Elton John – Your Song – Verse 2
Your Song < All Analyses
Chord Progression
[‘D’, ‘Gmaj7’, ‘A/C#’, ‘F#m’, ‘Bm’, ‘Bm/A’, ‘Bm/G#’, ‘Gmaj7’, ‘D’, ‘A’, ‘F#’, ‘Bm’, ‘D’, ‘Em7’, ‘G’, ‘A’, ‘D’, ‘Gmaj7’, ‘A/C#’, ‘F#m’, ‘Bm’, ‘Bm/A’, ‘Bm/G#’, ‘Gmaj7’, ‘D’, ‘A’, ‘F#’, ‘Bm’, ‘D’, ‘Em7’, ‘G’, ‘D’]
Chord Progression Analysis
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– D Major (I)
– G Major 7th (IV7)
– A Major with C# in the bass (V6)
– F# Minor (iii)
– B Minor (vi)
– B Minor with A in the bass (vi6)
– B Minor with G# in the bass (vi♭6)
– G Major 7th (IV7)
– D Major (I)
– A Major (V)
– F# Major (♭III, borrowed from D Major’s parallel minor)
– B Minor (vi)
– D Major (I)
– E Minor 7th (ii7)
– G Major (IV)
– A Major (V)
– Repeats the above progression once more
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Similar Chord Progressions
The Beatles used some similar chord motion in their song “Something” where George Harrison cleverly mixed major and minor chords.
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– C Major (I)
– C Major 7th (I7)
– Ami7 (vi7)
– Ami7/G (vi7/5)
– D7 (V7/IV)
– F Major (IV)
– E Major (V/vi, borrowed chord/secondary dominant)
– A minor (vi)
– A minor/G (vi6)
– D7 (V7/IV)
– F Major (IV)
– C Major (I)
– E Major (V/vi, borrowed chord/secondary dominant)
– A minor (vi)
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Another song would be Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke” with its unique combination of chromatic movements and modal interchange.
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– B Major (I)
– G#m7 (vi7)
– D#m7 (iii7)
– E6 (IV6)
– B Major (I)
– F#7/A# (V7/V6)
– B Major/F# (I6)
– B Major (I)
– G#m7 (vi7)
– D#m7 (iii7)
– E6 (IV6)
– B Major (I)
– F#7/A# (V7/V6)
– B Major/F# (I6)
– B Major (I)
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These soulful chord progressions express a similar sense of emotional complexity and depth found in “Your Song”.
Musical Analysis
This progression features a conventional start with I (D Major), moving to IV7 (G Major 7th), a characteristic Elton John move. The sequence then becomes more complex by moving to complex chordal structures such as A Major over C# (indicating a secondary dominant), which resolves to the mediant chord (F# Minor). There is a descending bass line featured in B Minor, B Minor/A, and B Minor/G#, which provides a dramatic sense of motion.
Overall Analysis
“Your Song” is characterized by a varied and complex chord progression that helps to emphasize the emotional complexity of the lyrics. This is apparent in the progression used in Verse 2, which employs several techniques used frequently by Elton John. These include the use of secondary dominants, borrowed chords, modal mixture, and chromatic bass movements to add emotional color and reinforce the feeling of tension and resolution in the song’s narrative.
Style Analysis
Elton John’s style often includes grand expressions and a sense of yearning with his chord choices. For example, the borrowed F# Major (which is not part of the D Major scale) confers a particularly poignant and dramatic effect to the progression.
What are the chords in: Elton John – Your Song – Verse 2?
[‘D’, ‘Gmaj7’, ‘A/C#’, ‘F#m’, ‘Bm’, ‘Bm/A’, ‘Bm/G#’, ‘Gmaj7’, ‘D’, ‘A’, ‘F#’, ‘Bm’, ‘D’, ‘Em7’, ‘G’, ‘A’, ‘D’, ‘Gmaj7’, ‘A/C#’, ‘F#m’, ‘Bm’, ‘Bm/A’, ‘Bm/G#’, ‘Gmaj7’, ‘D’, ‘A’, ‘F#’, ‘Bm’, ‘D’, ‘Em7’, ‘G’, ‘D’]
