Chris Isaak – Wicked Game – Chorus/Outro
Wicked Game < All Analyses
Chord Progression
[‘Bm’, ‘A’, ‘E’, ‘Bm’, ‘A’, ‘E’, ‘Bm’, ‘A’, ‘E’, ‘Bm’, ‘A’, ‘E’, ‘Bm’, ‘A’, ‘E’, ‘Bm’, ‘A’, ‘E’, ‘Bm’, ‘A’, ‘E’]
Chord Progression Analysis
The chord progression for ‘Wicked Game’ in its simplest form is Bm, A, E repeated. In Roman numeral analysis, for the key of B minor, this is i – VII – IV. Here are the full chord names and their roman numerals:
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B minor (‘i’)
A major (‘VII’)
E major (‘IV’)
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All of these chords fall within the key, so there are no borrowed chords in this progression.
Similar Chord Progressions
This chord progression of descending whole steps is a common device in pop music. Here are a few songs that use similar progressions:
1) ‘Creep’ by Radiohead uses the progression IV – III – II in the key of G major, which is a descending whole step progression like Wicked Game:
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C major (‘IV’)
B major (‘III’)
A minor (‘ii’)
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2) ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ by The Beatles uses a similar vi – V – IV – III progression in the key of A minor:
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Am (‘vi’)
G (‘V’)
F (‘IV’)
E (‘III’)
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Remember, these progressions may not sound exactly the same due to different keys or rhythmic treatments, but they represent the same underlying harmonic motion.
Musical Analysis
The chord progression has a sorrowful, yearning quality due to the minor i chord (B minor). The VII chord (A major) to the IV chord (E major) has a bit of a ‘lift’, giving an air of hopefulness, before returning to the minor ‘i’ chord grounds us back to the original melancholic feel. These three chords loop throughout the song, which gives it a hypnotic, almost meditative quality.
Overall Analysis
“Wicked Game” is a song that sits neatly within the Pop-Rock category and is known for its haunting melody and introspective lyrics. It has a very simple chord progression that affects a moody, melancholic ambience. This type of progression is very common in popular music across all genres due to its simplicity and potential for various melodic and lyrical directions.
Style Analysis
Chris Isaak’s style in this song is very indicative of his overall musical approach – simple, clean, and with a focus on emotional delivery. The chord progression facilitates this, being easy to loop and allowing Isaak to focus on the intense emotional delivery that he’s known for. The downward motion of the progression also mimics the emotional tone of the song, which talks about the pain and trouble associated with love.
What are the chords in: Chris Isaak – Wicked Game – Chorus/Outro?
[‘Bm’, ‘A’, ‘E’, ‘Bm’, ‘A’, ‘E’, ‘Bm’, ‘A’, ‘E’, ‘Bm’, ‘A’, ‘E’, ‘Bm’, ‘A’, ‘E’, ‘Bm’, ‘A’, ‘E’, ‘Bm’, ‘A’, ‘E’]
