Originally Posted by
jobucats
Musically 'Some Things' is so fresh and innovative. Valerie really uses some unique chord progressions from "It's the same routine..." as the the song seems to go through a pseudo-modulation to another key. There is an abrupt key change during the instrumental break; then another abrupt key change ushering in "Lost in a crowd". Then there is another modulation leading back to the "Some things you never get used to" phrase. Also it is interesting in Valerie's use of synchopation in the instrumental part as Diana sings "Who can't find a reason to make living worthwhile." I would also love to hear Valerie analyze this song.
After thoughts: I am coming back to my own analysis of the music structure of the song, at least to my ears, to say that maybe the reason this song was not one of their 'hits' is that there was just too much going on in a short amount of time. It's a song that might have kept the listener on edge because it's so sporadic.
I used to think that the reason some of HDH's productions with the Four Tops were not as successful on the charts is because the songs were too different and 'ahead of their time.' Musically, songs such as "7 Rooms of Gloom" and "You Keep Running Away" and "Different World" were so, in my opinion, so much more sophisticated and eclectic than the Tops' other output at the time. As much as I love "You Keep Me Hangin' On", I also thought at the time, "Wow! That's a sound I didn't ever think I'd hear from the dainty, sweet Supremes."
Back to "Some Things," the Supremes, at that time without HDH to fall back on, needed something fresh sounding that was distinctive to their previous catalogue. I thought "Some Things" would have caught on; it didn't.
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