Music Theory Alchemy

Search

Related Music Theory Alchemy

“Love Of My Life” by Queen, especially Verse 3, showcases a mix of simple and complex harmony, with many secondary dominants, borrowed chords, and diminished chords contributing to varying and shifting tonal centres. This makes for an emotional and contextually appropriate progression that fits well with the song’s lyrical content.

Queen’s ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ contains a rich mixture of chord progressions, which is typical of the band’s complex songwriting. The outro of the song makes use of the F, F7, Bb, and Gm7 chords. This progression is in the key of F Major, with F being the tonic (I), F7 being the dominant 7th (V7), Bb being the subdominant (IV) and Gm7 being the submediant 7th (vi7). The Bb chord is a borrowed chord from the parallel minor key (F Minor) and the usage of F7 serves to add a level of tension before resolving to the Bb.

“Castles Made of Sand” by Jimi Hendrix is a psychedelic rock song that features a unique and colorful chord progression, blending major and minor tonalities in a way that creates tension and a sense of longing. The verse consists of a 12-chord progression that builds upon the foundation of the major key of C, even though it starts with the IV chord (F), which contributes to the song’s unusual character. The progression includes borrowed chords from the parallel minor and elements specific to Hendrix’s own style, making it a remarkable piece in terms of its harmonic complexity and eclecticism.

“Purple Haze” by Jimi Hendrix is a classic example of psychedelic rock and blues-infused music from the late 1960s. This particular chord progression, found in Verse 2, demonstrates Hendrix’s innovative approach to harmony and showcases his integration of blues and rock influences.

Chord Progression Analysis (Roman Numerals):
E7#9 (I), G (bIII), A (IV), E (I)

Borrowed Chord:
`G (bIII)` – This chord is borrowed from the parallel minor key of E minor.

The piece “When I Was Your Man” by Bruno Mars showcases a common pop ballad structure that follows a typical 4-chord progression with common tone substitution as well as some chords borrowed from the relative minor. Its simplicity is one of its strengths as it allows the focus to fall on Bruno’s vocals and the lyrics, which matches the direct, emotional content of the song effectively.

Queen – Love Of My Life – Verse 2

Add To Favorites Remove From Favorites

< All Analyses

Chord Progression

[‘A’, ‘F#m’, ‘Bm’, ‘E’, ‘E7’, ‘A’, ‘A7’, ‘D’, ‘Bm’, ‘F#m’, ‘G’, ‘D’, ‘G’, ‘D’, ‘Bm’, ‘Em’, ‘A’, ‘D’]

Chord Progression Analysis

Below are the full chord names and their corresponding Roman numerals.

“`
A [I]
F#m [vi]
Bm [ii]
E [V]
E7 [V7]
A [I]
A7 [I7]
D [IV]
Bm [ii]
F#m [vi]
G [bVII] (Borrowed Chord)
D [IV]
G [bVII] (Borrowed Chord)
D [IV]
Bm [ii]
Em [v]
A [I]
D [IV]
“`

Similar Chord Progressions

The Beatles’ “Let It Be” has a similar progression in its verse:

“`
C [I]
G [V]
Amin [vi]
F [IV]
“`

John Lennon’s “Imagine” uses a similar kind of complex chord progression:

“`
Cmaj7 [I]
Cmaj [I]
Fmaj [IV]
Cmaj/E [I]
Fmaj [IV]
Fmaj/E [IV]
Dm [ii]
Dm/C [ii]
Fmaj [IV]
G11 [V11]
G7 [V7]
“`

Once again, like Queen, the Beatles and John Lennon were known to mix common and uncommon chord progressions quite creatively. As a result, their songs create a unique emotional landscape within the listener’s mind.

Musical Analysis

The second verse of “Love of My Life” starts with an ascending sequence of fifth relationship from A (I) chord to D (IV) chord. E7, which is the V7 of A, acts as the dominant chord to return to A maj. The F#m (vi) chord then modulates to Bm (ii), followed by a resolution back to A (I).

The G chord is the interesting chord in this sequence as it’s a borrowed chord from A Mixolydian mode, and is a common technique for creating contrast within the progression. The song also uses plenty of seventh chords, indicative of Queen’s operatic style.

Overall Analysis

“Love of My Life” is a stunning ballad written by Freddie Mercury of Queen. The song is written in the key of A major and is primarily played on piano. It features a sophisticated and somewhat unconventional chord progression that serves as the foundation for Mercury’s versatile vocal performance. It’s arguably one of Queen’s more classical-influenced pieces and makes use of borrowed chord techniques frequently, which are commonly associated with the band’s flirtation with different musical styles, including rock, classical, and opera.

Style Analysis

The chord progression clearly illustrates Queen’s unique blending of rock, opera, and classical music, capturing the theatrical grandiosity that the band is known for. These chords give each verse a cycle of significant emotional shifts, apt to the song’s theme of love and loss.

Chords in the Verse 2 section of Love Of My Life by Queen are:

[‘A’, ‘F#m’, ‘Bm’, ‘E’, ‘E7’, ‘A’, ‘A7’, ‘D’, ‘Bm’, ‘F#m’, ‘G’, ‘D’, ‘G’, ‘D’, ‘Bm’, ‘Em’, ‘A’, ‘D’]