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Related Music Theory Alchemy

“Here Comes The Sun” is written by George Harrison from The Beatles and it is a key example of the band’s flirtation with what is commonly referred to as Mixolydian mode. The piece showcases their skillful blending of folk idioms with contemporary pop sensibilities.

The verse of Taylor Swift’s “ME!” features a chord progression that is archetypal for upbeat pop music, echoing themes of brightness and positivity. This progression harnesses straightforward harmonic movement to support the song’s enthusiastic vibe, making it highly effective for conveying the song’s message of self-love and confidence.

“Guilty as Sin?” by Taylor Swift uses a chord progression in the verse that reflects a more nuanced and reflective approach, suitable for a song with a contemplative or emotive theme. The interplay between minor and major seventh chords creates a lush, complex sound that elevates the song’s introspective and somewhat moody lyrical content.

Taylor Swift’s “Black Dog” features a verse chord progression that is both simple and evocative, utilizing variations of the tonic chord to create a sense of movement and build tension before resolving into more straightforward chord changes. This kind of progression is characteristic of songs that aim to evoke a contemplative or narrative-driven mood, which is a frequent theme in Swift’s songwriting.

The Beatles – Help – Verse

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Chord Progression

[‘A’, ‘C#m’, ‘F#m’, ‘D’, ‘G’, ‘A’, ‘C#m’, ‘F#m’, ‘D’, ‘G’, ‘A’]

Chord Progression Analysis

A Major (I) – C# Minor (vi) – F# Minor (ii) – D Major (IV) – G Major (♭VII, a borrowed chord from A Mixolydian) – Repeat this cycle again and return to A Major (I).
All full chord names and roman numerals:

“`plaintext
A Major (I)
C# Minor (vi)
F# Minor (ii)
D Major (IV)
G Major (♭VII)
A Major (I)
C# Minor (vi)
F# Minor (ii)
D Major (IV)
G Major (♭VII)
A Major (I)
“`

Similar Chord Progressions

The A – C#m – F#m – D chord progression is fairly common in pop music. One example is “Earth Angel” by The Penguins. It uses the same I – vi – ii – IV progression in the key of D:

D Major (I) – B Minor (vi) – E Minor (ii) – A Major (IV)
In terms of the borrowed chord (G Major in this case), artists like Radiohead have made use of similar concepts, an example being the verse progression of their song “Paranoid Android”:

“`plaintext
G Major (I)
D Major (IV)
C Major (♭VII, a borrowed chord from G Mixolydian)
“`

It can be noted that while these progressions may share similarities in structure and concept, the musical context and surrounding elements like melody, rhythm, and production play a significant role in carving their unique identities.

Musical Analysis

The A Major to C#m change is a common pop progression that injects warmth and breadth into the piece. The F#m serves as a transition point to the D Major chord, creating an ii – IV movement. This leads to the touch of G Major which is our borrowed chord from A Mixolydian. This chord yields a strong pull back to the tonic (A Major), creating engaging tension and release.

Overall Analysis

The chord progression in the verse of “Help!” by The Beatles is quite characteristic of their style, using common chords but in interesting and unusual ways. The verse of “Help!” notably presents a mix of classic pop chord progression (I-vi-ii-V), secondary dominant chords and chromatic progressions. The Beatles often incorporated novel harmonic structures that added depth and complexity to their pop music, as evidenced in this piece.

Style Analysis

“Help!” is emblematic of The Beatles’ mid-career work, during which they started to experiment more with their sound. The song embodies many features of the British Invasion style, using basic chord structures and progressions but with variation and experimentation – for instance, the borrowed chord, which was a common feature in The Beatles’ music.

Chords in the Verse section of Help by The Beatles are:

[‘A’, ‘C#m’, ‘F#m’, ‘D’, ‘G’, ‘A’, ‘C#m’, ‘F#m’, ‘D’, ‘G’, ‘A’]