# Famous Single Chords in Rock? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 26, 2019, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107 "2019-06-26T17:05:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/1 "2019-06-26T17:05:50Z")
The Beatles were responsible for two of the most famous single chords in music - the opening to ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ and the final chord on ‘A Day in the Life.’ Are there any other examples of famous single chords? ---
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/2 "2019-06-26T17:32:24Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > The Beatles were responsible for two of the most famous single chords in music - the opening to ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ . How should we classify the opening chord to the Kink’s [Do It Again](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lqil8_JFCVU), then? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/3 "2019-06-26T17:38:03Z")
The opening chord of [Lola](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaMS_5i0Bbs). ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/4 "2019-06-26T17:40:21Z")
Yardbirds - [For Your Love](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2LSSgQMc2E) Opening three chords (one repeated) are iconic. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/5 "2019-06-26T17:42:19Z")
> [@SirRay](#): > > . > How should we classify the opening chord to the Kink’s [Do It Again](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lqil8_JFCVU), then? Hmm. Would the average person know which song it was from hearing only the opening to ‘Do It Again?’ I’d know it but I’m guessing it’s not as famous as the Beatles chords. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/6 "2019-06-26T18:42:41Z")
[Don’t take me alive](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gV1sxB8TxI), Steely Dan. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/7 "2019-06-26T18:49:08Z")
Heh, we went from Do It Again by another band, to Steely Dan, which reminds me that I’d always be about to pick out the beginning to Hey 19 even without the long drawn out note after the first chord. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/8 "2019-06-26T19:07:31Z")
Re: Steely Dan, isn’t there a “Steely Dan chord”? That’s gotta count for something. I see from Wikipedia it’s properly called the “mu chord,” but gets enough searching under “Steely Dan chord,” that there’s a redirect in place. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/9 "2019-06-26T19:36:50Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Re: Steely Dan, isn’t there a “Steely Dan chord”? That’s gotta count for something. > > I see from Wikipedia it’s properly called the “mu chord,” but gets enough searching under “Steely Dan chord,” that there’s a redirect in place. Yeah, it’s just a type of add9 (or add2) chord. There’s also the “Jimi Hendrix chord,” which is a 7#9 chord. When the verse kicks in (“Purple Haze was in my brain…”) it’s that first chord in that progression. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/10 "2019-06-26T19:43:03Z")
[Roundabout](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-hae1dbQXY), Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/11 "2019-06-26T19:45:02Z")
[Here Comes Your Man](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPgf_btTFlc) by the Pixies starts out with a very “Hard Day’s Night”-esque chord. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/12 "2019-06-26T19:46:24Z")
To the actual point of the thread, if I understand it correctly, I’d nominate two from the same album, the opening chords on [“Let’s Go Crazy”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXJhDltzYVQ) and [“Purple Rain.”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvnYmWpD_T8) ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/13 "2019-06-26T19:54:52Z")
“The story goes that when James Brown interviewed the guitarist Jimmy Nolan, Jimmy was asked, ‘Can you play an E9 chord?’. ‘Of course!’. replied Jimmy. James Brown then grinned and asked, ‘Yes, but can you play it all night?!’” > **[Funk Guitar Chords: Techniques - Fundamental Changes Music Book Publishing](https://www.fundamental-changes.com/funk-guitar-chords-2/)** > > Learn how to play essential funk guitar techniques with this detailed lesson on chords and funk guitar rhythms. Notation, audio and tab. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/14 "2019-06-26T19:56:53Z")
Can I have the same chord played twice please? In which case I’ll take Bowie’s Moonage Daydream. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/15 "2019-06-26T22:19:27Z")
Another Beatles tune with a long/unique opening chord: [It’s All Too Much](https://youtu.be/2zc3idF_IZ0) ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/16 "2019-06-26T22:51:15Z")
I don’t know how famous it is if you haven’t listened to the Rutles, but there’s the chord at the end of _Cheese and Onions_. It certainly riffs off the chord at the end of _A Day In the Life_. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ePaHG6g7uFw/hqdefault.jpg "THE RUTLES - Cheese And Onions (1969)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePaHG6g7uFw) ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/17 "2019-06-26T23:00:18Z")
I know it’s not rock but the opening blast chord of the Star Wars theme is certainly instantly recognizable. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/18 "2019-06-27T00:13:22Z")
The Ramones Rock And Roll High School. This one pissed Johnny Ramone right off because Phil Spector kept making him play it over and over again (the same chord, now) until it was juuust right. (The ringing bell- that’s not the beginning of the song, imo) ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/19 "2019-06-27T00:20:58Z")
Here is a pretty cool Youtube clip of Randy Bachman breaking down the famous _A Hard Days Night_ opening chord. [1:45 Youtube video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwfH9oAiPH0) ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107/20 "2019-06-27T01:03:54Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Here is a pretty cool Youtube clip of Randy Bachman breaking down the famous _A Hard Days Night_ opening chord. > > [1:45 Youtube video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwfH9oAiPH0) This is great. I always thought I heard a piano in there somewhere, but I guess not [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-single-chords-in-rock/836107.md?page=2)