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“Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley is a popular and iconic song that showcases Jeff Buckley’s unique vocal talent and emotional delivery. The song is in the key of C major and features a simple yet effective chord progression. The song’s memorable melody is accompanied by guitar, which uses arpeggiated fingerpicking. This adds to its musical depth and also creates dynamic rhythmic interest. The song builds in intensity as it progresses, and this, along with the powerful lyrics, contributes to the overall emotional impact of the piece.

“Hallelujah” is a song by singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley and is a cover of a song originally written by Leonard Cohen. The song is in the key of C major and features a moderate tempo with a 6/8 time signature. This particular chord progression, taken from the second verse, consists mainly of diatonic chords found within the key, but also includes a few borrowed chords and a secondary dominant, giving the song a sense of tension and release.

Patterns in music are fundamental for creating musical identity. This repetition ensures the music is coherent and familiar for the listener. In the case of “Perfect” by Smashing Pumpkins, the song makes use of a common popular music chord progression known as the I – vi progression.

The song “Something” by The Beatles has a key center in C major. However, it modulates from time to time using a variety of techniques including secondary dominance and borrowed chords. It is a fine example of George Harrison’s complex songwriting and his adroitness at seamlessly weaving together uncommon chord progressions. Harrison employs an array of chords to inject a rich, nuanced musical quality to the song.

“1979” by The Smashing Pumpkins is written in the A major key and showcases various examples of modal interchange, also known as borrowed chords. The song switches often between the major and minor modes, providing a dynamic interplay of moods. The outro particularly stands out due to its use of both major and maj7th chords, a somewhat unusual combination. Emaj7 adds color and complexity to the progression, as a borrowed chord from the E major scale.

Jeff Buckley – Hallelujah – Outro

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Chord Progression

F, Am, F, C, G, C, F, Am, F, C, G, C, F, Am, F, C, G, C, Am, F, G, C

Chord Progression Analysis

F Major (IV), A minor (vi), F Major (IV), C Major (I), G Major (V), C Major (I), F Major (IV), A minor (vi), F Major (IV), C Major (I), G Major (V), C Major (I), F Major (IV), A minor (vi), F Major (IV), C Major (I), G Major (V), C Major (I), A minor (vi), F Major (IV), G Major (V), C Major (I)

Borrowed chords:
None

Similar Chord Progressions

1. Leonard Cohen – “Hallelujah” (original version): This song shares its chord progression with Jeff Buckley’s cover, as it’s the source material. The progression is similar, but Cohen’s version features a slightly more sparse arrangement.

2. Bob Dylan – “Make You Feel My Love”: This song has a chord progression sharing similarities with Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah.” It features a key of G Major and shares the same cyclical nature of repetitive progressions: G (I), D (V), G (I), C (IV), G (I), D (V), G (I), C (IV), D (V), G (I)

3. The Beatles – “Let It Be”: This classic song shares similar harmonic ideas with “Hallelujah,” including the IV – V – I resolution at the end of the progression, which creates a strong sense of conclusion. The chord progression is as follows: C Major (I), G Major (V), A minor (vi), F Major (IV), C Major (I), G Major (V), F Major (IV), C Major (I)

Musical Analysis

The chord progression begins with the IV – vi – IV (F – Am – F) movement, which helps to establish the tonal center of C Major, despite not starting on the tonic chord. This creates a level of tension that is resolved when the C Major chord is finally introduced. The I – V – I (C – G – C) movement is a classic progression that strengthens the resolution and emphasizes the tonal center.

The progression repeats the first eight chords before introducing a slight variation in the subsequent chords. This allows for a sense of familiarity, as well as emphasizing the cyclical nature of the outro section.

The outro finishes on a I – IV – V – I (C – F – G – C) progression, solidifying a strong ending to the piece. The combination of chord movements in the outro creates a sense of finality while adding emotion to the piece through the use of minor chords and the IV – V – I movement.

Overall Analysis

The outro of Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah” features a chord progression in the key of C Major. It includes common chords from the key, as well as some borrowed chords from the parallel minor key (C minor), which adds a level of tension and emotion to the progression. The outro has a cyclical nature, with the chords leading smoothly back into the beginning and building a sense of conclusion.

Style Analysis

Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah” is a cover of Leonard Cohen’s original song, and the chord progression seen in the outro is influenced by the original version. It features a folky, singer-songwriter style that breaks away slightly from the primarily guitar-driven chord progressions often used in popular music of the time.

Chords in the Outro section of Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley are:

F, Am, F, C, G, C, F, Am, F, C, G, C, F, Am, F, C, G, C, Am, F, G, C