Over the next year Terje Fjelde has agreed to listen to nothing but David Foster on his iPod. He’s loaded the thing with over 1,200 songs produced, arranged, composed, and/or played by the man. A deal with the devil? He keeps wondering.

The Manhattan Transfer, “Nothin’ You Can Do About It” (from Extensions, 1979) (download)

The Manhattan Transfer was never my cup of tea. I’ve usually found their attempts to mix vocalese with a contemporary sound to be a bit contrived. They’re incredibly talented singers, no doubt about it, and I’ve tried to like them for years. I’m sympathetic to their projects. I like what they’re trying to do. But whenever I sit down to listen to one of their albums, I just get this uneasy feeling — I can’t put my finger on what it is exactly, but it’s something — and I eventually turn it off.

As a result, I own several of their albums, but I don’t think I’ve listened all the way through a single one of them. There is, however, one significant exception to my reservations, and that is “Nothin’ You Can Do About It,” from their 1979 release Extensions. That is one brilliant pop tune.

I never lose control. I’m the most mild-mannered, controlled person you can imagine, a model of polite restraint. But whenever that piano intro starts rolling, I’m right up there on the table going completely crazy, wildly (over)playing air piano and singing along in falsetto. I’m horrible at remembering lyrics; I don’t even remember the lyrics to songs I’ve written myself. But this one I know by heart. It’s probably the only song I can sing all the way through.

Again, David Foster is deeply involved. He cowrote the song with Steve Kipner and Jay Graydon. Graydon produced the album. Foster plays the dominant piano riff with those brilliant off-the-beat dissonances.

There are so many great twists and turns on this track. It’s energetic and upbeat. There are jazz references, complex chord structures, modulations, syncopations — all the things I cherish in a really good pop song. There’s also a wonderful synth solo by Greg Mathieson. Love every note of it. And the Manhattan Transfer’s vocal harmonies are, for once, perfect in a contemporary pop setting. Oh, how the “ba-ba-do-aahs” prior to the chorus make my heart skip a beat, if not two!

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Over the next year Terje Fjelde has agreed to listen to nothing but David Foster on his iPod. He’s loaded the thing with over 1,200 songs produced, arranged, composed, and/or played by David Foster. A deal with the devil? He keeps wondering.

One of the more practical difficulties that I’ve encountered during this project is that I’m desperately dependent on my iPod when I’m working out and running. And if you know anything about David Foster, it’s probably that he’s not famous for his killer grooves and up-tempo stuff. But I can’t very well run to the rhythm of “You’re the Inspiration” or “I Will Always Love,” now can I?

I’m a pretty casual runner, but I like to keep a steady rhythm, and I need to keep it somewhere between 150 and 152 beats per minute to be comfortable. Usually my playlist consists of fast rock, a la Arcade Fire, We Are Scientists, and the Jam.

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