Coldplay – Yellow – Chorus 1
Yellow < All Analyses
Chord Progression
[‘Cmaj7’, ‘Em7’, ‘D’, ‘Cmaj7’, ‘Em7’, ‘D’, ‘Cmaj7’, ‘Em7’, ‘D’, ‘Cmaj7’]
Chord Progression Analysis
“`
C Major 7th (I7),
E Minor 7th (vi7),
D Major (V),
C Major 7th (I7),
E Minor 7th (vi7),
D Major (V),
C Major 7th (I7),
E Minor 7th (vi7),
D Major (V),
C Major 7th (I7)
“`
“` The E minor 7th (vi7) is a borrowed chord from the parallel minor scale (G minor). “`
Similar Chord Progressions
1. “Just Like a Woman” by Bob Dylan:
[‘C’, ‘Em/B’, ‘Am’, ‘C/G’, ‘F’, ‘C’]
2. “With Or Without You” by U2:
[‘D’, ‘A’, ‘Bm’, ‘G’, ‘D’, ‘A’]
3. “Let It Be” by The Beatles:
[‘C’, ‘G’, ‘Am’, ‘F’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘F’, ‘C’]
These songs also make use of highly repeated sequences that cyclically return to the tonic chord, resonating with Coldplay’s “Yellow”. They feature a major chord followed by a minor chord and resolving back to another major chord, akin to the I7-vi7-V-I7 progression in Coldplay’s song. This is a typical harmonic configuration in the pop, rock, and folk genres, exemplified by all the artists listed here.
Musical Analysis
Coldplay’s “Yellow” is a clear example of a pop ballad, emphasizing melodic and harmonic richness rather than relying too heavily on a complex progression. The progression creates a very open and uplifting sound, utilizing the major 7th and minor 7th chords to introduce more texture and color than a basic triadic chord would provide. The progression starts on a I7 (C major 7th), bringing a certain brightness as it is the tonic major chord, before moving to the vi7 (E minor 7th), which creates a somewhat melancholic, yet still open and fluid effect. This cool-warm dichotomy is then resolved with the dominant (V – D Major), before returning to the starting I7 (C major 7th), creating a cyclical effect that Coldplay relies on for the bulk of the piece.
Overall Analysis
The progression for the song is tuned to a standard E Standard (E A D G B E) and it is in the key of G.
Style Analysis
Coldplay’s writing is commonly typified by a mixture of rock instrumentation with multi-sectional arrangements, often utilizing repeating chord progressions with texture and dynamics variations. Evidently, the use of 7th chords in “Yellow” is indicative of the band borrowing elements from jazz and blues music, suggesting a compound meter that engages listeners more than a typical pop ballad might.
What are the chords in: Coldplay – Yellow – Chorus 1?
[‘Cmaj7’, ‘Em7’, ‘D’, ‘Cmaj7’, ‘Em7’, ‘D’, ‘Cmaj7’, ‘Em7’, ‘D’, ‘Cmaj7’]
