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Related Music Theory Alchemy

“And I Love Her” is a masterful composition by The Beatles that beautifully demonstrates their ability to mix pop songwriting with complexities of harmonic journey. The song is in the key of E Major, which is unique for being a popular song written by the Beatles in a major key. The main repeating chord progression of the Verse 3 is a progression that modulates between F# minor (the relative minor of A Major, which is the subdominant of E Major), and C# minor (the relative minor of E Major, the original key). The progression’s use of E6 at the end, which is a borrowed chord from the parallel minor (E minor), adds a unique flavor of sixth interval. Finally, it concludes on E6, a somewhat uncommon way to ground a song within a major key.

The chord progression of “Because” by The Beatles demonstrates the band’s profound exploration of harmony. The song starts in the key of C# minor, revolves around this key, and includes various modulations and tonicizations to explore chords beyond the key. It heavily employs secondary dominants and borrowed chords, particularly the diminished 7th chords, which is not uncommon in Beatles’s songs. The chord progression has a dreamy and fluid flow due to these harmonic explorations.

“Eight Days A Week” by The Beatles, released in 1965, is renowned for its catchy melodic phrases, tight harmonies, and distinctive use of chords. The song is firmly rooted in the key of D major, but there is an interesting use of borrowed chords.

Verse 2

“Hey Joe” is a famous song by Jimi Hendrix, which features a simple yet very effective chord progression throughout its verses. It has a five-chord progression, which is C, G, D, A, and E. This progression creates a strong and recognizable flow, thus contributing to the song’s iconic status.

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“Im Still Standing” by Elton John is a classic rock/pop song composed in E Major. You can see that this is a complex composition with frequent chord changes, giving it a rich musical texture. The chord progression is not diatonic, which means that it includes chords from outside of its home key of E Major.

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The Beatles – And I Love Her – Verse 2

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Chord Progression

[‘F#m’, ‘C#m’, ‘F#m’, ‘C#m’, ‘F#m’, ‘C#m’, ‘A’, ‘B7’, ‘E6’]

Chord Progression Analysis

The specific progression for Verse 2, [‘F#m’, ‘C#m’, ‘F#m’, ‘C#m’, ‘F#m’, ‘C#m’, ‘A’, ‘B7’, ‘E6’], can be analyzed like this:

“`
F# minor (‘i’)
C# minor (‘v’)
F# minor (‘i’)
C# minor (‘v’)
F# minor (‘i’)
C# minor (‘v’)
A major (‘VI’)
B7 major (‘V7’)
E6 major (‘II6’)
“`
Note: The ‘VI’ and ‘II6’ chords are borrowed from the parallel major key (F# major), which is a common technique used in popular music to bring color and variety to a song’s harmonic landscape.

Similar Chord Progressions

1. “Hotel California” by The Eagles also employs a similar technique of using a succession of minor chords with a surprising major chord to create a distinctive mood.

“`
B minor (‘i’)
F# major (‘V’)
A major (‘VII’)
E major (‘IV’)
G major (‘VI’)
D major (‘III’)
Em (‘v’)
“`
2. “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin presents another similar chord progression in its verses:

“`
A minor (‘i’)
G major (‘VII’)
A minor (‘i’)
G major (‘VII’)
“`

These artists, like The Beatles, have made iconic impacts on popular music with their innovative uses of harmonic structure.

Musical Analysis

The music of “And I Love Her” utilizes repetition and subtle variation to engage the listener. The verses consist of a repeating i-v progression, establishing a sense of melancholy and longing. This is then broken up by the surprising major VI and V7 chords, which bring a brief, brighter feel to the music before resolving to the II6, reestablishing the minor tonality of the song. The consistent rhythmic pattern throughout the song is also an essential characteristic, with its distinctive 8th-note down strums, which contributes to its iconic sound.

Overall Analysis

“And I Love Her” by The Beatles is predominantly set within the key of F# minor. Apart from the chorus that momentarily modulates to the key of D minor, the verses embrace a darker, melancholic atmosphere portrayed by the minor keys. The tonal structure and chord progressions in the song are reflective of the band’s exploration of intricate harmonies, going beyond the simple three-chord structures of many contemporary pop songs of the time.

Style Analysis

The use of complex chord progressions and harmonic explorations is a definitive characteristic of The Beatles, particularly in their later works, and “And I Love Her” is a strong example of this. Borrowed chords are used for emotional impact and the unconventional conclusion on the II6 chord leaves the listener longing for resolution, a feeling which aligns with the song’s lyrical themes.

Chords in the Verse 2 section of And I Love Her by The Beatles are:

[‘F#m’, ‘C#m’, ‘F#m’, ‘C#m’, ‘F#m’, ‘C#m’, ‘A’, ‘B7’, ‘E6’]