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“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.

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“With a Little Help from My Friends” is a song by the Beatles from their 1967 album ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’. It features Ringo Starr who sings the song in the role of ‘Billy Shears’, a fictional character from the ‘Sgt. Pepper’ album. It was composed by Paul McCartney and John Lennon.

The full chord sequence you provided represents the verse. The song itself is predominantly in E Major, but contains several borrowed chords and modal exchanges. As was common with Beatles’s compositions, they often incorporated intricate chord progressions and did not strictly adhere to traditional key signatures.

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The overall use of chords highlights Queen’s blending of rock with more complex harmonic structures, moving beyond simple major & minor chords and incorporating 7th and inversions. Despite its pop/rock surface, “Somebody to Love” includes interesting modulation and chord choices that could be seen as more typical of more ‘classical’ forms of music.

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“Castles Made Of Sand” is a song by Jimi Hendrix, featured on the 1967 album “Axis: Bold as Love.” The chord progression in the verse is notable for its use of both diatonic and chromatic chords, creating a complex harmonic structure that reflects the intricate guitar work and emotive lyrics of the song.

“Hysteria” by Muse is a song with a heavy rock style, featuring a powerful bassline and distorted guitars. The chord progression mentioned is present in the first verse of the song. This progression is characterized by the use of standard tonal harmony and minor key tonality, with some slight variations that are typical in rock music.

The Beatles – Here Comes The Sun – Verse 1

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Chord Progression

[‘D’, ‘Dsus2’, ‘D’, ‘G’, ‘A7’, ‘A7sus4’, ‘D’, ‘Dsus4’, ‘D’, ‘G’, ‘A7’, ‘A7sus4’]

Chord Progression Analysis

Here’s the chord breakdown:

– D Major (I)
– Dsus2 (Isus2)
– D Major (I)
– G Major (IV)
– A7 (V7)
– A7sus4 (V7sus4)
– D Major (I)
– Dsus4 (Isus4)
– D Major (I)
– G Major (IV)
– A7 (V7)
– A7sus4 (V7sus4)

The Dsus2 and Dsus4 chords are primarily used as embellishing chords, giving a fresh twist to the music. They add a layer of intrigue and emphasize the change that’s being sung about. The A7sus4 acts as a colorful way to set up tension and resolution in the progression.

Similar Chord Progressions

The progression in “Here Comes The Sun” echoes other pieces by The Beatles and many artists in pop and folk music. An example is “Don’t Look Back in Anger” by Oasis:

Verse: [‘C’, ‘F’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘Am’, ‘E7sus4’, ‘Am7’, ‘G’] translates to:

– C Major (I)
– F Major (IV)
– C Major (I)
– G Major (V)
– A minor (vi)
– E7sus4 (iii7sus4)
– A minor7 (vi7)
– G Major (V)

This progression similarly uses major and suspended chords to lend tension, color, and movement to the music. The sus4 chords are characteristic to Oasis’ sound and commonly found in pop, rock and country music. The use of minor chords and sevenths makes the progression less predictable and more emotionally varied compared to Here Comes The Sun.

Musical Analysis

The song employs hooks using Dsus2 and Dsus4 to create a melodic drive in the repeating motif. The IV (G Major) and V7 (A7) chords give a traditional sense of tension and release, providing motion to the music. The use of A7sus4 before transitioning to the core D Major reinforces the movement in the composition.

Overall Analysis

“Here Comes The Sun” by The Beatles uses a D Major scale. The song primarily comprises chords built on the tonic or root note (D), which lends a consistent, grounded feel. This reflects the lyrics’ mood—contentment, renewed optimism, and a sense of homecoming with the arrival of the sun.

Style Analysis

“Here Comes The Sun” exemplifies the Beatles’ imaginative mix of traditional and improvisational style elements. In this case, it uses predominantly major and suspended chords in a fresh, ingenious combination. This compositional approach, using simple harmonies with slight variations (like suspensions), lends an upbeat and reaffirming character to the piece, which goes with the context of the lyrics.

Chords in the Verse 1 section of Here Comes The Sun by The Beatles are:

[‘D’, ‘Dsus2’, ‘D’, ‘G’, ‘A7’, ‘A7sus4’, ‘D’, ‘Dsus4’, ‘D’, ‘G’, ‘A7’, ‘A7sus4’]