Many Brazilian song writers can make complex chord progressions flow together. Sergio Mendes grew up right in the heart of the Bossa Nova era which is heard a lot in this style.
@@gemaelvarra8914 Exactly. Ivan is absolutely one the best writers when it comes to complex progressions that just fit together with so much fluidity. I listen to him and just shake my head with amazement.
@@bennyramos1885 oh yes, Ivan is amazing. I had the privilege of seeing him perform at a Brazilian music camp in California/US many years ago and it was magical.
@@Jasper_the_Cat I have not yet had this honor as you have. I first heard him with the GRP All Stars Live DVD but it wasn't until I went to Brazil that I was introduces to his music in a much deeper way. He is a ntional treasure there.
Jay Graydon produced the first version of this song for Dionne Warwick. Written by Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann. Robbie Buchanan played keys on both versions.
I never thought about what this song does until Rick pointed it out. I heard it all the time growing up in Philadelphia, and it was so much a flavor of the time it all seemed natural & easy. They called this ‘easy listeng’ and that’s the irony. The song is as complex as any great symphony number.
In 1983 ‘soft rock’ or ‘yacht rock’ was the bomb among the highclass. Infact ‘yacht rock’ took its name from expensive yachts on which this music could often be heard. Lot of jazz influences. Listen to Toto, Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers, Bozz Scaggs, Airplay, Robby Dupree, James Taylor, etc. Great stuff.
Sergio Mendez was great. My favorite album of his was Brazil 66. I think he had a few hits from that album. All the songs were great. This was actually the first album in my life that I would play the whole album at one sitting. I was 10 when it came out.
When I'm playing my 70's and 80's "easy listening" or "yacht rock" playlists for friends, I'm constantly going on about how amazing the musicianship and songwriting was in that era, but they never seem to appreciate it like I do.
The lead sheet doesn't look that bad at first glance, but when you start playing it, you really feel like you're falling through every key bar after bar and it doesn't stop lol
Yeah! Seamless modulations that don’t necessarily register in your psyche. I split the 60s and 70s growing up. I will always be thankful for the music in those decades.
I learned it by ear back when it came out, and I still remember how even by ear you noticed how that song had so many different tones following one after another. You are right on how truly complex the tone changes are in it.
I like that- good writing can obscure the obscurity in music by accessible melody and coherent, especially moving lyric (or however you define the pop accessibility of this hit)
That is absolutely mind boggling. I remember this song hitting the radio and being incredible to listen to, but now thinking through the key changes it's 110000000000xxxxx. Amazing.
Amazing! I’m sure hearing that song when I was a kid, I probably thought it was just an annoying pop ballad, but you just reminded me of it and gave me a new appreciation for the somewhat veiled complexity.
Rick, you need to get Sergio on your show for an interview. He's 80 something now, I think, but still around. It would be good to hear about his process when writing from his perspective❤
Rick, watching you write out all the changes on a freakin' white board as new chords keep coming had me LMAO! For a 1983 AC Pop song! (RIP Cynthia Weil. You and Barry Mann wrote so many memorable songs of my lifetime.)
@@jamirimaj6880it’s the exact same arrangement as Dionne Warwick’s recording with perhaps very slight chord voicing variations. But I agree, Sergio’s production is much better.
Honestly its not that were missing that, nothing wrong with simplicity when its done well. Shits just lazy now tho just same chord progressions every hit song
I saw your full video about this song. Fantastic! In an earlier video you asked us to give you our suggestions for other songs we’d like you to analyze. “Never gonna let you go” by Sergio M was what I requested. Nice to think I influenced you to do it, but I’ll bet a few thousand other viewers requested it also.
Where were you fifty years ago when I was just starting out with the bass? You could've been the mentor I never knew I needed. Let's get real, having a teacher like you would've steered my musical journey in a completely different direction. Although, that would also mean you'd be pushing almost 120 years old by now. I wouldn't wish that on anyone!. Keep breaking down those hits with your knowledge, experience, and iconic humor (that's the Aussie way to spell it). Love your work.
Agree, this is masterfully cut together. There’s a 450k sub channel whose shorts consist of zero cuts and when the time limit for the video is reached the dude just gets cut off mid-sentence. I pray he at least does these himself lol
Saw this the day it came out - watching Rick grinning and flipping out about this tune while correctly diagramming all the chords was a real treat. 🤘😎👍(Watch the long vid)
It’s true, trained musicians in jazz sometimes can only hear progressions they’ve been taught. Self taught people tend to express chords way differently
Brazil's pop was once bossa nova, would run Tin Pan Alley for their money, not dissing old school American Pop, just saying those chord progressions are something special
As a teenager it sounded super catchy but as a adult I revisited those songs and was shocked at how harmonically complex it was. And Kershaw was definitely a good guitar player as well.
100 key changes in a song isn't normal, but in Brazil it is. Be careful out there kids.
Es Brazil 😅😅😅😅 top 🎸🎸 music
It was, but Brazilian music fell hard just like the rest of the world
Key signature or lock keys?
Except that it has nothing to do with this song. It's just a cover song, Sergio Mendes didn't write it at all.
@@CandleinchainsGreat profile picture. 5/5 stars.
Bassist: What key are we in?
Guitarist: All of them.
Hahahaha.... right?
😆😆😆
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 bruh
Must be reassuring to know that even if you were playing in the wrong key you wouldn’t be in 3 seconds time
1000th liker!!! ❤🎉
Many Brazilian song writers can make complex chord progressions flow together. Sergio Mendes grew up right in the heart of the Bossa Nova era which is heard a lot in this style.
Absolutely. For example, "O Que Sera, Sera" but so many others, too.
Ivan Lind, Ray Obiedo.
@@gemaelvarra8914 Exactly. Ivan is absolutely one the best writers when it comes to complex progressions that just fit together with so much fluidity. I listen to him and just shake my head with amazement.
@@bennyramos1885 oh yes, Ivan is amazing. I had the privilege of seeing him perform at a Brazilian music camp in California/US many years ago and it was magical.
@@Jasper_the_Cat I have not yet had this honor as you have. I first heard him with the GRP All Stars Live DVD but it wasn't until I went to Brazil that I was introduces to his music in a much deeper way. He is a ntional treasure there.
Sergio Mendes is genius!!! He’s Brazilian, but he is best known in USA.
Jay Graydon produced the first version of this song for Dionne Warwick. Written by Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann. Robbie Buchanan played keys on both versions.
He didn't write the song.
@@smudge1619 He wrote the harmony for his version. The original was not harmonized this way.
Uup, but he didn't write that song.
@@ejmazzi1499No. In Dionne Warwick's version it is already harmonized like this.
Sergio Mendes is a freaking genius
as are the songwriters, Cynthia Weill & Barry Mann!
@@crnkmnky
I agree, I respect composers, but I'm talking about harmony. In any case, we must applaud the composers, everyone.
Yes, Brazilians have so many genius songwriters. Guinga, Chico Buarque, Djavan, Milton, Gil, Caetano...an endless list.
I prefer Wagner / Beethoven/ Bob Marley .
@@Jasper_the_Catnão... eles são horríveis e as músicas são intragáveis
Absolutely loved this song!!!! They don't write them like this anymore!!!!
I love Rick’s analyses of pop songs. His passion for music theory is infectious. You learn so much in a short video
Truth!
I never thought about what this song does until Rick pointed it out. I heard it all the time growing up in Philadelphia, and it was so much a flavor of the time it all seemed natural & easy. They called this ‘easy listeng’ and that’s the irony. The song is as complex as any great symphony number.
Sergio Mendes...jazz chords city lol
Not your typical "Pop song"
Mr Mendes didn't write it though. Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann did.
Same thing as many Stevie Wonder songs would be classified as pop, however, full of jazz elements and modulations
Our parents “ear’s” weren’t contaminated with “computer music.
This what’s called “Yacht Rock”
Jazz pop tune’s for white peiple.lol😳😂😂😂
Very interesting but very much over my head and it probably doesn’t matter but it makes a nice story
In 1983 ‘soft rock’ or ‘yacht rock’ was the bomb among the highclass. Infact ‘yacht rock’
took its name from expensive yachts on which this music could often be heard. Lot of jazz influences. Listen to Toto, Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers, Bozz Scaggs, Airplay, Robby Dupree, James Taylor, etc. Great stuff.
Always one of my favorite songs! Just heard today that Sergio passed away! He was such an underrated, brilliant musician. RIP Sergio 😢
Sergio Mendez was great. My favorite album of his was Brazil 66. I think he had a few hits from that album. All the songs were great. This was actually the first album in my life that I would play the whole album at one sitting. I was 10 when it came out.
What a great tune this is. Loved it as a kid, love it as a 61-year-young dude.
Young gentlemen :)
60 yr old here. Beautiful, romantic song.
51 here. Great song.
41 here. Heard it from the back seat of an 87 Chevy van my entire kid life. My mom knew the jams!
When I'm playing my 70's and 80's "easy listening" or "yacht rock" playlists for friends, I'm constantly going on about how amazing the musicianship and songwriting was in that era, but they never seem to appreciate it like I do.
Yacht rock is the best!
share ur playlist bro im waiting
I have a piano player in church who taught me this. He changed our chords to fancy ones and drew em for me. 😂 He said music is lazy now.
Sérgio Mendes has passed away just hours ago. RIP!😢
Rick has a full length telling of this story that is truly a MUST WATCH video.
Loved this episode. As an 80s kid, these songs sounded otherworldly - it’s great to see great music celebrated and honored.
Not to mention, Nathan East, JR Robinson, Robbie Buchanan, Paul Jackson Jr and Michael Landau played on the track. Some of the best session musicians
That’s a killer line up
Great call
Brooo I love Nathan East, never knew he was on this track! That’s epic
Ah yes Michael Landau... Han Solo's friend who betrayed him....
@sgrey9181 one of my all time favorite bass players. His bass sounds so good.
The ‘don’t let them know your next move’ key shift
This is just a snippet of one of Rick’s best videos!! I’ve watched it over a dozen times when I want a smile and a laugh.
Agreed! ❤
Put the "M" in MODULATION. Fantastic early 80s radio smash hit by Sergio!
Rick you are a treasure to all music
Thanks so much for what you do ❤
This episode was hilarious. The part where you turned your guitar to hide the chords had me crying laughing.
Give us a keyboard/piano and we’ll figure it out real quick...
I absolutely LOVE your content! I just bought your bundle and am addicted to everything music.❤
As a singer, the key changes are almost intuitive. This is genius writing. I can't imagine trying to memorize even the lead sheet(s).
like, why even read the lead sheets, if you're better off reading the original sheet music itself💪
@@MattSuguisAsFondAsEverrrdo you know what leads are lol??
@@MattSuguisAsFondAsEverrr what do you think they were playing in the recording sessions? lead sheets.
The lead sheet doesn't look that bad at first glance, but when you start playing it, you really feel like you're falling through every key bar after bar and it doesn't stop lol
Whar a beautiful chord progression... And a beautiful song🎉
Yeah! Seamless modulations that don’t necessarily register in your psyche. I split the 60s and 70s growing up. I will always be thankful for the music in those decades.
That's how smooth the song is. Every change feels normal even if it isn't
Man alive, that song was on the radio CONSTANTLY!
This gave me a newfound appreciation for old songs!
Best episode ever!!! Excluding all of The Police interviews!
Absolutely! It's calming as well
Which episode is it? 😮
@@shagrathdh It's called "The Most COMPLEX Pop Song of All Time"
@@RoyceRemixthanks for sharing this. It’s nowhere on the post. Yeah I’ve seen the episode before but forgot which one
@@shagrathdh it’s hysterical. Rick is in epic form
One of my favorites thank you 👍
This is one of my favorite episodes. Every time I hear this song come on the radio I think “Yep. That’s the most difficult pop song ever!” So great!
Yes, what a great BOOST!!!
👍 👌 👏 🙌 😀 😄 😂😅😂🎉❤😊
One of mine too! Now I'm gonna have to listen to the whole thing again. 😂
All the greatest music has already been written
I am in awe of musicians like this who listen to music and can read the notes like a book for elementary kids.
Gotta be my fave Beato video so far! Loved how learning about the complexity of the song added a whole new dimension of enjoyment listening to it.
I learned it by ear back when it came out, and I still remember how even by ear you noticed how that song had so many different tones following one after another. You are right on how truly complex the tone changes are in it.
I like that- good writing can obscure the obscurity in music by accessible melody and coherent, especially moving lyric (or however you define the pop accessibility of this hit)
Reminds me of Earth, Wind & Fire’s song, After the Love Has Gone
I’m a 15 yrs old producer and I just learnt that song like a week ago it’s golden
Earth Wind and Fire - was a fantastic group!!!!
EW&F!!! After the love is gone ❤
@@rosaliecarpio7768still is! Saw them last week
That is absolutely mind boggling. I remember this song hitting the radio and being incredible to listen to, but now thinking through the key changes it's 110000000000xxxxx. Amazing.
Beautiful pop song in every way !
One of the best complexity of grouping of chords.
I loved this video when you released it. Was one of the ones that made me subscribe instantly
I loved it before he released it
What I know is I love love the song... Everything about it is beauuutiful
RIP Sergio Mendes.
Humility! It's a great quality.
Chicago - If you leave me Now - is the most wonderful music gymnastics in my book !
I love these key changes..beautiful
Amazing! I’m sure hearing that song when I was a kid, I probably thought it was just an annoying pop ballad, but you just reminded me of it and gave me a new appreciation for the somewhat veiled complexity.
That was an excellent tune that Sergio turned out
Great clever songwriting for sure! Masterclass on the subject …. key change when done right keeps it moving and relevant
ohhhhh this is pure gold! Never underestimate a pop song... you never know...
Interesting This short would benefit from being longer
Since you showed this some years ago, I have been practicing this song, and I am near perfection on it.
When pop music was music
I was introduced to his albums early. His 1967 Equinox had Constant Rain. Love this album. Early Herb Alpert records were great as well
Those are some lofty chord progressions.❤
Rick, you need to get Sergio on your show for an interview. He's 80 something now, I think, but still around. It would be good to hear about his process when writing from his perspective❤
I love these changes
Rick, watching you write out all the changes on a freakin' white board as new chords keep coming had me LMAO! For a 1983 AC Pop song!
(RIP Cynthia Weil. You and Barry Mann wrote so many memorable songs of my lifetime.)
Sergio Mendez was a breath of fresh air in the sixties when he hit the scene. Still love some of his old stuff till this day.
he didn't write it. There are a million people in the thread pointing it out.
@@DavidJosephBothYeah, but he arranged the most popular version of this song.
@@jamirimaj6880it’s the exact same arrangement as Dionne Warwick’s recording with perhaps very slight chord voicing variations. But I agree, Sergio’s production is much better.
Really unusual changes! It's true, I've heard this but the chords just roll so well.. 🎶🌟👍
I always felt that song didnt make sense musically. It feels like you are changing stations. Now THANKFULLY i understand i wasnt crazy. Awesome stuff
It is jolting on purpose I think, because the song is like a lullaby on the verse. The upshift keeps you from drifting off.
Musically it is a beautifully crafted song
This is my fave, just how he discusses all the chord and key changes its great. I would also classify this as dentist rock. 😅
Denist office WAITING ROOM rock ..!
I bet it's legitimately classified as "yacht rock." This sounds like the kind of "soft rock" that would fit in that category.
If any of you use the word 'rock' when describing this song again, you're getting banned from attending any Deftones concerts in the future.
Why is dentist rock so accurate I also envisioned some sort of waiting room 😂
It's pop music. Nothing rock about it at all.
I never knew it was that complex, i remember it from my childhood
Loved this song.
After the love is gone has similar tonalities and key changes.
I love the 70,s soft rock songs 🎵
I noticed it the first time I heard it. That's brave writing for a pop tune.
RIP Sergio Mendes
Beautiful chord progression!
I miss more complex music. Hopefully it returns full force!
Honestly its not that were missing that, nothing wrong with simplicity when its done well. Shits just lazy now tho just same chord progressions every hit song
It exists, just not in the mainstream. You gotta explore more
Explore some progressive music, even soft metal
I love this song so much. 13 year old me was singing this at the top of my lungs.
I saw your full video about this song. Fantastic! In an earlier video you asked us to give you our suggestions for other songs we’d like you to analyze. “Never gonna let you go” by Sergio M was what I requested. Nice to think I influenced you to do it, but I’ll bet a few thousand other viewers requested it also.
Love that song!
Where were you fifty years ago when I was just starting out with the bass? You could've been the mentor I never knew I needed. Let's get real, having a teacher like you would've steered my musical journey in a completely different direction. Although, that would also mean you'd be pushing almost 120 years old by now. I wouldn't wish that on anyone!.
Keep breaking down those hits with your knowledge, experience, and iconic humor (that's the Aussie way to spell it). Love your work.
Cool Vibe In That Track! 😎👍✌️
Kudos to your editor, you've been blessed❤🫡
I also edit shorts and seeing so much humour and love poured in this short video makes me smile!
Agree, this is masterfully cut together. There’s a 450k sub channel whose shorts consist of zero cuts and when the time limit for the video is reached the dude just gets cut off mid-sentence. I pray he at least does these himself lol
awesome creativity. most people could even notice
Saw this the day it came out - watching Rick grinning and flipping out about this tune while correctly diagramming all the chords was a real treat. 🤘😎👍(Watch the long vid)
Loved this song back then and still do.
The song "Sapato Velho" by the band Roupa Nova also has many chords for a pop sound.

Wish songs like this could hit today
Cool song, totality remember it and grooving to it
Yeah music is magic 🪄
Love the "¿Qué?" 😂
"Que?" or " o que !?" is Portuguese translation to "what?" 😂
“qué” e espanhol, “que” o “o que” e português
What?
It’s true, trained musicians in jazz sometimes can only hear progressions they’ve been taught. Self taught people tend to express chords way differently
There’s nobody in top 40 music today that could pull this off.
Changing keys a few times?
@@Milarkthis is not just a few. And yes, nobody could pull it off today and it be a number one song.
@@RFXLR that’s very different from saying no one could pull it off.
@@Milark so I clarified it
I sort of hear it in Bruno Mars music. The more recent stuff during and after 24 K magic
I love this song for this reason
Before J-rock anime themes, there was bossa nova at the top of modulating's game.
Pop songs can have a very complex harmony with incredible chord changes. Nowadays is different: songs tend to be simpler. Great infos as always, Rick!
“What!?” “What is that?” Even Rick Beato can be stumped. 🎸🎼🎶🎵🤔🤷🏻♂️😂
Wow! Love this song but had no idea how complex ❤️
I'm on shroomz and this blows me away.
I love this full video and the I love this song!
Brazil's pop was once bossa nova, would run Tin Pan Alley for their money, not dissing old school American Pop, just saying those chord progressions are something special
I love this episode and love the spotlight on this song. It's one of my favorite pop songs ever, and this full video is my favorite Beato video.
Wait this is the same Sergio Mendes as in Brasil 66?! I never knew this was his song crazy af
Well you said it at the beginning , "where Jazz guys Right", everybody solo !!!!!!!!!
“What is that!”😂
You want complicated pop chord progressions - check out almost any song from Nik Kershaw (from the 1980's)
As a teenager it sounded super catchy but as a adult I revisited those songs and was shocked at how harmonically complex it was. And Kershaw was definitely a good guitar player as well.