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Related Music Theory Alchemy

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.

“And I Love Her” is a masterful composition by The Beatles that beautifully demonstrates their ability to mix pop songwriting with complexities of harmonic journey. The song is in the key of E Major, which is unique for being a popular song written by the Beatles in a major key. The main repeating chord progression of the Verse 3 is a progression that modulates between F# minor (the relative minor of A Major, which is the subdominant of E Major), and C# minor (the relative minor of E Major, the original key). The progression’s use of E6 at the end, which is a borrowed chord from the parallel minor (E minor), adds a unique flavor of sixth interval. Finally, it concludes on E6, a somewhat uncommon way to ground a song within a major key.

“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).

The song “Rocky Raccoon” by The Beatles features a intriguing chord progression typically employed in blues and folk music that creates a captivating storytelling-style musical framework. The verse using the provided chords weaves an interesting tale via major and minor fluctuations giving an emotional depth to the lyrics.

“House of the Rising Sun” by The Animals is a traditional folk song that features a distinctive, repetitive chord progression throughout the song. The tune has a somber, haunting quality and is set in a minor key. It has been covered by numerous artists over the years, but the version by The Animals is the most famous.

Rocky Raccoon

Song

All Analyses by Song

The song “Rocky Raccoon” by The Beatles features a intriguing chord progression typically employed in blues and folk music that creates a captivating storytelling-style musical framework. The verse using the provided chords weaves an interesting tale via major and minor fluctuations giving an emotional depth to the lyrics.

“Rocky Raccoon” by The Beatles incorporates chords commonly associated with the genre of folk or country music. It is primarily built on a repetitive chord progression which consists of Am7, D7sus4, D7, G7, C, and C/B. There’s also a use of plenty of sevenths and suspensions to create a slightly jazzy feel. It’s also worth noting The Beatles’ penchant for chords that provide a mix of major and minor tonalities.

The Beatles’ “Rocky Raccoon” incorporates a repeating sequence of predominantly seventh chords, displaying a mix of minor, dominant, and sustained chords within the and C Major/A minor keys. This diversity contributes to the song’s unique harmony, and given its context in a folk rock style, the progression exudes a rustic, storytelling personality.

“Rocky Raccoon” by The Beatles is noted for its eclectic blend of folk, country, and popular music styles. The song is written in G major and follows a fairly straightforward progression but with a couple of important twists.

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