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Related Music Theory Alchemy

“Right Where It Belongs” by Nine Inch Nails features a non-diatonic chord progression that creates a sense of tension and resolution. The progression makes use of borrowed chords from parallel keys, contributing to its distinctive sound. The overall key of the song is D minor.

The song “Every Day is Exactly the Same” by Nine Inch Nails is in E minor key. The chord progression found in the chorus consists mainly of common chords found in the E minor key, along with a couple of borrowed chords from E major. The use of borrowed chords adds unique color and tension to the music.

The chord progression in the chorus of “Exit Music (For A Film)” by Radiohead is rather unconventional and features several borrowed chords from different modes. It showcases the band’s affinity for using non-diatonic chords and contributes to the song’s somber and haunting atmosphere.

“Cant Buy Me Love” by The Beatles, is a song in the key of C Major, but it has an interesting harmonic structure, especially in the chorus. The song features a number of borrowed and secondary dominant chords to create tension that resolves into the tonic chord. The chorus’s progression can be seen as a series of descending minor thirds, with an unexpected shift to a ii-V-I progression which is quite popular in jazz music.

“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.

Nine Inch Nails – Right Where It Belongs – Chorus

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Chord Progression

[‘Gm’, ‘Bb’, ‘F’, ‘C’, ‘Gm’, ‘Bb’, ‘F’, ‘C’, ‘Gm’, ‘Bb’, ‘F’, ‘C’, ‘Gm’, ‘Bb’, ‘F’, ‘C’, ‘Gm’, ‘Bb’, ‘F’, ‘C’]

Chord Progression Analysis

Here’s a breakdown of the specific chord names and their corresponding Roman numerals:

G minor (vi) – Bb Major (I) – F Major (V) – C Major (V/ii)

“`code
Chord Function:
G minor – Tonic parallel
Bb Major – Tonic
F Major – Dominant
C Major – Dominant of the ii (Secondary dominant)
“`

Similar Chord Progressions

There are a number of artists and songs that use similar four-chord progressions:

1. “I Will Follow You Into the Dark” by Death Cab for Cutie also uses a vi-I-V-IV chord progression in the key of C major:

Am (vi) – C (I) – G (V) – F (IV)

2. “No Woman, No Cry” by Bob Marley uses a I-V-vi-IV progression in the key of C major:

C (I) – G (V) – Am (vi) – F (IV)

3. “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey also uses a I-V-vi-IV progression, but in the key of E major:

E (I) – B (V) – C#m (vi) – A (IV)

Each of these songs are in different genres from “Right Where It Belongs,” but all rely on similar four-chord progressions for their harmonic foundations.

Musical Analysis

The repeated four-chord progression creates a loop effect that is hypnotic in nature and is often characteristic of Nine Inch Nails’s music. This progression is also notable for the use of a secondary dominant (C Major, the V/ii), which briefly modulates the key center to ii (C minor) before the progression loops back to vi (Gm).

Overall Analysis

The chorus of “Right Where It Belongs” by Nine Inch Nails is built upon a repeating four-chord progression of Gm-Bb-F-C. This song is in the key of Bb major (with two flats in the key signature, Bb and Eb). All the chords used in this song are derived from the Bb major scale, which makes this a diatonic chord progression. There is no borrowed or chromatic harmony in this song.

Style Analysis

The style of this song is typical of the industrial rock genre, with a strong reliance on synthesized sounds and heavy drum beats for its instrumentation. The chord progression itself, while relatively simple, represents the darker and more melancholic musical aesthetic that Nine Inch Nails is known for, with its use of minor and major chords.

Chords in the Chorus section of Right Where It Belongs by Nine Inch Nails are:

[‘Gm’, ‘Bb’, ‘F’, ‘C’, ‘Gm’, ‘Bb’, ‘F’, ‘C’, ‘Gm’, ‘Bb’, ‘F’, ‘C’, ‘Gm’, ‘Bb’, ‘F’, ‘C’, ‘Gm’, ‘Bb’, ‘F’, ‘C’]