"Magic" - Olivia Newton-John, 1980

Olivia Newton-John is not an artist I am not very familiar with.  At first blush, I think of her role in Grease along side John Travolta.  With that, comes songs like "Summer Nights" and "You're the One That I Want," the latter being a no.1 hit in 1978.  If I keep digging deeper in my ON-J file, I might be reminded of "Physical," the catchy 80's ode to sexercise (and no.1 hit from 1981) I probably belted out as a kid.

Somewhere between those two milestones, she contributed to the movie "Xanadu," acting in the film and recording songs for the successful soundtrack.  One of those songs, written by her long time collaborator John Farrar, would quickly surpass the movie in popularity and make it to no.1.

The sountrack to Xanadu included songs written by John Farrar as well as the Electric Light Orchestra.  Though they did collaborate on the title track, "Magic is credited to ON-J. [1]  The bass player on the recording is David Hungate of Toto fame.

August 2 - August 23, 1980: "Magic" by Olivia Newton-John goes on a 4 week run at the no.1 position!

The form is similar to many other tunes, built on a repeated AAB.  The bridge features a guitar solo over the intro vamp.  Because the verse is built on these changes, I labeled it A' in the simplified form.

The strangest section, in terms of length, has to be the chorus.  19 measures is an unusual grouping of measures, especially for a repeating chorus.  It starts flowing with 8 measures, followed by 4 measures, then a rogue 3 measure grouping, finishing with 4 measures.  The last 7 measures are basically the same segment repeated with an added bar the second time.  As strange as it is, it somehow works.

Chord Progressions 

 Technically speaking, this song is in the key of G major, built around the pitches G A B C D E F#. If you take those same pitches and start on D, you end up with the D mixolydian mode (D E F+ G A B C), supporting a D7 chord.  Practically speaking, the tune is in the key of D...which is sometimes D major-ish, sometimes D minor-ish and sometimes D mixolydian-ish.....

The tonal center (D) is established right at the top with a two chord vamp that appears in the verses, choruses and guitar solo.  On its own, this dissonant progression sounds out of place in a high gloss pop-rock tune.

intro vamp

This pattern is split between two guitars in a King Crimson-esque delivery, complete with harmonics and a gritty edge.  In addition to establishing harmony, we get the song's prevalent harmonic rhythm, accents on beats 1 and the and of 2 (1 (2)+).  This rhythm is often emphasized by the bass and changing chords in each section.

As illustrated above, the D major doesn't sound very "major" for long as the Ab and C appear on the D7b5 (D F# Ab C).  All of these permutations function as the I chord, D.

The verse takes this vamp and keeps it going before venturing elsewhere.  The bass sticks to chord roots with some lines that lead nicely into subsequent chords.  Here is the bass line for an 8 measure verse:

Bass - Verse

After two bars of the vamp, it settles on a D major.  Then, we move to F#min (iii) and then Amin (v).  This sets up a set of ii-V progressions, both times with altered V chords.  It ends with the vamp.

D  D7b5  / D  D7b5 /  D   /  F#min   Amin  / Emin   /  Amin7  / Emin / A13  / D  D7b5  /  D D7b5
I   I7b5   / I    I7b5 /  I    /    iii        v           /  ii         /   v           /  ii      /   V     / I   I7b5    /  I I7b5

The chorus takes a very different approach from the verse.  Here, things shift to D minor and the rhythm picks up.  The bass, once again, grounds some of the strange chord extensions by staying on the root, this time adding in a few spicy licks:

Bass - chorus

The first 8 measures cycle through this progression:

Dmin G/D / Bb   C/Bb/ Bb  C/Bb / Dmin /  Dmin  G/D / Bb  C/Bb / Bb    C     / Amin 
i          IV  / bVI bVII / bVI bVII /   i       /     i        IV   / bVI  bVII / bVI bVII / v 

So we are in Dmin for the most part.  Then things get really funky:

D7    /  Gmin  / Bbmin  / Asus
V/iv  / iv       /  bvi        / V

There's a little pit stop in G minor before getting to Bb minor, non-diatonic to D, Dminor, G minor or even G.  This resolves down a half step to the Asus.

The last 7 measures head back into D territory:

D   / Emin7b5  / Asus  / D  D7b5 / D  Dadd9  / Emin7b5  / Asus
I   /  ii -7b5      / V       / I  I7b5   /  I                 / ii -7b5     / V

We hear a few ii-V's indicated D minor (with the Emin7b5), but we get a D major.  Note the Dadd9 chord, where an E harmonic rings out n the guitar, just as the vocal tag begins.  The last A chord leads back to the intro vamp on the D and D7b5 chords.

Harmonically speaking, this song is very unusual.  7b5 is not a familiar sound in most pop music and in 16 analyses, this is the first instance of such chord quality.  Due to the pleasant resolution on a D major, it works.  I'm sure when people were listening to this song in 1980, they were more concerned with listening to (and looking at) the lovely and talented ON-J and not hung up on obscure harmonic conventions.

Melody 

Olivia Newton-John's delivery of this melody is stellar. She makes it sound so easy and smooth, yet when you analyze what's really happening, it's quite an impressive display of vocal gymnastics.  The range covered in the tune is similar to "Close To You" (1970) by the Carpenters, analyzed last time.

The verse starts on beat 2 (a common rhythmic entrance for verse phrases) on the tonal center of D.  She then leaps down to the tritone of Ab, reinforcing the D7b5 sound.  She resolves the Ab up to A natural in the second bar, then goes back down, only to leap up to E and F#, reinforcing the D major sound.

Verse 1

She exploits the common tone of G on Amin7 and Emin.  In measure 5, she leaps up a 9th from A to B, descending through G once again.  The end moves down the D scale F# - E - D.  This resolution clearly puts us in the D tonality.  The end of the second verse introduces harmonies on the lead vocal.  As we move into the chorus, they become more prevalent and add a thick texture to the tune.

The chorus, in harmony most of the time, introduces the hook right off the bat.  "You have to believe we are magic" roars in, a D minor pentatonic riff, over the more forceful rhythm section.  This line ascends and then descends with some lush harmonies.

Chorus - m.1-8

This 4 measure phrase is repeated in the second 4 measures of the chorus.  At this point, the melody and harmony are relatively straightforward and predictable.  Usher in the next 4 bars, a departure to Gminor, as mentioned in the chord progression analysis.

chorus - m.9-12

In this 9th measure, we hear the highest note in the song, coming off this R-b9 riff on the D7 chord.  ON-J is in her head voice here, giving an ethereal quality.  The 1/2 step motif is repeated on the major 7th of Bbmin chord, supported with the minor 3rd underneath.  This dissonance leads to a huge swell on "arrive."  The background singers resolve towards the D chord, leading to the last 7 bars.

Chorus - m.13 - 19

The end of the chorus features a tagged "I'll bring all your dreams alive for you."  The ascending scale begins in D major and moves to chord tones of Emin7b5.  The phrase ends on the tonal center, D, "for you."

There is no vocal bridge in the song, but there is a guitar solo that introduces new melodic material over the intro changes.

Guitar Solo

The solo's rhythmic pacing is different from vocal, but still maintains allegiance to the 2+ syncopation.  Melodically, it lives in the D mixolydian space, accentuating the b5 sound when appropriate.  The second 4 bars feature a second harmonized guitar, up a 3rd.  The final lick is a bluesy Allman Brothers run, ending on D.

Musical Sticking Points

There is a lot of stuff going for this tune, musically.  The fact that I'm so high on it makes me wonder what others saw in it.....

The two chord vamp is a brilliant counterpoint on a dissonant progression that shouldn't work as well as it does.  The established tonality let's the tune dance around D major and D minor and in a few places in between.  Though many changes are foreign to pop music, there are enough elements to keep things listenable, like ii-V's and V-I changes.

For the second analysis in a row, a melody is filled with leaps and adventures to the outer limits of range.  I had no idea ON-J was such a great singer.  She is precise on the larger leaps and morphs between singing delicately ("if all your hopes survive") and powerfully ("don't let your aim ever stray").

The entire song has this poppy gloss on it.  Upon first listen, I had a little trouble breaking through that aspect and dismissed it as "not that good."  Once I got past the sound and started breaking down what was actually happening, I was hooked.  The guitar solo actually helped me find the "magic."  When you initially hear it, it sounds out of place and cheesy.  When it's heard in context, it rages and gives the song a final push to the finish line.

Musically, John Farrar manages to strike a delicate balance of flavors.  The simple approach to form contrasts the complex harmony embedded within.  ON-J's beautiful vocal delivery contrasts the dissonant guitar foundation.

Lyrics

To understand where the lyrics are coming from, it probably makes sense to know the plot of the movie.  I have not seen Xanadu, but after reading this Wikipedia plot summary, the lyrics are put in perspective.  Basically, a guy falls in love with his Muse after tearing up a painting and throwing it in the wind and then roller skates to his brand new night club?  umm...

The rhyme scheme for the verses is ABCCD, with D being a refrain: "I'll be guiding you." 
The chorus rhyme scheme is more common: ABAB for the first 8 and then CCCDCD (the last CD are the same line) to finish out the last 11 measures.

As you could tell from my movie synopsis, these lyrics are mystically hopeful and inspiring.  I especially like "and if all your hopes survive, your destiny will arrive."  If my Muse told me that, in person, I would be inclined to stay hopeful.

Common Threads

After analyzing "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini (1960)" and "(They Long To Be) Close To You (1970)," I found some common musical elements present in both tunes.  Here is how "Magic" stacks up to that list.

• Repeated melodic motifs - this is not as prevalent here, but it does hold up.  Rhythmically, there is consistent use of syncopation on the "and" of beat 2 (2+).  This accented rhythm repeats throughout.  All phrases also end with a descending scale.  So yes, there are repeated melodic motifs.   
• Strong harmonic motion from V to I  - "Close To You" had no strong V-I motion.  This song does, yet the V chords are never a hard V7 chord....
• Background singers contribute to melodic/harmonic texture
• Modulation - "Magic" has no traditional modulation (up 1/2 step).  However, you could argue that the shift from Dmajor in the verse to D minor in the chorus is a modulation to the parallel minor?
• New material presented at the end
• Hook that uses the title of the song
• Contains a lyrical refrain - Each song in this round has a lyric that is repeated in each verse. ("2,3,4...." in "IBTWYPDB"; "they long to be close to you" in "Close To You" and "I'll be guiding you" in "Magic.")

So a solid 4.5/7 elements carry through.  It is interesting that 3 songs from 3 decades have so many musical elements in common.  It's also intriguing that these songs are in completely different styles and genres, with vastly contrasting lyrical content.  The commonalities found within reinforce my original intentions with this project: finding out what makes a good song good. 

Final Takeaways

This song proves, to me, a common flaw in my listening mentality.  When I first heard it, I only heard a smooth female singer singing behind a stereotypical 80's pop tune.  I heard guitar coupled with keyboard and it sounded so 80's.  The hook was forgettable.  I actually mentioned this song to someone, after a brief listen, and they said "how does that one go?"  I honestly could not sing a bar.

As I prefaced from the beginning, I am not the biggest fan of pop music.  When I heard all the elements listed above, my brain put up the wall and I stopped listening.  There were too many elements I identified as negative.  So when did it change?  When I actually sat down with a guitar and attempted to play along with the intro.  I immediately channeled King Crimson and said "whoa, this is sick!"   As a fun side note, John Lennon saw the greatness of this song before he died. [2]

So hopefully, as I move into the next song, I will analyze first and judge later.  Given our current social climate, this little analogy is probably best served in every area of life.

What do you think of "Magic?" Does being familiar with the movie Xanadu enhance the song?  How about that ON-J???  Leave me a comment!


Up next time: August 4 - 25th, 1990 - "Vision of Love" by Mariah Carey takes the lead for 4 weeks.  I do not know this song in the least.  I have preconceptions about Mariah Carey's music, but I will take me own advice and go into this one with an open mind.

[1]https://www.discogs.com/Electric-Light-Orchestra-Olivia-Newton-John-Xanadu-From-The-Original-Motion-Picture-Soundtrack/master/71366
[2] https://www.songfacts.com/facts/olivia-newton-john/magic

"(They Long To Be) Close To You" - The Carpenters, 1970

Burt Bacharach and Hal David are a legendary song writing team, arguably on par with Lennon and McCartney or Rogers and Hart, etc.  Their songs have found success with numerous performers while still maintaining their signature sound.  In 1963, they wrote "(They long To Be) Close To You," and several artists record versions of the song. [1]

Seven years after being written, the Carpenters take a crack at it.  Combine Richard Carpenter's lush arrangement and Karen Carpenter's warm yet powerful vocals to produce a no.1 hit song and a Grammy Award. [2]

This song has so many dimensions ranging from sweet, silly, thoughtful, catchy, cheesy and just plain awesome.  There are prominent passages for strings, vibes, piano, flugelhorn and of course, vocals.  This soft rock anthem not only endures as a relevant song for the genre, but is a signature song of the Carpenters. 

July 25 - August 16, 1970: "(They Long To Be) Close To You" by the Carpenters makes a 4 week run at no.1!

The form is relatively straightforward with two sets of AAB up front, followed by AAC.  After three A's, there's a modulation up 1/2 step, ushering in the classic flugelhorn solo.  The last A contains a tagged ending, leading into the coda section, a repeat on the title lyric.

In many songs, the hook, or catchiest part, comes during the chorus.  "Close To You" flips that paradigm and puts the hook in the verse.  This line "just like me, they long to be close to you," repeated at the end of each verse, is a great example of a refrain.  The first two lines in the verse change, followed by this repeated refrain.

The verse melody, in its entirety, is a hook unto itself.  The lyric "why do birds suddenly appear" is synonymous with "love" and is possibly more memorable than the title refrain (coincidentally, it has the same intervalic structure as the title hook).  This line has been used numerous times in movies and television in this burgeoning love scenes (it's Homer and Marge Simpson's wedding song!).

The chorus, a repeated part that includes the same lyrics, is not as memorable as the verses.  It does provide melodic and harmonic contrast to the verse and only happens twice during the course of the song. 

The coda section contains one last melody, a variation on "close to you."  The introduction of new melodic or harmonic material at the end the song was seen last time in "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini," and in a few other songs analyzed in this series.  It's an interested choice to put brand new material at the end.  The result, to me, is repeated listens.  The late introduction of something new is an invitation to go back to the beginning and rehear what you wanted to hear again, again.

Chord Progressions

"Close To You" is in the key of G, but begins on a Cmaj9 chord.  This acts as tonal center and color throughout the tune.  The piano introduces this sound right at the start.

Opening piano

 The chords shift from the 9th extension to straight triad, a technique featured in every section.  This harmonic rhythm creates a flowing quality right until the very end.

Following the piano intro, we hear the verse:

Cadd9 / Bsus    B   / Bmin7 / Emin7 / C Cadd9 / C Cadd9 / GMaj7 / GMaj7

IV       / III (V/vi) /   iii        /   vi       /   IV          /    IV        /    I          /  I   

After establishing the IV chord, it moves down a half step to the iii, but on a sus4 and then major version, functioning like a V of the vi (E minor) chord, which we do eventually get to, but not before hearing a shift to the expected minor iii.

From the Emin7, it goes back to IV chord, flipping the rhythmic positioning of the Cadd9 and the C triad, compared to the intro!  Again, the C major tonality is established before we then finally hear the I chord over the last two measures.

Beginning the tune on the IV chord and then going to a non-diatonic chord is unique and tricks the ear into finding the home key.  When we finally get the I chord, it puts all of the previous harmony in a new light.  The tone color of the chord extensions create an ambiance that give this song character!

The bass generally follow the chord roots, creating a foundation for the chord extensions in the piano and orchestra.  The third verse features variation in the bass that enhances the changes and melody.

Bass - verse 3

The chorus, set up by a G7, is similar to the verse with a few twists:

C C6 CMaj7 C6 / % / Bmin7 / E9 / Cadd9 C / CMaj7 C6 / D / (piano lick)
IV                      /  IV/  iii        / VI  /  IV           /  IV             /  V /  

Again, we get moving extensions on the C chord, this time exploring the C6 sound.  When it goes to iii, it jumps directly to Bmin and then resolves to E9!  This almost acts like a ii-V to A minor, which is basically the C6 inverted.  We return to slower moving extensions on C in a descending line (D-C-B-A) before finally hearing the V chord (D).

The chorus uses a tonal center of C again and we never "go home" to G major, even after the D chord, which returns to C in the verse!  The piano lick, mentioned above, is figure around a D major scale, followed by a drum fill to push back to the verse:

Chorus Ending - Piano lick + drums

The third A section (horn solo) shifts up 1/2 step to the key of Ab.   All of the progressions repeat in the new key, unchanged.  In the coda section, the I chord is finally established as the tonal center:

Dbmaj13(#11) / DbMaj7 / AbMaj9 / AbMaj9
IV                  /   IV         /   I            /  I     

The first two bars, like the other sections, use the moving extensions on the IV chord, but this time, resolve to the I chord.  It's interesting to me that we don't truly get to the home key until the very end of the song.

Melody

The melody in "Close To You" sounds so smooth and "right," like it was always meant to be.  When you look at its construction though, it is filled with leaps and resolutions on chord extensions.  It shouldn't sound this good!  Karen Carpenter's delivery certainly helps things out.

Things get rolling right away, starting on E (6th of G, 3rd of C), then leap to G (another chord tone) and then leap up a 5th to the D, or 9th of C

verse 1

  After all the initial leaping, things settle down with some familiar stepwise motion, before leaping down from E to B.  We then get two arpeggios in a row: B minor on "every time," and an inverted E minor 7 on "you are near," each occurring just before we actually hear the chord, masterful musical foreshadowing!

The end of the verse is a repeat figure, matching the opening, in a different rhythm.  The 3rd, 5th, 9th intervals on the C transform to 6th, root and 5th of the D, a pattern we hear in the 1st and 2nd verses, as well as in the last A section tags.

The third verse, the last one in the key of G, introduces a slight variation.  It begins like the previous verses and adds background singers, echoing the lead vocal.  They continue echoing with thick harmonies.

verse 3

This verse ends with a variation on the refrain with a descending line on the G major 7 chord.  This entire verse is repeated again, in the new key (verse 4).

The chorus presents a very different melody with a few familiar elements.  There are less leaps in the chorus and instead, we hear a repeated scalar theme in a faster rhythm.  The vocal follows the piano on the moving C chord extensions.  We also hear another minor triad over B minor.  In the last few bars, we hear a repeated G before moving to the highest note in the tune.

Chorus

Like other songs analyzed, the chorus contrasts the verse, yet has similar elements.  In this case, the moving chord extensions and the tonal center around C major are both present in both verse and chorus.  As mentioned previously, this chorus is far less memorable than the verse, to my ear.  Perhaps this is due to the lack of leaps and the more predictable motion of the chords and melody in the chorus?

The final section of the song is my favorite.  Beautiful lush harmonies utilize a melodic theme found in the rest of the song - moving extensions on the IV chord.  The Db major gets the royal treatment, visiting the major 7, major 6 (13) and #11 before resolving to the "simple" major 7.

Coda

We also get a melodic echo, as in the verse, provided by the flute.  The settling in of the I chord with full harmony ends this tune with a warm fuzzy blanket, tucking me in for a sweet dream filled slumber.

Musical Sticking Points

Musically, there's a lot happening here.  While the song is in the key of G (and Ab), the tonal center hangs out on the IV chord most of the time.  All of the interesting stuff happens on the IV chord and the I chord is used sparingly, until the end.

All of the moving extensions provide a sense of momentum, furthered by the lack of cadences on the I chord.  The song is constantly moving ahead, a good quality for a ballad.  This is also helped by the eighth note triplet feel throughout.  The long-short motion of two swung eighth notes pushes things along and the frequent use of 3 eighth note triplets feels very fast, comparatively.

Melodic rhythms are also repeated throughout.  The "close to you" rhythm is found in the verses and in the outro.  This syncopation contrasts other melodic rhythms used.  The verse melody is repeated 5 times throughout the song.  To keep it from getting stale, there is a modulation, an instrumental solo and some vocal variation, enhanced with background vocals.

When you hear the song, you instantly know it's a Brut Bacharach tune.  His signature "jazz" chords used in the context of an easy listening pop ballad are hallmarks of his style.

Lyrics

While very sweet, the lyric to this song are a bit over the top.

"Why do stars fall down from the sky

Every time you walk by?"  

The subject of this song sure is special.  So special in fact, that the "angels sprinkled moon dust in their golden hair and starlight in their blue eyes" at their birth.....wow.

As cheesy as they are, the lyrics are wide open for interpretation.  Even in the third (and fourth) verse when we discover;

"that is why all the girls in town

follow you around"

  it's still not clear if we are talking about a man or woman.  There are many situations, though, where this ode to greatness can be applicable.  A classic love song?  Sure.  A tribute to a loved family member?  Why not?  An envious plea for someone you want and can't have?  Quite possibly.  An over-the-top comedic ploy to get the girl/guy?  I can see it.

Common Threads

When we left off last time with "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini," I came up with a list of key elements that will likely be seen again.  Here is how that list matches up with "Close To You."

• Repeated melodic motifs - absolutely!  The "close to you" intervals are used throughout the verse and in the outro.
• Strong harmonic motion from V to I
• Background singers contribute to melodic/harmonic texture
• Modulation
• New material presented at the end

4/5 elements are carried over.  It's very interesting that songs 10 years apart, in very different styles, have so much more in common than making it to no.1!

I should also include a previously used common thread: Hook that uses the title of the song.

Final Takeaways

I love this song.  It is a masterful example of song writing and arranging.  When I think of no.1 songs, I usually think of upbeat dance numbers, or something that you can sing along with easily.  When a ballad appears on the list, it's always a little surprising.  I know people like ballads, but they like them enough to make it to no.1?

This song is nostalgia.  As soon as I hear the piano, I am taken back to some memory of a love story (probably The Simpsons).  Even though I was not alive when it came out, it feels familiar.  It's one of those songs that was always meant to be.

What do you think of "(They Long To Be) Close To You?"  Does it give you the nostalgic warm and fuzzies?  Leave me a comment!

Up next time, August 2 - August 23, 1980.  Another four week run at no.1: "Magic" by Olivia Newton-John.  At the time of this writing, I couldn't pick this song out of a police line-up.  Early 80's music is a still a little whacky as it comes out of the 70's fog.  This one should be interesting!  Stay tuned.

[1]https://www.stereogum.com/2027578/the-number-ones-the-carpenters-they-long-to-be-close-to-you/franchises/columns/the-number-ones/

[2]http://www.rebelmusicteacher.com/blog/2016/7/11/direct-modulation-in-the-carpenters-they-long-to-be-close-to-you