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Related Music Theory Alchemy

“Love of My Life” by Queen exhibits a very romantic and classical style, resonant of popular ballads primarily from the classical and romantic periods. The song beautifully plays with complex harmonies, frequent key changes and borrowings from parallel keys (modal mixture), which together yield a dramatic and emotional expression. Many of the chords used, including diminished chords, fully diminished seventh, major-minor seventh chords, and usage of secondary dominants are reminiscent of 19th-century Romantic music.

The key of the song “Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy” by Queen is primarily in C Major. The song employs both diatonic chords (chords that naturally occur within the major scale key) and borrowed chords (chords from a parallel mode). There is a bit of modal mixture where the song borrows from an outside key, specifically the minor key, which is often used in pop music to add color and tension. You can see this in the use of some of the chords here like Fm and Eb7. The piece also utilizes secondary dominant chords and diminished chords. In the bridge, there is modulation to different keys, namely to Fm, which is a parallel minor of F, includes Eb7 (secondary dominant) and Ab (borrowed chord), and goes through sequence of V-I pattern (G7-C).

The chord progression in Verse 3 of Beck’s “Say Goodbye” features an interesting mixture of diatonic and chromatic chords with noticeable tonal shifts. The progression is G – A# – Am – C – G – A# – Am – C, with an emphasis on the G major key. This progression conveys an expressive and slightly unstable mood, creating tension and release with the inclusion of borrowed and non-diatonic chords.

“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.

“Time” by Pink Floyd is a progressive rock piece characterized by its reflective lyrics, syncopated rhythms, and distinctive use of chromaticism and modality. This chord progression takes place in the third verse of the song, where the harmonic structure is more complex and features borrowed chords, creating a sense of tension and resolution, reflecting the lyrics and conveying emotions of nostalgia and regret.

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’]