Nine Inch Nails – Every Day Is Exactly The Same – Bridge
Every Day Is Exactly The Same < All Analyses
Chord Progression
[‘E’, ‘A’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘E’, ‘A’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘E’, ‘A’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘E’, ‘A’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘E’]
Chord Progression Analysis
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By presuming the piece to be in the key of E minor, the chords can be designated as:
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E minor (i), A minor (iv), C Major (♭VI), G Major (♮III)
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Note: The G Major could be considered a borrowed chord from the parallel major scale (E Major).
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Similar Chord Progressions
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A similar chord progression (though transposed and slightly modified) can be found in Radiohead’s “Karma Police.” Both songs use retrogression in a similar way.
Here’s the chord progression of “Karma Police” in the section: Am, F, Em, G:
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A minor (i), F Major (♭VI), E minor (v), G Major (♭VII)
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Note that the Em to G movement in “Karma Police” parallels the E to G movement in “Every Day Is Exactly the Same”.
More common/popular progressions like vi-IV-I-V or ii-V-I don’t share the same characteristics with this Nine Inch Nails piece but they are frequently used in pop and rock genres.
Musical Analysis
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The recurring bridge pattern creates an aural impression of unsatisfied expectation and relentless repetition, resonating well with the theme of the song, where each day is exactly the same for the protagonist. The borrowed G Major chord allows for a mood shift, generating tension and a bit of an unsettled feeling. However, the transition from G Major to E minor (a retrogression) brings us back to the beginning of the pattern, thereby reinforcing the cyclical and monotonous pattern.
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Overall Analysis
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“Every Day Is Exactly The Same” by Nine Inch Nails has an interesting chord progression, particularly in the bridge, which adopts a distinct pattern of E, A, C, G repeatedly. This song is classified under Industrial Rock and utilizes repetition impressively to create a sense of monotony and frustration, akin to the lyrical theme.
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Style Analysis
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Nine Inch Nails, an industrial rock band, typically leans into dissonance and unconventional musical structures to convey strong, often distressing emotions. In this song, the combination of a repeated four chord sequence (that includes a borrowed chord) and Trent Reznor’s emotive vocal delivery generate a sense of despair and exhaustion. The song is arranged with multiple layered synthesizer sounds, creating a dense and atmospheric musical texture.
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What are the chords in: Nine Inch Nails – Every Day Is Exactly The Same – Bridge?
[‘E’, ‘A’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘E’, ‘A’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘E’, ‘A’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘E’, ‘A’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘E’]
