# On the inherent sexiness of minor keys **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 29, 2006, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-inherent-sexiness-of-minor-keys/382242 "2006-11-29T20:34:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2006, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-inherent-sexiness-of-minor-keys/382242/1 "2006-11-29T20:34:21Z")
For my money, I’ve always found Morphine & Portishead to be the sexiest sounding bands on the planet. There’s something so smooth and pulsing about their respective work that’s always, well, done it for me. And I just realized that pretty much all their music is in minor keys. And then I started trying to think of a song in a major key that I felt qualified as sexy. I blanked. So I’m curious: am I alone here? Can we name some sexy sounding\* major key ditties? Also: whose music do you find the sexiest? If not a band or singer or what have you, which songs? And do they happen to be in minor keys? Are minor keys just, well, sexier? - I realize that this whole think is wildly subjective—curious to see some responses. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2006, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-inherent-sexiness-of-minor-keys/382242/2 "2006-11-29T20:37:28Z")
[QUOTE=Birdmonster] Can we name some sexy sounding\* major key ditties? [/QUOTE] Bob Marley and the Wailers, “Stir it Up.” ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2006, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-inherent-sexiness-of-minor-keys/382242/3 "2006-11-29T20:45:10Z")
Minor keys are way cooler- cf The Zombies. ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2006, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-inherent-sexiness-of-minor-keys/382242/4 "2006-11-29T20:46:38Z")
[QUOTE=OneCentStamp] Bob Marley and the Wailers, “Stir it Up.” [/QUOTE] Damn—good call. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2006, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-inherent-sexiness-of-minor-keys/382242/5 "2006-11-29T20:59:21Z")
“Sir Duke” by Stevie Wonder in B major…and the key of life. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2006, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-inherent-sexiness-of-minor-keys/382242/6 "2006-11-30T03:42:07Z")
[QUOTE=Birdmonster] For my money, I’ve always found Morphine & Portishead to be the sexiest sounding bands on the planet. There’s something so smooth and pulsing about their respective work that’s always, well, done it for me. And I just realized that pretty much all their music is in minor keys. [/QUOTE] Two of my favorites as well, for similar reasons. If you like them, get yourself some Lovage, Massive Attack, old Morcheeba, Dido, Black Box Recorder, Frou Frou, Imogen Heap, Bohren and Der Club of Gore… all dark, minor, sexy as hell. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2006, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-inherent-sexiness-of-minor-keys/382242/7 "2006-11-30T03:45:26Z")
Al Green, “Let’s Stay Together” As I continue to rack my brain for sexy-sounding major-key songs, I’m finding they’re all by black guys. Interesting. In addition to the Marley and Green, I’ve got some Gaye for you. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2006, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-inherent-sexiness-of-minor-keys/382242/8 "2006-11-30T03:46:44Z")
As any _Spinal Tap_ scholar knows, 'Lick My Love Pump" was written in Dm (the saddest of all keys) ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2006, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-inherent-sexiness-of-minor-keys/382242/9 "2006-11-30T03:57:25Z")
Seriously, some definitions are in order. The ‘blues scale’ – which involves ambiguousness around (mostly) the minor 3rd and major 3rd – probably meet most definitions of ‘sexy’. Most of the gloomiest, most melancholy melodies are in minor keys (“St. James Infirmary”, “Hard Time Killing Floor”"). ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2006, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-inherent-sexiness-of-minor-keys/382242/10 "2006-11-30T12:33:09Z")
Check out “Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key” from [**Mermaid Avenue**.](http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE4781CDF49A97620C8852D1599E620D210DF4BF58150234558C0B73844810473FD0DA4C6CEB1E577B479A9B329AE5809D9C8EF468DA1&sql=10:hu66mpvg9f8o) Ol’ Woody Guthrie knew how sexy minor keys are! ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2006, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-inherent-sexiness-of-minor-keys/382242/11 "2006-11-30T15:36:11Z")
Have to agree, **Birdmonster** - Morphine’s _You Look Like Rain_ is pretty much the sexiest song going. I also love Marvin Gaye’s cover of **Heard it Through the Grapevine** … Hope the music is treating you well. If you have any fun stories from the road, please do start a thread - we’d all enjoy hearing them… ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2006, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-inherent-sexiness-of-minor-keys/382242/12 "2006-11-30T16:14:07Z")
[QUOTE=WordMan] Have to agree, **Birdmonster** - Morphine’s _You Look Like Rain_ is pretty much the sexiest song going. [/QUOTE] An excellent choice to be sure, however allow me to submit “Whisper me your number,” and Sugar Danks “You read my mind,” to the list, not sure the key of that last one, let me hunt and peck out the melody when I get off work. ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2006, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-inherent-sexiness-of-minor-keys/382242/13 "2006-11-30T19:40:38Z")
**BBVL** : Massive Attack is right up the Portishead alley but I never really got into them. Not sure why—I’ve just always loved Beth Gibbon’s voice. **OneCentStamp** : When you’re right, you’re right. **Wordman** : Great choice. The epitome of smooth. And the music is treating me rather well—although if you see me here, be sure I’m back temping somewhere. I would start one of those threads, but I’d feel kind of…self-indulgent? I could always do an “Ask a \_\_\_\_\_\_” thread (Ask a usually poor touring musician?). The “Ask a deaf guy” thread was one of my all time favorite SDMB events. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2006, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-inherent-sexiness-of-minor-keys/382242/14 "2006-11-30T19:54:24Z")
[QUOTE=Birdmonster] **Wordman** : Great choice. The epitome of smooth. And the music is treating me rather well—although if you see me here, be sure I’m back temping somewhere. I would start one of those threads, but I’d feel kind of…self-indulgent? I could always do an “Ask a \_\_\_\_\_\_” thread (Ask a usually poor touring musician?). The “Ask a deaf guy” thread was one of my all time favorite SDMB events. [/QUOTE] Yep, I figured you must be temping simply because your on the Dope! I, for one, would love you to do an Ask The… thread. Judging by the response to the latest edition of “are you an activie musician\*\*” thread here a few days ago, I suspect many others would be interested in such a thread, too… \*\*the thread is [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=397598) And check out [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=398231), too - not getting any love in terms of additional posts, but pretty cool from a working-musician standpoint… (forgive the hijacks; just getting caught up!) ---
**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:** [November 30, 2006, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-inherent-sexiness-of-minor-keys/382242/15 "2006-11-30T20:16:15Z")
[QUOTE=Big Bad Voodoo Lou] Two of my favorites as well, for similar reasons. If you like them, get yourself some Lovage, Massive Attack, old Morcheeba, Dido, Black Box Recorder, Frou Frou, Imogen Heap, Bohren and Der Club of Gore… all dark, minor, sexy as hell. [/QUOTE] Speaking of, Massive Attack’s “Teardrop” has a major tonality, and is as sexy as all get-out. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2006, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-inherent-sexiness-of-minor-keys/382242/16 "2006-11-30T20:24:27Z")
[QUOTE=pulykamell] Speaking of, Massive Attack’s “Teardrop” has a major tonality, and is as sexy as all get-out. [/QUOTE] Ah! My favorite song of theirs, hands down. ---
**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:** [November 30, 2006, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-inherent-sexiness-of-minor-keys/382242/17 "2006-11-30T20:35:39Z")
Actually, I think of _a lot_ of sexy songs in major keys: Je T’aime Mon Non Plus - by Serge Gainsbourg (it hardly gets sexier than this) Pretty much all of Marvin Gaye’s corpus Most of Motown A lot of U2 (All I Want is You) for instance A heck of a lot of Prince ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2006, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-inherent-sexiness-of-minor-keys/382242/18 "2006-11-30T23:17:27Z")
[QUOTE=pulykamell] Actually, I think of _a lot_ of sexy songs in major keys: A lot of U2 (All I Want is You) for instance [/QUOTE] While U2 do write in major keys, I recall reading an interview with the Edge where he stated that he fairly deliberately avoids using the third (major or minor) in his playing to create a sense of tension and mystery - something slightly unresolved in the music. Si ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2006, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-inherent-sexiness-of-minor-keys/382242/19 "2006-11-30T23:23:13Z")
[QUOTE=si\_blakely] While U2 do write in major keys, I recall reading an interview with the Edge where he stated that he fairly deliberately avoids using the third (major or minor) in his playing to create a sense of tension and mystery - something slightly unresolved in the music. Si [/QUOTE] Maybe that’s a more recent interview, because the classic-era Edge (pre-_Achtung Baby_) was not at all shy about spelling out the majorness or minorness of his chords. Case in point: “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” possibly their best-known song, which screams **BEEEEEE MINNOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRR!!!** (Bm) 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2006, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-inherent-sexiness-of-minor-keys/382242/20 "2006-11-30T23:25:18Z")
[QUOTE=OneCentStamp] Maybe that’s a more recent interview, because the classic-era Edge (pre-_Achtung Baby_) was not at all shy about spelling out the majorness or minorness of his chords. [/QUOTE] Or maybe he’s a three-chord trick, who needs some vague comments to say in interviews about his ‘technique’? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-inherent-sexiness-of-minor-keys/382242.md?page=2)