# Do any popular songs modulate down **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 10, 2018, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-popular-songs-modulate-down/821076 "2018-09-10T00:57:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2018, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-popular-songs-modulate-down/821076/1 "2018-09-10T00:57:46Z")
I was listening to WH’s l Will Always Love You thinking about how cool not only that modulation is (3:05 below) but how nice most modulations are. But then it dawned on me that the only examples I can remember always modulate up. Do any popular songs modulate down? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/3JWTaaS7LdU/maxresdefault.jpg "Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You (Official 4K Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JWTaaS7LdU) ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2018, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-popular-songs-modulate-down/821076/2 "2018-09-10T01:04:07Z")
I don’t know any off hand, but that’s no surprise because I don’t know popular songs that extensively. But I suspect you’d start your hunt for downward modulations mostly in depressing sad songs. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2018, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-popular-songs-modulate-down/821076/3 "2018-09-10T01:11:54Z")
“Penny Lane” from verse-chorus goes down a whole step from B-A - but tricks you, because the melody line goes up to reach its highest note. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2018, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-popular-songs-modulate-down/821076/4 "2018-09-10T01:28:32Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > I was listening to WH’s l Will Always Love You thinking about how cool not only that modulation is (3:05 below) but how nice most modulations are. My musician friends and I would joke about the “gearshift” modulations that seemed to be the spate of music in the 80s. Those are usually cliche and annoying, at least to me. (Looks like it’s also called a “truck driver modulation,” according to a cursory internet search.) It’s basically when on the final chorus, running out of room and creativity to ramp up the song’s energy, the song modulated up a semitone or a whole tone, sometimes multiple times. I think we called it a “gearshift modulation” because it sounded like someone shifting down a gear (higher RPM, higher pitch.) Of the top of my head, I really can’t think of much. Derek and the Domino’s “Layla” starts in D minor for the intro, then moves to C# minor when the verse starts. But it bounces back up to D minor for the chorus, and back down to C# minor for the verses. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2018, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-popular-songs-modulate-down/821076/5 "2018-09-10T01:44:32Z")
I’ve always thought it was called the “truck driver’s gearshift” modulation because it was so clunky sounding - no relative minor, pivot chord, etc - just shove the lever up a notch. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2018, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-popular-songs-modulate-down/821076/6 "2018-09-10T01:48:19Z")
> [@zombywoof](#): > > “Penny Lane” from verse-chorus goes down a whole step from B-A - but tricks you, because the melody line goes up to reach its highest note. Thanks for the heads up on Penny Lane. Googling, I found this: [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FZrFcKQKmjA](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FZrFcKQKmjA) I’ve never given that song much thought but now I have a new appreciation. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2018, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-popular-songs-modulate-down/821076/7 "2018-09-10T01:55:36Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Thanks for the heads up on Penny Lane. Googling, I found this: [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FZrFcKQKmjA](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FZrFcKQKmjA) > > I’ve never given that song much thought but now I have a new appreciation. If you are interested in popular songwriting, you can’t go wrong with studying The Beatles - there are numerous books, websites, etc. dedicated to breaking down their music. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2018, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-popular-songs-modulate-down/821076/8 "2018-09-10T02:04:47Z")
> [@zombywoof](#): > > I’ve always thought it was called the “truck driver’s gearshift” modulation because it was so clunky sounding - no relative minor, pivot chord, etc - just shove the lever up a notch. That makes more sense. I never really thought about it until having to try to explain it here. It just always sounded like the right term for it. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2018, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-popular-songs-modulate-down/821076/9 "2018-09-10T02:39:57Z")
Johnny Cash’s “I Walk The Line” modulates down to the point that it depends on how the singer’s voice is doing on a given day that it works. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2018, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-popular-songs-modulate-down/821076/10 "2018-09-10T04:49:34Z")
> [@Darth\_Sensitive](#): > > Johnny Cash’s “I Walk The Line” modulates down to the point that it depends on how the singer’s voice is doing on a given day that it works. Do you mean the song is variable length, and continues until that particular singer can’t reasonably go any higher or lower? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2018, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-popular-songs-modulate-down/821076/11 "2018-09-10T13:25:52Z")
The most famous is Conway Twitty I’d Love To Lay You Down A very innovative way to wind down the song. Goes well with the lyrics as the character ages. Modulates down three times [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/d7FspsAHqfQ/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGHIgSCgwMA8=&rs=AOn4CLBuwtbyEAKQH8S4MqpH7stpH8bR9w "Conway Twitty - I'd Love To Lay You Down") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7FspsAHqfQ) ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2018, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-popular-songs-modulate-down/821076/12 "2018-09-10T14:01:00Z")
It’s been a few years since I performed I’d love To Lay You Down IIRC it starts in D goes down to C and then down to B flat Tricky to play solo because you can’t use a capo. Gotta man up and use barre chords to play in Bb. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2018, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-popular-songs-modulate-down/821076/13 "2018-09-10T14:20:52Z")
Years ago I saw a band perform I’d Love to Lay You Down that repeated the final chorus until the lead singer was singing full two octaves below where they started. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2018, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-popular-songs-modulate-down/821076/14 "2018-09-10T14:42:13Z")
That would be really cool. 😉 Singing that low is hard, but very effective. It’s the characters dying breath, declaring his eternal love for his wife. I’ve always loved this song. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2018, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-popular-songs-modulate-down/821076/15 "2018-09-10T14:48:47Z")
Johnny Cash’s rendition of ‘Wabash Cannonball’ modulates down 2 steps right at the beginning. My best guess is that it imitates a train’s horn or whistle modulating downward due to the doppler effect as it passes.