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Also worthy of canonization: Larry Graham’s thrumming one-note bass line.

Soon after it disappeared, Stone recorded “Everyday People,” a jolly song about tolerance that featured an unusual one-note bassline by Graham, and popularized the phrase “different strokes for different folks.”

Despite its respectful restraint, “Eric LaRue” can be smothering in its solemnity, leaving Janice feeling one-note rather than a woman lost in her tangle of emotions.

The first version of this cake used only white sugar, and it was too one-note, too cloying.

Conversely, if a dish feels flat or one-note, add a touch of dairy, like cheese or sour cream, to round it out.