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Related Music Theory Alchemy

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“Im Still Standing” by Elton John is a classic rock/pop song composed in E Major. You can see that this is a complex composition with frequent chord changes, giving it a rich musical texture. The chord progression is not diatonic, which means that it includes chords from outside of its home key of E Major.

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“Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word” is a song by Elton John written in the key of G major. However, the tonal center of this song fluctuates between G major and its relative minor, Em. Sensitive to the modality of the melody, Elton incorporates “color” via his diverse chord selections. The harmonic movement in this song is richly chromatic, creating a sense of tension and release that intensifies the melancholic aura of the lyrics.

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“Honky Tonk Women” by The Rolling Stones is a classic rock song heavily influenced by country and blues. The song is characterized by both major and minor chords, primarily G, C, A, and D. The song is in the key of G major from the verse 1 progression you provided, and it has elements of both I-IV-V and I-V-vi-IV.

Verse 1

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“Zombie” by The Cranberries features a relatively commonly used chord progression in pop/rock music, often referred to as a ‘vi-IV-I-V’ progression. This chord progression, in this particular case, is in the key of G Major and is made up of four chords: Em, C, G, and D/F#.

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“Buddy Holly” is a song by Weezer with an upbeat, pop-rock feel. It exists in the key of A major and showcases a recurring chord progression in its verse consisting of F#m, E/G#, and A.

Elton John – Im Still Standing – Verse 1

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Chord Progression

[‘E’, ‘A/E’, ‘B’, ‘E’, ‘F#m7/E’, ‘A/E’, ‘B’, ‘C#m’, ‘A’, ‘E’, ‘F#m/E’, ‘E’]

Chord Progression Analysis

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“`
E (‘I’),
A/E (‘IV/I’),
B (‘V’),
E (‘I’),
F#m7/E (‘ii7/I’),
A/E (‘IV/I’),
B (‘V’),
C#m (‘vi’),
A (‘IV’),
E (‘I’),
F#m7/E (‘ii7/I’),
E (‘I’)
“`

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Similar Chord Progressions

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One of pop music’s most famous examples of similar chord progressions might be “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey:
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E (‘I’),
B (‘V’),
C#m (‘vi’),
A (‘IV’)
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Or even “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd:
“`
E (‘I’),
A (‘IV’),
B (‘V’)
“`
Note that these songs do not include the slash chords and inversions seen in “I’m Still Standing,” making them a bit less harmonically complex. However, their basic structure, emphasizing I-IV-V and vi chord relationships, is quite similar.

Musical Analysis

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The progression opens and closes with the E Major chord, clearly establishing the tonal center. The alternation between E and A/E highlights the I-IV pattern which is very common in pop/rock music. The V-I progressions in the sequence (B-E) add tension and release, keeping the song moving forward. The F#m7/E shows a bit more color, adding some complexity to the harmony. The progression from C#m (vi) to A (IV) is a fairly common one in pop music, often used after the V-I close of a phrase.

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Overall Analysis

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Generally, the chord progression follows the conventional guidelines of western music, utilizing strong resolution from B (V) to E (I). However, it also employs some harmony techniques very typical in pop/rock music, such as the use of slash chords and chord inversions (A/E, F#m7/E) to add harmonic interest. In addition, it incorporates chromatic mediant relationships (E to C#m) to create a sense of progression.

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Style Analysis

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This chord progression is quite typical for Elton John’s style. He often uses these sort of “common pop” chords in his songs, but with slight tweaks like slash chords and inversions to make them more interesting. He also incorporates the chromatic mediant (C#m) more frequently than most pop composers, adding a slight classical touch to his sound.

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Chords in the Verse 1 section of Im Still Standing by Elton John are:

[‘E’, ‘A/E’, ‘B’, ‘E’, ‘F#m7/E’, ‘A/E’, ‘B’, ‘C#m’, ‘A’, ‘E’, ‘F#m/E’, ‘E’]