In Your Eyes – Rob Bargad

At the beginning of this song, the key is not obvious. The opening C minor chord, and the return to that tonality in the 7th and 10th measures, suggest this as the tonic—but the ultimate resolution of the first, 12-measure phrase is G minor. The second phrase, or B section, begins the same way as the A section but with some different melodic rhythms. In the 11th measure of B the tonality shifts to G major; the sudden brightness here is a striking contrast. This continues into the next section, which extends the B section to 20 measures for a fully 32-measure form. The last eight-measure phrase begins with a descending series of II-V7s that seem to approach G major; however in the third to last measure Cm7 returns suggesting G minor. The final resolution is neither, but in fact A♭maj7 for a deceptive cadence that also chromatically approaches G7 to lead back to the initial Cm7.

The melody holds all this together in a simple yet impassioned way; it lends itself to expressive interpretation. Our lead sheet shows a first ending to return to the top for solos, but this recording is only one chorus long. The piano melody in the last three measures is notated in the lead sheet.

A Minus Melody track is available.