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Related Music Theory Alchemy

Your Song, like many of Elton John’s pieces, is known for its prominent piano accompaniment and strong melodic hooks. The song is in the key of D Major, which is why the frequent return to the D Major chord provides the sense of home and finality in the piece.

The song “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” by Elton John is brilliantly harmonized, showcasing the great musical arrangement skills of John at his best. Primarily, the song is based in the key of C Major and uses a variety of moving bass lines over mostly diatonic chords in the verses and choruses. There are some key modulations and borrowed chords that give the harmony a rich and complex quality which sets it apart from many contemporary pop songs.

Verse

“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

“Everything In Its Right Place” by Radiohead is a harmonically adventurous piece with an unconventional structure that features a mixture of modal and borrowed chords. The piece has an impressionistic quality influenced by classical lineage, while also regularly employing electronic and synthesized sounds.

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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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Elton John – Your Song – Verse 1

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Chord Progression

[‘D’, ‘Gmaj7’, ‘A/C#’, ‘F#m’, ‘Bm’, ‘Bmadd11/A’, ‘Bmadd11/G#’, ‘G’, ‘D/A’, ‘A’, ‘Asus2’, ‘F#’, ‘Bm’, ‘D’, ‘Em’, ‘G’, ‘A’, ‘Asus4’, ‘A’, ‘Asus2’]

Chord Progression Analysis

Here’s the list of chords you provided for Verse 1, with the Roman numeral analysis.

– D (‘I’)
– Gmaj7 (‘IVmaj7’)
– A/C# (‘V6’)
– F#m (‘iii’)
– Bm (‘vi’)
– Bmadd11/A (‘viadd11/5’)
– Bmadd11/G# (‘viadd11/#4’)
– G (‘IV’)
– D/A (‘I/5’)
– A (‘V’)
– Asus2 (‘Vsus2’)
– F# (‘III’)
– Bm (‘vi’)
– D (‘I’)
– Em (‘ii’)
– G (‘IV’)
– A (‘V’)
– Asus4 (‘Vsus4’)
– A (‘V’)
– Asus2 (‘Vsus2’)

Similar Chord Progressions

For similar chord progressions, we could look at these songs –

1. Let it Be – The Beatles: [‘C’, ‘G’, ‘Am’, ‘F’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘F’, ‘C’]
2. Imagine – John Lennon: [‘C’, ‘Cmaj7’, ‘F’, ‘C/E’, ‘F’, ‘C/E’, ‘F’, ‘C’]

They share similar characteristic traits of augmentation, inversions and stepwise bass movement although they are not exactly identical.

Musical Analysis

The verse progression begins with a relatively straightforward I-IV-V, common in pop and rock music. However, the beauty lies in its creative use of various chord inversions and added note chords. For instance, the use of A/C# (‘V6’) and then transitioning to F#m (‘iii’) results in a smooth stepwise bass movement. Similarly, the use of Bmadd11/A and Bmadd11/G# gives the progression a sophisticated feel.

The ‘III’ chord or F#, is a ‘borrowed chord’ from D major’s parallel minor (D minor). It’s used to create a brief tension that is relieved immediately by moving to Bm (‘vi’) chord.

Overall Analysis

Elton John’s melody for “Your Song” is an elegant example of varied harmonization and creative chord usage. The verse chord progression is in the key of D Major, but employs the use of borrowed chords and modulation for enhancing musical flavour and interest.

Style Analysis

The chord choices in “Your Song” reflect Elton John’s classical influences, yet maintain a pop sensibility. The added note chords and inversions provide an ornate harmonic texture typical of his style and the era in which the song was written. More importantly, the resultant stepwise bass movement and voice leading keep the progression engaging for the listeners.

Chords in the Verse 1 section of Your Song by Elton John are:

[‘D’, ‘Gmaj7’, ‘A/C#’, ‘F#m’, ‘Bm’, ‘Bmadd11/A’, ‘Bmadd11/G#’, ‘G’, ‘D/A’, ‘A’, ‘Asus2’, ‘F#’, ‘Bm’, ‘D’, ‘Em’, ‘G’, ‘A’, ‘Asus4’, ‘A’, ‘Asus2’]