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Related Music Theory Alchemy

“Dead Flowers” by The Rolling Stones, from their album “Sticky Fingers” (1971), features a fairly straightforward repetitive chord progression of D, A, G, D in the verse. The key here is D Major. This common progression falls into a I-V-IV-I pattern known as a “plagal cadence”. It’s a progression which consists of a major key followed by its dominant (V), then its subdominant (IV), taking us back to the tonic (I).

The Rolling Stones’ “As Tears Go By” is primarily in the key of G major and follows a Verse-Verse-Verse-Outro structure. The harmony is relatively simple, incorporating primarily diatonic chords from the G major scale as well as a few borrowed chords and inversions.

Chord Progression Analysis (Outro):
G Major (I) – A Major (V/vi, borrowed from E minor) – C Major (IV) – D Major (V) – G Major (I)

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Vance Joy’s “Riptide” is a folk-pop song that presents a unique coupling of simplicity and depth on the musical landscape. The chord progression, in particular the pre-chorus, is relatively straightforward, but it introduces a flavor of complexity thanks to the inclusion of the borrowed chord. The song operates primarily within the key of C major, and maintains a predominantly folk-like, easy listening aesthetic throughout. Its chord progression, while simple, is nonetheless powerful in conveying the song’s desired emotional ambiance.

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“I Sat By The Ocean” by Queens of the Stone Age is in the key of E major and utilizes a mix of diatonic chords (i.e., chords native to the key of E major) and borrowed chords (i.e., chords borrowed from parallel or related keys).

Pre-Chorus

The song “Closer” by Nine Inch Nails is in the key of B major. The primary chords used throughout the song are: B major (I), C# major (II), G major (bVI), E major (IV), F# major (V), and C (bII). The chords progression is unconventional when compared to traditional music theory. This unconventional use of chords and progressions creates a unique and distinct sound that characterizes the song.

Chord Analysis (Pre-Chorus):

The chord progression in the pre-chorus, which is also found in the verse, would be:
B major (I) – C# major (II) – B major (I) – C# major (II) – B major (I) – C# major (II) – B major (I) – C# major (II) – G major (bVI) – B major (I) – C# major (II) – B major (I) – C# major (II) – B major (I) – C# major (II) – B major (I) – C# major (II) – G major (bVI) – B major (I) – C# major (II) – B major (I) – C# major (II) – B major (I) – C# major (II) – B major (I) – C# major (II) – G major (bVI) – B major (I) – C# major (II) – B major (I) – C# major (II) – B major (I) – C# major (II)

Borrowed Chord:

G major (bVI) is a borrowed chord from B minor, the parallel minor of B major in this song.

The Rolling Stones – Dead Flowers – Pre-chorus

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Chord Progression

[‘A’, ‘D’, ‘A’, ‘D’]

Chord Progression Analysis

The pre-chorus of “Dead Flowers” goes: ‘A’, ‘D’, ‘A’, ‘D’. This would translate as the following in a diatonic key of D major:

A Major (V),
D Major (I),
A Major (V),
D Major (I)

There are no borrowed chords in this progression.

Similar Chord Progressions

An identical chord progression (V-I) is found in “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd with the chords D-C-G (I-bVII-IV in G Major) and “Let It Be” by The Beatles with the chords C-G-Am-F (I-V-vi-IV in C Major), both of which show a similar simple and melodic approach to songwriting.

The progression in “Dead Flowers” and “Sweet Home Alabama”:
– ‘D’, ‘C’, ‘G’
– D Major (I’),
C Major (bVII’),
G Major (IV’)

The progression in “Dead Flowers” and “Let It Be”:
– ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘Am’, ‘F’
– C Major (I’),
G Major (V’),
A minor (vi’),
F Major (IV’)

Musical Analysis

This chord progression is straightforward and falls into the convention of numerous rock and pop songs. The A acts as the dominant fifth, which resolves to the tonic D providing the typical tension and resolution characteristic of so much popular music. This is an example of a basic V-I chord progression.

Overall Analysis

The song “Dead Flowers” by The Rolling Stones is a classic rock tune that is characterized by its simple yet effective chord progressions. The key of this song is D Major. This song utilizes mostly major chords (D, A, and G), and it has a strong emphasis on the I-IV-V chord progression, a staple in many rock, blues, and pop music.

Style Analysis

“Dead Flowers” falls into the genre of Rock and has heavy country influences. The use of a simple and repeated chord progression is a key feature in both rock and country music. The chord progression of ‘A’, ‘D’, ‘A’, ‘D’ is simple and easy to follow, making the song catchy and memorable, typical characteristics of the Rolling Stones’ style.

Chords in the Pre-chorus section of Dead Flowers by The Rolling Stones are:

[‘A’, ‘D’, ‘A’, ‘D’]