# Tonic triad lead-in to the minor submediant - What song does this? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [March 22, 2025, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tonic-triad-lead-in-to-the-minor-submediant-what-song-does-this/1015962 "2025-03-22T20:38:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2025, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tonic-triad-lead-in-to-the-minor-submediant-what-song-does-this/1015962/21 "2025-03-30T17:06:37Z")
Booker T. and the MG’s! I know, right?! “Green Onions” is my go-to keyboard jam. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2025, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tonic-triad-lead-in-to-the-minor-submediant-what-song-does-this/1015962/22 "2025-03-30T17:09:54Z")
I thought it was a left turn somewhere in “Time is Tight” but it’s not there. But thanks to this thread, I’ve spent all morning listening to the M.G.s. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2025, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tonic-triad-lead-in-to-the-minor-submediant-what-song-does-this/1015962/23 "2025-04-05T01:59:15Z")
Another near miss: Pink Floyd’s song “Wish You Were Here” starts with the G major tonic triad leading up to E minor7. The difference from what I’m looking for is it plays each note only once instead of twice, and it includes a passing tone on A. It goes G A-B D E. What I’m looking for would be GG BB DD E. Still, it sounds pretty close. ---
**Author:** ![Hoops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoops/32/6408_2.png) [@Hoops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoops)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2025, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tonic-triad-lead-in-to-the-minor-submediant-what-song-does-this/1015962/24 "2025-04-05T02:31:34Z")
Beatles—Please Please Me? (leading into the “come on, come on’ bits) ---
**Author:** ![Disinfectus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/disinfectus/32/11085_2.png) [@Disinfectus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disinfectus)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2025, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tonic-triad-lead-in-to-the-minor-submediant-what-song-does-this/1015962/25 "2025-04-05T03:19:53Z")
The lead in to the bridge on the Jazz Crusaders song, “Put it where you want it” does that, but it may not be what you are looking for. You can here it at 2:55 in [this video.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmWX2VOEoAU&ab_channel=BobHardy) ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2025, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tonic-triad-lead-in-to-the-minor-submediant-what-song-does-this/1015962/26 "2025-04-05T13:01:11Z")
That’s it all right. Sounds like they were deliberately quoting the song I’m looking for. In the 1971 original of that song, the motif was only in the bass. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2025, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tonic-triad-lead-in-to-the-minor-submediant-what-song-does-this/1015962/27 "2025-10-18T21:46:40Z")
Another direct quotation: in the chorus of [“Strange Magic” by Electric Light Orchestra](https://youtu.be/eEINzEh_qYg?si=vFjufvOAr8GUS03_). All these works from the 1970s are harking back to a motif that came from ‘60s soul music. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tonic-triad-lead-in-to-the-minor-submediant-what-song-does-this/1015962.md?page=1)