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Related Music Theory Alchemy

“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.

“Save Me” by Queen is in the key of G Major and it features a number of modulations to closely related keys. It resonates a distinct rock ballad style incorporating unique variations of common chord progressions from rock and pop genres. The progression’s utilization of inverted chords also brings depth and character to the melody.

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“And I Love Her” is a masterful composition by The Beatles that beautifully demonstrates their ability to mix pop songwriting with complexities of harmonic journey. The song is in the key of E Major, which is unique for being a popular song written by the Beatles in a major key. The main repeating chord progression of the Verse 3 is a progression that modulates between F# minor (the relative minor of A Major, which is the subdominant of E Major), and C# minor (the relative minor of E Major, the original key). The progression’s use of E6 at the end, which is a borrowed chord from the parallel minor (E minor), adds a unique flavor of sixth interval. Finally, it concludes on E6, a somewhat uncommon way to ground a song within a major key.

“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.

“Boulevard of Broken Dreams” by Green Day is set in the key of E minor, and uses a recurrent sequence of four chords throughout the song: Em, G, D, and A. The prevalence of this progression endows the song with an air of melancholy, aligning with its lyrical themes of loneliness and disillusionment. These four chords create a harmonic loop that reflects the circulative narrative portrayed in the lyrics.

Queen – Love Of My Life – Verse 3

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Chord Progression

[‘Bm’, ‘F#m’, ‘G’, ‘D’, ‘F#’, ‘Bm’, ‘F#m’, ‘B’, ‘Cdim’, ‘B’, ‘Em’, ‘A’, ‘D’]

Chord Progression Analysis

Bm (‘ii’), F#m (‘vi’), G (‘bIII’ – borrowed from the minor scale), D (‘I’), F# (‘V/vi’ – secondary dominant), Bm (‘ii’), F#m (‘vi’), B (‘V’), Cdim (‘viio/vi’ – secondary leading-tone chord), B (‘V’), Em (‘ii’), A (‘V’), D (‘I’)

“`Borrowed chord: G (‘bIII’)“`

Similar Chord Progressions

1. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” by The Beatles: [‘Am’, ‘Am/G’, ‘Am/F#’, ‘Am/F’, ‘Am’, ‘G’, ‘D’, ‘E’, ‘C’, ‘C#dim’, ‘Am/C’, ‘G’, ‘D’, ‘E’]
2. “Hotel California” by The Eagles: [‘Bm’, ‘F#’, ‘A’, ‘E’, ‘G’, ‘D’, ‘Em’, ‘F#’]
3. “Blackbird” by The Beatles: [‘G’, ‘G#dim’, ‘A’, ‘Am7’, ‘G/B’, ‘C’, ‘Cm’, ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘D’]

These songs also use a mix of simple and complex harmony including secondary dominants, borrowed chords, and complex chord voicings, similar to “Love Of My Life”. In particular, they all feature a change in tonal centre at some point in their progression, which is a harmonic trait shared with Queen’s composition.

Musical Analysis

The chord progression has a good mix of stability and instability. It starts in D Major, quickly shifts into the relative minor (Bm), and then uses a borrowed chord from the B minor scale (G) to lead back to D Major. This temporary ‘modulation’ into the parallel minor is indicative of Queen’s use of chromatic harmony to add color and contrast to their music. The use of secondary dominants (F# and B) and secondary leading-tone chord (Cdim) further emphasizes tension and release, creating musical interest.

Overall Analysis

“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.

Style Analysis

Queen often used complex harmony and secondary dominants in their music, which gives their compositions a dramatic and theatrical quality – a feature that is extremely evident in “Love of My Life”. Their use of diminished chords, borrowed chords, and frequent modulation are hallmarks of their unique, rock-based take on classical harmony.

Chords in the Verse 3 section of Love Of My Life by Queen are:

[‘Bm’, ‘F#m’, ‘G’, ‘D’, ‘F#’, ‘Bm’, ‘F#m’, ‘B’, ‘Cdim’, ‘B’, ‘Em’, ‘A’, ‘D’]