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Related Music Theory Alchemy

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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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“Eight Days A Week” by The Beatles is in the key of D major. The song features a handful of basic major and minor chords with a sprinkling of interesting harmonic developments such as the E7 transition chord and the use of the B minor chord which provide a rich palette of colors for the progression.

“Boulevard of Broken Dreams” by Green Day is set in the key of E minor, and uses a recurrent sequence of four chords throughout the song: Em, G, D, and A. The prevalence of this progression endows the song with an air of melancholy, aligning with its lyrical themes of loneliness and disillusionment. These four chords create a harmonic loop that reflects the circulative narrative portrayed in the lyrics.

“As Tears Go By” by The Rolling Stones is a classic rock ballad featuring a simple, yet effective chord progression and harmonic language. The song is in the key of G major, and the chord progression features a mix of diatonic chords from the G major scale, with the non-diatonic A major chord included as a borrowed chord from the parallel minor (G minor) key.

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The given chord progression is from the verse 3 of the song “The Good Life” by Weezer. The song is in the key of G major and features a mix of diatonic chords from the G major scale and a borrowed chord from the parallel minor (G minor).

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The Beatles – Let It Be – Verse 3

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Chord Progression

[‘C’, ‘G’, ‘Am’, ‘Am/G’, ‘Fmaj7’, ‘F6’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘F’, ‘C/E’, ‘Dm7’, ‘C’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘Am’, ‘Am/G’, ‘Fmaj7’, ‘F6’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘F’, ‘C/E’, ‘Dm7’, ‘C’]

Chord Progression Analysis

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C Major (I)
G Major (V)
A minor (vi)
A minor/G (vi)
F Major 7 (IV)
F6 (IV)
C Major (I)
G Major (V)
F Major (IV)
C Major/E (I)
D minor 7 (ii)
C Major (I)
“`

Similar Chord Progressions

1. The hangover track “For No One” also by The Beatles
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C Major (I)
A minor (vi)
D minor 7 (ii)
G Major (V)
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2. The song “Perfect” from Ed Sheeran
“`
G Major (I)
E minor (vi)
C Major (IV)
D Major (V)
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3. “High Hopes” from Kodaline
“`
C Major (I)
A minor (vi)
F Major (IV)
G Major (V)
“`

Musical Analysis

The song is built around a classic “IV-I-V-vi” pattern, contributing to its universal and easy-listening appeal. The Am/G (vi) chord is a more sophisticated version of the more common Am chord and adds an ethereal touch to the progression. The Fmaj7 (IV) adds a slight tension before resolving back to the tonic. The F6 (IV) adds color and variety to the progression. The Dm7 (ii) chord adds a different type of tension that nicely resolves back to the tonic.

Overall Analysis

“Let It Be” by The Beatles is a song in the key of C Major. The chord progression featured in Verse 3 of the song, C – G – Am – Am/G – Fmaj7 – F6 – C – G – F – C/E – Dm7 – C, is a common progression in pop music. It has a repetitive structure and revolves around the I-V-vi-VI progression.

Style Analysis

The Beatles often used conventional chord progressions but with twists, either incorporating sophisticated borrowed chords or switching chord inversions. They also often used non-diatonic chords to add color and emotional depth to their songs. “Let It Be” is a great example of this. It’s important to note that the primary hook of the song is not only in the chord progression but also in the melody and the lyrical content – a hallmark of The Beatles’ songwriting style.

Chords in the Verse 3 section of Let It Be by The Beatles are:

[‘C’, ‘G’, ‘Am’, ‘Am/G’, ‘Fmaj7’, ‘F6’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘F’, ‘C/E’, ‘Dm7’, ‘C’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘Am’, ‘Am/G’, ‘Fmaj7’, ‘F6’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘F’, ‘C/E’, ‘Dm7’, ‘C’]