Queen – Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy – Solo
Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy < All Analyses
Chord Progression
[‘C’, ‘G7/B’, ‘Am’, ‘Em’, ‘F’, ‘C’, ‘G7/B’, ‘Am’, ‘E7/G#’, ‘Am’, ‘Em’, ‘Am’, ‘Em’, ‘Dm’, ‘Fm’, ‘Em’, ‘Fm7’, ‘C’, ‘G/B’, ‘Am’, ‘Em’, ‘Dm7’, ‘F’, ‘G7’]
Chord Progression Analysis
“`
‘C’ (I),
‘G7/B’ (V7/IV),
‘Am’ (vi),
‘Em’ (iii),
‘F’ (IV),
‘C’ (I),
‘G7/B’ (V7/IV),
‘Am’ (vi),
‘E7/G#’ (V7/vi),
‘Am’ (vi),
‘Em’ (iii),
‘Am’ (vi),
‘Em’ (iii),
‘Dm’ (ii),
‘Fm’ (iv)*,
‘Em’ (iii),
‘Fm7’ (iv7)*,
‘C’ (I),
‘G/B’ (V/IV),
‘Am’ (vi),
‘Em’ (iii),
‘Dm7’ (ii7),
‘F’ (IV),
‘G7’ (V7)
“`
Asterisk (*) denotes the borrowed chords.
Similar Chord Progressions
“Yesterday” by The Beatles also employs a similar technique of borrowing chords from the parallel minor key. McCartney uses an F major chord in the key of F major but also borrows F minor from the parallel minor key, producing a poignant effect.
“A Day In The Life” by The Beatles makes use of chromatic movement in its chord progression, adding interest and complexity to the harmony.
“God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys utilizes a lot of borrowed and secondary dominants in its progression, similar to this Queen song.
“Radio Ga Ga” by Queen uses a similar alternating progression between relative major/minor tonalities.
Musical Analysis
The progression starts on the tonic ‘C’ chord, then moves to ‘G7/B’, a secondary dominant of the mediant ‘Em’. The ‘Am’ chord is the relative minor of ‘C’. ‘Fm’ and ‘Fm7’ are borrowed chords from the parallel minor (C minor), creating a striking color change in the tonality. These borrowed chords add a sense of surprise and interest by disrupting the expected diatonic chords.
The mirror progression of ‘Am-Em’ and ‘Em-Am’ adds a cyclical feeling to the solo, springboarding us between relative major/minor tonalities.
Overall Analysis
“Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy” by Queen from the album “A Night at the Opera” is essentially written in the key of C major. The song includes an intricate and quite peculiar chord progression full of chromatic and borrowed chords, highly characteristic of Queen’s eccentric and unique style of songwriting. In particular, Freddie Mercury, the primary songwriter, often incorporated complex harmonic structures from classical music into their rock/pop context.
The complexity and richness of the harmonics is among the aspects that make Queen’s songs stand out and, in this specific track, it contributes to the song’s upbeat yet nostalgic feel.
Style Analysis
Queen’s music often blends elements of rock, pop, and classical music, and this song is no exception. The frequent changes of chords and the use of borrowed chords are more akin to jazz and classical music than to rock, but the rhythm and arrangement present these chords in a pop context.
Through borrowed chords from the parallel minor and dramatic shifts between different tonal areas, the chord progression exudes a dramatic, theatrical quality, perfectly fitting Queen’s flamboyant musical style.
What are the chords in: Queen – Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy – Solo?
[‘C’, ‘G7/B’, ‘Am’, ‘Em’, ‘F’, ‘C’, ‘G7/B’, ‘Am’, ‘E7/G#’, ‘Am’, ‘Em’, ‘Am’, ‘Em’, ‘Dm’, ‘Fm’, ‘Em’, ‘Fm7’, ‘C’, ‘G/B’, ‘Am’, ‘Em’, ‘Dm7’, ‘F’, ‘G7’]
