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“Cant Buy Me Love” by The Beatles, is a song in the key of C Major, but it has an interesting harmonic structure, especially in the chorus. The song features a number of borrowed and secondary dominant chords to create tension that resolves into the tonic chord. The chorus’s progression can be seen as a series of descending minor thirds, with an unexpected shift to a ii-V-I progression which is quite popular in jazz music.

“I Am The Walrus” is a composition by The Beatles that showcases a variety of chord progressions, rhythmic sensibilities, and melodic explorations that are representative of their signature sound. The song’s structure presents a complex and unorthodox harmonic design that is characteristic of The Beatles’ later experimental phase.

The pre-chorus 1 [‘A’, ‘A/G’, ‘Dadd9/F#’, ‘F’, ‘G’, ‘A’, ‘A/G’, ‘F’, ‘B7’] presents a series of descending bass notes provided by the root movement of these chords- from A to G (in ‘A/G’) to F# (in ‘Dadd9/F#’) and then repeated. This technique significantly enhances the melodic content of this progression. From a stylistic perspective, the song’s chord progression is enriched by the functional interplay of diatonic and non-diatonic elements over a changing tonal landscape.

“Sorry Seems to Be The Hardest Word” is in the key of E minor and shifts to the relative major (G major) at various points, it demonstrates Elton John’s mastery of the line between major and minor keys. It’s a melancholic song with a moderate tempo. The use of both minor and major chords in Elton John’s progression signifies the tension and release in the song’s melody and lyrics.

“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).

The chord progression in verse 2 of “Telepatia” by Kali Uchis is a jazz-influenced progression in the key of E minor. It features several extended chords, such as the Em9 and Gmaj7 used throughout, and a dominant chord, B7, which provides tension and resolution in the progression. The G/A chord, which is essentially an A11 chord without the 3rd, also gives the progression a sense of blending major and minor tonalities.

The Beatles – Cant Buy Me Love – Verse 2

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Chord Progression

[‘C7’, ‘F7’, ‘C’]

Chord Progression Analysis

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Here’s the expansion of the chords in Verse 2 of the song:

1. C7 -> C Dominant 7th (‘I7’)
2. F7 -> F Dominant 7th (‘IV7’)
3. C -> C Major (‘I’)

“`text
C7 (‘I7’) -> F7 (‘IV7’) -> C (‘I’)
“`

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Similar Chord Progressions

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A similar chord progression is also used in the song “You Never Can Tell” by Chuck Berry. The progression is not an exact match but follows a similar idea of using the I-IV chord movement along with dominant 7 chords to drive the progression.

This is the chord progression for the first verse of “You Never Can Tell”:

1. C -> C Major (‘I’)
2. F -> F Major (‘IV’)
3. C -> C Major (‘I’)

“`text
C (‘I’) -> F (‘IV’) -> C (‘I’)
“`

While the exact chords might be different, the use of dominant 7th chords and the I-IV movement is a common feature seen in many early rock and roll and blues songs.

Musical Analysis

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The chord progression in Verse 2 begins with a C7 (I7) chord, which is essentially a C major triad with a minor 7th (Bb) added. The addition of the minor 7th gives the chord a strong pull towards the IV chord (F or F7 in this case). It is a perfect example of a dominant 7th chord functioning as a “dominant” chord – the tension created by the Bb in the C7 chord is resolved by moving to the IV chord (F or F7). The F7 moves back to the C Major using the resolution of the dominant 7 to the root note.

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Overall Analysis

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“Cant Buy Me Love” by The Beatles is a pure example of their early rock-and-roll style influenced by blues. It uses common chord progressions in rock and blues, such as the I-IV-V progression and the use of dominant 7th chords. The song is set in C major, and makes repeated use of the I-IV (C-F) progression. A significant feature in the song is the use of the dominant 7th chords (C7 and F7), which adds some bluesy quality to the song and also serves as a transition chord to the next chord in the progression.

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Style Analysis

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This is characteristic of the early rock-and-roll and blues influenced styles of The Beatles – the use of dominant 7th chords to create tension and release, and the use of common chord progressions like the I-IV-V. The dominant 7th chords used in this song have a “bluesy” feel to them due to their origins in blues music.

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Chords in the Verse 2 section of Cant Buy Me Love by The Beatles are:

[‘C7’, ‘F7’, ‘C’]