Art by Matthew Fleming.
This episode was written and produced by Martin Zaltz Austwick.
There are a few specific chord progressions that show up again and again in popular music. Across hundreds of hit songs, the same basic musical formulas have been used by artists ranging from Lynyrd Skynyrd to Lady Gaga, and from Bob Marley to Blink-182. So where did these musical tropes even come from, and what makes them so enduring? Featuring music journalist Jennifer Gersten and comedic musician Benny Davis.
MUSIC FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE
Like I Used To (Instrumental Version) by waykap
Clues in the Sand by Frank Jonsson
Seeking Cat by Moss Harman
Plum King by Molerider
City Limits by Albany, NY
Sweet feat. Habe (instrumental) by Chris Mazuera
If I Could by Chris Mazuera
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View Transcript ▶︎
You're listening to Twenty Thousand Hertz.
[music in]
Have you ever felt like lots of songs sound really similar, even when they’re by completely different artists? You can’t really put your finger on what they’re doing that sounds so familiar, but you know it’s something.
It turns out, there are certain elements that show up again and again in popular music. Rhythms, like the “four on the floor” drum beat have been used in dance music since the disco years.
[music up]
There are also formulas for song structure, like the tried and true format that goes like this - “verse chorus verse chorus bridge chorus”.
The chords of a song can also follow familiar patterns. It doesn’t matter if the songwriter has a Master’s degree in music theory, or if they’ve never taken a music class in their life. It doesn’t really even matter what genre they’re in—the same chord changes get used all over the place.
They’re almost like fool-proof recipes for writing catchy hits. You’ve probably heard dozens of these songs without realizing what they all had in common. But the recipes have been there all along.
[music out]
A big part of what makes a song feel a certain way comes from the chord changes, or the chord progression. A chord progression tells you which chords are being played, and in what order. When two songs use the same progression, it means they share the same basic musical DNA, even if the style is totally different.
One of the most popular chord progressions is over three hundred years old, and it’s still going strong. It was written by a composer named Johann Pachelbel, around 1700.
[Music clip: Pachelbel’s Canon on harpsichord]
Jennifer: Pachelbel's Canon is famous or notorious depending on whom you ask, and what instrument you play.
That’s Jennifer Gersten, a violinist and music journalist. Pachelbel’s Canon is one of those classical songs you’ve probably heard a thousand times, even if you don’t know it by name. It’s probably most well-known for being played at weddings.
Jennifer: It's often played when the bride is walking down the aisle. It's sort of this hallmark of celebratory, refined tradition., it's a bellwether for everything that most people associate with classical music, which is as the name implies, high class, perhaps nose a little bit up in the air, well dressed event.
[melody up]
It’s also just one of those songs you might hear in a commercial, or in the lobby of a hotel, or... almost anywhere.
Jennifer: I think it's also an example of a classical work that might appear on a lot of anti-anxiety playlists, or like "Classical for your morning." Because you're not fully conscious, and you just need something to accompany you, like, brushing your teeth.
This is really the only piece that Pachelbel is known for.
Jennifer: Some have called it a one hit wonder, and I wouldn't disagree.
[music out]
Up until the late 60s, Pachelbel’s Canon was pretty obscure. But in 1968, a conductor named Jean-François Paillard recorded this version.
[music in: Pachelbel’s Canon by Paillard]
Jennifer: So, the single 1960s recording catapulted the Canon to fame, and I believe that at that point, people started to realize how fungible it was, so it could just be used in such a variety of situations.
Pachelbel’s Canon hits kind of a Goldilocks sweet-spot between happy and sad. It’s pleasant, but not so upbeat that it feels goofy. It’s kind of bittersweet. It’s tender. In other words, it’s perfect for a pop song.
[Music clip: Pachelbel’s Canon crossfade to Rain and Tears]
This is “Rain and Tears,” by the Greek rock band Aphrodite’s Child. It came out the same year as that famous recording of Pachabel’s Canon.
Over in Spain, a band called the Pop Tops released a song called “Oh Lord, Why Lord”.
[Music clip: Oh Lord Why Lord]
Jennifer: I suppose it's catchiness caught on, and from there the next explosive moment in Pachelbel's history was its use as a theme song and opening track for the 1980 movie Ordinary People starring Mary Tyler Moore.
[Music clip: Marvin Hamlisch arrangement of Pachelbel]
Jennifer: I suppose the popularity of that film, as well as everything surrounding the marketing, pointed out to many people that Pachelbel's Canon could in fact be integrated into popular life.
If we break this progression down to the most basic version, Pachelbel's Canon sounds like this.
[SFX: piano chords]
With those chords as a framework, you can find tons of variations. In the 90s, bands started taking this chord progression in all kinds of new directions.
Here’s the Blues Traveler song, “Hook”.
[Music clip: Hook]
Green Day’s “Basket Case” brought some punk energy to Pachelbel’s Canon.
[Music clip:: Basket Case]
Vitamin C’s “Graduation,” also known as “Friends Forever” made the connection even more obvious.
[Music clip: Graduation (Friends Forever)]
Jennifer: It seems to wend its way, in one way or another, into so many songs that are a tremendous part of our cultural memory.
These days Pachelbel’s Canon is still popping up in hit songs.
[Music clip: Maroon 5]
Maroon 5’s “Memories” uses both the chords and the tune from Pachelbel’s canon.
[music up]
Jennifer: It's hard to be more literal about an interpretation of Pachelbel's Canon. It's almost the canon verbatim. It begins with the guitar essentially just evoking, what the violins would be doing at the beginning. And then, the singer just starts essentially mimicking the later variations, and then, adding his own after a while. I suppose it's fitting that it's called “Memories,” because for me it evokes all the horrible weddings that I've had to play. And so, yeah, it's very triggering.
But this isn’t the only chord progression that pop music has become obsessed with.
[Music clip: Heart and Soul]
Another famous one is an upbeat little chord progression called the Heart and Soul Changes:
[Music clip continuess: “Heart and Soul”]
This is the Hoagy Carmichael song of the same name. This is a version from the late 30s, by “Larry Clinton & His Orchestra”, with singer Bea Wain. These chords are also called the “Ice Cream Changes” because they go down so easy, and they’re delicious every time.
[music out]
Like Pachelbel’s Canon, the Ice Cream Changes are based on the major scale. If you play the white keys of the piano, starting on C [SFX], you get the seven notes of the C major scale: [SFX]
When you stack 3 or more notes on top of each other, it makes a chord. So if we take C [SFX], E [SFX], and G [SFX], we get a C major chord [SFX]. Since we built it on the first note of the scale, we can also call it the “one” chord of C major. If we build a chord on the second note, D [SFX], we get the two chord: D minor [SFX]. We can do this with all seven notes to get the seven basic chords of the key of the C major scale. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7. [SFX: Dallas speaks the numbers along with chords]. And, because I don’t want to leave you hanging, the one [SFX: C chord an octave higher].
To make a chord progression, we don’t need to use all seven of them, we can just pick a few. For instance, we could start with the “one [SFX: Cmaj],” then go to the; “six [SFX: Amin],” which sounds a little more sad, then over to the “four [SFX: Fmaj]”, and then to the “five [SFX: Gmaj].” That’s the Ice Cream Changes - one, six, four, five [SFX: chords].
[Music clip: Blue Moon]
It’s hard to track down exactly who used this chord progression first, but if you’re an Elvis fan, you’ll know this song.
[Music clip continues: Blue Moon]
This chord progression defines the sound of the 50s.
Here it is in “Earth Angel” by the Penguins…
[Music clip: Earth Angel]
And in a song by The Five Satins…
[Music clip: In the Still of the Night]
And in this song by The Everly Brothers...
[Music clip: All I Have to do is Dream]
Ben E. King’s performance of “Stand By Me” became so famous that people sometimes call these chords the “Stand by Me” changes.
[Music clip: Stand By Me]
But these Ice Cream Changes go way beyond just old school R&B.
They’ve shown up at the bottom of the ocean:
[Music clip: Octopus’s Garden]
Led Zeppelin also uses these changes.
[Music clip: D'yer Mak’er]
Bonnie Tyler used the Ice Cream Changes…
[Music clip: Total Eclipse of the Heart]
And so did Whitney Houston…
[Music clip: I Will Always Love You] And even Rebecca Black released a viral hit that used the same progression.
[Music clip: Friday]
And here it is in the song “Me,” by Taylor Swift.
[Music clip: Me and out]
[music in]
As popular as these chord changes are, there’s another one that’s even bigger. Over the years, this single progression has come to dominate pop music. One band even made a viral hit by making fun of how overused it is.
Benny: My name is Benny Davis. I am a musician, probably better known as a comedian, I was once part of a three piece called the Axis of Awesome. And if you've heard of them, it's because you've heard of the big viral hit that we had, that I wrote, that was called “4 Chords.”
That’s coming up, after the break.
[music out]
MIDROLL
[music in]
From Pachelbel’s Canon to the Ice Cream Changes, pop music has a habit of finding catchy chord progressions and reusing them again and again. But there’s one progression that’s the undisputed champion of them all. It’s been used by artists ranging from Lynyrd Skynyrd to Lady Gaga, and from Bob Marley to Blink-182. This progression is so common that people often just call it “The Four Chords.”
[music out]
Even when a songwriter chooses chords because they just sound good together, there’s actually a reason why those chords fit together so nicely.
Jennifer: Perhaps our most memorable chord progressions begin from a place of stability, head towards a place of tension, and then resolve back at that place of stability.
In musical terms, this is called “Functional Harmony.” It’s sort of like the story arc of a character in a fairy tale.
Jennifer: They begin at home, and there's some kind of tension, right? You reach a climax, and then, at the end of the day, the prince and the princess kiss [SFX: smooch], or whatever. The dragon is defeated [SFX: sword slash and dragon roar]. So, I think that the chord progressions can be thought of almost as the plot of a song in a certain way we're starting in one place, we're going to another place, and then, we're ultimately coming home.
In the case of The Four Chords, that journey goes 1-5-6-4 [SFX]. Each chord is a different beat in the story. So let’s say you start off at home [SFX: C chord, walking on carpet, door open]. Then, you head out to get some coffee [SFX: G chord, door close, talking on pavement, cars, birds], When you get to the coffee shop, they’ve run out of your favourite muffins! [SFX: Am chord, coffee shop]. It’s so disappointing! So, you just grab a coffee and head back out. On your way back, you see a really cute dog! [SFX: F chord, dog bark]. Finally, you get back home [SFX: C chord, opening door and going inside].
Now let's say this song is too high for your voice and you want to play it in a lower key. You can build the progression on a lower pitch, but all the relationships between the notes stay the same [SFX: chromatic slide to F# chord]. Now, the progression sounds like this [SFX: F#-B-D#m-C#-F#]. These aren't the exact same chords, but they have the same feel, because they're still the 1, 5, 6, and 4 chords [SFX], just in a different key. In other words, it’s the same journey, just starting at a different place. Whether you start off at home, at your office, or at a friend’s house, [SFX: F# chord] you always go out to get coffee [SFX:B chord], miss out on a muffin [SFX: D#m chord], see a cute dog [SFX: C# chord] and end up back to where you started [SFX: F#].
One of the earliest examples of the Four Chords is The Teddy Bears’ “To Know Him is to Love Him.”
[Music clip: To Know Him Is to Love Him]
The King sang over the Four Chords in “Always on My Mind”
[Music clip: Always On My Mind]
Bob Marley’s “No Woman No Cry” is also built around the Four Chords…
[Music clip: No Woman No Cry]
And so is “Tuesday’s Gone,” by Lynyrd Skynyrd.
[Music clip: Tuesday’s Gone]
Blink-182 uses the Four Chords in a song called “What’s My Age Again.”
[Music clip: What’s My Age Again]
And Lady Gaga uses them in “The Edge of Glory.”
[Music clip: The Edge of Glory]
And this is just the tip of the Four Chord iceberg.
[music out]
Most of us don’t really mind making that same journey over and over again with different artists. But for songwriter Benny Davis, that predictable journey really started to wear on him.
[music in]
Benny: I would be trying to workout songs from radio, and people would say, "This is a great song." And I'd be like, "No, it isn't." And they tell me to learn this song and I’d be like “It’s the same song,” and they'll be like, "No. No, it isn't." And I'll be like, "Yeah, it is.”
Benny had dreams of becoming a successful musician.
Benny: As a desperate teenager looking for something in place of a personality, I played the piano and sang and learned pop songs and, I guess I was an aspiring musician. So there was a point where I had some cover gigs at bars around the place. And all the requests I got were just the same four chords.
Eventually, Benny got involved in live improv, playing piano alongside standup comedians. At the same time, he was also learning lots of cover songs.
[music out]
Benny: And a friend suggested to me that I learn “Don't Stop Believing,” by Journey, which I'd never heard before. I went home and listened to it.
[Music clip: Don’t Stop Believing]
Benny: And that was the straw that broke my back. I was like, "You got to be kidding me. This is just another Four Chord song, and this goes back to the 80s." And I thought, "Well, at least it's a nice piano riff that I can play over."
[music out]
Benny went home and made a list of all the songs he could think of that used the Four Chords. He put them all in the same key, and then strung them all together into a medley called the “4 Chord Song.” The first time he played it for a real audience was at a college event.
[music in]
Benny: I first performed it at a proper show, I think it was at the Sydney University Arts Review in 2006. It actually came about kind of by chance, because the show had a dress rehearsal the night before, and it wasn't going to be in the show. That was just something that I've done at rehearsals and for fun, for singalongs and stuff. And then the night before they were like, "We need to add something to the show. Do you think you could do this?" Yeah, we did it on opening night, and it brought the house down. I got standing ovation. And people walked away saying it was the best part of the show and, yeah.
Benny: It is one of my I'd say my top 10 happy memories.
The same year, Benny formed a trio called Axis of Awesome. At a comedy festival, the band recorded a live version of Benny’s medley that incorporated forty seven different songs.
[Music clip: Clip from Axis of Awesome Medley]
Benny: And then it went on the internet and it didn't get much traction on our channel. And then some 16 year old kid from Sydney ripped it and then put subtitles on it, that said what each song was, and that version went viral. That got millions of hits. And then Ashton Kutcher tweeted it.
Ashton described the song as, “Awesome with an A+”.
Benny: And then after that, it was just 10 years of touring and playing 4 Chords for literally everyone who had seen us on the internet and wanted to see us live.
Benny couldn’t get away from those four chords in the bars of Sydney, and now he was playing them almost every night to rooms packed with fans. Ultimately, he gave people what they wanted.
Benny: Well we kept updating it, we kept adding new songs, people kept writing them.
Over the years, Axis of Awesome added over thirty more songs to their medley. In 2011, they even released a music video.
*[Music clip: 4 Chord Song Music Video]
These days, Benny still plays Four Chord medley for friends.
[music out]
Benny: I made a new arrangement of it just for a private thing, haven't published it or anything.
In this version, Benny included songs that start on the six chord, then follow the same pattern. In other words, they’re starting the journey with the missing muffin, seeing the dog, going home, and then coming back to the coffee shop.
Benny: So we've got Christina Aguilera with Great Big World, “Say Something.”
[Music clip: Benny’s new Medley, Say Something]
Benny: “Not The Same,” by Ben Folds, has a section with that in it.
[Music clip continues, Not The Same]
Benny: “Still Falling For You,” by Ellie Goulding.
[Music clip continues, Still Falling For You]
Benny: “Skin,” by Rag'n'Bone Man, that's actually a really good song.
[Music clip continues, Skin]
Benny: “How Far I'll Go,” from Moana, plus “Dear Theodosia” from Hamilton, both of which are written by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
[Music clip continues: How Far I’ll Go, Dear Theodosia]
Benny: “Wagon Wheel”, that was 4 chords…
[Music clip continues: Wagon Wheel]
Benny: “Let It Go,” the Oscar winning original song. That's Four Chords.
[Music clip continues: Let It Go]
[Music clip continues…]
Benny: “Someone Like You,” by Adele
Benny: As well as “Hello,” by Adele.
[Music clip continues…]
Benny: “Nervous,” “The Whistle Song,” “Little Talks,” “Cheap Thrills,” “Capsize,” “No Vacancy,” “Despacito.” “Despacito” is a big old Four Chord song.
[Music clip: Benny plays Despacito]
Benny: I'm not even halfway through here.
[music out]
So why do people gravitate towards these familiar patterns?
[music in City Limits]
For one thing, familiar is comfortable. It’s the same reason some people like to fall asleep to The Office every night, even though they’ve seen every episode like, ten times.
Of course, not everyone is like that. After Jennifer’s years of playing Pachelbel’s Cannon at weddings, she now looks for music that surprises her.
Jennifer: I find that I almost listen to music to be disturbed from my regular rhythms. There's a way that I go about my life, and I feel like when I listen to music that I am diverted from that way, or I'm introduced to something new, and that is a continual experience for me. But you should listen to music for whatever reason you want, I just think it's important not to allow any piece of music to become a monolith such that you almost stop listening, or that you're not hearing what is interesting about it.
Even within a predictable structure, there is so much room for variation. Part of what makes a great artist is being able to breathe new life into old ideas. After all, some of the most inventive musicians in history have used The Four Chords, including The Beatles:
[Music clip: Let It Be]
[music out]
Jennifer: I think that all of this has happened before. It's almost impossible to come up with anything that's truly going to be entirely, sonically, unprecedented. And so, the interest is in the way that something is being remixed, or the purpose to which it's being put, or how it feels. [music in]
Popular music is a kind of shared language, with repeated tropes and patterns that we’re all familiar with. Some artists deviate from those patterns, and write songs with five key changes and four different time signatures. Other artists keep it dead simple, and write songs with only a few chords and a simple time signature. Who’s to say which approach is better? As far as I’m concerned, if a song speaks to you, then it’s a good song. Besides, if you want people to sit around a campfire and sing along to your song while someone plays a guitar, simple is probably the way to go.
Benny: I have always thought of pop music as being kind of part of a folk tradition because of how simple the language of the music is. Because what's good about pop music isn't the complexity of it. Anybody who's analyzing pop music through that kind of lens, trying to compare it to art music, I think is on a fool's errand. That's not what's good about pop music. Pop music is good because it's how we consume music, how we share it, how the familiarity can unite people.
[music out]
[music in]
Twenty Thousand Hertz is hosted by me, Dallas Taylor, and produced out of the sound design studios of Defacto Sound. For a little sonic inspiration, follow Defacto Sound on Instagram.
Thanks to our guests, Jennifer Gersten, and Benny Davis. You can find Jennifer’s work at Jennifer Gersten dot wordpress dot com.
And an extra special thanks goes out to Benny for letting us use his new version of the 4 Chord Song. Be sure to check out his Youtube channel, Benny The Jukebox, to hear more of his work.
This episode was written and produced by Martin Zaltz Austwick, and Casey Emmerling, with help from Sam Schneble. It was sound edited by Soren Begin. It was sound designed and mixed by Nick Spradlin.
If you want to help us name episodes, and get bonus 20K content, be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and subscribe to our subreddit, R slash two zero kay.
Thanks for listening.
[music out]
