A suggestion I made in this thread has me thinking. What are well known songs with the chord progression I-vi-IV-V (most commonly C-Am-F-G or G-Em-C-D)? There are many, I know. I once made a list of somewhere around 15 songs when I played guitar far more often than I do now, but when I was responding to the thread, I couldn’t remember but three of them:
Please Mr. Postman
Earth Angel
Last Kiss
So remind me what songs I’m forgetting.
This is just top of mind:
A pretty useful little progression…
Oh, jeez, and who could forget Under the Boardwalk - Verse = G - D; Chorus = C, G, D with bridge (Under the Boardwalk - Out of the Sun…etc. = G to Em and back…)
Oh and the Beatles’ I Feel Fine
Verses = G, D, C, G
Bridge (I’m so glad, she’s my little girl) = G, Bm, C, D
I realize these are all exactly the chord progression you are looking for but they pretty much use the same chords are easy and sound great…
The third chord there would be an F# actually. It’s a 1-5-6-4 progression, like Bob Marley’s ‘No woman no cry’.
An acceptable substition for the third chord (the 4) would be a 2 - i.e. substitute the F with a Dm if you start the sequence on C.
Another 1-6-4-5 is Blue Moon. And Il cielo in una stanza, of course (hey - I’m half Italian).
Yeah, that one definitely used to be on my list. It kills me that I’ve forgotten so many songs once responsibility ruined my playing time.
Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me” is a nice one IMO.
I learned it as: A - F#m - D - E - A
Most versions of Blue Moon I’ve heard are I-vi(7)-ii(7)-V7. But substituting a IV for the ii7 works fine.
Of the top of my head, there’s Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me.”
Fun fact: here in San Diego at least, and particularly among older musicians, this progression is sometimes referred to as ice cream changes.
Mmmm, ice cream changes.
Almost forgot the grandaddy of them all: Heart And Soul, beloved of first-graders everywhere.
I still remember as a kid realizing that the chords to Elton John’s Crocodile Rock were in many places the same as Heart And Soul. I was incredulous: “You can do that?”
There are probably a zillion of songs with this progression.
Here’s a few:
Rinky Dink - an instrumental from WAY back when
Wild Weekend the Rockin’ Rebels - another instrumental
In the Still of the Night - 5 Satins
One Summer Night
Johnny Get Angry - Joannie Summers (actually it goes I; VI; I VI; IV; V; IV ;V)
My True Story Jive Five
Angel Baby Rosie and the Originals
Dream Lover Bobby Darrin (actually, as with “Johnny Get Angry”, it repeats chords in certain places rather than going I; VI; IV; V)
Come Go With Me the Dell Vikings
Stay Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs
Octopus’ Garden the Beatles
2525 Zager and Evans
Keep On Dancin’ the Gentrys
Little Star the Elegants
** Baby Talk** Jan and Dean (RIP Jan Berry who passed away a few days ago)
Wow - I think I made 2 "mis-postings.
I think “Wild Weekend” goes I; IV; V and
“2525” is Am, G, F, E
Serves me right for trying to post so many.
(They’d better revive that ‘smack the head’ icon soon - I need it a LOT)
“Stand by Me”, “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?”, “Blue Moon”, “Beyond the Sea”,
“This Boy”
Penny Lane
Magic Moment - Cliff Richard
Of course you’re right - I meant to write Gb, not Gm, and it’s more correct I think to write F#…
This thread has hit upon a good number of the ones on my original lost list, though I still have a nagging suspicion some are missing. Good job.
And I just remembered another one myself. From the original Broadway version of Grease is a song called “Those Magic Changes.” The lyrics at the very beginning of the song, in which the character is learning to play the song, are, and I quote:
How I didn’t remember that first, I really don’t know.