![]() ![]() This was because the key of G major is easy to work with on the guitar and piano, the two most popular compositional instruments during these years. When looking at every Billboard Hot 100 number one hit between 19, we see that the key of G major was a very popular key. The beginning of “Man in the Mirror” is in the key of G major, which is built from the notes below. If you’re not familiar with the concept, the simplest way to think of a musical key is a collection of notes around which a piece of music revolves. That performance makes the record distinct in his oeuvre.īut there’s another reason it stands out: the key change from G major to G# major that occurs at around 2 minutes and 52 seconds. Jackson sounds comfortable and empowered. From “ Billie Jean” to “ Dirty Diana” to “ Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’,” the vocals on many of Jackson’s hits sound frantic, like he’s navigating through a labyrinth. ![]() Part of the reason this record stands out among Jackson’s solo songs is his vocal performance. Take a look at yourself and then make a change. If they wanna make the world a better place “ Man in the Mirror” is gospel record that sees the narrator looking to make a positive change in the world but quickly realizing that he first needs to make a change in himself:Īnd no message could’ve been any clearer: Among those hits, there’s always been one song that’s stood out to me: “Man in the Mirror”. Nevertheless, given that nearly 40 percent of Jackson’s songs during this period were top 10 hits, it’s safe to say that he still wears the crown. As a point of comparison, in the two decades after his solo debut, Paul McCartney-the only realistic competitor to Jackson’s title as King of Pop-put out 14 albums containing 176 songs. In the two decades after his adult debut-1979’s Off the Wall-Jackson only released 5 solo albums, totaling 59 songs. One of the strangest things about Michael Jackson’s solo career is that he didn’t release that much music. Watch on YouTube “Take a look at yourself and then make a change”: The power of the key change on the pop charts In today’s Tedium, I break down the pop chart’s underlying key change. After crunching some numbers, one of the most shocking things I learned is that the groups of notes we choose to make number one hits with have changed dramatically over the last 60 years. So while part of my musical education was driven by old-fashioned listening, another part of it was driven by a giant data set that I built about those 1,000+ songs. I work on data analytics and personalization at Audiomack, a popular music streaming service. I wanted to further educate myself on the past to improve my songwriting. Why would I spend years of my life doing this? Mostly because I’m a musician. I decided I would listen to one song per day. Today in Tedium: A few years ago, I decided that I was going to listen to every number one song in the history of the Billboard Hot 100. I’ll let him explain it, but … prepare to nerd out. Hey all, Ernie here with a piece from new contributor Chris Dalla Riva, who has an interesting hobby related to the Billboard Hot 100.
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