Tame Impala – Let It Happen – Verse 1
Let It Happen < All Analyses
Chord Progression
[‘A’, ‘F#m’, ‘G#sus4’, ‘A’, ‘F#m’, ‘G#sus4’, ‘A’, ‘F#m’, ‘G#sus4’, ‘A’, ‘F#m’, ‘G#sus4’]
Chord Progression Analysis
In Verse 1 we can see a three-chord progression that repeats. The progression in Roman numerals would look like: I – vi – bVII, assigning roman numerals according to the A Major scale. Even though G# does not naturally come in the A major or A minor scale, here it’s being used as a borrowed chord. It’s not notated as such because it is not a “typical” borrowing from the parallel minor.
Full Chord name (‘Roman Numeral)
“`
A Major (‘I’)
F# Minor (‘vi’)
G# Suspended 4 (‘bVII’) (borrowed)
“`
Similar Chord Progressions
Memoirs by Röyksopp has a similar progression. It employs bVII – I in its repetition, like Tame Impala’s Let it Happen:
A major (‘I’, Tonic)
G Major (‘bVII’, Subtonic – borrowed chord)
The Birds Pt. 1 by The Weeknd also uses a modal borrowing technique in the chord progression:
F# Major (‘I’, Tonic)
E Major (‘bVII’, Subtonic – borrowed chord).
Though these songs might not sound identical due to differences in arrangement, tempo, and instrumentation, the underlying chord progressions share a similar structure to “Let It Happen”.
Musical Analysis
The constant modulation through the use of a ‘borrowed’ chord – G#sus4 – provides an ambiguous, floating quality to the music. This gives an otherworldly sense to the track, propelling the listener into a psychedelic, trance-like state.
Overall Analysis
Tame Impala’s “Let It Happen” is a song in A major key. The chord progression seems simple at first, with a repetitive motive throughout the verse but it creates a hypnotic effect that is very much in line with Tame Impala’s psychedelic style.
Style Analysis
This hypnotic style fits well within Tame Impala’s psychedelic music idiosyncrasy. Use of the suspended 4 chords further adds to the ambiguity and continuous flow of the song, which circles back again and again to A Major.
What are the chords in: Tame Impala – Let It Happen – Verse 1?
[‘A’, ‘F#m’, ‘G#sus4’, ‘A’, ‘F#m’, ‘G#sus4’, ‘A’, ‘F#m’, ‘G#sus4’, ‘A’, ‘F#m’, ‘G#sus4’]
