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Related Music Theory Alchemy

“Can’t Buy Me Love,” a song by The Beatles, exhibits a style that’s emblematic of their earlier work, with a clear, upbeat tonality and an elegant yet straightforward chord progression. The tune is predominantly centred in the key of C major, but it utilizes both major and dominant 7th chords to create tension and resolution, modulating away from the home key. The particular progression you’ve given, ‘C7’, ‘F7’, ‘C’, isn’t rare and demonstrates the Beatles’ precision and understanding of pop and rock music’s creative possibilities.

“A Day In The Life” is a progressive rock song from the “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album, released in 1967. The progression includes some well-known chords, along with more unusual chords and alterations that contribute to the unique sound of the song.

“Rocket Man” by Elton John, released in 1972, is a melodic and harmonically sophisticated example of his pop/rock style. The piece is in the key of G, and the chord progression of Verse 2 introduces some harmonies that exploit john’s expertise in using extended and altered chords, which lend colorfulness and a feel of departure and return. The use of slash chords like G/B and D/F# creates a descending bass line that is very characteristic of pop and rock music, creating a sense of melodic movement within the chords themselves. Verse 2 is navigated skillfully between simplistic and complex harmonies.

“When Doves Cry” by Prince shows the artist’s flair for the unusual. While the song is primarily in A minor, Prince takes liberties with creating unexpected shifts in harmony, which gives the song its unique character. The song revolves around five chords: Am, G, Em, F, and G, repeated throughout the verse. This circular progression offers a sense of continuity, yet Prince’s interpretation and arrangement create a sense of unpredictability.

The given chord progression belongs to the verse 2 of the song “Apocalypse Please” by Muse. This progression reflects the band’s signature style that combines elements of rock, classical, and electronic music. The chords follow a pattern that combines both diatonic and chromatic movement, creating a dramatic and intense feel. A unique feature in this progression is the use of slash chords, which adds further harmonic interest.

The Beatles – Cant Buy Me Love – Verse 2

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Chord Progression

[‘C7’, ‘F7’, ‘C’]

Chord Progression Analysis

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Here’s the expansion of the chords in Verse 2 of the song:

1. C7 -> C Dominant 7th (‘I7’)
2. F7 -> F Dominant 7th (‘IV7’)
3. C -> C Major (‘I’)

“`text
C7 (‘I7’) -> F7 (‘IV7’) -> C (‘I’)
“`

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Similar Chord Progressions

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A similar chord progression is also used in the song “You Never Can Tell” by Chuck Berry. The progression is not an exact match but follows a similar idea of using the I-IV chord movement along with dominant 7 chords to drive the progression.

This is the chord progression for the first verse of “You Never Can Tell”:

1. C -> C Major (‘I’)
2. F -> F Major (‘IV’)
3. C -> C Major (‘I’)

“`text
C (‘I’) -> F (‘IV’) -> C (‘I’)
“`

While the exact chords might be different, the use of dominant 7th chords and the I-IV movement is a common feature seen in many early rock and roll and blues songs.

Musical Analysis

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The chord progression in Verse 2 begins with a C7 (I7) chord, which is essentially a C major triad with a minor 7th (Bb) added. The addition of the minor 7th gives the chord a strong pull towards the IV chord (F or F7 in this case). It is a perfect example of a dominant 7th chord functioning as a “dominant” chord – the tension created by the Bb in the C7 chord is resolved by moving to the IV chord (F or F7). The F7 moves back to the C Major using the resolution of the dominant 7 to the root note.

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Overall Analysis

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“Cant Buy Me Love” by The Beatles is a pure example of their early rock-and-roll style influenced by blues. It uses common chord progressions in rock and blues, such as the I-IV-V progression and the use of dominant 7th chords. The song is set in C major, and makes repeated use of the I-IV (C-F) progression. A significant feature in the song is the use of the dominant 7th chords (C7 and F7), which adds some bluesy quality to the song and also serves as a transition chord to the next chord in the progression.

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Style Analysis

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This is characteristic of the early rock-and-roll and blues influenced styles of The Beatles – the use of dominant 7th chords to create tension and release, and the use of common chord progressions like the I-IV-V. The dominant 7th chords used in this song have a “bluesy” feel to them due to their origins in blues music.

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Chords in the Verse 2 section of Cant Buy Me Love by The Beatles are:

[‘C7’, ‘F7’, ‘C’]