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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.

“Hey Jude,” written by The Beatles, charts a classic journey from tonic to dominant, with a detour through the subdominant and the minor dominant. It starts with a D chord (I), moves onto A (V), then A7 (V7) and back to D (I). The interlude features the progression D (I) – D7 (I7) – A7 (V7). This clever progression creates a momentary modulation to the key of G with the D7 chord, creating an interesting harmonic shift.

The song “3 Libras Acoustic Live” by A Perfect Circle oscillates between an A major and a C# minor structure, with a D major introduced at the end of the progression. The dominant chords are A (represented as Asus2) and C# (represented as C#m). The final D chord can be seen as a modulation, adding a somewhat unexpected resolution that doesn’t adhere to the traditional rules of tonic-dominant resolution in either major or minor keys.

The Outro of “Exit Music (For a Film)” by Radiohead features a striking and emotive chord progression that showcases their innovative approach to harmony. It is characterized by the use of irregular modal interchanges, sustained chords, and slight variations on repeating patterns.

“Set Fire To The Rain” is a song that largely follows the conventions of pop music, with its simple and repetitive chord progressions echoing those in many similar genres. The chord progression observed in the Outro is primarily a combination of minor and major chords that provide a melancholic and intense undertone to the song’s overall theme. The song is in the key of A minor and the chord progression in the Outro starts on the key’s root chord (‘Am’).

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’]