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“Come Together”, released by The Beatles in 1969 on their Abbey Road album, is a rock song known for its catchy bass-line, cryptic lyrics and iconic chorus. It’s written in D minor key, a common key in rock music. Across the progression, there is not only an interesting mix of different chords but also a novel use of borrowed chords that play a significant role in making the song mysterious, intriguing, and unique.

“Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” by The Beatles is a track that showcases the band’s fondness for creating complex and textured compositions by combining multiple melody lines with innovative chord sequences in a pop rock context. It features numerous musical styles, including pop, rock, and music hall, which reflects the band’s eclectic musical influences. The Coda of the song takes place in the key of D major.

“Stairway to Heaven” is a progressive rock song by Led Zeppelin, released in 1971. The song showcases a movement between different styles and musical settings, as it starts with a gentle, fingerpicked acoustic section and gradually evolves into a powerful and climactic electric guitar solo, finishing with a full-band finale. The song is characterized by its ascending progression and intricate chord changes, which contribute to its unique and haunting atmosphere. The verse 1 chord progression features a blend of diatonic and chromatic elements, borrowed chords, and inversions, which create a sense of tension and resolution throughout the progression.

“While My Guitar Gently Weeps” is in the key of A minor and quite uniquely, the song borrows chords from parallel major and minor keys, as well as from modes like mixolydian. It is one of George Harrison’s contributions to the Beatles and showcases sophisticated harmonic techniques and an intricate chordal design, reflecting deeply on the influence of Eastern music and philosophies on his songwriting.

“Rocket Man” by Elton John and his long-time lyricist Bernie Taupin is a standout song in Elton John’s discography, well known for its memorable melody line and masterful chord progression that was very innovative for its time (1972). It showcases his trademark style of combining rock with various other genres such as folk.

Overall, the harmony in this song is quite rich and a clear example of Elton John’s ’70s songwriting style: using complex chords and a lot of borrowed chords from other keys that add extra color to the harmonic progression.

The Beatles – Come Together – Verse 1

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Chord Progression

[‘Dm’, ‘Dm’, ‘A’, ‘G’]

Chord Progression Analysis

Here is the chord progression of Verse 1 along with the full chord names and their roman numerals:

D minor (i)
D minor (i)
A major (V)
G major (IV)

Every chord exists naturally in the key of D minor, thus there are no borrowed chords in this progression.

Similar Chord Progressions

1. “Bad Moon Rising” by Creedence Clearwater Revival has similar chord progression:
D major (I)
A major (V)
G major (IV)
D major (I)

2. “Sweet Child o’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses also shares a similar progression in the verse:
D major (I)
C major (bVII)
G major (IV)
D major (I)

This analysis only covers Verse 1 of the song, but the overall structure and progression vary throughout, with the use of the chords Bm and Bm/A making appearances in other parts of the song, enhancing its overall complexity and musical interest.

Musical Analysis

The chord progression’s unique character stems from its repetition and simplicity. The repeated D minor chord emphasizes the overall tonal center of the song. The A major to G major progression is a characteristic example of a V-IV cadence in minor, which creates an unresolved tension. The harmonic rhythm is consistent, with each chord receiving equal duration, lending to the steady and hypnotic groove of the song.

Overall Analysis

“Come Together” by The Beatles, like many other Beatles songs, is known for its unique melody and innovative chord progressions. The song is written in the key of D minor and employs frequent use of bluesy pentatonic scale patterns. The meter is 4/4 (common time). The song is characterized by the use of common chords, with the exception of the Bm and Bm/A chords which are noteworthy.

Style Analysis

“Come Together” is influenced by blues and rock and roll. Its simple and repetitive chord progression are features commonly found in these genres. The straightforward progression also serves as a background for the complex vocal melody and the signature bass line. The Beatles often employed standard rock/pop chords, but would arrange them in often unexpected and innovative ways.

Chords in the Verse 1 section of Come Together by The Beatles are:

[‘Dm’, ‘Dm’, ‘A’, ‘G’]