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Related Music Theory Alchemy

“Hey Jude” goes through a clear progression, switching through the keys of D major, A major and G major. Like many Beatles songs, it cleverly varies between these keys in keeping with the melody and mood of the piece. The complexity of this progression is part of the song’s charm and helps exemplifies the band’s creative approach to composition.

“Strawberry Fields Forever” by The Beatles is a song that displays the remarkable depth of harmonic creativity found in their songwriting. The chord progression in the Chorus 4 section of the song is particularly complex. This progressions illustrate the band’s ability to exploit common harmonic devices such as diatonic pivots, modal mixture, and deceptive resolutions, in order to produce beautifully unique and captivating chord sequences.

“Yesterday” by The Beatles is a classic Pop song in F Major maintaining a 2/2 time signature. The song changes the chords frequently to create a rich harmonic texture, and is known for its iconic descending guitar melody.

“Dazed and Confused” by Led Zeppelin is an iconic rock song that features a descending bass line and bluesy chord progressions. The outro takes on a more aggressive tone and the chords are power chords, which give the song a heavy sound. These power chords, mixed with the syncopated rhythm and the blues-rock influences, contribute to the song’s unique character.

The key of the song is D major which makes it easier to analyze the chord progression according to the diatonic scale in the key of D Major.

The Beatles – Hey Jude – Outro

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Chord Progression

[‘D’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘D’, ‘D’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘D’, ‘D’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘D’, ‘D’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘D’, ‘D’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘D’, ‘D’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘D’, ‘D’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘D’, ‘D’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘D’, ‘D’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘D’, ‘D’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘D’]

Chord Progression Analysis

The chords in the progression are D major, C major, and G major. However, considering that the original key of the song is D major, the C major can be seen as a borrowed chord from the parallel minor key. Here’s how the analysis would look:

– D Major (I)
– C Major (bVII)
– G Major (IV)
– D Major (I)

“`
D Major (‘I’)
C Major (‘bVII’)
G Major (‘IV’)
D Major (‘I’)
“`

Similar Chord Progressions

Actually, the chord progression D-C-G-D is known as a descending tetrachord, which is very common in pop and rock music. Some examples are:

– “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses
D Major (I), C Major (bVII), G Major (IV), D Major (I)

– “With or Without You” by U2
D Major (I), A Major (V), B minor (vi), G Major (IV)

Note that while the exact chords are not identical, the structure – a steady descent with a return to the tonic – is very similar. It shows the versatility of this progression, which can sound equally good in rock ballads, pop anthems, and more.

Musical Analysis

The progression D-C-G-D is a classic example of using the IV and I chords, along with a borrowed bVII chord. This creates a bit of a surprise and adds color to what would otherwise be a straightforward progression. It works so well because the bVII chord has two notes in common with the IV chord, creating a smooth transition.

Overall Analysis

The outro of ‘Hey Jude’ by The Beatles is a prime example of a repeated chord progression, specifically a repeated loop of D-C-G-D. This progression is repeated throughout the last significant section of the song, often referred to as the “na na na” section, essentially becoming a kind of mantra or chant that brings the song to a sustained and palpable resolution.

Style Analysis

The Beatles frequently used such non-diatonic chords in their music. Perhaps this is one of the reasons ‘Hey Jude’ is so fascinating and resonating – it encapsulates that distinctive, experimental Beatles sound. The outro is also distinctly Beatles in it’s extensive, repetitive, almost hypnotic nature, intentionally written to encourage audience participation.

Chords in the Outro section of Hey Jude by The Beatles are:

[‘D’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘D’, ‘D’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘D’, ‘D’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘D’, ‘D’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘D’, ‘D’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘D’, ‘D’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘D’, ‘D’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘D’, ‘D’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘D’, ‘D’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘D’, ‘D’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘D’]