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Related Music Theory Alchemy

“Have You Ever Seen The Rain” by Creedence Clearwater Revival is a classic rock song written in the key of C Major. It’s a brilliant representation of 60s and 70s folk-rock music with a chord sequence that is very recognizable, even to this day.

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This is a beautiful chorus from “Rocket Man,” a song by Elton John. The overall vibe of the song is nostalgic and melancholy, largely due to the combination of key changes, chord progression, and Elton John’s vocal melody. The song appears to be in the key of G major.

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“Let It Be” is one of The Beatles’ most popular songs and features a primarily major tonality (C Major), giving it its iconic uplifting and inspiring quality. The song’s chord progression is quite standard in terms of pop/rock music, yet it does include some interesting elements like inversions and a 7th chord to add variety and emotional depth.

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The song “Space Oddity” by David Bowie features a complex and varied chord progression that incorporates elements of both traditional and experimental popular music. The song is in the key of C Major, and its progression is characterized by the use of modal interchange, or the borrowing of chords from parallel scales. This is indicative of Bowie’s varied musical influences, combining elements of folk, rock, and pop while also incorporating experimental techniques associated with progressive rock.

Creedence Clearwater Revival – Have You Ever Seen The Rain – Chorus

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Chord Progression

[‘F’, ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘C/B’, ‘Am’, ‘Am/G’, ‘F’, ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘C/B’, ‘Am’, ‘Am/G’, ‘F’, ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘C’]

Chord Progression Analysis

– F Major (‘IV’)
– G Major (‘V’)
– C Major (‘I’)
– C/B Major (First Inversion of ‘I’)
– A minor (‘vi’)
– A minor/G (First Inversion of ‘vi’)
– F Major (‘IV’)
– G Major (‘V’)
– C Major (‘I’)
– C/B Major (First Inversion of ‘I’)
– A minor (‘vi’)
– A minor/G (First Inversion of ‘vi’)
– F Major (‘IV’)
– G Major (‘V’)
– C Major (‘I’)
– G Major (‘V’)
– C Major (‘I’)

Similar Chord Progressions

1. Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold”:
– Em (‘ii’)
– D (‘V’)
– G (‘I’)
– G/F# (First Inversion of ‘I’)
– Em (‘ii’)
– D (‘V’)
– G (‘I’)

2. The Beatles’ “Let It Be”:
– C (‘I’)
– G (‘V’)
– Am (‘vi’)
– F (‘IV’)
– C (‘I’)
– G (‘V’)
– F (‘IV’)
– C (‘I’)

Note: Both Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold” and The Beatles’ “Let It Be” possess similar IV-V-I and I-V-vi-IV progressions, with “Heart of Gold” featuring an inversion of the I chord like in “Have You Ever Seen The Rain”. Neither of these songs exactly match the core progression of “Have You Ever Seen The Rain”, but they have very similar vibes and utilize a common structure in their chord progressions.

Musical Analysis

The progression starts off in a classic IV-V-I sequence in the key of C major, giving it a pleasant melodic and harmonic progression. The C/B is a borrowed chord from the C Mixolydian scale, it’s actually a C major chord with B as the bass note. This creates a walking bassline effect where the bass note descends step by step (C-B-A). The barred Am-Am/G progression mirrors the I-bVII-vi progression, further enhancing the descending bassline effect.

Overall Analysis

“Have You Ever Seen The Rain” is a popular song by Creedence Clearwater Revival from the 1971 album “Pendulum”. This song is performed in the key of C major, and uses chords from the diatonic scale. However, it also utilizes borrowed chords and chord inversions to create a bit of colour and novelty.

Style Analysis

Creedence Clearwater Revival was known for their distinctive blend of country rock and swamp rock. This chord progression is fairly common in the country-rock genre, as it provides a solid foundation while also allowing for some melodic variety with the use of inverted chords and borrowed chords. The song is simple, but with a heartfelt and nostalgic feel, characteristic of the band’s hit songs.

Chords in the Chorus section of Have You Ever Seen The Rain by Creedence Clearwater Revival are:

[‘F’, ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘C/B’, ‘Am’, ‘Am/G’, ‘F’, ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘C/B’, ‘Am’, ‘Am/G’, ‘F’, ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘C’]