“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).
“Heartbreaker” by The Rolling Stones is a classic rock song that utilizes a chord progression that is stereotypical of the genre. The verse and chorus unfold in the key of E minor, with the verse using primarily a cycle of Em7 and Am7. In terms of musical mood and expressivity, the progression conveys a melancholic yet energetic feeling, which is characteristic of the rock genre.
“Brown Sugar” by The Rolling Stones, off their 1971 album Sticky Fingers, is in the key of C major, and primarily uses the chords C, F, G and Bb. This song showcases the band’s blues rock influences, built on a repetitive, riff-driven chord progression. The use of I, IV, V, and a borrowed bVII (Bb), which is common in the blues, creates an appealing and familiar sound, helping the song resonate with listeners.
This chorus from The Beatles’ “The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill” is an example of clever use of common chord transitions with several shifts in tonality. The chord progression uses the tonic key of C Major and F minor, showing complex modulation derived from modal interchange and secondary dominant techniques.
The chord progression in the chorus of “Exit Music (For A Film)” by Radiohead is rather unconventional and features several borrowed chords from different modes. It showcases the band’s affinity for using non-diatonic chords and contributes to the song’s somber and haunting atmosphere.
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“Honky Tonk Women” by the Rolling Stones is a classic rock track steeped in the blues tradition. The song is played in the key of G Major and primarily uses chords G, C, A, and D.
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“Honky Tonk Women” is a classic blues-infused rock and roll track, like many songs by The Rolling Stones. The guitar riffs and solo (though not discussed here) clearly show blues influence in their use of the pentatonic scale and common blues licks.
The chord progression used for verse 2 is a typical example of a classic rock chord progression, with a key center around G, utilizing the dominant chords of the key in a I-IV-I-V-IV-I-IV-I progression.
“Honky Tonk Women” by The Rolling Stones is a classic rock song heavily influenced by country and blues. The song is characterized by both major and minor chords, primarily G, C, A, and D. The song is in the key of G major from the verse 1 progression you provided, and it has elements of both I-IV-V and I-V-vi-IV.
Verse 1
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