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Related Music Theory Alchemy

“Across The Universe” by The Beatles, written mostly by John Lennon, is known for its rich and complex harmonic structures that added new dimensions to pop music. The song is predominately in the key of D major, with occasional borrowings from the parallel minor (D minor) and the closely-related key of B minor. The verse 1 progression – D, Bm, F#m, Em7, A, A7, D, Bm, F#m, Em7, Gm – creates an affectingly melancholic mood through its mix of major, minor and borrowed chords, producing a unique ambience that evokes a sense of cosmic contemplation, matching with the philosophical lyrics of the song.

“I Am The Walrus” by The Beatles is a song that stands out because of its unique chord progressions and thematic material. The chord progression of the pre-chorus is particularly captivating and somehow unusual compared to common pop/rock tunes.

“Disarm” by The Smashing Pumpkins is a piece that showcases a rather common chord progression structure in pop music, but with added embellishments and variations. The featured chords include Dsus, Em7, Cadd9, G, and Dsus/F# with a key signature suggesting that the song is in the key of G major or E minor. The prominent chord in the outro is Dsus which suggests that the song might be interpreted in the D Mixolydian mode. The use of the slash chord (D/F#) diversifies the sound of the progression and adds harmonic richness. This chord progression uses both diatonic and borrowed chords creating a familiar but interesting sound.

The outro of “Hey Joe” by Jimi Hendrix uses a descending circle of fifths chord progression, which is a very common progression in many styles of music, particularly in the Baroque period and in blues-based rock music. The progression features a steady descent through the Circle of Fifths that creates a strong sense of harmony and resolution. In this context, Jimi Hendrix uses the progression to create tension and momentum, which is appropriate for an outro section.

“Rocket Man” by Elton John is primarily in the key of Bb minor (the verses and chorus), but its outro transposes to the key of C Major, which gives a sensation of resolution. The chord progression in the Outro is a simple two-chord progression (I – V), which is extremely common in all styles of music and impacts the listener with its familiarity and stability.

The Beatles – Across The Universe – Outro

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Chord Progression

[‘D’, ‘D’]

Chord Progression Analysis

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The progression of D-D in the outro constitutes a repetition of a single chord which is representative of the ‘tonic’ or home key. In the context of D Major (the key signature of the song), it can be laid out as:

D Major (I)

Considering the key of D Major, this implies that the D major chord is utilized twice, signifying a strong and forceful closing, serving to reinforce the root or home chord in our minds by the end of the song.

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Similar Chord Progressions

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– “No Woman, No Cry” by Bob Marley: F – C – Dmin – Amin, a common four-chord song in pop music, differs in fourth-chord (Amin), but shares the sustained rhythmic closure technique with ‘Across The Universe”s D – D outro.
– “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen: C – Ami – C – Ami, a song with identical repeated outro chords.
– “Let It Be” by The Beatles: C – G – Ami – F, shares the D-D pattern in the outro, showing a tendency of Beatles to use this technique in their music.

Musical Analysis

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The conclusion of ‘Across The Universe’ consists of a simple yet effective D-D chord, repeated twice as an outro. This static harmony signals a completion or resolution to the song, as it hits and rests in the root note. The absence of any moving melody or chord change within the outro allows for the vocals to shine through, without any disruptive or distracting undercurrent of chordal movement.

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Overall Analysis

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The song, ‘Across the Universe’ by The Beatles is uniquely complex in its melody and chord progression. The song modulates or shifts key but is rooted mainly in D major. The song utilizes the standard rock/pop song structure of Verse, Chorus, and Outro. The unusual facet of this song’s composition is the use of borrowed chords (non-diatonic chords) that add unexpected twists to an otherwise typical chord progression.

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Style Analysis

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The Beatles frequently used repeated tonic chords to finish their songs, providing a clear sense of ending. Combined with their trademark melodic vocal line, rich harmonies, and layered instrumentation, the simplicity of this technique was often enough to create a satisfying conclusion.

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Chords in the Outro section of Across The Universe by The Beatles are:

[‘D’, ‘D’]