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Related Music Theory Alchemy

“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.

The Beatles’ “Something” is a soulful ballad from their 1969 album “Abbey Road.” It’s primarily composed in the key of C major, but features modulations to other keys throughout its duration. The harmony of this song is somewhat complicated, but still rooted in traditional practices. “Something” effectively uses borrowed chords—chords from parallel keys—to create a fresh and memorable sound.

“Sexx Laws” by Beck is a unique and interesting piece that combines elements of various musical styles including funk, rock, and pop. The chord progression found in Verse 3 is quite simple yet effective, creating a sense of tension and release.

“Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word” by Elton John employs interesting chord progressions and borrows chords from other modes and keys, contributing to its melancholy, yet dynamically expressive mood. The song is set in E minor and uses basic chord progressions, some more sophisticated ones, and many borrowed chords.

The Verse 3 chord progression in Muse’s cover of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” is a fairly simple progression that features harmonic devices such as seventh chords, borrowed chords, and a half-diminished chord. This progression incorporates some jazz and pop influences into a stylistically cohesive and engaging harmonic landscape.

The Beatles – Yesterday – Verse 3

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Chord Progression

[‘F’, ‘Em7’, ‘A7’, ‘Dm’, ‘Dm/C’, ‘Bb’, ‘C7’, ‘F’, ‘F/E’, ‘Dm’, ‘G7’, ‘Bb’, ‘F’, ‘F’]

Chord Progression Analysis

These are the roman numerals for each chord in Verse 3:

* F (I)
* Em7 (ii7)
* A7 (V/vi)
* Dm (vi)
* Dm/C (vi/64)
* Bb (IV)
* C7 (V7)
* F (I)
* F/E (I6)
* Dm (vi)
* G7 (V7/V)
* Bb (IV)
* F (I)
* F (I)

Borrowed Chords:
“`
Em7 (ii7) from parallel minor key
A7 (V/vi) as secondary dominant
G7 (V7/V) as secondary dominant
“`

Similar Chord Progressions

1. Elton John – “Rocket Man”: [‘Bb (I)’, ‘C7 (V7)’, ‘F (IV)’, ‘Em7 (iii7)’, ‘A7 (V/vi)’, ‘Dm (vi)’, ‘Dm/C (vi/64)’, ‘Bb (IV)’, ‘F (I)’]

2. Billy Joel – “She’s Always a Woman”: [‘F (I)’, ‘Dm (vi)’, ‘G7 (V7/V)’, ‘Bb (IV)’, ‘F (I)’, ‘Em7 (ii7)’, ‘A7 (V/vi)’, ‘Dm (vi)’, ‘C (V)’, ‘F (I)’]

3. Brian Wilson – “God Only Knows” (Chorus): [‘A (IV)’, ‘G (bIII)’, ‘F#m7 (ii7)’, ‘B7 (V/vi)’, ‘Em (vi)’, ‘Em/D (vi/64)’, ‘D (I)’, ‘Bm7 (vi7)’, ‘E7 (V7/vi)’, ‘A (IV)’, ‘D (I)’]

All these song examples feature chord progressions that incorporate secondary dominants and borrowed chords, similar to the Beatles’ “Yesterday”. Each utilizes these techniques to capture their own distinctive harmonic color, showcasing the endless possibilities in pop songwriting.

Musical Analysis

“Yesterday” demonstrates the Beatles’ fondness for mixing major and minor harmonies. The Em7 (ii7) and A7 (V/vi) are borrowed chords, which are chords borrowed from the parallel minor key. These borrowed chords highlight unexpected flavors in the harmony and serve as bridge chords, linking diatonic sections together.

The use of secondary dominants, such as A7 (V/vi) and G7 (V7/V), creates a strong pull towards their respective tonic chords, thus adding tension and release in the chord progression.

Overall Analysis

“Yesterday” is predominantly composed in the key of F Major. The song is a classic in pop songwriting and showcases the effective use of borrowed chords to capture a unique, nostalgic sound that has made it one of the most covered songs in pop music. Specifically, in this verse, the use of secondary dominants and borrowed chords from the parallel minor key provides the song’s distinctive tonal color.

Style Analysis

The Beatles were known for incorporating traditional pop and blues influences with innovative chord progressions and song structures. “Yesterday” reflects this approach with its mix of major and minor harmony, augmented with secondary dominants and borrowed chords to create a complex yet accessible sound that has made it an enduring classic.

Chords in the Verse 3 section of Yesterday by The Beatles are:

[‘F’, ‘Em7’, ‘A7’, ‘Dm’, ‘Dm/C’, ‘Bb’, ‘C7’, ‘F’, ‘F/E’, ‘Dm’, ‘G7’, ‘Bb’, ‘F’, ‘F’]