Rock ‘n’ Roll was built around the three chord trick – I IV V. But, what about the songwriters who found inspiration from only two chords of less. ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ is an obvious choice to start us off –
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Rigid Digit says
Wreckless Eric manages Whole Wide World with just E and A (or F and A# – no one really seems sure)
Moose the Mooche says
You could ask him, but all you would get is a 20 minute rambling anecdote involving a postman, a budgerigar and representatives of the West Hampshire Fire Brigade and at the end you’d be none the wiser.
Gary says
The Great Dominions is one of my favourite Teardrop Explodes songs. In this video Julian Cope plays it with just guitar. 2 chords: D and Am.
JQW says
We’re getting into modal music here – no chord changes, just playing over specific scales. If there are chords at all its just modulating between two related ones, such as A minor and C major.
See Indian music for example, or the whole genre of ‘modal jazz’ – most of Kind Of Blue, many of John Coltrane’s long wig-outs, the compositions of George Russell and so on.
Indian instruments are often suited only for modal music. The tambura/tampura, as featured on Tomorrow Never Knows, typically only has four strings, all played open, and three are tuned to the same note, although one is an octave lower – e.g. in western tuning G-C’-C’-C. The player plays one string at a time in rotation, setting up a drone which resolves to a single major chord. You can here this in Tomorrow Never Knows.
Lando Cakes says
Children of the Revolution. The riff is just E, I think.
Carl says
Roy Harper wrote a song called Frozen Moment on a single chord.
It is unfortunately one of his worst songs, yet he played it at so many gigs. It seemed there was, he believed, something profound in the the way a single chord related to the song title.
I’m sure you can find it somewhere should you be intrigued by my description.
mikethep says
Creedence, Run Through the Jungle – only one chord, but plenty of chooglin’.
chiz says
Wilson Picket’s Land of 1000 Dances is possibly the most frugal song in terms of both chords and lyrics. Apart from a few hammer-ons it’s one chord, and most of the words are ‘na’.
Sniffity says
U2’s I Will Follow was pretty flimsy musicwise, IIRC.
Neela says
Harry Nilsson’s Coconut is all one chord. It’s a weird song in general. The only variation is in his voice, really. The video is pretty, well, out there, too…
Mousey says
As a songwriter/musician who LOVES chords and harmonies and stuff I always had difficulty with one chord songs eg the aforementioned Land Of 1000 Dances. I can appreciate that the groove/the feel/the pocket is essential but personally I love songwriters who can manipulate chords.
The greatest of all I think was Ray Davies, but I could blather on endlessly about a whole lot of others.
Here’s a couple –
Neil Young is a master at putting interesting but common chords under a catchy melody that implies simpler chords. “After The Goldfish” for a start.
John Lennon famously made up simple repetitive melodies but was another master at finding inventive chords. “I Am The Walrus”.
Moose the Mooche says
I was with you until the goldfish.
Tony Japanese says
‘After The Goldfish’ – Brilliant.
Rigid Digit says
The myth is that John Lennon didn’t actually know chords that well, they just tended to be where his fingers fell at a given moment
(more happy accident than design)
Moose the Mooche says
In his oh-heck-the-world’s-gone-to-shit intro to Revolution in the Head, Ian McDonald complained about modern dance and hip hop records being in one key. It had never occurred to me that such records were in any kind of key, and that someone expecting key changes was rather missing the point of those records.
The Chemical Brothers probably read that, because they took the bold step of having a brief key-change in Block Rockin’ Beats. It only just works.
ivan says
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Revolution in the Head isn’t half as good a book as it thinks it is.
DanP says
Placebo’s Pure Morning is one chord.
Most Jesus and Mary Chain songs consist of 2. Not a criticism.
U2’s When Love Comes to Town is nominally a blues but, rather than the standard E, A, B * progression, it only toggles between the the E and B. (Haters may form an orderly queue for that yawning open goal mouth!)
The chords for AC/DC’s High Voltage* are ACDC.
* May not be technically accurate, but accurate in spirit.
Robbie1112 says
Lucinda Williams’s “Joy” only has one chord (I think).
Not a great song though.
Colin H says
Shakti’s ‘Joy’ seems to me to involve only the one chord and yet I suspect it’s considerably rather more complicated that Lucinda’s…
fitterstoke says
“Sister Ray” springs to mind….
Moose the Mooche says
Not so much ding dong as merely dong.
chilli ray virus says
Hollis Brown lived on the outside of town
With his baseball cap on backwards and his trousers falling down.
Tony Japanese says
Alex Turner made use of Dm and Em throughout 505. A song in which Miles Kane is able to guest on wherever they tour, much like Phil Daniels always used to when Blur performed Parklife on stage.
Twang says
“You never can tell” by Chuck Berry only has 2 chords though you can throw in a 7th if you’re feeling poncy.
Gary says
Well that’s just not true, Twang. I never feel less than extremely poncy, yet am completely unable to distinguish a 7th from a haddock.
attackdog says
Now listen up young Gary. To distinguish a 7th you must simply brush up on your scales.
Not the scales on your haddock mind.
Gary says
Exactly. Meanwhile Twang claims I just need to feel poncy as if that’s the main requirement for advanced guitarmanship. He’s basically calling Ted Nugent and his ilk (elk?) a ponce is what he’s saying.
Mike_H says
Him and the elk he rode in on.
Gary says
Precisely.
Moose the Mooche says
Get off, you hairy bastard!
Colin H says
This far in and no one’s mentioned ‘Horse with No Name’ or ‘Louie Louie’ yet? There’s something almost otherworldly about this clip…
JQW says
Not only does Horse With No Name use just two chords, you only need to use two fingers to make either of them in standard tuning.
mikethep says
Er…’Louie Louie’ has three chords. You can see the bloke playing them in the clip.
Colin H says
It’s a fair point, Mike!
Moose the Mooche says
It depends what you’re used to. In Mahavishnu world, three chords might as well be one.
chiz says
Colin’s spent so may years listening to complex fusion, alternative scales and unconventional time signatures that he can no longer recognise a repeating three-chord progression over a clumping 4/4…. a tragic case of Mahavishnuistis.
Colin H says
Bo Diddley could send stadiums berserk on one chord and a few moves…
Martin Hairnet says
On topic, and on fire.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iDgR1DnpEo
fitterstoke says
One chord throughout, I think….