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Related Music Theory Alchemy

“Sometimes It Snows In April” is a song by Prince in the pop style. It’s characterized by its use of extended and added note chords, as seen in the chord progression for Verse 3. This advanced harmonic content gives the song a distinct, rich, and complex musical texture, typical of Prince’s style.

“Sometimes It Snows In April” is commonly recognised as a hauntingly beautiful ballad that features gentle, intricate piano work and tender vocals. Musically, it explores a slightly complex harmonic structure that creates a profound emotive sound spectrum.

“Every Day Is Exactly The Same” by Nine Inch Nails utilizes a unique four-chord cycle in its chorus – ‘E’, ‘A’, ‘C’, ‘G’. The song is in the key of E minor, and therefore, the functional analysis would interpret this progression as i-IV-bVI-III. The bVI and III are borrowed chords from the parallel major scale. This chord progression creates a moody atmosphere that aligns with the overall melancholic and introspective theme of the song.

The chord progression in the chorus of “Say Goodbye” by Beck features a simple, yet unique combination of major and minor chords. It is primarily built around the key of G major, but includes a chromatic twist with the inclusion of the A# major chord. The progression is fairly repetitive, which provides a stable and recognizable backbone for the chorus.

“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.

Prince – Sometimes It Snows In April – Chorus

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Chord Progression

[‘Aadd9’, ‘E/G#’, ‘Aadd9’, ‘E/G#’, ‘Aadd9’, ‘G#7’, ‘F#7sus4’, ‘F#7’, ‘Aadd9’, ‘Bbsus2’, ‘Bsus2’, ‘F#7add11’, ‘Aadd9’, ‘E’]

Chord Progression Analysis

The chords for the chorus are as follows:

– ‘Aadd9’ (‘I add9’)
– ‘E/G#’ (‘V6’)
– ‘Aadd9’ (‘I add9’)
– ‘E/G#’ (‘V6’)
– ‘Aadd9’ (‘I add9’)
– ‘G#7’ (‘V/V7’)
– ‘F#7sus4’ (‘VI7sus4’)
– ‘F#7’ (‘VI7’)
– ‘Aadd9’ (‘I add9’)
– ‘Bbsus2’ (‘bII sus2’, borrowed from Phrygian)
– ‘Bsus2’ (‘II sus2’)
– ‘F#7add11’ (‘VI7 add11’)
– ‘Aadd9’ (‘I add9’)
– ‘E’ (‘V’)

Similar Chord Progressions

Stairway to Heaven’ by Led Zeppelin contains a similar use of added tone chords and modal mixture:
– ‘Am’ (‘i’)
– ‘G#dim’ (‘vii dim’)
– ‘C’ (‘III’)
– ‘D’ (‘IV’)
– ‘F’ (‘VI’)
– ‘G’ (‘VII’)
– ‘Am’ (‘i’)

‘Hey You’ by Pink Floyd has a comparable chromatic mediant move and usage of sevenths and suspended chords:
– ‘Em7’ (‘i7’)
– ‘D/E’ (‘IVadd9/1st inv’)
– ‘Em’ (‘i’)
– ‘A/C#’ (‘IV/1st inv’)
– ‘D7’ (‘V7’)

Musical Analysis

Prince uses a combination of standard I-V chords (Aadd9, E) along with inversions (E/G#), seventh chords (F#7sus4, F#7, G#7), and suspended chords (Bbsus2, Bsus2) which provide tension and variety while maintaining a strong sense of tonality. The use of the bII sus2 (Bbsus2) chord, which is borrowed from the Phrygian mode, is a particularly interesting choice that further creates harmonic tension and ambiguity.

Overall Analysis

The progression for the chorus of “Sometimes It Snows In April” by Prince exhibits a rich mixture of non- diatonic chords and borrowed chords. The tonal center of the song is A, but it doesn’t strictly follow a specific major or minor scale, creating an interesting blend of light and dark tonalities. This characteristic is a common feature in Prince’s works, showing his notable talent for blending the traditional with the unconventional.

Style Analysis

Prince’s harmonic language in ‘Sometimes It Snows In April’ is a good example of his soulful and complex writing style. His use of add9 and sus2 chords give the piece very lush and open sonorities, while the IV7 and V7 chords provide bluesy and jazzy tensions. The flattened II from the Phrygian mode offers an exotic twist characteristic of Prince’s innovative songwriting.

Chords in the Chorus section of Sometimes It Snows In April by Prince are:

[‘Aadd9’, ‘E/G#’, ‘Aadd9’, ‘E/G#’, ‘Aadd9’, ‘G#7’, ‘F#7sus4’, ‘F#7’, ‘Aadd9’, ‘Bbsus2’, ‘Bsus2’, ‘F#7add11’, ‘Aadd9’, ‘E’]