In the midst of today’s syncopated, complicated hip-hop beats, the thumping overproduced dance grooves and technology-induced Auto-Tune, it’s easy to forget something as simple, wide-eyed and marvelous as “Downtown” by Petula Clark. Released in late 1964, the Tony Hatch-penned tune was an international hit, topping the charts in the United States for several weeks. (See also “Fill Me Up Buttercup” and “Don’t Worry Be Happy,” among others.) The sentiment is accurate, but that’s where the sheer genius of this song catches hold.Īnd you can still hear it occasionally today, where it’s used in movies and television shows in some bubblegum, pathologically perky context. Build Me Up Buttercup (The Foundations) Ukulele Tutorial - YouTube 0:00 / 14:54 Build Me Up Buttercup (The Foundations) Ukulele Tutorial Jaytee Taquiso Official 272K. “Noisy shouts of joy, laughing pleasure and not yet complete, full delight lies in E Major,” wrote Christian Schubert in 1806 in his description of the characteristics of each musical key. Want to master Microsoft Excel and take your work-from-home. For more information, and to get started playing 'Build Me Up Buttercup' on your own uke, watch this video tutorial. It’s not unusual for a guitar-driven song to be in E - it’s one of the easier chords on the guitar to learn. Not only is it more fun and much easier than running drills or memorizing a chord book by wrote, it's obviously also a wonderful way to build your repertory of songs. Whether you play the ukulele or bass kazoo, there is no better way to improve your chops than by learning to play your favorite songs. But on the piano, you encounter way too many sharps and spend most of your time playing on the black keys - more chance for error. Want to play the Foundations' 'Build Me Up Buttercup' on your ukulele Learn how with this free video ukulele lesson from Ukulele Mike, which presents a complete breakdown of the song and its chords. So immediately, it catches your ear as somewhat different and, as Schubert observed, happy. It’s a simple piano introduction - something you’d hear on “Glee,” perhaps - but the chord progression is not your typical 50s/60s fare. The bass line stays the same while the chords change, and you can hear the quiet anticipation and restrained exuberance of Clark as she tells us that downtown offers an escape from life’s worries and stress. Ironic, isn’t it? We think about downtown areas as being clogged with traffic, with horns blowing and people yelling obscenities at each other. But Clark puts aside that notion and instead tells us to listen and observe in a different way. Traffic is music to her ears! The neon signs are pretty!Ī more familiar 60s sound emerges during the refrain - Phil Spectoresque drums and background vocals. She ends the refrain in a minor key, then begins the pre-chorus softly, with only her and the piano.
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