Which song features the most interesting, unexpected chord progressions?

I would offer If You Really Want to be My Friend and Let it Loose, with that endlessly spiralling, descending riff.

What say you?

There aren't many ways to combine E, D, and A... or C, F, and G.

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peoplewitheyes
Which song features the most interesting, unexpected chord progressions?

I would offer If You Really Want to be My Friend and Let it Loose, with that endlessly spiralling, descending riff.

What say you?

Let it Loose, it actually has two keys so the tension keeps on going i.e. it never resolves apart from the end of the song of course. Good observation, PWE.

I allways like the chord progression of Brown Sugar

Bye
Fernando

"All About You" is rather interesting iirc.

Yes! All About You is definitely a great suggestion. Weird changes that you certainly don't see coming.

And don't get me started about Keith's amazing backing vocals on that track...

Yeah there's many interesting ones, All About You or Sleep Tonight...
Sweet Virginia is weird too, because that B7 resolves so flawlessly to the A. But I guess that's a country thing and can be explained by looking at the B7 as a secondary dominant which would lead to an E chord which would than lead back to A, but in Sweet Virginia the E chord is just omitted in that part.

I guess many of the more interesting progressions can be explained with secondary dominants and different church modes and that kind of stuff.
But what I can't wrap my head around is how Gimme Shelter can sound this good with three consecutive major chords descending by one step. It would make sense with the root being a minor chord like in All Along The Watchtower, but it's so weird that it's written in major...That might come from the Blues and it's infamous dualism of the 3rd.

But yeah, if it sounds good it's fine with me. A song doesn't need to have an interesting chord progression as long as it touches me. But it's still fun to analyse them!

Am > E7/G#
Gsus > Fsus/F > C

Angie



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2020-12-10 01:00 by schillid.

Let It Loose is a great suggestion, PWE. As are some of Keef's ballads, Angie and the Eb in Brown Sugar.

How about the bridge in the middle of E, A, B rocker Rocks Off? F#/A# to F# to C#m...or maybe something from GHS like Can You Hear the Music?

I’ve always found Torn and Frayed interesting. It sort of changes keys every other line.

All About You
Let It Loose

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TheflyingDutchman

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peoplewitheyes
Which song features the most interesting, unexpected chord progressions?

I would offer If You Really Want to be My Friend and Let it Loose, with that endlessly spiralling, descending riff.

What say you?

Let it Loose, it actually has two keys so the tension keeps on going i.e. it never resolves apart from the end of the song of course. Good observation, PWE.

Yes, I completely agree: Let It Loose.
The way the chord-sequence keeps changing the second last chord from either C or Gm and how - somehow, magically - this keeps on climaxing, I still have not worked out why. The way the vocals shift position on top of the chords is fantastic too.

How Can I Stop

saint of me ... the bridge, it changes in very lovely chords

I agree about LIL and All About You. All About You must also be one of maybe 6-7 Stones songs that uses a Gm.

Funny ThomasHanck, the bridge in SOM is the only music I still haven't figured out on the guitar, the verse is quite genius though, using pararell F/Bb and then Bb/Bbsus4 with spectacular results.

When we're still on B2B I love the bridge in Outta Control but it's sounds more impressive than it is I guess. (G-(G#)-A-Bb-

Hang Fire's riff with A to a root F# and then D is also quite imaginative.

Rock And Hard Place should get an honorable mention too with that chord-based riff and then the rather mellow bridge.

Ruby Tuesday is interesting too, two different chord progressions in the verses and then the cool chorus flying over a Bb from the classical C-G-F stuff.


Cant Be Seen, now that is pure genius! How he goes up to the C#m from the Bm, the verse chords, and then the beautiful feel of the chorus. Mmmmmm



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2020-12-10 12:43 by MadMax.

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schillid
Am > E7/G#
Gsus > Fsus/F > C

Angie

Agree, great chord progression ..........

[ I want to shout, but I can hardly speak ]

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peoplewitheyes
Which song features the most interesting, unexpected chord progressions?

I would offer If You Really Want to be My Friend and Let it Loose, with that endlessly spiralling, descending riff.

What say you?

I just read the title of the thread and was about to post what instantly popped up: If you really wanna be my friend.

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Redhotcarpet

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peoplewitheyes
Which song features the most interesting, unexpected chord progressions?

I would offer If You Really Want to be My Friend and Let it Loose, with that endlessly spiralling, descending riff.

What say you?

I just read the title of the thread and was about to post what instantly popped up: If you really wanna be my friend.

The verses have a rather classic and well-used chord progression, albeit played in a somewhat different manner. That's what makes it great, imo. The same chord pattern is also to be found in Memory Motel, btw, but with a different rhytmic approach.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2020-12-10 13:35 by DandelionPowderman.

If you really want to be my friend - interesting and unexpected chord progression? It´s as basic and logic as it gets. Nothing special there. I don´t understand what you mean, but hey, that´s only me.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2020-12-10 13:54 by Bjorn.

Hand of Fate

Re: If you Really Want to be My Friend

I don't have it to hand, but isn't there an interesting (and unexpected) major, or a seventh, around '...understand me' toward the start of the verse.

It's always in the second line of the verses.

It lifts the song from being rather pedestrian to being something that catches you by surprise and perks your ears.

That's what I'm talking about



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2020-12-10 14:15 by peoplewitheyes.

Melody!

That's the clear winner for me

HA HA I was thinking If You Really Want To Be My Friend mainly in regard within The Rolling Stones body of music, not if something is typical elsewhere, because the Stones don't have anything like that song anywhere else... with the only thing I can think of coming close is Fast Talking Slow Walking.

Nothing unusual, but still genius: the chord progression on Paint It, Black. Combined with the riff, it's a winner, imo.

My most beautiful wife wants me to play The Worst ‘
I may even share it here one time

The chords in that little break in Hey Negrita are great. Caribbean and jazzy. Ronnie-stuff, with nicely added open G-chords from Keith. Great!

Memory Motel's chord progression although structurally not complex but when the Stones groove is applied to it, is one of the best, one of my favorite to play on my Taylor accoustic.
By the way B&B has so many great songs(#4 on my list of favorite stones record)
We know the story that Mick wrote his part at one end of the world while Keith did his at the other end but the 2 parts fit just like that!
Rockandroll,
Mops

Not being sarcastic here, I think "Key's To Your Love" has a cool sounding chord progression, especially during the break that's after the bridge. (Not sure if that's technically correct, but it's the best way I can describe it.)



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2020-12-11 22:16 by ryanpow.

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thomashanck
saint of me ... the bridge, it changes in very lovely chords

What are they?

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More Hot Rocks

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thomashanck
saint of me ... the bridge, it changes in very lovely chords

What are they?

That very same descending changes as in If You Really Want To Be My Friend and Memory Motel Don't remember in which key, though.