Miracle | 3 to 5 BOPS

Miracle: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 58 (2023), features musical BOPS courtesy of Bruce Springsteen, Jonas Brothers, Stephanie Beatriz, The Stylistics, and Whitney Houston. 

Ah, you know what time it is! It’s 3 to 5 BOPS time – WOO! On 3 to 5 BOPS, it’s all about brevity and sweetness… for the most part! There’s a theme/topic, 3, 4, or 5 songs, and a blurb – two paragraphs or less.  3 to 5 BOPS, hence, is a mini playlist that shouldn’t take much time to consume.  In the 55^th edition of 3 to 5 BOPS (2023), we select songs that are associated with MIRACLE(s) in some form or fashion. The BOPS arrive courtesy of 🎙 Bruce Springsteen, 🎙 Jonas Brothers, 🎙 Stephanie Beatriz, 🎙 The Stylistics, and 🎙 Whitney Houston. Okay, let’s get into it!

1. Jonas Brothers, “Miracle”

💿 The Album • 🏷 Jonas Brothers Recording / Republic • 🗓 2023 

“Walkin’ on a hot coal, never wore a rhinestone, but you really suit my body…” Um, okay, 🎙 Nick Jonas, sure… “Sweeter than a pastry, winter with the AC, colder than a snowflake on me…” Yeah, 🎙 Joe Jonas… if you say so! Anyways, 🎙 Jonas Brothers commence 💿 The Album in spirited fashion with the brief 🎵 “Miracle.” The pop-soul track features ripe falsetto, slick electric keys, strings, and a fat bass line.  It hearkens back to the 1970s, while coming off at least moderately refreshing in the 2020s.  Sensual without crossing the line – “You’re something like a full-blown miracle / The places your hands go…” – “Miracle” is an enjoyable and one of the best songs from the LP.  Are the lyrics confusing? YOU BET! 

2. Stephanie Beatriz, “Waiting On A Miracle”

💿 Encanto (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) • 🏷 Disney • 📅 2021 

“Hey, I’m still a part of the family Madrigal / And I’m fine, I am totally fine,” Mirabel aka 🎙 Stephanie Beatriz sings in the first verse of 🎵 “Waiting On A Miracle.” “Waiting On a Miracle” is an early moment from the 🏆 Academy-Award winning film, 🎦 Encanto.  While Mirabels suggest early on she’s fine, it’s ultimately a lie (“I’m not fine, I’m not fine”). The gist is, everybody else in her family has special powers but she feels out of place.  “I can’t move the mountains / I can’t make the flowers bloom,” she sings in the chorus, continuing, “I can’t take another night up in my room / Waiting on a miracle.” Essentially, rather than sulking and waiting on change unlikely to happen, Mirabel, and any of us who relate and sympathize with her, must be assertive to find our place – our special powers, etc.  How does and where does Mirabel fit in? As this brilliant 🎼 ✍ Lin-Manuel Miranda number progresses, in its triple meter glory, Beatriz marvelously portrays this change of mindset for Mirabel, who is ready to find her special powers aka find herself and what makes her special.

3. Bruce Springsteen, “There Goes My Miracle” 

💿 Western Stars • 🏷 Bruce Springsteen • 📅 2019

“Sunrise, sundown / The streets gone golden brown / Auburn skies above / I’m searching for my love.” Iconic rock singer/songwriter 🎙 Bruce Springsteen limits the number of lyrics while keeping them relatively simple on 🎵 “There Goes My Miracle.” “Moonlight, moon bright / Where’s my lucky star tonight?” is another example of the power of simplicity.  This approach, and “There Goes My Miracle” itself is highly effective, as Springsteen serves up one of the loveliest melodies of his 2019 album, 💿 Western Stars.  The chorus is quite memorable: “There goes my miracle / Walking away, walking away.”  The production strengthens the case for Springsteen – it’s those strings 🎻.  There are also additional sounds including timpani, adding to the orchestral sensibilities 💪.  

4. Whitney Houston, “Miracle”

💿 I’m Your Baby Tonight • 🏷 Arista • 🗓 1990

“How could I throw away a miracle?” That is a thought-provoking question 🎙 Whitney Houston asks on 🎵 “Miracle”, the sixth track on her third studio album, 💿 I’m Your Baby Tonight (1990). Another top 10 hit (no. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100), the writing and production on “Miracle” come from two heavyweights 💪: 🎼✍ 🎛 Babyface and L.A. Reid.  As always, at least in her heyday, Houston sounds fantastic, never missing a note. When she brings the power as “Miracle” progresses, it’s nothing short of special. Digging deeper the 🏆 Academy and Grammy award-winner tackles a controversial topic: abortion. “It’s all my doing, I made a choice / And today, I pay,” Houston sings in the emotional first verse, speaking about the pain, seemingly as the result of the song’s protagonist terminating her pregnancy. The second verse is filled with regret, as Houston asserts, “Thought I was looking out for myself / Now it seems the pain / Is all that I have gained.” Of course, the word abortion is never uttered explicitly, but, it’s clearly implied.  Regarding this beloved pro-life single, Houston stated in a Jet Magazine interview:

I think about the air we breathe, the earth we live on. I think about our children. I think about a lot of things, things God put here for us to have, things that we need, and we take for granted. I think all of these things are miracles and I think we should try and take better care of them.”

In the chorus, where Houston excels the most, she sings, “Nothing should matter / Not when love grows inside you / The choice is yours / There’s a miracle in store.” Conservatives eat this song up for good reason – its pro-life.  That said, even if you’re team pro-choice, you can appreciate (1) the first-class musicianship and (2) the fact that 🎵 “Miracle” eloquently and thoughtfully delivers how emotional such a decision and the aftermath can be.  You don’t have to agree, but, what everyone can agree about is how gorgeous this nearly six-minute song is.

Appears in 🔻:

• Whitney Houston, “Miracle”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 99 (2023)

5. The Stylistics, “The Miracle”

💿 Heavy • 🏷 Amherst • 📅 1974  

“Thank God for the miracle / You belong to me.” 🙌 🎵 “The Miracle” (💿 Heavy, 1974) is one of many stunning songs by the iconic soul collective, 🎙 The Stylistics.  Underrated compared to the Philly soul group’s more renowned hits, “The Miracle” is a gem, nonetheless. It graces the final album where 🎙 Russell Thompkins, Jr. and company collaborated with the late, great 🎼 ✍ 🎛 Thom Bell. Thematically,  The Stylistics, once skeptical of the miraculous happenings of life, become believers, thanks to finding that special somebody in their lives.  “I used to think that time was just a thing to pass away / Love was just the game that children play / God was just another word to say,” the second verse goes, later confirming the paradigm shift, “Now I believe, I believe / Miracles can be / And in my song, I thank God / You belong to me.”   

Besides the positive vibes and theme, the singing, the musical underpinnings, and the arrangement and production make “The Miracle” triumphant too.  Harmonically, there are some marvelous chord changes that go beyond simple, standard chords.  This adventurous, innovative approach helps The Stylistics navigate numerous modulations (key changes) seamlessly.  Beginning in the key of E, the collective serves up modulations to A, C, F, Db, Gb, G, and Ab in that sequence 🤓. Ear-catching is an understatement regarding “The Miracle”. Notably, Shareefa, samples this classic on her 2006 R&B gem, 🎵 “Cry No More”.

Appears in 🔻:

• The Stylistics, “The Miracle”: Music Lifts 🎶 🏋 32 (2023)

Miracle: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 58 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner, The Musical Hype; Amherst, Jonas Brothers Recording / Republic; ]