The Beatles – Something – Verse 4
Something < All Analyses
Chord Progression
[‘C’, ‘Cmaj7’, ‘C7’, ‘F’, ‘F’, ‘F/E’, ‘D7’, ‘G’, ‘G/A’, ‘G7/B’, ‘Am’, ‘Ammaj7’, ‘Am7’, ‘D9’]
Chord Progression Analysis
The full chord names in the verse 4 are as follows, with their Roman numeral annotations:
“`
C (‘I’),
Cmaj7 (‘IMaj7’),
C7 (‘I7’),
F (‘IV’),
F (‘IV’),
F/E (‘IV/II’),
D7 (‘V/V’),
G (‘V’),
G/A (‘V/II’),
G7/B (‘V7/III’),
Am (‘vi’),
Ammaj7 (‘viMaj7’),
Am7 (‘vii’),
D9 (‘II9’)
“`
In this progression, the `C7` is a secondary dominant, which prepares for the F major chord. Additionally, `D7` is another secondary dominant, gearing towards the G major chord. The presence of these dominant 7th chords adds tension which is later resolved. `G/A` and `G7/B` are slash chords changing the bass note. Lastly, the `D9` acts as a dominant chord leading back to the initial key of C major.
Borrowed chords can’t naturally be found in the major scale but can be borrowed from the parallel minor scale. In this progression the Ammaj7 specifically can be viewed as borrowed from C minor.
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Ammaj7 (‘bVIIMaj7’)
“`
Similar Chord Progressions
Other artists have used similar chord progressions in their work. For example, “My Funny Valentine” by Rodgers and Hart has a descending chord progression with the use of the `Maj7` and `m7`, just like “Something”. Bernstein’s “Somewhere” from West Side Story also employs a similar descending pattern. In both of these songs, the secondary dominants and the use of major seventh and minor seventh chords add sophistication to the harmonies and create tension-resolution patterns.
Musical Analysis
In this verse, you notice a downward movement which has a sort of a fall and rise pattern. The song starts with the root note i.e., `C`, then it descends to `Am7` and immediately rises to `D9`. The `D9` chord gives a jazzy feel to the song, adding more color due to the 9th. The dominance of 7th chords is also worth noting as it adds a gentle, melancholic touch and also sets up neat resolutions.
Overall Analysis
“Something” written by George Harrison from The Beatles majorly follows the key of C major and includes a few borrowed chords. There is a usage of secondary dominants and seventh chords which lend a harmonic complexity to the song. During the course of the song, the chords shift from the major scale to the parallel minor scale.
Style Analysis
“Something” represents a mix of pop and jazz influences specifically seen in the usage of secondary dominants and the jazzy 9th chord. The descending progression was very characteristic of many Beatles’ songs, as it creates a nice lead to resolve back to the tonic. The use of slash chords is also very indicative of the Beatles’ willingness to experiment with complex harmonies.
What are the chords in: The Beatles – Something – Verse 4?
[‘C’, ‘Cmaj7’, ‘C7’, ‘F’, ‘F’, ‘F/E’, ‘D7’, ‘G’, ‘G/A’, ‘G7/B’, ‘Am’, ‘Ammaj7’, ‘Am7’, ‘D9’]
