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Related Music Theory Alchemy

The song “Something” by The Beatles has a key center in C major. However, it modulates from time to time using a variety of techniques including secondary dominance and borrowed chords. It is a fine example of George Harrison’s complex songwriting and his adroitness at seamlessly weaving together uncommon chord progressions. Harrison employs an array of chords to inject a rich, nuanced musical quality to the song.

“Every Day Is Exactly The Same” by Nine Inch Nails is primarily composed in the key of E minor. The song consists of four sections: Verse 1, Chorus, Verse 2, and Bridge. The chord progressions in the song are relatively simple, with a distinct alternation between E and C chords in the verses, while the chorus and bridge sections feature a broader range of chords such as A, C, and G.

Chord Progression Analysis (Verse 2):
E minor (i), C major (VI), E minor (i), C major (VI), E minor (i), C major (VI), G major (III), F major (♭VII; borrowed chord from E Phrygian), E minor (i)

*G major (III) and F major (♭VII) are both non-diatonic chords in E minor, with the F major chord being borrowed from the E Phrygian mode.

“Paint It Black” plays with minor tonality, which isn’t extremely common in rock and roll music of the era. The song is in the key of E minor and uses the chords Em, B, D, G, and A. The verse has an interesting use of harmonies, incorporating the minor i, major V, minor iv, major bIII, and major IV chords.

“The Sound Of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel is written in the key of Am and follows the Verse-Chorus form common in pop and rock music. The progression consists of a beachfront of common and borrowed chords, showing the use of modal interchange and diatonic chords in creating a memorable and emotive sound.

The Beatles – Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds – Verse 2

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Chord Progression

[‘A’, ‘A/G’, ‘A/F#’, ‘A/F’, ‘A’, ‘A/G’, ‘A/F#’, ‘A/F’, ‘A’, ‘A/G’, ‘A/F#’, ‘A/F’, ‘A’, ‘A/G’, ‘F#m’, ‘Dm’, ‘Dm/C’, ‘Bb’, ‘C’, ‘F’, ‘Bb’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘D’]

Chord Progression Analysis

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“`
A (I)
A/G (‘I’ with ‘♭VII’ in bass)
A/F# (‘I’ with ‘VI’ in bass)
A/F (‘I’ with ‘♭VI’ in bass)
A (I)
A/G (‘I’ with ‘♭VII’ in bass)
A/F# (‘I’ with ‘VI’ in bass)
A/F (‘I’ with ‘♭VI’ in bass)
A (I)
A/G (‘I’ with ‘♭VII’ in bass)
A/F# (‘I’ with ‘VI’ in bass)
A/F (‘I’ with ‘♭VI’ in bass)
A (I)
A/G (‘I’ with ‘♭VII’ in bass)
F#m (‘vi’)
Dm (‘iv’ – borrowed from parallel minor)
Dm/C (‘iv/♭VII’ – first inversion, borrowed from parallel minor)
Bb (‘♭II’ – borrowed from parallel minor)
C (‘III’)
F (‘VI’)
Bb (‘♭II’ – borrowed from parallel minor)
C (‘III’)
G (‘♭VII’ – borrowed from mixolydian mode)
D (‘IV’)
“`

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Similar Chord Progressions

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– “Karma Police” by Radiohead, which employs a similar chromatic descending bass line, and also uses borrowed chords for an unusual harmonic shift.
– “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin, which also uses a similar descending bass line and unexpected shifts in modal harmonies.
– “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” by The Beatles also uses borrowed chords and chromatic movement.

Please note that it’s quite rare to find songs with the exact same chord progression as the Beatles’ “Lucy in The Sky With Diamonds” because of its complexity and unusual nature. This is part of what made The Beatles such unique and innovative songwriters. The examples provided have similar elements but do not match exactly.

Musical Analysis

** The Beatles use a descending chromatic bass line with pedal point on A which is a rather sophisticated musical device for a popular music genre. This utilizes inversions of the A Major chord in its descent, making way for an engaging harmonic progression. There is a modulation to the key of F Major via Dm, a pivot chord common to both keys of A Major and F Major. However, this doesn’t last long as it is diverted to Bb Major, creating an unexpected twist. This use of borrowed chords and modulations make for a pop song with an unusually complex harmonic structure.

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Overall Analysis

** The Beatles are well known for their creative and unusual use of chords and harmonies. In “Lucy in The Sky With Diamonds”, there is a clear example of their innovative harmonic vocabulary. They employ a variety of common, borrowed, and chromatic mediant chords to create a remarkable soundscape that complements the psychedelic theme of the song.

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Style Analysis

** The Beatles often combined elements of different musical genres and this is evident in “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds”. The song’s chord progression has elements of baroque pop due to its methodical descending bass line. The psychedelic rock influence is manifest in the dreamy, complex harmonic texture, while the folk rock element is evident in the usage of simple root-position triads.

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Chords in the Verse 2 section of Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds by The Beatles are:

[‘A’, ‘A/G’, ‘A/F#’, ‘A/F’, ‘A’, ‘A/G’, ‘A/F#’, ‘A/F’, ‘A’, ‘A/G’, ‘A/F#’, ‘A/F’, ‘A’, ‘A/G’, ‘F#m’, ‘Dm’, ‘Dm/C’, ‘Bb’, ‘C’, ‘F’, ‘Bb’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘D’]