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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.

“Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy” by Queen exhibits rich harmonic complexity that falls within the signature rock style of the band. This is evident in the fluctuation between major and minor chord quality, frequent use of 7th chords as well as borrowed chords from the parallel minor. The progression moves fluidly between the tonics, subdominants, and dominants, with a strong cadential movement towards the end that resolves the tension built upon earlier in the piece.

“Purple Haze” by Jimi Hendrix is a classic and influential rock song released in 1967. The chord progression featured in Verse 3 of this song has a bluesy, psychedelic sound that typifies Hendrix’s style. The use of the E7#9 chord, also known as the “Hendrix chord,” adds a sense of tension and dissonance, which contributes to the edgy and innovative nature of the song.

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.

The Beatles’ “Rocky Raccoon” incorporates a repeating sequence of predominantly seventh chords, displaying a mix of minor, dominant, and sustained chords within the and C Major/A minor keys. This diversity contributes to the song’s unique harmony, and given its context in a folk rock style, the progression exudes a rustic, storytelling personality.

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’]