Search

Related Music Theory Alchemy

“For No One” is a song from The Beatles’ album Revolver, released in 1966. The song has a melancholic theme, represented quite well through a sophisticated chord progression that features significant use of the minor scale and infrequent use of chord extensions, such as 7th and suspended chords. It’s written primarily in C Major, but the chorus alternates between D Minor and A7, an interesting modal shift (Using structural chords from different modes).

The song “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles is cheerful and upbeat, with accessible melodies that catch the audience’s attention immediately. The rhythm is contagious and gives a happy atmosphere to the whole song. It is a perfect example of the early influences of rock ‘n’ roll on The Beatles, with a chord progression that is quite common in pop/rock music but showcases The Beatles’ ability to create fresh and unique melodic ideas.

Across the Universe by The Beatles is a melancholic, introspective piece set in the key of D major, imbuing an overall sound spectrum that’s somber with a hint of hopeful resolution. The chord progression utilizes both diatonic and borrowed chords, making it both unusual and interesting.

“Perfect Situation” by Weezer is a pop-rock song that follows a standard verse-chorus format, with a strong focus on melody and harmony. The song is in the key of G major, and the chord progression provided is for the second verse. It features a simple, yet effective progression that creates a sense of movement and tension before resolving back to the tonic chord. This gives the song a very engaging, classic pop/rock feel.

**

Looking at the entire song and isolating the verse, the chord progression provided shows a rock style often seen in Queens of the Stone Age compositions. The harmonic language of this song and its progression style fall within the realm of Pop / Rock music, with frequent use of minor chords suggesting a somber or introspective mood. On first glance, it appears to contain chords primarily from the key of F# minor, with no obvious borrowings from other keys. However, a closer inspection will allow us to delve deeper into their harmonic function.

**

The Beatles – For No One – Verse 2

Add To Favorites Remove From Favorites

< All Analyses

Chord Progression

[‘C’, ‘C/B’, ‘Am’, ‘C/G’, ‘F’, ‘Bb’, ‘C’]

Chord Progression Analysis

Here is the analysis with borrowed chords:

“`
C Major (I)
C/B (I with leading tone Bass)
A minor (vi)
C/G (I with dominant Bass)
F Major (IV)
Bb Major (♭VII – Borrowed from C Minor)
C Major (I)
“`

Similar Chord Progressions

The progression I – vi – IV – V is common in many other pop songs. A borrowed ♭VII chord and slash chords are less common, but you can see a use of borrowed chords in the work of artists as diverse as Nirvana and Stevie Wonder. For example:

– Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” borrows uses a similar technique in a couple passages. Here is one such progression: [‘F5’, ‘Bb5’, ‘Ab5’, ‘Db5’] (I – ♭III – ♭II – IV assumed to be in the F Major Key. Nirvana used power chords which technically aren’t major or minor but assuming major fits the aesthetic of their music perfectly).
– Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” also uses a similar trick. The progression: [‘Eb min7’, ‘Bb7’] (i – V expressed in Eb minor, the V chord is borrowed from the parallel major).

Of course, these examples don’t match The Beatles chord progression exactly but they do show the use of borrowed chords, which are one unique aspect of the given Beatles progression.

Musical Analysis

This progression consists of the I, vi, IV, and V, a very common progression in pop music known as the doo-wop progression. What is unique here is the use of a borrowed chord, which is less common. This introduces a note (Bb) into the progression that is not in the diatonic key of C Major, creating an unexpected and interesting sound.

Overall Analysis

The progression is in the key of C major. The use of the Bb major is known as modal interchange, where a chord that is not in the key is borrowed from a parallel key, which in this case is C minor. This contributes an interesting tone color to the overall sound. The chord progression does consist a use of slash chords (C/B, C/G) which adds a more complex bassline creating a more harmonically active feeling, and yielding more tension and release.

Style Analysis

The use of borrowed chords was a commonly used technique of The Beatles, allowing them to create more complex and less predictable harmonic structures. The Beatles are known for their innovative chord progressions and this is a classic example. The use of a continuous descending bassline in this progression adds an element of tension and release, typical of their style.

Chords in the Verse 2 section of For No One by The Beatles are:

[‘C’, ‘C/B’, ‘Am’, ‘C/G’, ‘F’, ‘Bb’, ‘C’]