John Lennon was the greatest chord progression composer in rock music. His unique and radically original chord progressions influenced everybody that came after. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is another Lennon masterpiece in the vein of Strawberry Fields Forever, I am the Walrus… no other Beatle or musician composed chord progressions on his level while keeping the music catchy and accesible. And that’s without even mentioning his time signature changes which were also revolutionary as evidenced in this song along with “All you Need is Love”, “Happiness is a Warm Gun”, “Good Morning Good Morning”, etc…

@timothysullysullivan2571

7 ай бұрын

How great Ringo is to have dealt with those wild and often erratic time changes, and still have it all gel together.

I've been telling people for years... every time you play a Beatles song you learn a new chord. Well Done!

This is a John Lennon song. John is a very intuitive songwriter when it comes to chord changes. He goes by "what sounds good." He wasn't thinking of 'key changes' or whatever. He just knew what chords sounded good together, which in actuality, is a very rudimentary way of thinking about chord progressions. You allude to this yourself when you say, more than once, "our ear accepts it." Although it is 'rudimentary' (the separate sections), when they are played together it gives the listener some surprising twists & turns. But we accept it. Maybe it's because we DID HEAR inklings of those changes BEFORE in passing or maybe it's simply because "they sound good together." In other words, it doesn't really matter what key we are in during that Bb section... John simply knows that those 4 chords go well with a C chord & then he also knows that the chords G & D fit well with a C chord as well, which brings in the next section. It's really that simple. John was also this way (as was George & even Paul) when it comes piano-based songs they composed. They would pick notes that were adjacent to one another to create these somewhat 'discordant' sounds (George's "I Want To Tell You" & "Old Brown Shoe") or to create descending motifs that are journeying somewhere. Some people claim that Lennon abandoned this sort of chord patterning & became more 'traditional' during his solo years & they wished for his earlier 'experiments' with weaving sections together with different chord patterns that were in different keys but "sounded good together." One can decide for oneself by listening to his solo recordings after the Beatle breakup.

@martynspooner5822

9 ай бұрын

An excellent breakdown, thanks a lot.

@wilsonbrownofficial2828

9 ай бұрын

You seldom - if ever - hear a straightforward modulation in Beatles songs. ‘Woman’ is at least one song where John seems to have a more traditional approach in my opinion. Still a great song though.

@ari1234a

8 ай бұрын

Instant Karma ---> From A to F#m. This is simple enough.. Now when it goes to F - G - A part that chord progression was "accident" from John. There is this tape where John is playing that A ->F#m going over and over and then suddenly there is this ascending F G A and John is heard to say "Oh". Wonderful...

@timothysullysullivan2571

8 ай бұрын

paul wrote the chorus. a true collaboration. john- descending bass line, paul ascending. pretty typical for them.

@hw343434

8 ай бұрын

@@timothysullysullivan2571 Not a true collaboration, more like a band member chipped in on a John Lennon song, same can be said for Paul songs like “Penny Lane”, etc. And by the way, the chorus is G D and C, nothing original about that. We’re here for John’s unique chord progressions

A real inspiration from a very good teacher about how beautiful chords just melt into each other when fashioned by masters of song.Johns genius!

Amazing lesson. I don't think I'd ever have worked this out, never mind been able to take writing inspiration from it! Thank you.

The last chord of the first iteration of the verse should be an F augmented chord, according to both my ears and official lead sheet. Otherwise, great video!

This is for me one of your best videos so far! Thanks so much :)

Great lesson! More like this would be appreciated.

Wow! What a fabulous lesson. Interesting and useful! Thanks so much!

excellent stuff there my friend, once again!

I noticed the chord progression with LUCY was ripped off by Oasis in champagne supernova, repeating the A major with the diminishing bassline on top. I hoped to find a video like this online that explained the thought process behind the map of chords the Beatles first demonstrated in their classic latter years compared to the ostinatos Oasis stole from all of their melodies. Thank you for your patience, sir!

@hazor777

8 ай бұрын

Well, can you blame them? Imitation/Flattery. Financially, it was a good decision. ELO is basically a Beatles tribute band with “original” songs

@danielfrancoismalherbe6803

8 ай бұрын

@@hazor777 you're right, it sounds good enough for other bands to steal from. No hate, I'm merely pointing out the Beatles raised the bar too high for anyone to do any better

@s.d.d.6063

7 ай бұрын

Ofc Oasis were heavily inspired by The Beatles…ever seen the movie Yesterday? Have a look 😉

@hazor777

7 ай бұрын

@@s.d.d.6063 Oasis COULD HAVE BEEN a bonafide / artistically respectful band had the singer bro learned his lesson early on . I think they could have much more unique (if that’s possible in modern music) , but I think they played it safe after he left . They got “the money” , I guess that’s what counts

@Endless_Skyway_Adventures

6 ай бұрын

Ripped off is a strong word given that you can’t copyright a chord progression.

That was brilliant! Thank you so much for sharing.

Beautiful presentation mate. Thank you!

Great breakdown thanks.

Excellent. Greatly appreciated. Thanks Ben. Inspiration a plenty to come up with a piece with a chromatic baseline and some interesting chords.

Ooof.. man, i love the beatles… a perfect study of contemporary, pop/rock…and thanks to u for showing how those borrowed chords ‘match up’ (F & Dm) at the end of the progression.. thats something to use!

Awesome lesson. Thank you!!

Thanks. That was very interesting and most helpful.

Great lesson, thx 🤘👍🤘

Excellent lesson in song structure, thanks!

Excellent analysis of the Genius of the Beatles

I think the pre-chorus is in F major, for the sequence: Bd/C/F: 4/5/1 and then 4. I think C works as a dominant (C7 instead of C works perfectly). And the 3 chords are in the F major scale. And then, the chorus is in G major, which is a tone above F major (a common change to give more intensity to the chorus). And then, the modulation to the new verse is to A major again (a tone above G major), giving it a beautiful coherence.

@ThePatriots2006

8 ай бұрын

That is how I see it as well

@jaystonemusic

8 ай бұрын

I was also wondering about this!

@quentindouasbin5136

8 ай бұрын

I came here for this 😊 Totally agree. Can someone explain?

@solodky

2 ай бұрын

Beatles Complete Scores has it as you say.

@solodky

2 ай бұрын

Beatles Complete Scores has it as you say.

Superb video and explanation.😎☮️🎸

Fantastic analysis of LITSWD. I never really appreciated the complexity of this song. Absolute genius. Thanks Benny!

This song and much else from them blew my mind a very long time ago.

The 1st 4 chords create a descending bass line: A - G - Gb - F. Lots of musicians employ this idea , including myself.

Fantastic

Really helpful thanks. I need to learn more about borrowed chords and where to borrow them from. Also, could you please post a link to a vid outlining the chords of the relative minor? Thanks. 🙏❤️😎

Great anaysis

Thanks

Another minor detail worth mentioning: A/G (or A7) is also not in the key of A major. Thanks!

I think, also, it shows how many of their songs were created by connecting various pre-existing or unfinished smaller ideas. . .and, the songs often demonstrate that they are written by two people (and 3 if you count G. Martin). thanks

12:37 - hahaha The Beatles manage to "get back"

So, can the pre-chorus be seen as key of F, since you have the I-IV-V chords? Anyway, I’m glad someone else obsesses over this too. I’ve been trying to pin down the magical qualities of this song since the recent remix.

@ShawnBurgettMusic

8 ай бұрын

@georgeorr1042 - I always wondered about, or perceived it this way too. Maybe it's kind of both?....and maybe that's why it makes such an odd, but interesting transition? Just as a listener.... it's like reality gets blurred for a couple seconds..... and then you're , like...."oh , I guess we're here now. Hmmm". Long before I could play, I knew something was up when I heard that part. Definitely suits the odd mood of the song.

Nice video. Couple of thoughts. The first time we hear the F note in the bass, the melody note sounds more like a C# to me. Also do you think that first F chord is more like an A/F? To me the pre-chorus sounds like it’s in F. The tension created by Bb to C seems to resolve on F. I’d be interested to hear what you think about these points. Cheers.

@MorrisLess

9 ай бұрын

Or Bb lydian.

@htws

9 ай бұрын

Great question - while those chords all belong in the key of F, the chords and melody resolve to Bb - you can hear the cadence bringing us ‘home’ when that Bb lands

@scott001music

9 ай бұрын

I don't belive they really resolve... the Bb leads to a 4 chord (tensoin - un-resolved sound) that doesn't really resolve... leaning towards the key of F. In the second half the pre-chorus, The C chord gives a '5' sound feel wanting to resolve to the F but it goes to 'G' Giving us yet another key change feel @@htws

@scott001music

9 ай бұрын

Great video by the way!!! I love your channel!!!@@htws

@andrewdavies8328

9 ай бұрын

I am tempted to say the pre-chorus goes to F major using a VI - V - I - VI progression, set up by the use of F and Dm at the end of verse, but have listened so hard to it, I can see the case for Bb as well. In any case, it is wonderful Beatles magic and full of ear candy!

Interesting analysis! Thanks for sharing that. I had never heard of "priming" before watching this. Very interesting! The song has this weird, out-of-sorts feel to it, in 3/4, hitting unusual changes, but it's all leading up to the very familiar 4/4 G-C-D section. This goes well with the lyrics which seem to be about a drug experience (which The Beatles have denied, but not credibly).

Being the complete Masters of their craft, only the trained ear can recognize this same chord progression in many of their songs, such as While My Guitar Gently Weeps, and Dear Prudence, just to name a couple, and unless you're actually listening for the similarities, you might not even notice until someone points it out to you..

Cool! Now do "Dear Prudence" . . .

@ 1:54 should that be upper case Roman numerals on the F major? bVI? If not, please explain why/not. 😊

Great video! Question: since Bb, C, and F are all in F major, why wouldn’t you say the pre-chorus is in F major? Thanks!

@htws

9 ай бұрын

Great question - while those chords all belong in the key of F, the chords and melody resolve to Bb - you can hear the cadence bringing us ‘home’ when that Bb lands

When do borrowed chords have to be returned?

Great video! When calling a chord outside the key a borrowed chord, why do so rather than assert those chords are instead implying key changes? Is it because of their brevity or what is the reason? I ask because when I hear Jamiroquai, Incognito, et al many of the song progressions seem to use borrowed chords a lot to sound exotic but to me it feels like brief modulations -- like kaleidoscopic color pattern changes. Lucy In The Sky doesn't feel that way to me...but should it?...

@tonysienzant6717

9 ай бұрын

" A borrowed chord" is not equal to a "key change." That's the difference you are hearing. Lennon used borrowed chords in many of these different sections. The different sections, however, are technically "key changes" not borrowed chords. There's a difference. i think the most significant point of this video is the suggestion that since Lennon used borrowed chords in the beginning verse, it then foreshadows what we will hear a bit later with an actual key change based upon that borrowed chord. The chords C, Bb, F are ALL chords in the key of F & REMEMBER the F chord was the first borrowed chord Lennon used. That's the point of this video lesson as I understand it. But Lennon may have stumbled upon it quite by accident & not intentionally. I think Lennon wasn't really thinking of those things but just intuitively going for what sounded good to him & patterning his chords according to what chords usually go together. It's a simple idea really. (See my explanation elsewhere in the comments.)

Hi, could the first line of the pre-chorus (Bb C F Bb) be equally classified as a key change to F-Major from A-Major? Just wondering. Or is it classified as a key change to Bb-Major from A-Major because Bb is only a semitone away from A whereas F is 4 semitones away from A in a key change to F-Major from A-Major?

@kennethhale8307

9 ай бұрын

I was expecting the F to be key center because it is all diatonic vs Bb where the major 2 is not diatomic to the key. That said the Bb does sound like resolution. I just don’t know why.

@ParadNorthProd

9 ай бұрын

I hear it as F Major, not Bb. The G major then becomes the borrowed chord to lay the foundation for the chorus.

@musicproductionvideos5019

9 ай бұрын

I def see it as F also. The Dm & Dm/C preceding it are also then from F.

@htws

9 ай бұрын

Great question - while those chords all belong in the key of F, the chords and melody resolve to Bb - you can hear the cadence bringing us ‘home’ when that Bb lands

@kmfrazz

6 ай бұрын

I think of the pre-chorus as just being in Bb Lydian, the chords are diatonic to that mode and it's a "dreamy-like" progression. Lydian is just like a major scale , but with a raised 4th degree.@@kennethhale8307

Ben this is absolutely fun as fu#k! She chose the right song writing partner or shall I say? It takes two to tango... Lyricism and Effective Professional Applied music theory! "An awesome open door video on song writing"... My favorite How to Write Songs video yet.

The third chord you playing in the beginning is not F#m, it's Dmaj7th/F#

The Beatles complete scores shows the first key change to the key of F. Not Bb.

Pre is in F then G

Is there any documentation from anyone who was in the studio, or from any of the song writers themselves, how much George Martin contributed to these musical choices and techniques? Thanks.

Wouldn’t the pre chorus be in F?

Lennon and McCartney knew very little about music theory (especially Lennon). They worked solely from instinct and intuition in their songwriting. I have a feeling this video would largely be lost on them. They DID what came melodically natural to their ears.

@gtrdoc911

8 ай бұрын

In truth, the Beatles knew lots about chord theory from covering literally thousands of songs since their beginnings circa 1960. The thing they sucked at was sight reading. I’m sure that’s what Paul means when he says he “can’t read music”. They were clearly very fond of breaking the rules of diatonic harmony and regular meter. One must first know the rules then one can break them. That’s what makes Beatle songs so unique (and of course their unique voices and magical harmonies).

@user-gl5kj1fm5x

8 ай бұрын

yes but george martin was schooled in music at guildhall school of music including composition and conducting how much of the arrangement is martins?

@petegilgan6217

8 ай бұрын

A good number of 'arrangements' I would say. But the compositions themselves were little or nothing to do with him.@@user-gl5kj1fm5x

@martinmartin8871

8 ай бұрын

They knew and know a ton of music theory. Otherwise we'd have more Honey Don't level Rockabilly. There's hundreds of amazing songs. I will, Yesterday Fixing a Hole. 225 soings 30 number ones and a catalog that just might stand the test of centuries from now listenings.

@petegilgan6217

8 ай бұрын

You are confusing two things here. Of course they wrote great songs - but they did it NOT knowing very much about theory. It's called instinctive genius.@@martinmartin8871

Why not use the circle of quarto-fifths in the explanation? It would be more clear to understand.

Isnt the pre chorus C major?

Very informative, very interesting......but I very much doubt that this follows Lennon's thought processes. He probably though...that sounds ok.

This is great (love your 4 points of advice at the end!) but I'd just note that you can't really say that the Bb chord is the "flat nine" in the key of A - it's the "flat two", as the concept of a ninth is really only about chord tones/extensions, not chords in a scale/key. Something that's far, far more ambiguous (and so nothing at all wrong with how you're looking at it) is I might consider the Pre-Chorus to have moved to the key of F (as "primed" in the Verse several times) but rotating around the IV chord (Bb) in F (so the C is no longer a borrowed chord) - the final 2 chords of the Verse are essentially settling us into this (Dm minor being the relative minor of F, so the same key), just like the final 2 chords of the Pre-Chorus (G to D) settle us into the next key change to G (ending by sitting on the IV chord of A to create the same kind of feeling as the Bb did as the IV chord of F when we moved into the Pre-Chorus). Anyway, just food for thought and no real right answer there - great song and great video - thanks!

I must point put that you are playing the melody incorrectly at the word 'river' -which surprises me since the rest of your analysis is spot on. Otherwise, you chose a great song to gain wisdom from.

The song being a shuffle is pretty much the only proper instruction that you have given here. Great intention though.

Sage of Quay

You're playing the melody as well as the chords. That will make more chords than if you just played the backing chords and sang the melody over them.

I understand if a song or a band or a genre is just not something you like, however how can someone legitimately say the Beatles suck?? You might not like it but that’s creative , great chords,great melodies, great harmonies, great lyrics meter changes,key changes… it’s Progressive Rock before their were progressive Rock , in no way shape or form do The Beatles “suck”..you might not like it, it don’t suck.

And they had no musical training! Amazing.

I don't know... sounds like mind control to me...

There is not such chord progression in the beginning of that song. The tune is far more reduced.

With all due respect, this guy doesn’t have the right chords. In the key of A, the third chord is Dmaj7 (not F#m), the fourth chord is Dm6 (not F). The next line is closer to those in the video.

@MorrisLess

8 ай бұрын

In the key of A (3 sharps), A is one, B is two; C#is three; D is four, and E is Five (F# is six, and G# is seven). So he does, in fact, have the right chords. I disagree with him, however, with respect to the prechorus. I hear F major, although an argument could be made for Bb lydian. I do not hear Bb major with a C accidental.

@nathansalmon8192

8 ай бұрын

@@MorrisLess You’ve completely misunderstood my comment. Play the song in the key of A major (3 sharps). Then the 3rd chord *of the song (in A major)* is not F#m but Dmaj7, the 4th chord *of the song* is not F but Dm6.

Sorry buddy you lost me on the intro. Not even close to right chords.

@michaeldmytriw1047

17 күн бұрын

So what are the right chords, then? Enlighten us!

Guys PLEASE can you chill with the absurd titles? If you want me to take you seriously as writers you should know better than to write that a 50+ year old song is going to “blow my mind.”

@toddpacker4683

9 ай бұрын

What does it being 50 years old have to do with anything

The music in the intro is needless & irritating