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Related Music Theory Alchemy

“Penny Lane” by The Beatles is an eclectic and elegant piece of music evident in its rhythm, harmony, melody, and lyrics. It is predominantly in the key of A Major, but it has several key changes and introduces chords that are non-diatonic, giving it a progressive and unexpected feel.

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.

The progression for the chorus of “Sometimes It Snows In April” by Prince exhibits a rich mixture of non- diatonic chords and borrowed chords. The tonal center of the song is A, but it doesn’t strictly follow a specific major or minor scale, creating an interesting blend of light and dark tonalities. This characteristic is a common feature in Prince’s works, showing his notable talent for blending the traditional with the unconventional.

The “Glory Box” by Portishead chorus progression is based in D minor and moves between this primary D minor chord and three other chords: Dm/C, Bm7b5, and Bbmaj7. The Dm/C chord is the same as the D minor, but with a different note in the bass (C). The Bm7b5 is a half-diminished chord. The Bbmaj7 is major seventh chord.

The chorus of “Right Where It Belongs” by Nine Inch Nails is built upon a repeating four-chord progression of Gm-Bb-F-C. This song is in the key of Bb major (with two flats in the key signature, Bb and Eb). All the chords used in this song are derived from the Bb major scale, which makes this a diatonic chord progression. There is no borrowed or chromatic harmony in this song.

The Beatles – Penny Lane – Chorus

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Chord Progression

[‘G’, ‘Bm’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘Bm’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘Bm’, ‘C’, ‘E7’]

Chord Progression Analysis

Here, we will analyze the given section of the chorus against the context of the key of A major:
“`
G Major: bVII
B Minor: ii
C Major: bIII
G Major: bVII
B Minor: ii
C Major: bIII
G Major: bVII
B Minor: ii
C Major: bIII
E7: V/vi
“`
The above chords contains borrowed chords which are chords borrowed from the parallel minor key, In the key of A major, the parallel minor is A minor. So, the G and C chords are borrowed from A minor.

Here’s the line with borrowed chords written in code block:

“`G Major (bVII), C Major (bIII)“`

Similar Chord Progressions

The Beatles’ use of borrowed chords and key changes was influential and can be seen in many songs by other artists. For example, the Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows” uses similar techniques. In particular, “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” by Paul McCartney also utilizes a similar style of chord borrowing and modulations.

Chord progression in these songs:

“God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys:

“`C (I), E7 (V/vi), F (IV), D (bII)“`

“Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” by Paul McCartney:

“`G (I), E7(V/vi), A7 (dominant V)“`

Musical Analysis

Notably, the primary chords in the progression (G and C) are not part of the A major scale. “Penny Lane” is characteristically Beatles-esque in its use of unexpected chord movements and key changes, which add intrigue to the piece without making it sound disjointed or random. The use of the V/vi (E7) chord as a pivot to transition between key areas is very nicely done and is an excellent example of the Beatles’ clever songwriting.

Overall Analysis

“Penny Lane,” written by the Beatles, utilizes key changes and borrowed chords to create an interesting and complex tonal palette. The song is best understood to primarily be in the key of A Major; however, it frequently borrows chords from the parallel minor key, uses unexpected dominant chords, and briefly modulates to other key areas for color and variety. This is characteristic of several Beatles songs, and it’s one of the ways they added complexity to their music while still remaining accessible.

Style Analysis

“Penny Lane” is characterized stylistically by its lush arrangements, complex harmonies, and stylistic mixture of traditional ‘pop’ songwriting, classical influence (particularly Baroque), and modern recording techniques. The section of the chorus analyzed here exemplifies this, with the borrowed chords adding unexpected color to the progression and the E7 resolving back to the home key in a satisfying manner.

Chords in the Chorus section of Penny Lane by The Beatles are:

[‘G’, ‘Bm’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘Bm’, ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘Bm’, ‘C’, ‘E7’]