Music Theory Alchemy

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“Somebody To Love” by Queen is a classic rock ballad in the key of G major, drawing heavily from influences of gospel music and blues progressions. Its bridge, aside from the characteristic gospel and rock elements, includes a modulating progression that is particularly interesting due to its use of borrowed chords, which adds contrast and emphasizes the emotive quality of the song.

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“Someone to Love” by Queen is a rock song infused with gospel and blues influences. It’s written in the key of Ab major but the second verse you have provided seems to be in G major.

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“With a Little Help from My Friends” is a song by the Beatles from their 1967 album ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’. It features Ringo Starr who sings the song in the role of ‘Billy Shears’, a fictional character from the ‘Sgt. Pepper’ album. It was composed by Paul McCartney and John Lennon.

The full chord sequence you provided represents the verse. The song itself is predominantly in E Major, but contains several borrowed chords and modal exchanges. As was common with Beatles’s compositions, they often incorporated intricate chord progressions and did not strictly adhere to traditional key signatures.

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The song “Get You” by Daniel Caesar features a smooth and soulful chord progression that reflects the style of contemporary R&B and neo-soul. The chords provide a sense of warmth and sincerity that complements the song’s intimate lyrics. The progression is primarily diatonic, but with some borrowed chords, which adds an interesting color to the music.

“Can You Feel The Love Tonight” by Elton John is a heart-touching love song that carries a smooth flowing blend of pop and soft rock, showing Elton John’s inclination to use diatonic (major and minor) chords, 7th chords and inversions. The song, largely stays in its home key of C major, has an interesting chord progression that shifts between the tonic, subdominant, and dominant. Internally, there are multiple secondary dominant chords and borrowing from the parallel minor, providing color and contrast.

Queen – Somebody To Love – Verse 1

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Chord Progression

[‘G’, ‘D/F#’, ‘Em’, ‘G’, ‘A7’, ‘D’, ‘G’, ‘D/F#’, ‘Em’, ‘A7’, ‘D’, ‘G’, ‘A7’, ‘D’, ‘A7’, ‘D’, ‘C’]

Chord Progression Analysis

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Here are the Roman numeral chord listings structured as per your request:

“`
G (IV)
D/F# (V/IV)
Em (ii)
G (IV)
A7 (V – Dominant Seventh)
D (V)
G (IV)
D/F# (V/IV)
Em (ii)
A7 (V – Dominant Seventh)
D (V)
G (IV)
A7 (V – Dominant Seventh)
D (V)
A7 (V – Dominant Seventh)
D (V)
C (bIII – Borrowed chord from the parallel minor)
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– The `C (bIII)` chord is borrowed from the parallel minor (A minor in this case). Borrowed chords are chords borrowed from the parallel key (minor or major scale with the same root), helping to create interest or dramatic effect.

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Similar Chord Progressions

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An somewhat similar chord progression can be found in The Beatles’ “Let it Be” – the progression uses different chords, but incorporates similar elements such as the infusion of the IV and V/IV, as well as other shared techniques.

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C (I)
G (V)
Am (vi)
F (IV)
C (I)
G (V)
F (IV)
C (I)
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Keep in mind that while similar thematic elements between songs exist, it’s the unique arrangement and detailed nuances that differentiate each song.

Musical Analysis

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The verse starts effectively in the key of G major, before briefly modulation to the key of D major with the addition of the A7 and D chords (seen here as V and V, respectively). This is a common ‘dominant switch’, used often in pop music.

Later in this sequence, the verse modulates again with the A7 chord, this time heading to the key of D major, before returning the listener back to the home key with a C chord, borrowed from the parallel minor. This amplified the emotional impact of the melody line.

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Overall Analysis

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The overall use of chords highlights Queen’s blending of rock with more complex harmonic structures, moving beyond simple major & minor chords and incorporating 7th and inversions. Despite its pop/rock surface, “Somebody to Love” includes interesting modulation and chord choices that could be seen as more typical of more ‘classical’ forms of music.

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Style Analysis

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From a stylistic perspective, Queen always made elaborate use of harmony in their music, and “Somebody to Love” is no exception. They often mixed major and minor chords, playing with tonality to create their unique sound.

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Chords in the Verse 1 section of Somebody To Love by Queen are:

[‘G’, ‘D/F#’, ‘Em’, ‘G’, ‘A7’, ‘D’, ‘G’, ‘D/F#’, ‘Em’, ‘A7’, ‘D’, ‘G’, ‘A7’, ‘D’, ‘A7’, ‘D’, ‘C’]