Chord Progressions in Pop music

Check out this blog article.  It's a great read for all of us songwriters!

I Analyzed The Chords of 1300 Pop Songs and This is What I Found

Do You Love a List? "Wouldn't It Be Nice" by the Beach Boys

Part 1: Do You Love a List?

"Wouldn't it Be Nice" by the Beach Boys is a great example of logical, linear lyric writing.  I think it will be helpful to look at the first half of this song as a sequential list of wants.  It starts with "Wouldn't it be nice to be together…"  and the list of desires continues from there in a sequential manner through the different times of the day.  It's a list of the literal that ends with the poetical.  Here's the list:

Wouldn't it be nice...

1) to be older and not have to wait to be together

2) to live together

3) to sleep together

4) to wake up together

5) to spend the day together

6) and then hold each other at night again

7) to kiss forever.  This is the ultimate poetical idea following the list of literal activities to do together.  The list of literal activities, sleeping, waking, spending the day, and then sleeping again, is trumped or topped off finally by the poetic hyperbole of a kiss that lasts forever.  Of course, you would save this image for a key moment.  You wouldn't put it in the middle of the list above.  It's that final, emotional punch meant to deeply effect the listener.

Imagine coming up with the song title/idea, "Wouldn't it Be Nice."  Now, try to imagine the next step in your songwriting process.  The next step might be to come up with a list of things that would be nice to have happen.  Then, you start brainstorming–"Wouldn't it be nice to…1)…2)…3)…etc…"  There's more than that to coming up with good song lyrics, but at least we can see one useful method that might have led to this classic pop song.

Part 2:  There and Back Again

At the heart of most great art is a story of departure and return.  Songwriting is no exception, and in this second half of the song, the lyrics take us on a couple of small departures which ultimately serve as a clever way to bring us back to the title.

"Maybe if we think and wish and hope and pray it might come true

Baby then there wouldn't be a single thing we couldn't do

We could be married

And then we'd be happy

Wouldn't it be nice"

In the first two lines of the above bridge section, the singer is thinking out loud of a way to attain the above listed desires.  That's a great alternative perspective on the main theme.  Simply listing the wants the way that we examined in Part 1 might get boring for an entire song, so we need to find another source of tension which will still be related to the song idea.  In this case, the new source of tension is to ask, "HOW can I get what I want?"  Thinking about the how question naturally gives way to thinking again about the wants, and therefore, the bridge is finished off with another longing glimpse into the desired future: "We could be married, and then we'd be happy."  Finally, the button to tie it all together is the title of the song which fits perfectly at the end of that bridge.

The last stanza similarly has a departure and return structure.  The songwriter notices another source of tension to start this stanza, which is, the more we talk about it, the more I want it.  Talking about what he wants makes the longing worse, like an itch that gets worse the more it is scratched.  It's illogical to keep talking about something you can't have if it just drives you crazy.  It's a bit masochistic.  It's shortsighted and passion based thinking, but that's also why it's romantic and compelling.

"You know it seems the more we talk about it

It only makes it worse to live without it,

But let's talk about it

Wouldn't it be nice."

And there's that title again.  This time the title is sung as the logical indulgence of the singer.  He has given up on trying to not talk about what he wants even if those things are unattainable.  Finding a clever and compelling way to return to the title is always considered songwriting gold.

Good luck, and may the songwriting gods be with you.

Your Smiling Face by James Taylor: A Refreshing, Simple Song Structure

A really lovely song; short and sweet with a simple structure; but dense with chords and lyrics.  Not an easy song to write I would imagine, but totally do-able and refreshingly different from standard formulas.

Here's the most basic overview of the structure:

-V1

(key change)

-V2

(two quick key changes)

-Breakdown

-Refrain to fade out

So let's call that three formal sections with the first two (V1 and V2) being, musically, a repeat only with different lyrics, and the last section starting with the breakdown but evolving into a continually building repetition of a 4 bar phrase extracted from earlier in the song.

Here's the first verse broken into two sections:

V1

section a

     "Whenever I see your smiling face, I have to smile myself 

     Because I love you, yes, I do. (here's where that awesome guitar riff happens)

     And when you give me that pretty little pout, It turns me inside out.

     There's something about you, baby, (again that guitar riff happens here)

     I don't know.

section b

     Isn't it amazing a man like me     (melody goes higher here, kinda like most pre-

     Can feel this way,                     choruses in most songs, but is this a chorus?)

     Tell me how much longer, 

     It could grow stronger every day. 

     Oh, how much longer?"      (here, there's a smooth transition back into the intro riff that
                                             hurls us forward into a key change and the second verse)

So, the next thing we hear is V2, but usually there is a chorus before V2.  Where is the chorus?  I don't hear a traditional chorus with the song title and main message of the song, do you?  So, look back at V1 and find the spots you find most memorable.  For me, it's the second and fourth line of the first section of the verse (the guitar riff I keep pointing out. Notice that it's also a change of feel).

V2

section a

     "I thought I was in love a couple of times before with the girl next door,

     But that was long before I met you, (guitar riff)

     Now I'm sure that I won't forget you.

     And, I thank my lucky stars that you are who you are,        

     And not just another lovely lady (guitar riff)

     Set out to break my heart.

section b

     Isn't it amazing a man like me (varies the melody slightly here)

     Can feel this way,

     Tell me how much longer, 

     It could grow stronger every day."

Ok, so, section b is exactly the same in V1 and in V2, but for me, it's still not a proper chorus.  It's memorable and we here it at the end of each verse, but we don't hear it again after the upcoming breakdown.  To me, it's just the end or second half of the verse.  The song up to this point is strophic; a lot like "Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel (see past post for insights from that song).  Each verse has a strong, arched structure with the high note in the middle and memorable melodies and chord progressions throughout, but that's it.  That isn't to say it's easy to do; it's actually extremely difficult.  Sometimes a cool, big, or dramatic chorus can be a crutch for a boring verse.  In this song, every line is memorable and cohesive with the line before and after it.

…again with the intro riff, two key changes this time, and we come into the...

Breakdown and Refrain

-The chords are from earlier (this is key for keeping the song cohesive)

-The melody is very similar to a couple parts of the verse but not exactly the same

-The lyrics are new but they also contain the title of the song in some form or variation (in bold below).

     "No one can tell me that I'm doing wrong today, whenever I see you smile at me.

     No one can tell me that I'm doing wrong today (my favorite guitar riff back in)

     Whenever I see your smiling face my way.

     No one can tell me that I'm doing it wrong today.

     No one can tell me that I'm doing it wrong today."

That continues until the fade out.  Once again, look at the basic structure:

-V1

(key change)

-V2

(two quick key changes)

-Breakdown

-Refrain to fade out

The secret is making each verse memorable the whole way through (strong, arched structure with the high note in the middle and memorable melodies and chord progressions throughout).

What are the most hook-like or memorable parts of the verse TO YOU?  The answer to that question will help you write your own songs that you will be proud of and that will sound unique to your own voice and style.

Happy songwriting!

-Jonathan

Green Garden by Laura Mvula

http://www.lauramvula.com/

Let's take a look at these lyrics line by line.

Take me outside, sit in the green garden 

Beseeching someone.  We get a mental image immediately of a lush place where she is with another person.

Nobody out there, but it's okay now, 

There's no one there now, but maybe there used to be.  Also she's ok with there not being anybody there now, but maybe she had to get over her feeling for someone who used to be there.

bathe in the sunlight, don't mind if rain falls,

taking it in, showing us the environment, giving us an idea about her feelings toward the world; she doesn't care if the rain falls. 

take me outside, sit in the green garden, 

Apparently we've heard all we need to hear about the green garden for now.  She simply repeats and reinforces the initial plea to the unknown listener whom we all assume is an ex-lover.

ooh ah, ooh ah oh, 

ooh ah, ooh ah oh

And I'll fly on the wings of a butterfly 

Keeping with the garden environment for this second verse, she is identifying with nature, beautiful things that reside in the garden.

high as a tree top and down again

up and down, has metaphorical implications about moods.

putting my bag down, taking my shoes off 

another mental image of her in the garden, all we know is that she is there, she came from somewhere else, but here, she is relaxed, shoeless, connecting with and reveling in natural beauty.

walk in the carpet of green velvet

Dance in my garden like we used to, 

Finally, we get a strong suggestion that she is longing.  Longing for an experience she used to have with the ex-lover.  This line is given importance and emotional charge by being separated and divided by "ooohhs" etc.

ooh ah, ooh ah oh

Dance in my garden like we used to, 

ooh ah, ooh ah oh

Take me outside, sit in the green garden 

nobody out there, but it's okay now, 

bathe in the sunlight, don't mind if rain falls, 

take me outside in the green garden

At this point we are reveling in the song.  We hear the first verse with some new chords and other musical elements, but still just rehearing her initial plea and description of this green garden

I'll go, wherever you go, wherever you take me, I'll go 

I'll go, wherever you go, wherever you take me, I'll go 

Here's something new right after we have a repeat of the first verse.  We are well established in the idea, lyrics, and vibe of the song.  It's the appropriate place for a "C" section or bridge.  The lyric idea is compelling, but basically generic.  It could fit into any song.  There are a lot of logical weaknesses with this line; we had no idea we were following anyone all over the place literally or metaphorically (in fact we were asking someone to take us into a garden), the only place she has gone within the garden is up the tree and back down again, she wanted to dance in her garden not leave it.  It's basically just saying,"I like you a lot, and would do anything to be with you."  But, that sentiment is not really part of the heart of the rest of the song, which by all evidence is a reminiscence of love gone by.

Take me outside, sit in the green garden. 

Take me outside, sit in the green garden.

And I'll fly on the wings of a butterfly 

highs of tree top and down again 

putting my bag down, taking my shoes off 

walk in the carpet of green velvet 

Dance in my garden like we used to, 

the dance. 

Dance in my garden like we used to.. 

Take me outside, take me outside, 

take me outside, sit in the green garden. 

I'll go, wherever you go, wherever you take me, I'll go 

I'll go, wherever you go, wherever you take me, I'll go 

I'll go, wherever you go, wherever you take me, I'll go 

I'll go, wherever you go, wherever you take me, I'll go 

I'll go, wherever you go, wherever you take me, I'll go.

Insights from "Jump" by Van Halen

Structure
This song has a very strong structure. In a basic way of describing it, it goes verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus. However, on a smaller level, the verses have a section that precedes the chorus. That section is labeled as Pre-chorus above because it seems to lead to and set up the chorus, and at the same time there is enough melodic and harmonic difference from the lines that precede it to think of it as separate from the verse. Also notice that the lyrics in both pre-choruses are the same when the lyrics in each verse are different. The new lyrics at the beginning of the verses makes the song feel like it is progressing or like the story is continuing.
Also, note again that the verse after the first chorus is half as long as the verse before the chorus. See past entries to see other examples of this.

Lyrics
The lyrics speak very generally. In fact, we don't really know what's going on. "I get up and nothing gets me down. You've got it tough, I've seen the toughest around. And, I know just how you feel. You've got to roll with the punches to get to what's real." (A little bit of advice at the end of the verse).
I can hardly think of what to make of the lyrics of the second verse. A possible reason these or any of the lyrics work at all is just because they come so naturally from David Lee Roth's personality. They are wild, fun, rebellious, and mildly flirtatious. The last line ("...you won't know until you begin") hints at the need for action, which is called for in the chorus ("Might as well jump")

Music
The intro music is the same basic pattern as the chorus and the verse. This allows for a super-smooth transition from pre-chorus to chorus and back to verse. It feels like the most natural thing in the world.
As the song approaches what should be the third verse, we wonder "what will happen now?" Will it be the expected third verse or will it be something different? And, of course, it is something different. The craziest, highly energized guitar solo takes off soaring over bass notes and rhythms that we haven't yet heard in the song. It's a bridge or C section. Finally it returns to the opening riff. We know we're near the end, and we're now ready to indulge in that chorus for a little while. And, without ceasing to be inventive, a new subtle element is added with that chugging eighth note line in the guitar. The chorus could've been repeated multiple times until the fade out, but that little extra something keeps us interested to the last second.

Verse 1

I get up

and nothing gets me down

I'm doing great. I'm stoked on life, and there's nothing getting in my way.

You got it tough

I've seen the toughest around

Things can be difficult, but I've seen it all. So, no worries.

We really don't know what specific situation is happening in these lyrics or any of the lyrics to follow, but somehow it's specific enough and cool sounding enough that we feel like we get it.

And I know

Baby, just how you feel

You got to roll with the punches

and get to what's real

In the hard times you have to just learn to deal with it, and eventually you will cut through the bullcrap of other people's egos and selfishness. Then you will know what's truly important in life.

Pre-chorus 1

Ah can't you see me standing here

I got my back against the record machine

I don't fit in.

I ain't the worst that you've seen

But I'm not as bad as some people are.

Ah can't you see what I mean?

Chorus

Might as well jump. Jump!

Might as well jump.

Just go for it. Grab life by the horns. Carpe Diem. Seize the Day.

Verse 2

Ah oh! Hey you! Who said that?

Baby how you been?

I'm stepping out. I'm being vocal. I'm going for it.

You say you don't know

You won't know until you begin

Nobody knows what to feel until they really start going for something. Until you start moving in a direction, you are directionless.

Pre-chorus 2

Ah can't you see me standing here

I got my back against the record machine

I ain't the worst that you've seen

Ah can't you see what I mean?

Chorus

Oww might as well jump. Jump!

Go ahead and jump. Jump!

"Can't Get You Off My Mind" by Lenny Kravitz

Lyrics

(4 bar intro)

Life is just a lonely highway

I'm out on here on the open road

Very general setting here. It establishes that he's alone. Kinda cliche. Two lines that work off the same metaphor.

I'm old enough to see behind me

but young enough to feel my soul

Continues to establish his situation. He is somewhat young, but young enough to still have passion. Anyone fits that though, but it's a cool line. Also, these first four lines barely rhyme.

I don't want to lose you baby

and I don't want to be alone

Now, we know it's definitely a love song. These first two lines say basically the same thing, just a little differently.

I don't want to live my days without you

but for now I've got to be without you

The third and fourth line here say the same thing as the first and second, but the plot thickens because now we learn that he can't be with her at this time. Also, the rhyme scheme differs here from the first stanza.

I got a pocket full of money

and a pocket full of keys that have no bounds

He has a lot of opportunity in worldly things like money and opportunities. Kinda cliche.

but then I think of lovin

But, love trumps those things.

and I just can't get you off of my mind

He wants her. Very simple. After all that: his situation, alone, his age, he's not with her but there may be some history or maybe he could have had her but has to be on his own for some reason, but in the end, "I just can't get you off of my mind." That last line becomes powerful after everything that precedes it.

(4bars)

Babe can't you see

that this is killing me?

I don't want to push you baby

I don't want you to be told

Gets apologetic right before the most desperate statements of desire in the song.

It's just that I can't breath without you

Feel like I'm gonna lose control

Ok, this verse is all about how much he wants her. It drops any reference to how they can't be together, and that issue gets picked up again in the bridge.

I've got a pocket full of money, oh yes I do

and a pocket full of keys that have no bounds

but when it comes to lovin

I just can't get you off of my mind ya

Am I a fool to think that there's a little hope? ya

So there is definitely some unknown reason for why they are not together.

tell me baby ya

what are the rules, the reasons, and the dos and don'ts? ya

Love, the feeling, is the most important thing, but it gets hampered by fronts and expectations.

tell me baby, tell me baby, ya

what do you feel inside?

The bridge contains the real conundrums. The point of the matter. Is there hope? What am I supposed to do? And, what do you really feel? These questions get us to feel vulnerable. And the emotion carries on into the...

(guitar solo)

I've got a pocket full of money

and a pocket full of keys that have no bounds

but when it comes to money

I just can't get you off of my mind ya

I just can't get you off of my mind ya

Summary of Lyric Structure

Verse 1: I'm going through life alone.

Verse 2: I don't want to be alone, but for now, I have to be

Chorus: I've got some things going for me, but then I think of love and I think of you.

Verse 3: I don't mean to sound overly desperate, but I can't live without you.

Chorus: I've got some things going for me, but then I think of love and I think of you.

Bridge: The desire comes to a point of crisis and questions. But at the heart of the matter is what

do you (the girl) feel?

Chorus: I've got some things going for me, but then I think of love and I think of you.

Melody

First of all it's important to notice that the electric guitar plays a four-bar musical phrase for the intro. So, even though the acoustic guitar only strums two chords during that time, the melody played by the guitar provides a sense of musical direction.

The structure of the verse follows a very balanced, classical format. Each line of lyrics is a one-bar melodic bit, so each verse is made up of four one-bar melodic pieces. Every line follows a pattern of musical question then answer with the first line "answered" by the second line and the third line "answered" by the fourth. But, the "question-answer" scenario doesn't stop there. The first half of the verse (or two lines) is a "question" that gets "answered" by the second half of the verse (or the last two lines). One thing that ties all of those phrases together is their is their rhythm. All four lines of the verse contain the same syllabic rhythm. Try singing the third line with the melody of the first for instance, and you will find that the syllables fit. This helps to make all the lines of the verse sound like they belong in the same verse together.

Then the chorus comes with different pitches and rhythms from the verse. Notice that the pitches are generally higher and therefore more exciting than the verse's pitches. The first three lines all start the same way, and that makes the fourth line, the hook, sound very distinctive. The hook begins lower and the rhythm is different from the three preceding lines.

Then in place of a third verse we get this really cool "Babe can't you see that this is killing me?" line, which takes its time, leaves a lot of space, features the electric guitar part, and is sung in falsetto. Probably no step-by-step songwriting book will tell you to take a liberty like that, but do you like it in this song? I do. Then the actual third verse comes to us in a familiar fashion. However, there's no verse four because of the "Babe can't you see..." bit, and the return of the verses feels half as long as the first part of the song. Like we saw in "Yesterday," this makes for a pleasantly surprising return of the chorus.

Finally the bridge takes us into a whole other world harmonically and melodically. These are the highest pitches in the song. The harmony may be the biggest difference here from the rest of the song, and the music is allowed to be featured by the long breaks between the lyrics. The background vocals get some time to be heard between the singer's desperate questions, instead of filling the bridge with lots of words from end to end. There are only three choice questions over ten bars of music.

The rest of the song doesn't give us much else to talk about here, but it is important to note that the vocal performance continues to be creative all the way to the end. There are little melodic liberties that are taken just to be at least a little fresher with the chorus that we are now hearing for the third time.

Harmony

Just a quick note about the harmony in this song. The verses use very few chords, only two in fact. The changes in the chorus happen a tad bit more rapidly but remain still quite simple. The most interesting part of the instrumentation are the electric guitar lines that are played over these chords and still manage to stay out of the way of the vocals. While the chords in the bridge are more "out" they still don't change very often. Harmonically this song is very different from the many-chorded "Yesterday" by The Beatles.

"Yesterday" by Paul MacCartney

"Yesterday" by Paul McCartney

Lyrics

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away

now it looks as though they're here to stay

Oh, I believe in yesterday

This is the context of the speaker. Things used to be good

Now they are bad

Now he is longing for the past. Longing for the good times spoken of in line 1.

Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be

There's a shadow hanging over me

Oh yesterday came suddenly

further description of the bad without full disclosure

the next line remains on the point of his pain.

the unexpected nature of the bad makes us feel sorry for the speaker and identify with him.

Why she had to go I don't know she wouldn't say

Here's the full disclosure of the bad. But the speaker does not say, "My love left me." The speaker assumes we know already, and we are allowed to ascertain the situation from this one statement.

I said something wrong now I long for yesterday

This line evokes sadness because of the blame that the speaker puts on himself. We also infer that he said something wrong on accident. "...now I long for yesterday," is the sum of what the speaker is feeling. It's the most straight ahead statement in the whole song, but it only hits us powerfully because of what we know or think we know about the bad situation.

Yesterday, love was such an easy game to play

now I need a place to hide away

Oh, I believe in yesterday

The first line uses the game metaphor, and the second line talks about hiding away. The connection is the childishness of games and then the terror of the new found darkness in a once bright world.

Why she had to go I don't know she wouldn't say

I said something wrong

now I long for yesterday

Because of the half verse, the return of "Why she had to go..." is not completely expected. It retains a degree of freshness.

yesterday, love was such an easy game to play

now I need a place to hide away

Oh, I believe in yesterday

I can't think of why the first verse wasn't used here to conclude the song except that these lines have the word "love" in them and that helps us remember that this is a love song, but no matter what set of lines return here, the repetition of something we've heard already gives a sense of conclusion.

These lyrics don't spell out very much. The main focus in the verses is on the state in which the speaker finds himself. Left alone, bewildered, and longing for what he just lost.

The first verse states the situation in general terms of good and bad. The second verse continues to describe what the bad situation is like. It doesn't describe the bad situation in terms of facts; it describes the situation in terms of how bad it is. The third verse exhibits the same structure as the first verse in that it describes what was good and what has now turned to bad. It accomplishes almost exactly what the first verse accomplishes but with different words. This is an important point because it shows that you don't need a lot of ideas to write multiple verses. Try saying the same thing twice but with different words, and you may find that you have created verse one and verse two.

The chorus is where the facts are conveyed in this song, but they are far from simply factual statements. "Why she had to go..." sounds like something a person going through great pain would say in the midst of that pain. This and the line that follows are words that are in character with the speaker. They are not just explanatory, although, from them, the listener can infer some kind of a scenario.

Melody

The main issue I want to point out about this melody is it's relatively long form. Each verse is a melody with a beginning and an end. Many modern pop song verses are made up of one or two short melodic lines that are repeated a couple times, but "Yesterday" contains a seven bar, verse melody. It starts with that one note annunciation of "Yesterday..." then continues to grow into a rising line that breaths for a moment, then slowly moves downward, breaths again, and ends with a circular D minor arpeggio before it resolves on the third scale degree.

This kind of long melody is more commonly found in popular songs from the earlier twentieth century by composers such as George and Ira Gershwin, Kurt Weil, and Irving Berlin. Melodies like "Yesterday" and ones written by American Songbook composers usually have some memorable moment that makes them classics instead of a single line that's gets repeated over and over.

One way of explaining the odd, seven bar verse is by dividing it up into phrases. With the first bar as it's own phrase, the rest of the verse can be divided into three two-bar phrases. If the one bar phrase fell at the end of the seven bar pattern, the oddness might be felt because the last phrase might feel short-shrifted. With the odd bar at the front of the verse, it can gel it's way into the next phrase without any abruptness being felt. What also helps the gelling is for there to be so much space between "Yesterday" and "all my troubles seemed so far away."

As for the chorus, note that it begins on a transition chord and resolves on the lyric "something." Most choruses are setup by a transition chord and then the chorus lyrics starts on the resolution. Both are strong moves, but singing over the transition in this case makes for an organic transition. The melody here is enforced by repetition, which distinguishes it as more important than the verse melody.