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Related Music Theory Alchemy

The song “Every Day Is Exactly The Same” by Nine Inch Nails has a dark and moody atmosphere, characterized by the repetitive chord progression that sets the gloomy tone. This prolific use of chords throughout snippets of the song creates a musical portrait of monotony and disillusion which is reflective of the song’s title and lyrics. Looking at the chords provided from the second verse, this mood is accomplished through the consistent use of minor tonalities and alternation between two power chords – E and C.

“Dead Flowers” by The Rolling Stones, from their album “Sticky Fingers” (1971), features a fairly straightforward repetitive chord progression of D, A, G, D in the verse. The key here is D Major. This common progression falls into a I-V-IV-I pattern known as a “plagal cadence”. It’s a progression which consists of a major key followed by its dominant (V), then its subdominant (IV), taking us back to the tonic (I).

“Perfect Situation” by Weezer is a pop-rock song that follows a standard verse-chorus format, with a strong focus on melody and harmony. The song is in the key of G major, and the chord progression provided is for the second verse. It features a simple, yet effective progression that creates a sense of movement and tension before resolving back to the tonic chord. This gives the song a very engaging, classic pop/rock feel.

Stephen Sanchez – Until I Found You – Verse 2

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Chord Progression

[‘G’, ‘Bm’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘Bm’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘Bm’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘D’]

Chord Progression Analysis

The verse 2 chord progression is as follows:
G Major (‘I’)
B Minor (‘iii’)
C Major (‘IV’)
G Major (‘I’)
B Minor (‘iii’)
C Major (‘IV’)
G Major (‘I’)
B Minor (‘iii’)
C Major (‘IV’)
G Major (‘I’)
D Major (‘V’)

Similar Chord Progressions

1. David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” (after the intro) uses an almost identical progression:
C Major (‘IV’)
E minor (‘vi’)
F Major (‘IV)
C Major (‘I’)
E minor (‘vi’)
F Major (‘IV’)
C Major (‘I’)
E Minor (‘vi’)
F Major (‘IV’)
C Major (‘I’)
G Major (‘V’)

Please note the similarity is not perfect but follows a similar pattern of alternating between a first, third, fourth and then back to the first chord, resulting in the same type of progression: IV-vi-IV-I in the key of C Major.

2. The Beatles’ song “Let It Be” also uses a similar chord progression:
C Major (‘I’)
E minor (‘vi’)
F Major (‘IV)
C Major (‘I’)
E minor (‘vi’)
F Major (‘IV’)
C Major (‘I’)
G Major (‘V’)

These examples employ the same concept of a recurring three-chord phrase with a fourth chord as a transition. The difference lies in the start of the cycle where Bowie’s “Space Oddity” starts on a ‘IV’ chord whereas Sanchez and The Beatles start on the ‘I’.

Musical Analysis

The verse 2 chord progression of “Until I Found You” is quite common in pop and rock music. It begins on the tonic chord (G), moves to the relative minor (Bm), then to the subdominant (C), returning back to the tonic. This gives a sense of forward motion and lyrical build, creating a strong, melodic line over which the verse sits. The D major chord acts as a perfect cadence, resolving back to the tonic chord G major in the following progression or section.

Overall Analysis

The chord progression in verse 2 of Stephen Sanchez’s “Until I Found You” is tonal and grounded in the key of G major throughout. The progression follows a strong, clearly structured pattern with repeated use of the G, Bm, C chords and a concluding D chord used to transition to the following sections. Stephen Sanchez makes significant use of the I-iii-IV chord progression in G major (G-Bm-C), which gives the song its flowing, harmonically stable character.

Style Analysis

This progression is indicative of a major key pop/rock style. Sanchez’s songwriting leans towards melodic, diatonically structured songs, marked by a clearly defined, repeating chord structure. It’s a recurrent feature in contemporary pop music, where harmonic simplicity usually serves the melody and lyrics.

Chords in the Verse 2 section of Until I Found You by Stephen Sanchez are:

[‘G’, ‘Bm’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘Bm’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘Bm’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘D’]