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Related Music Theory Alchemy

“Strawberry Fields Forever” by The Beatles is written in the key of A Major and features 4/4 time signature. The chord progression for Chorus 3, which you’ve mentioned, is quite sophisticated and creative, exhibiting the Beatles’ aptitude for blending conventional pop harmony with more unexpected changes, drawn from their broad palette of influences and their willingness to experiment.

“Strawberry Fields Forever” by The Beatles is an iconic psychedelic rock track marked with rich harmonies and sophisticated musical elements. The song is primarily constructed around the key of A, but it employs several modal mixtures and non-diatonic chords, contributing to its intriguing tonality.

“For No One” is a song from The Beatles’ album Revolver, released in 1966. The song has a melancholic theme, represented quite well through a sophisticated chord progression that features significant use of the minor scale and infrequent use of chord extensions, such as 7th and suspended chords. It’s written primarily in C Major, but the chorus alternates between D Minor and A7, an interesting modal shift (Using structural chords from different modes).

“1979” by The Smashing Pumpkins is written in the A major key and showcases various examples of modal interchange, also known as borrowed chords. The song switches often between the major and minor modes, providing a dynamic interplay of moods. The outro particularly stands out due to its use of both major and maj7th chords, a somewhat unusual combination. Emaj7 adds color and complexity to the progression, as a borrowed chord from the E major scale.

“Disarm” by The Smashing Pumpkins is a piece that showcases a rather common chord progression structure in pop music, but with added embellishments and variations. The featured chords include Dsus, Em7, Cadd9, G, and Dsus/F# with a key signature suggesting that the song is in the key of G major or E minor. The prominent chord in the outro is Dsus which suggests that the song might be interpreted in the D Mixolydian mode. The use of the slash chord (D/F#) diversifies the sound of the progression and adds harmonic richness. This chord progression uses both diatonic and borrowed chords creating a familiar but interesting sound.

Across The Universe

Song

All Analyses by Song

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The song, ‘Across the Universe’ by The Beatles is uniquely complex in its melody and chord progression. The song modulates or shifts key but is rooted mainly in D major. The song utilizes the standard rock/pop song structure of Verse, Chorus, and Outro. The unusual facet of this song’s composition is the use of borrowed chords (non-diatonic chords) that add unexpected twists to an otherwise typical chord progression.

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“Across The Universe” by The Beatles, written mostly by John Lennon, is known for its rich and complex harmonic structures that added new dimensions to pop music. The song is predominately in the key of D major, with occasional borrowings from the parallel minor (D minor) and the closely-related key of B minor. The verse 1 progression – D, Bm, F#m, Em7, A, A7, D, Bm, F#m, Em7, Gm – creates an affectingly melancholic mood through its mix of major, minor and borrowed chords, producing a unique ambience that evokes a sense of cosmic contemplation, matching with the philosophical lyrics of the song.

Across the Universe by The Beatles is a melancholic, introspective piece set in the key of D major, imbuing an overall sound spectrum that’s somber with a hint of hopeful resolution. The chord progression utilizes both diatonic and borrowed chords, making it both unusual and interesting.