stop in this tour of "the 9's."  August 10th - 17th, 1959 - "A Big Hunk O' Love" By Elvis Presley and the Jordanaires.  

I am certain I do not know this song.  I have expected to see Elvis pop up on this list and am moderately excited to digging into "The King of Rock and Roll."  Stay tuned!

  

[1]https://www.waybackattack.com/zagerandevans.html

"Bad Girls" - Donna Summer, 1979

Donna Summer is known as "the Queen of Disco."  As the mere mention of disco instinctually causes most music fans to hold their noses, this moniker is not entirely fair.  Donna Summer is more than disco, she was a trail blazer of dance and R&B music.  Her first appearance on the Hot 100 Chart came in 1976 with "Love To Love You Baby," a shining example of her disco prowess.  She would ride this wave to many more appearances on the charts, 14 of which cracked the top ten, with songs that would continue to evolve all the way to 1999.

By 1979, disco was breathing its final breath.  In walks Donna Summer and releases an acclaimed album, "Bad Girls."  The record had two no.1 hits, "Hot Stuff" and the title track.  These no.1 songs, combined with "MacArthur Park" from November of 1978 and "NO more Tears (Enough is Enough)" with Barbara Streisand in November of 79, would mark FOUR no.1 hit singles in just over a year! [1]

"Bad Girls" provides a defining template for several songs previously analyzed and for many, I presume, we will see in the future.

July 14th - August 11th, 1979: "Bad Girls" by Donna Summer goes on a 5 week run in the no.1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart!

Take a moment to examine the "simplified form."  Essentially, we hear ABC three times, get a new section in D (bridge), and bring it home with one more A.  This strikes me as very "classical" with multiple returns to the A section with plenty of variation in tow.

Now look at "form," a detailed categorization of the sections in terms of modern song structure.  There are a lot of sections, with multiple delineations and variations.  "Bad Girls" takes the "7 Layer Dip" approach I have observed in the past few analyses.  Basically, an instrumental loop is garnished with additional loops that are combined for different textures and timbres.  Throughout the song, the base material remains and different instruments make occasional appearances.

The intro sets this in motion.  Bars 1-4 feature guitars and percussion.  Bars 5-8 add in the bass and piano.  Bars 9-12 feature the first of two prominent horn parts and the police whistle.  Bars 13-16 introduce a vocal ostinato that we will hear throughout the song.

I labeled bars 17-20 "PreChorus" which at this point, is really still part of the intro.  These 4 measures are the first introduction of a second prominent horn melody, a part which will reoccur before every chorus.  Look for more on this part in the "Melody" section below.

After the intro, the horn prechorus is generally preceded by what feels like a more traditional "prechorus."  This part, labeled PC', features some rhythm section "hits," and an altered chord change, which hosts a guitar solo in place of vocals in the back half.  This one was fairly challenging to map out considering it features long sections with lots of substance in each.  The "simplified form" tells the story much more succinctly, yet does not show all the variation this song has to offer.

Chord Progressions 

Like so many songs we have seen, this song thrives on, essentially, a static chord progression.  We hear this through the intro, verse and chorus sections.  The intro sets it up with this contrapuntal guitar web.

Intro Guitars

The signature disco guitar sound on the top sets up the chord progression, I v / iv v in Dmin.  The lower line, a funky muted guitar riff, reinforces the D minor sound with only 3 notes: root, minor 3rd and minor 7 of D minor.

Then, we get a brilliant bass line!  This line uses a main theme that gets a healthy dose of improvisation throughout.  This feature, to me, sets the repetitive nature of this song apart from others.  Even though it's the same chord progression for most of the song, the bass does not play the exact same thing, a clear sign that there are actual humans playing the instrument.

Here is a 4 bar segment of the bass line that occurs from m9 - 12.  Notice the improvised flourish in the last line.  We will hear variations of this throughout the song.  To get a sense of the big picture regarding the bass line,  check out this transcription from Scott Edwards. [2]

bass - m9-12

 The horns serve an important role in "Bad Girls," providing support for the chord progression as well as melody.  In the intro, we hear the first prominent horn background.  Rhythmically and harmonically, they support the guitar vamp.

Horn background 1

All of this is propelled by the drums, a hallmark of the disco sound.  They provide strong downbeats and added support for all those 16th note lines.

drum feel

Aside from the main chord progression, there is the PC' part, featuring full band syncopation that leaves space for some vocal flair and a rippin' guitar solo, later on.  Here's how the horns are added to the mix.

PC'

This part ventures to Bbmaj7 (VI) and Gmin7 (iv) before bringing us back home with the A7sus and A7 (V) chords, leading back to the D minor tonality.  In a way, this part could be called the bridge, as it harmonically bridges sections sections of the song together.  It happens so frequently though, and usually right before a chorus, that I felt it should get a "prechorus" label.  (In the "simple form" this is C)

Melody

The first vocalizations heard in the song come in the form of a spoken vocal ostinato.  This part part has been widely sampled and borrow from in more modern music, including R. Kelly's "Ignition Remix."

Toot Toot Ostinato

 We hear this throughout the entire tune, including acappella in the outro (coda).  This part is fun, sang by the background singers, and gives space for all the other stuff happening, yet fits in with the harmonic rhythm.

The next melody we get is from the horns.  This part, labeled "PC", is also featured throughout the tune and happens during the last vocal chorus at the end.

"prechorus" horn melody

This part is unique in its rhythm as well as note choice.  It works around the minor 3rd of Dmin, pausing on the G and E.  All in all, it gives the D minor feeling with the added flavor of the E, the 2nd of Dminor and the 5th of Amin, the passing chord in the 2nd measure - chord tone/passing tone.

After 2 introductory melodies, we finally get the hook, about 40 seconds into the song.  Like the bass line, the chorus evolves throughout, adding call and response as well as additional flourishes from Summer.  Here is the second chorus.

2nd Chorus

This melody plays in the D minor space, hitting it hard on the root - minor 3rd motion.  The echoes also exploit the minor 7 - root motion, much like the muted guitar in the intro.  There is lots of space in this chorus, which makes sense, considering all the movement in the supporting parts.  ("Genie In A Bottle" has a similar quality but features much less space in the vocal rhythm.)

The third chorus introduces a variation and features the background singers in unison.  They utilize the minor 3rd - root and minor 7- root motion while incorporating the added 4th we will see in the verse and even part of the "toot toot" ostinato.  This part has a "na na naboo boo" quality that makes it fun.

Chorus 3

Verses 1 and 2 are busier than the chorus, which only helps to contrast the 2 sections with similar chord progressions.  The verses feature phrases starting on the 5th (A) and venturing to the upper minor 7th (C) before making its way down to the D.  Some of the syncopation is reminiscent of the horn parts.  We even hear call and response, which increases in the 2nd chorus and 2nd verse.

Verse 1

As in case of third chorus, the third verse also gets a variation.  This section blends elements of the chorus and first verses with a greater focus on root-minor 3rd motion than in the first verse and an increased presence of background vocals.

verse 3 - first 2 bars

PC' features even more new melodic content.  This entire section is sort of a call and response between the horns and Donna Summer.  We get a pleasant ascending and descending contour with some wild melisma to end each phrase. 

PC' melody

We also hear Donna hit the highest note in the song as it moves from PC' to the horn PC.  She throws down some serious D minor pentatonic riffage here, which adds to the stanky funk of the rhythm section.  Over the horn line, she sings a B natural, the only non-diatonic note of the whole vocal melody.  It works though, as she descends slowly down the scale, all the way to the lower root.
She also takes a cue from the horns and accentuates the E during this part, adding to the 9th flavor!

She's not done yet!  More new melodic content happens in the bridge.  Here, she incorporates elements of other vocal melodies heard up to this point.

bridge lead vocal

We get some speaking parts ("toot toot"), phrases focusing around A and the high C (verse 1) and a focus on the high D (prechorus).  This section also features more space than other melodies, helping it to truly feel like a bridge, headed to the last chorus and coda.

Musical Sticking Points

This songs hits the mark, for me on having a great balance of repetition and variation.  The highly varied bass line provides a character that extends well beyond the modern loop equivalent.  There are also a ton of elements that are added and subtracted throughout: two guitar parts, a piano part (that has variation similar to bass), two contrasting horn backgrounds and plenty of auxiliary percussion (shakers and castanets).

Melodically, there are 8 sections that all borrow elements from one another.  Many songs include a verse, chorus and bridge.  Even if you add in an outro, that's only 4 sections of potential melodic content.  "Bad Girls" doubles that with tons of variation.  It comes from the same source material, D minor pentatonic, so it feels familiar and never out of place.

This round of analyses has featured songs with extended runs at no.1.  As we look back through the decades, the amount of time at the top is generally small.  A potential explanation would be the constant output of quality material from artists at the time.  Considering that, Donna Summer's presence on the charts during the year 1979 can be attributed to her musical sensibility.  You can dance to her songs, a plus for the disco enthusiasts.  Even as disco was becoming monotonous, Donna Summer figured out a way to extend her shelf life with danceable rhythms and enough musical substance to sate the tastes of people looking beyond the genre.

Lyrics

This song is also about prostitution.  That's right, the "bad girls" are ladies of the night.  Summer reportedly wrote it after her secretary was mistaken for one of these women, walking down the streets at night, in a bad part of town. [3]  When you take that into account, a lot of the nonsense lyrics make more sense:  "toot toot, beep beep" - cars getting the attention of the women; "hey mista, got a dime?"; and of course, the police whistle.

Summer does raise the societal dilemma of these "sad girls," offering the notion: "now you and me, we're both the same, but you call yourself by different names."  Obviously upset about the unfair stereotyping of her secretary that fateful night, these lyrics are slightly angry yet sorrowful towards the whole scenario.

The rhyme scheme for most sections is AAAB, with some being AAB.  Melodically this flow works great with the first phrases being similar and the last phrases being longer and drawn out, supporting the non-rhyme with flowing melody.


Common Threads  

I'd like to approach this section a little differently today.  This song has so much in common with the other songs "on the 9's,"  they deserve a look individually.

"Old Town Road" (2019) - both tunes share a repeated chord progression.  ("Bad Girls" does have one additional section.)  Both feature a layering approach with instruments that appearing sporadically throughout.  Both feature numerous melodies that borrow elements from each other, including a varied 3rd verse.  Both also have melodies that move step-wise through the mode, though "Bad Girls" relies more on the minor 3rd leaps.

"I Gotta Feeling" (2009) - both tunes thrive on repetition.  They also feature gang background vocals, offering call and response.  Both songs also utilize the layering approach to keep the repetition interesting.  They also feature spoken passages.

"Genie In A Bottle" (1999) - both tunes feature a web of syncopated rhythms right on top of one another.  Both songs have a repeated chord progression, enhanced by layered instrumental parts.  They also feature talented female singers who love to use melisma in their phrasing.  I would imagine Christina studied Donna to some extent.  Like "I Gotta Feeling," both songs feature spoken passages.  They also utilize stepwise scalar motion in a minor key.
   
"Right Here Waiting" (1989) - Both songs feature several statements of the primary melody (though Richard Marx holds the record with 6x).  Both songs also include slight variation in the delivery of musical ideas.  Both songs also feature instruments bearing a significant amount of the melodic responsibility, including guitar solos.

In addition to that, we still see the hook containing the title of the song, repeated melodic content and texture changes throughout.  In terms of common threads, this tune is significant to this project and utilizes many techniques seen through the decades.

Final Takeaways   
I really enjoyed this one!  This tune is super funky, with great instrumental material to latch onto.  I had completely forgotten I arranged this for a horn band I played in.  When I found it, I was definitely excited to see what I had done about 10 years ago.  Unfortunately, I don't think we ever played it at the one wedding we played.....but if we did, it would have killed!

To me, this song is significant to this analysis project.  As discussed in common threads, there are many similarities between this song and others that follow.  I was most taken aback by the technique used in layering instruments.  "I Gotta Feeling" was very "color by numbers," adding the parts in, cut and dry.  "Genie In A Bottle" did that nice trick with fading into the piano arpeggios so the opening felt brand new the second time around.  But this song just has more stuff to process.  The two guitar parts are so funky, and join and rejoin throughout.  The horn lines, three variations in all, provide a nice texture and timbre shift.  And that bass line!

What do you think of "Bad Girls?"  Do you see the common threads between this and no.1 hit songs to follow?

Moving back to the 1960's is an exciting venture as we close out the journey "on the 9's."  This round has been fruitful for discovering some potent music techniques used in crafting no.1 hit songs.

Up Next: July 12 - August 16th, 1969.  "In The Year 2525" by Zager & Evans goes on a 6 week run at no.1, only to be dethroned by "Honky Tonk Women" by the Rolling Stones.  This one I am clueless on.  I am excited to take a trip back to the psychedelic 60's!

[1]https://www.allmusic.com/artist/donna-summer-mn0000661524/biography
[2]https://basslessons.be/transcriptions.php?i=138
[3]https://www.songfacts.com/facts/donna-summer/bad-girls

"Right Here Waiting" - Richard Marx, 1989

If I say "repeat offender," what are some word associations that come to mind?  Two words that do not come to my mind are 'Richard" and "Marx."  "Repeat Offender" was the second album from Richard Marx, which featured two no.1 hit singles.  In fact, Richard Marx is the only male artist whose first seven singles cracked the top 5 on the Hot 100 chart.  This impressive feat is topped by his achievement of producing a no.1 hit in each of the last 4 decades.  He also continues to write and perform, collaborating with some big names like Josh Groban and Keith Urban. [1]

When I think Richard Marx, I generally think of 80's light rock, which is exactly where "Right Here Waiting" lands.  This song, however, offers precisely the kind of intrigue I am seeking with this analysis project.  I feel this song features subtle nuances and techniques that evolve into musical styling I have seen in analyses in subsequent years.  Don't sleep on Richard Marx.

August 12 - 26, 1989:  "Right Here Waiting" by Richard Marx lasts 3 weeks at no.1!

There are a few things that stick out in the data.  First and foremost, there are NO DRUMS in this tune.  Yes, this song is a ballad, but even "Three Times A Lady" kept moving with a drum beat.  The only percussive element is a lone shaker, fairly far back in the mix.  The thick layers of synth, strings and surprisingly active bass line keep thing moving despite this glaring omission.

Notice the frequency of the chorus, or A section.  In all, we here this section 6 times throughout, sometimes with vocals, sometimes instrumentally.  In the above "form," C' designates an instrumental statement of the melody while C indicates vocals.  I think the Black Eyed Peas borrowed this strategy, repeatedly returning the chorus in "I Gotta Feeling."

Chord Progressions  

"Right Here Waiting" uses common chord progressions in the key of C with some colorful variations.  The chorus harmony is primarily:

C / G / Amin / F  G or I / V / vi / IV  V   in the key of C.

This 4 bar segment repeats, each time with a slight rhythmic variation on the 4th bar.  In the first two statements of the chorus section, there is a 2 bar extension of an Amin9 (vi) chord.  This buffer provides space and lets the chorus sink in before heading into the verse.

The verse combines the familiar C major tonality of the chorus, with added color.

verse accompaniment 

The core progression is I / IV / ii / V, but the repeated piano figure with sustained D and G offers a nice variation on the chords.  Melodically, the vocals don't accentuate any of these variations, pushing them to the background, enhancing the romantic ballad hue.

The G/B functions as the transition chord to the prechorus, giving a deceptive cadence to Amin9, a chord we sampled during the chorus extension.  The 4 bar prechorus is:

Amin9 / Dmin7 / Amin9 / Dmin7 Dmin7/G   or vi / ii / vi / ii  V

The Dmin7/G functions as the V, leading directly back to C in the chorus.  This part does a nice job to break up the dominant major tonality and provides some tension before the payoff with the chorus hook.

There is a bridge and we get a preview of it in the intro:

Intro

Starting on Dmin7 and moving to an inverted I chord, played rubato, sets a dramatic tone right at the open.  The Fmajor chord, which in the full bridge, gets a major9#11 feel with a sustained B and G, is a another great variation on the IV chord.  The full bridge progression, borrowed from this intro, looks like:

Dmin7 / C/E  / Fmaj9#11 / (F) /  Dmin7 / C/E  / Fmaj9#11 / G7

Again, this break from C major builds the drama before we head back to the hook.  While all of these changes are not as exotic as "Three Times A Lady," these little nuances set it apart and enhance the overall mood.

Melody  

Let's start with the chorus melody, presented both instrumentally and vocally.  Here is the opening piano statement:

opening piano chorus 

 This melody is performed down an octave after the first ending, lowering the intensity before the verse vocal entrance.  Instrumentally, we get this on the piano to open and close the song, and on classical guitar in the middle.  In each of those statements, there is some very subtle variation:

instrumental Chorus variations

These small differences make me curious about the writing process.  Were the musicians using sheet music or playing by ear?  If they were playing by ear, I would imagine the melody evolved naturally and changed as you played it more and more.  In any case, these were some exciting Easter eggs to discover.

  When Richard sings the chorus the first time, it looks like this:

first vocal chorus

The character of this vocal melody is strong.  Phrases start somewhere near beat 2 and include syncopation on the upbeats.  There is a clear descending, ascending, ascending, descending contour to the 4 measure phrase.  The phrases end differently, going down to G in bar 4 and resolving B to C in the 8th measure.  Strong scalar motion with leaps only to chord tones are very satisfying to any ear, which may account for the global popularity of this song.

Like the instrumental statements of the chorus melody, there is slight variation in the vocal delivery:

Vocal Chorus variations

Most are a slight melisma up or down to the next chord tone(s).  The largest departure would be in the 3rd and 4th vocal choruses where Richard sings E B C, instead of C B C, as we heard in previous sections.  Again, I wonder if these nuances were written down or just natural a evolution of singing this great melody several times.  Either way, it keeps it fresh and caught me off guard.

The verse melody is similar to the chorus melody, but more subdued, utilizing the lower notes of the key.  Again, the 4 bar phrases start on or around beat 2 and there is syncopation on the upbeats.

verse 1 and prechorus 1 melody

The melodic contour is similar here, with a steady ascending and descending flow.  We also see several ornaments added to the ends of the phrases, passing through chord tones.  All of these characteristics continue through the prechorus, which in fact, is the same as the open of the verse melody, only getting the the F, instead of the E, a passage we hear at the end of the chorus.

The bridge melody also calls upon the verse melody, this time rhythmically transposing it by a beat and setting it against a 3rd set of chord changes (chorus, verse bridge).

Bridge

The bridge also features the climax of the song, a sustained G and highest sang note.  The sustained proclamation of love leads beautifully into the guitar solo, yet another statement of the chorus melody.

Musical Sticking Points

The entire melody is expertly crafted.  There are little nuances that go largely unnoticed, but absolutely add to the character of this love song.  I love how each section's melody contains pieces of the chorus, yet they feel different.  I remember feeling a similar vibe in "Old Town Road" as each section built upon a melodic idea introduced in a previous part.

The bass line is well crafted and keeps the song moving forward without aid from the drums.  I looked at several digital copies of the liner notes, and as best as I can tell, there is no bass player credited on the track.  It could be a keyboard bass, but it sounds to me like a 5 string fretless bass, or something detuned to grab the low D, in the least.  The bass line very tastefully grabs the chord roots and appropriately walks between them. The strongest of these walks occurs in the bridge, with 8th notes building on a G and the walk up A B C, back to the I chord for the guitar solo.

This tune also reminds me of "I Gotta Feeling," mostly due to the repetition of the chorus.  I find "Right Here Waiting" far more interesting though, mainly because there is more harmonic content to latch onto.  There are also more lyrics to process, which helps to hold my attention.


Lyrics  
Richard Marx wrote this song for his wife, actress Cynthia Rhodes.  He was unable to see her for a few months while she was filming in South Africa.  He wrote this song as a musical postcard, if you will. [2]

The verse rhyme scheme sticks to ABCB and the chorus uses ABB CCB.

There are a few cringe worthy rhymes with "insane" and "pain" as well as "baby" with "crazy."  All in all though, its sentiment is sweet and he gets his message across in a way that anyone can understand.  What a loyal dude. 

Common Threads

I think "Right Here Waiting" has a few common musical elements with the other songs analyzed "on the 9's."

• Hook that  uses the title of the song
• Repeated melodic themes
• Texture changes through instrumental addition and subtraction

 From previous lists, there were two elements that needed to be removed.  The most glaring subtraction was "singular repeated chord progression."  No.1 songs from 2019, 2009 and 1999 all used one chord progression looped throughout the song.  "Right Here Waiting" has a few sections with different harmony, a pleasant departure in this round.

I also removed "Chorus and Refrain Sections."  This song thrives on the repeat of the chorus.  It is a one trick pony, in terms of melodic hooks, which isn't a bad thing!

The last point of "texture changes through instrumental addition and subtraction" is extremely relevant here.  "Right Here Waiting" has layers that build throughout the tune.   By the end, there is a distortion guitar line outlining the chords (last vocal chorus).  The melodic line itself evolves with melodic changes and even a lower harmony added to the guitar solo.

This list of common threads seems much smaller than the last round of analyses, but I feel this list is more potent.  I am looking forward to breaking down round one vs. round two, hopefully yielding some pop music revelations.

Final Takeaways

After a first listen, I was not enthused about transcribing this song.  I was pleasantly surprised, however, to find nuance after nuance and a vocal melody that got stuck in not only my head, but my poor wife's brain as well.  It's one of those melodies that seems like it was always there and just needed to be plucked out of the collective unconsciousness and written down.  Thanks, Richard Marx, for doing just that.

I am actually curious to hear more Richard Marx songs.  After reading his impressive bio and enjoying this song, I'm wondering what other gems his catalog may hold.  I still associate him with 80's soft rock and I'm still not sure for what act he is a repeat offender of (perhaps good song writing?).  Let's hope it's nothing more nefarious than that.

What is your experience with Richard Marx?  Are any of your preconceived notions squashed as a result of this song, or maybe they are enhanced even more?  Leave me a comment!

Next time:  July 14 - August 11, 1979, enjoying a 5 week run to accompany another no.1 hit single, Donna Summer's "Bad Girls" goes on a 5 week run at no.1, cementing her legacy as the "Queen of Disco."

(Full disclosure, this is my favorite part of the entire process.  I review the charts and discover the next song I will live with for a few days.  It's very exciting.)  I am sure I know this tune, but can't really place it.  I am assuming it has a bad ass bass line!  Stay tuned to find out!

[1] http://richardmarx.com/bio/
[2]https://www.songfacts.com/facts/richard-marx/right-here-waiting