the title of this blog is “communications major, english minor.” for short, i like to think of it as Cmaj/Em. This is only fitting because it correlates to a favorite guitar chord transition of mine. it’s, like, fate!
there’s tons of information about there about different tones or chords or notes and their significances, purposes and meaning. two instances i can recall off the top of my head are: the three harmonics that you hear on NBC all the time are notes G, E, and C, which coincidentally also stands for General Electric Company. also, casino slot machines always play C-major when you win, because C is a note of “pure joy.” i’m like a factory of useless facts.
in any event, i decided that on my drive home from school i was going to pop the songs: ohia album the lioness into my car’s cd player. in a surreal, eerie coincidence, i arrived home and the first instant message i received after signing online was a friend who stated, “i think every song on the lioness is some derivation of Am/G/F.” we started talking about the dramatic weight of the chord series, and how Am and F are both very heavy, quasi-depressing notes, while the G that separates them is an airy, momentary glimpse of happiness. we also quickly recognized that we both had one (or in my case, more than one) song that somehow utilizes these three chords. from there we expanded outward and began conjuring up other artists and songs throughout history that are similar in structure.
bob dylan all along the watchtower – this one is the most obvious example that most everyone could decipher. the lyrical content is your typical dylan (in my opinion overrated) verbiage. it’s a fairly oblique tune, and the repetition of those three chords certainly adds to it’s weight.
neil young crime in the city – this is supposedly the longest song neil ever recorded, and some versions had something like 11 verses. neil also employs the technique rhyming “thief” and “relief,” just like dylan! do i sense an homage? it’s very aggressive and moving, an attribute that is perhaps due to the consistent use of that indelible chord transition.
the ramones i just wanna have something to do – it’s not shakespeare. a pretty straightforward song about wanting to have someone to be with tonight instead of chilling alone like a geek.
the cure lovesong – i’ve been a fan of this tune for quite some time, and although it’s not a straight up Am/G/F groove, they are the three main chords, with the addition of C and Em (oooh, C and Em!). i think almost every cure song I’ve ever learned how to play opens with Am or A. Think about all the cure songs you know and you’ll realize it’s true.
mama’s and the papa’s california dreamin’ – this one has a ton of other chords, but it’s interesting that opening line to the song and the chorus (which are the only two lines most people remember anyway) are both the Am/G/F series.
led zeppelin stairway to heaven – the last three minutes or so, the loud rocking part, is all Am/G/F. You know the part, where it’s all, “and as we wind on down the road / our shadows taller than our souls,” part?
i guess what i’m trying to get at is, we’ve all got common emotions we’re trying to share with the world, and somehow, the sound of those three chords in a series enables us to add a depth and meaning to our messages. it’s quite fascinating, to me, at least.
