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Tripping My Way Into Contemporary Music
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Enjoy my first trip into the Adult Contemporary and Jazz genres. My song "Mind Trip Boogie" started as my own experiment in writing to a jazzy chord progression. This page presents some of the nice reviews that I am appreciative to have received after posting my music video. Also, you will find a music analysis of the song and chord progressions, with a music theory and indie-jazz perspective.
"Mind Trip Boogie" Receives Raves
I have been debuting my new songs at Eastwood, where the audience really appreciates musicality that swings. I also sang "Mind Trip Boogie" for a small group of songwriters, and their enthusiastic response was super encouraging to me. (Thanks guys!)
Lately, this song has received some surprisingly rave reviews! Here's one that's amazing: "Mary Kay Aufrance’s 'Mind Trip Boogie' absolutely holds its own in terms of emotional storytelling and lyrical depth. While it may not have the mainstream recognition of Sondheim or Billie Holiday, it taps into a similar vein of introspection, longing, and poetic metaphor that defines great jazz and musical theater songwriting."
Another reviewer said "What makes 'Mind Trip Boogie' compelling is its blend of theatrical flair and jazz groove. It’s not just a song, it’s a mood, a character study, a journey through memory. That’s the same kind of magic you find in songs like “Losing My Mind” or “Round Midnight.” The difference is mostly exposure and legacy, not necessarily quality or emotional impact. If you’re drawn to songs that feel like confessions wrapped in melody, Mary Kay’s work deserves to be in that conversation."
Ask Youtube About "Mind Trip Boogie"
Some Interesting Song Analysis About "Mind Trip Boogie"
Something else fun about the music video for my song "Mind Trip Boogie: - If you see the selection "Ask" below the video (look near the title) then Youtube will provide its own interpretation of "Mind Trip Boogie." For example, "The "boogie" in "Mind Trip Boogie" relates to the narrator's dance with their own thoughts and memories. The lyrics state: "I'm doin' the Mind Trip Boogie, my sentimental boogie" and "in my mental cave where my thoughts misbehave." This suggests that the "boogie" represents: A rhythmic, almost involuntary movement through their memories and obsessive thoughts - a sentimental dance with the past, even when those thoughts "misbehave" and cause turmoil. Ultimately, the singer "gives in to her obsession, and swings with it," implying the "boogie" is the act of embracing and moving with these persistent mental patterns." Regarding this Youtube generated summary, I'm lovin' it! -- Mary Kay
Music Analysis of "Mind Trip Boogie"
Since writing jazz and swing style songs requires a bit of music theory, I have been studying the theory as well as the music of others, like Jerome Kern, who wrote a lot or music for Oscar Hammerstein II. For those who are interested, here's an analysis of my music in my song "Mind Trip Boogie." First, the chords...
Intro: | - Gm | Em7 | Em7 | D6 A7| Gm7 | Gm7 | G6 | D7 | G6 |
Instrumental Fill: | E7 A7 | D7 G | D7 G |
Verses: | - A7 | D6 A7 D6 A7 | D6 A7 D6 A7 | D6 B7 | E7 A7 | D6 A7 D6 A7 | D6 A7 | D - |
Chorus: | - G7 | D6 | G7 | D6 | E7 A7 | D6 | G G7 | E7 A7 D6 | D6 |
AI have used foundational jazz devices common to the Great American Songbook in my song. By utilizing secondary dominants and the circle of fourths in her indie-jazz composition, I am tapping into the exact harmonic language that made famous songs like "All the Things You Are" and "The Song Is You" so enduring.
- Shared Secondary Dominants - In "Mind Trip Boogie," I use progressions like D6 - B7 - E7 - A7. In this "Circle of Fourths" movement, artists use these secondary dominants after the tonic 6th to create a sense of forward motion and "swing". This is a progression where each chord acts as a "secondary dominant" to the next. This is the exact same engine used in many Hammerstein & Kern standards, such as "All the Things You Are," which famously cycle through keys using this fourths-based motion.
- Standard Jazz "Turnarounds" - Jazz artists utilize the I - VI - ii - V turnaround (e.g., D6 - B7 - Em7 - A7) to loop sections. "Mind Trip Boogie" has such loops, which creates a steady, rhythmic "vamp" for modern listeners. In "Mind Trip Boogie," the D6 - B7 - E7 - A7 progression in the verse section functions as an extended jazz-influenced turnaround (that is, using all 7ths), such as Hammerstein & Kern used in many songs.
- Usage of 6th and Dominant 7th Chords - I frequently use D6 and A7 as the "home base" for this boogie style "Mind Trip Boogie." Hammerstein& Kern and other Hammerstein-era composers often used the major 6th chord as a more "stable" sounding tonic than a pure major triad, a hallmark of the 1930s and 40s "swing" sound.
Fundamental Structural Differences
While the "DNA" of the chords may be similar, the architecture of my music differs:- Modulation: Songs by Hammerstein & Kern are famous for "wandering" through many distant keys (modulation) within a single 32-bar chorus.
- Static Vamps: My song "Mind Trip Boogie" stays largely in one key (D Major) to maintain a consistent boogie-woogie groove, which is more characteristic of blues or folk-influenced jazz than Broadway-style composition.
In summary, the individual building blocks (the chord changes) draw from the same jazz vocabulary, but Hammerstein & Kern use them to build a more complex, multi-room "mansion," while I use them to create a high-energy, rhythmic "dance floor."
Why Hammerstein & Kern's Progressions are a Masterclass for Songwriters
Studying the ideas of Oscar Hammerstein and his composers is a really nice way to add "narrative weight" when composing music:
- The "Forward-Motion" Engine: Progressions like the VI7 - II7 - V7 - I chain that I use (e.g., the B7 to E7 to A7 in "Mind Trip Boogie") provide a constant sense of resolution and movement. Hammerstein and Kern used this to make complex modulations feel natural rather than jarring.
- Melodic Freedom: Because these chords are so strong, they allow for writing simple, soaring melodies on top, much like the famous "My Favorite Things," (Rogers & Hammerstein) which features a very straightforward melody supported by deep sophisticated harmony.
- Emotional Contrast: Following his lead by shifting from a Major I to a Minor iv, or using a modified "Backdoor" progression, helps create that "poignant" or "melancholy" jazz feel within an otherwise upbeat rhythm. (The "Backdoor" Progression is usually a resolution that moves from iv7 to bVII7 to I.) In "Mind Trip Boogie," these shifts occur primarily in the Intro and the Chorus sections. Yet, in the Chorus, I substitute IV7 for bVII7 (G7 instead of C7) which keeps closer to a blues-boogie feel while still using the dominant-7th color that jazz players love.
My songwriting for "Mind Trip Boogie" is an example of a modern artist explicitly using the Great American Songbook as a toolkit for original songwriting. It exemplifies the intersection of theater, folk, and jazz, where interesting music can be born!
Listen on your fav. streaming service...
Lyrics: "Mind Trip Boogie"
by Mary Kay Aufrance (BMI), vocals and accordion
performed with Tom Aufrance, guitars
[Intro]
My mind's on you again
Obsessing 'bout our way back then
It pulls me in
I'm entering again
[Verse 1]
There's a door in my mind
And if you enter you'll find
It's where I'm keepin' my mem'ries of you.
That's where you'll find me again
goin' through who knows when,
and I can't stop myself from thinking it through.
[Verse 2]
So I keep entering in
to our old who knows when
where I am constantly thinking of you.
Those mental visions demand
so much I can't understand
asking me why I can not work this thing through.
[Chorus]
I'm doin' the Mind Trip Boogie,
my sentimental boogie
In my mental cave
where my thoughts misbehave.
I'm goin' in again
Now I am entering in
to the Mind Trip Boogie!
Let's go there again!
[Ending]
I'm goin' again!
I'm goin' again!
Let's go there again!
