You have to see: ‘most complex pop (jazz?) song ever’!

[jazzkritter]

Sorry if this old news, but I just found it.
It’s Rick Beato on you tube. He analyzes the ‘83 hit ‘Never Gonna Let You Go’, chord by chord.
Wow! I mean, this makes most deep jazz changes look like child’s play.
So no matter what you think of Rick, take 20 minutes of life, strap yourself in, and be amazed.
The song writers were jazzers. You’ll see)))

I pasted an example below to convince you.

jk

[AlsoRan]

What a song to learn how to comp on.

You only have to play the chords once so you can concentrate on learning the chords and transitioning to each chord. Too many for my brain to be motivated to learn...

[Maroonblazer]

Sorry if this old news, but I just found it.
It’s Rick Beato on you tube. He analyzes the ‘83 hit ‘Never Gonna Let You Go’, chord by chord.
Wow! I mean, this makes most deep jazz changes look like child’s play.
So no matter what you think of Rick, take 20 minutes of life, strap yourself in, and be amazed.
The song writers were jazzers. You’ll see)))

I pasted an example below to convince you.

jk

I thought the video was fun but I don't know that I'd consider this particular song to be "the most complex ever" (and maybe Rick didn't mean it literally).

A lot of pop music of that era went to town with key changes, modulation-after-modulation. There was something in the air back then, possibly a post-Steely Dan aesthetic.

[mr. beaumont]

I have a real soft spot for this song, it was one of my grandma's absolute favorites.

There is a beauty in a well written pop song.

You can say what you want about this one, but a mark of great songwriting is complexity that doesn't sound complex, or rather, your ear doesn't notice it for the sake of complexity, your ear only notices that the song sounds fresh the whole way through...and this song clearly has that in spades.

[jazzkritter]

Well Mr Beato is not known for hyperbole lolol. I dig his enthusiasm.
Jeff one of my favs in the day. I usually sung the bass line loved how it flowed.
Simple complexity.
Umm your Grandma is how old?
No, dont tell me)))

jk

[Maroonblazer]

I have a real soft spot for this song, it was one of my grandma's absolute favorites.

There is a beauty in a well written pop song.

You can say what you want about this one, but a mark of great songwriting is complexity that doesn't sound complex, or rather, your ear doesn't notice it for the sake of complexity, your ear only notices that the song sounds fresh the whole way through...and this song clearly has that in spades.

Absolutely. Lately I've been binging a bunch of pop from the 70's and was reminded of what a wonderfully crafted song "Whenever I Call You Friend" is. I didn't appreciate it back in the day but now I can't stop humming it.

And the bass player is just incredibly tasteful.

[mr. beaumont]

Well Mr Beato is not known for hyperbole lolol. I dig his enthusiasm.
Jeff one of my favs in the day. I usually sung the bass line loved how it flowed.
Simple complexity.
Umm your Grandma is how old?
No, dont tell me)))

jk

She'd have turned 95 this year.

I have all these memories of her, she would have been in her 60's, listening to a lot of the current "soft rock" of the day. She had a huge crush on Lionel Richie.

[jazzkritter]

Aw thats cool! My GM strictly listened to a Polish polka station out of Trenton lol. Gee she’d be up around 130 now.
really miss the diversity and quality of pop back then. Motown, rock, folk, heck even bubblegum.
Sung with no pitch controllers. But played by the session cats in LA…like Howard Roberts, Herb Ellis.

[mr. beaumont]

Aw thats cool! My GM strictly listened to a Polish polka station out of Trenton lol. Gee she’d be up around 130 now.
really miss the diversity and quality of pop back then. Motown, rock, folk, heck even bubblegum.
Sung with no pitch controllers. But played by the session cats in LA…like Howard Roberts, Herb Ellis.

Funny you mention polka-- my grandma loved that too!

I don't think you can be Polish and from Chicago and not. I used to hang with a group of friends occasionally at the Baby Doll when I was in college...youngest folks in there by like 30 years...nobody cared. We drank a lot of beer and danced.

[supersoul]

I initially just saw "Rick... " and "Never Gonna... " and thought I was gonna get Rick-Rolled, but no!

From a harmonic perspective it does some really cool modulations.

If I were in Rick's shoes and trying to learn it for the gig that night, I would definitely write it down. The tune is just way too crafty to think, "oh, I got this!"