Search

Related Music Theory Alchemy

“The Long and Winding Road” by The Beatles is an iconic pop ballad renowned for its rich harmonic content. It employs both modal interchange and secondary dominants, thus securing its place as an exemplary piece in pop music harmony. Its dominant tonality is D Major, however, it makes use of many borrowed chords.

The progression is in the key of C major. The use of the Bb major is known as modal interchange, where a chord that is not in the key is borrowed from a parallel key, which in this case is C minor. This contributes an interesting tone color to the overall sound. The chord progression does consist a use of slash chords (C/B, C/G) which adds a more complex bassline creating a more harmonically active feeling, and yielding more tension and release.

“House of the Rising Sun” by The Animals is a traditional folk song arranged by the British rock band in 1964. The song is known for its distinct and haunting minor sound, which has become one of the most famous examples of a minor key in popular music. The chord progression features a mix of diatonic and non-diatonic chords that add variety and interest to the music.

“Paint It Black” by The Rolling Stones is a famous Rock song heavily influenced by the Indian classical form of music called Raga rock. The song is written in E minor and it has a very distinctively descending minor key tonality. The chords progression in the verse sequence doesn’t follow the conventional rules of western tonal harmony as it navigates through various key centers, showcasing the bands exploration of exotic and unconventional songwriting.

The provided chord progression is quite simple, with a single chord (F) repeated four times. This type of progression creates a static or stable feel, with no harmonic tension to resolve. This chord progression alone isn’t enough to give a complete musical analysis, as it’s quite minimalistic, and it’s necessary to evaluate the progression in the context of the entire song. However, I can still offer some thoughts on the progression’s possible function, style notes, and similar chord progressions.

The Beatles – The Long And Winding Road – Verse 4

Add To Favorites Remove From Favorites

< All Analyses

Chord Progression

[‘Bm’, ‘Gsus2/A’, ‘D’, ‘D7’, ‘G’, ‘Gmaj7’, ‘G’, ‘F#m’, ‘Bm’, ‘Em’, ‘A’, ‘D’, ‘D7’, ‘G’, ‘F#m’, ‘Bm’, ‘Em’, ‘A’, ‘D’]

Chord Progression Analysis

1. Bm (‘vi’)
2. Gsus2/A (‘IVsus2/V’)
3. D (‘I’)
4. D7 (‘I7’)
5. G (‘IV’)
6. Gmaj7 (‘IVmaj7’)
7. G (‘IV’)
8. F#m (‘iii’)
9. Bm (‘vi’)
10. Em (‘ii’)
11. A (‘V’)
12. D (‘I’)
13. D7 (‘I7’)
14. G (‘IV’)
15. F#m (‘iii’)
16. Bm (‘vi’)
17. Em (‘ii’)
18. A (‘V’)
19. D (‘I’)

To note: `Gsus2/A, D7, G, Gmaj7, G, F#m, Bm, Em, and A` can be considered borrowed from the corresponding D minor scale, the parallel minor, whilst retaining compatibility with the overall major context.

Similar Chord Progressions

Elton John – “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” features similar chord progression and uses similar suspended and sevenths to add complexity to a seemingly straightforward progression.

Bruce Springsteen’s “Backstreets” likewise uses major and minor chords interchangeably for effect, evocative of The Beatles.

For comparison, here’s the chord progressions (with corresponding Roman numerals) for referenced songs:

– Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me (Elton John):
1. C (‘I’)
2. G/D (‘V/II’)
3. F (‘IV’)
4. Am (‘vi’)
5. D (‘II’)
6. G (‘V’)
7. C/G (‘I/III’)

– Backstreets (Bruce Springsteen):
1. G (‘I’)
2. D/F# (‘V/II’)
3. Em (‘ii’)
4. D (‘V’)
5. C (‘IV’)
6. G/B (‘I/III’)
7. A (‘II’)
8. D (‘IV’)

Musical Analysis

The Beatles are known for their evolution from straightforward pop chord progressions to more complex structures. This song is a great example. The iv chord and the I7 (D7 in this case) create tension through a dominant-tonic pull in the direction of G. The use of the minor vi chord, Bm, and iii chord, F#m, invigorate the sequence with a melancholic touch.

Overall Analysis

“The Long And Winding Road” is in the key of D major. The chords are quite typical of pop music, however, The Beatles use of extensions and suspensions provide a unique complexity to the progression. The song dabbles in modal interchange as it borrows chords from parallel minor, a popular Beatles technique.

Style Analysis

Beatles’ songs often feature conventional chords but with clever alterations and movements that provide unexpected depth and mood, creating a individualistic, yet still popular tone. The varied use of suspended and seventh chords add texture and harmonic flavor, while the use of borrowed chords (chord members of the parallel minor while in a major key) create interesting shifts in tonality.

Chords in the Verse 4 section of The Long And Winding Road by The Beatles are:

[‘Bm’, ‘Gsus2/A’, ‘D’, ‘D7’, ‘G’, ‘Gmaj7’, ‘G’, ‘F#m’, ‘Bm’, ‘Em’, ‘A’, ‘D’, ‘D7’, ‘G’, ‘F#m’, ‘Bm’, ‘Em’, ‘A’, ‘D’]