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Related Music Theory Alchemy

Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer” is a unique blend of industrial rock, electronica, and alternative styles that has propelled the song to prominence as one of the band’s most famous and frequently played tracks. The song is in the key of E major and features a recurring chord progression throughout its various sections.

The song “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails has a tonal center around the key of B minor, as it is the most prominently featured chord in both the verse and chorus sections. The verse features a simple three-chord progression (Bm-D-E), and the chorus introduces additional chords (G, A). The outro mainly repeats the chords from the verse. The style of the piece can be characterized as haunting, melancholic, and somewhat minimalistic with only a few chords creating the harmonic landscape.

The chorus of Taylor Swift’s “Guilty as Sin?” showcases a rich and dynamic chord progression that reflects the song’s emotional intensity and narrative depth. This progression, with its interplay of major, major seventh, and minor chords, provides a musical canvas that enhances the emotional weight of the lyrics, indicative of Swift’s sophisticated songwriting approach.

“Sour Times” by Portishead is characterized by dark, brooding sounds and melancholic melodies that gives the song its distinct feel, largely due to the specific chord progression that is used throughout the song. Written in the key of E major, the song makes use of a diverse selection of chords that offers a wider blend of harmonic options to navigate through different moods and tonal landscapes.

“The song When Doves Cry” by Prince features a very distinctive chord progression in its chorus section. Technically the song is written in a minor key, but the progression tends to flow in a way that feels almost like a major key at times. This is a common characteristic of many Prince songs, signifying the unique and innovative style of the artist.

Nine Inch Nails – Closer – Chorus

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Chord Progression

[‘F’, ‘F’, ‘F’, ‘F’, ‘Cm7’]

Chord Progression Analysis

Now, let’s break down the specific chords used in the chorus:

“`F Major (‘IV’)
C Minor 7 (‘i7’)“`

The F chord represents the IV (major fourth) in C minor key. A typical feature of pop music is the extensive use of borrowed chords, which are chords borrowed from the parallel major or minor scale. However, in this case, the F and Cm7 are both diatonic to (or naturally occurring in) the key of C minor – no borrowed chords here. The simplicity of this pattern brought by the repetition of F and the use of a single minor 7th chord adds to the hypnotic, transfixing quality of the song.

Similar Chord Progressions

The Taylor Swift song “Shake It Off” uses a similar progression, although in a different key, repeating the same chord for four measures (C/G) before switching to a minor 7th (Am7).

Shake It Off’s Chorus:

“`C/G Major (‘I’)
A Minor 7 (‘vi7’)“`

Bear in mind that the use of this progression and how it’s alike is only on a surface level – the genre, arrangement, and mood of these songs are highly distinctive.

Musical Analysis

The deliberate use of a mere two chords emphasizes droning and simplicity. It is indicative of the industrial genre which Nine Inch Nails represents. The chords are played on synthesizers, adding layers of sonic texture to them. This synthesizer-centered approach is a defining feature of most industrial and electronic music, which Nine Inch Nails helped to pioneer.

Overall Analysis

The chorus of “Closer” by Nine Inch Nails is built around a progression that oscillates between a single major chord, F, and a single minor seventh chord, Cm7. This is quite minimalistic. Major chords usually have a happy, positive feel, while minor chords induce a somewhat sad, introspective mood. The use of C minor 7th gives a particular color to the progression: it’s a minor chord with an added minor seventh, which means it’s a bit less stable than a regular minor chord.

Style Analysis

Nine Inch Nails’ style in “Closer” is intensified by the alternating pattern of two chords, establishing a steady backdrop for the lyrics and melody. This adds to the song’s atmosphere, a brooding yet vibrant setting. Nine Inch Nails is known for their aggressive, dark industrial sound, and “Closer”, despite its seemingly simple cornerstone, is no different.

Chords in the Chorus section of Closer by Nine Inch Nails are:

[‘F’, ‘F’, ‘F’, ‘F’, ‘Cm7’]