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Related Music Theory Alchemy

This particular section is mostly based in the key of F major and highlights Freddie Mercury’s love for moving from the classical I-ii-V progression to the jazz-inspired I-IV-ii-V, often followed by a jazzy II-V-I. In this part of the song, you will find some interesting use of borrowed chords and leading tones, contributing to the chromaticism that enriches the progression.

This chord progression is from the song, “Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy” by Queen, which is known for its complex and intricate progressions. The song is set in the key of C major, and it features a mixture of triadic major and minor chords, dominant sevenths and the common use of borrowed and secondary dominant chords to create tension. This creates a lot of harmonic interest.

“Paint It Black” plays with minor tonality, which isn’t extremely common in rock and roll music of the era. The song is in the key of E minor and uses the chords Em, B, D, G, and A. The verse has an interesting use of harmonies, incorporating the minor i, major V, minor iv, major bIII, and major IV chords.

“Someone to Love” by Queen is a rock song infused with gospel and blues influences. It’s written in the key of Ab major but the second verse you have provided seems to be in G major.

This chord progression is in the key of C Major, but incorporates a variety of borrowed chords and slash chords that add complexity and color to the song. It’s a good example of how Elton John takes popularly-used chord progressions and puts his own unique spin on them.

Queen – Dont Stop Me Now – Verse 2

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Chord Progression

[‘F’, ‘Am’, ‘Dm’, ‘Gm’, ‘C’, ‘F’, ‘Am’, ‘Dm’, ‘Gm’, ‘F/G’, ‘Gm7’, ‘C’, ‘Dm7/C’, ‘C7’, ‘F’, ‘F7’, ‘Bb’, ‘Gm7’, ‘D7’, ‘Gm’, ‘D7’, ‘Gm’, ‘Gm7’, ‘F/A’, ‘Bb’, ‘Bdim’, ‘C’]

Chord Progression Analysis

`F (I), Am (vi), Dm (ii), Gm (ii
in key of F, iv in key of D), C (V, secondary dominant), F (I), Am (vi), Dm (ii), Gm (iv in key of D), F/G (I with third in bass/V in key of C), Gm7 (ii7 in key of F), C (V), Dm7/C (ii7/5 of V), C7 (V7), F (I), F7 (I7), Bb (IV), Gm7 (ii7 in IV), D7 (V7 of ii in IV), Gm (ii in IV), D7 (V7 of ii in IV), Gm (ii in IV), Gm7 (ii7 in IV), F/A (I in first inversion), Bb (IV), Bdim (viio), C (V)`

Similar Chord Progressions

1. “Like a Rolling Stone” by Bob Dylan
`C (I), Dm (ii), Em (iii), F (IV), G (V), Am (vi)`

2.”Let it Be” by The Beatles
`C (I), G (V), Am (vi), F (IV), C (I), G (V), F (IV), C (I)`

These songs also use common pop progressions like I-V-vi-IV (like “Don’t Stop Me Now”) within their verses, albeit in a different key in the case of “Like a Rolling Stone”.

Musical Analysis

The progression starts with a classic I-vi-ii progression in F major. The Gm is a relative minor chord and could be viewed as the iv of D minor. The F/G is a first inversion of an F major triad, resulting in a smoother voice leading into the following Gm7 chord. Dm7/C creates tension for our ear as a secondary dominant (ii7/V), leading into the V7 (C7) chord, and resolving to the tonic (F major).

Overall Analysis

“Dont Stop Me Now” by Queen has a key of F major. The song takes you on a journey of a unique blend of chords and progression. Freddie Mercury and the entire band are known for their diverse songwriting abilities, apparent in ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’. The chord progression in Verse 2 hints a story-telling stalwart of pop music production – the major-to-relative-minor movement (I to vi), with some interesting additions of minor seven, major seven and diminished seventh chords, giving it a more sophisticated feel.

Style Analysis

Queen was known to experiment with the conventional “pop” music theory and often stepped out of the genre boundaries, blending rock with elements from classical music. “Don’t Stop Me Now” is considered a pop/rock song.

The pop aspect comes from the prominent use of common pop chord progressions like I-V-vi-IV. The rock feature is noticeable in the energetic, driving rhythms, pronounced guitar lines, and Freddie Mercury’s dynamic vocal performance. This mix of simple chords with a few unexpected twists represents Queen’s unique style.

Chords in the Verse 2 section of Dont Stop Me Now by Queen are:

[‘F’, ‘Am’, ‘Dm’, ‘Gm’, ‘C’, ‘F’, ‘Am’, ‘Dm’, ‘Gm’, ‘F/G’, ‘Gm7’, ‘C’, ‘Dm7/C’, ‘C7’, ‘F’, ‘F7’, ‘Bb’, ‘Gm7’, ‘D7’, ‘Gm’, ‘D7’, ‘Gm’, ‘Gm7’, ‘F/A’, ‘Bb’, ‘Bdim’, ‘C’]