(Pop/ballad/R&B)
Words and music by Steve Porcaro and John Bettis
4/4 time signature/Key C major/Tempo moderately
Single released July 3rd 1983 (USA 7 UK 90)
(Instrumentation)
Instrumental intro/verse 1x2/chorus 1/verse 2/chorus 2/verse 3/chorus 3 + fade-out
Song structure
Synthesizer/guitar/drums/bass guitar/xylophone/male-vocals/backing-vocals
This song was written by Steve Porcaro one of the members from the band Toto the theme of the song was inspired by his daughter who had a bad day at school which inspired Steve to write the song, but the lyric were not complete. Quincy Jones heard the demo of the song so asked Steve to finish the lyrics so he did, Quincy didn’t like the final result and asked if he could get John Bettis to finish them off, that’s the story to the two writers on the credits. And the final draught of the song was so powerful that no less the Jazz legend Miles Davis recorded a studio jazz cover of the song.
This song is very synthesizer based at the beginning of the song starting with instrumental section of the chorus one synthesizer playing a motif and other playing a industrial alarm making the song sound fuller leading up to the first verse. The main vocal has reverb/chorus/delay on it, first ascending then descending, throughout the verses there is a xylophone sound copying the main melody in the left of the mix and set far back in the stereo field, the guitar is playing staccato lines based around the chords with delay and chorus on it, in the left and right of the mix. In the chorus the backing vocals are multi tracked and sound swirly and bounce from top central position to left and right in call and response style when they sing “why why” the main vocal answers with “tell them that its human nature” then the bass and synthesizer play the same descending line and the guitar plays the melody line with a clean sound with delay.
Not many dynamic changes in the song, it stays at same level throughout the track.
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