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The Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” presents an interesting mix of major and minor chords with excellent use of chord inversions and borrowings. The song is harmonically adventurous, showcasing the band’s pop mastery with Brian Wilson’s unmatched compositional skills. This song is primarily in the key of A Major, with many borrowed chords and modulation that creates its unique feel.

“God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys is one of their most well-known pieces and a primary example of the sophisticated harmonic writing characteristic of the group’s 1966 “Pet Sounds” record. This piece is particularly designed in the key of A major. The Outro of the song includes the following chords: ‘A’, ‘E/G#’, ‘F#m7’, ‘E/G#’ and many other chords throughout the song with complex chord changes that might not be typical in a pop song, but are characteristic of the band’s sound.

The Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” presents an interesting mix of major and minor chords with excellent use of chord inversions and borrowings. The song is harmonically adventurous, showcasing the band’s pop mastery with Brian Wilson’s unmatched compositional skills. This song is primarily in the key of A Major, with many borrowed chords and modulation that creates its unique feel.

“Tiny Dancer” by Elton John, written in the key of C Major, is a classic example of elaborate pop song writing. The chord progression features common primary and secondary chords in the key of C Major, along with some borrowed chords to add color. This combination makes for a memorable and melodic song.

The most unique feature of the song is how it slowly changes to the key of C minor in the second half of the verse, making use of two borrowed chords. This is a powerful tool in songwriting, as it can dramatically affect the emotional tone of the song. Lastly, this song demonstrates Elton John’s use of Coloristic harmony, through chromatically altered chords.

“Jolene” by Dolly Parton is a classic country song written in A minor. Its chord progression is an iconic reflection of the country and folk genres, and is a study of simplicity and effective songwriting.

The chord progression of “Jolene” uses primarily diatonic chords but also includes a borrowed chord which introduces a touch of complexity to the harmonic structure of the song.

God Only Knows

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“God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys showcases the artistic depth and compositional craft of Brian Wilson, the band’s primary songwriter. The song utilizes a complex chord progression and key changes that are unconventional for pop music of its time. The chord progression creates a sense of constant mood transitions, similar to arias in Romantic era music.

“God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys is one of their most well-known pieces and a primary example of the sophisticated harmonic writing characteristic of the group’s 1966 “Pet Sounds” record. This piece is particularly designed in the key of A major. The Outro of the song includes the following chords: ‘A’, ‘E/G#’, ‘F#m7’, ‘E/G#’ and many other chords throughout the song with complex chord changes that might not be typical in a pop song, but are characteristic of the band’s sound.