Tonight on the show, Steffan Powell was sitting in for Gordon, and together we explored one of the most well-used and enduring musical formulas in pop: the 1-5-6-4 chord progression. This sequence is heard in countless hits ranging from rock and pop to R&B and beyond. The 1-5-6-4 progression refers to the chords built on the first, fifth, sixth, and fourth degrees of a scale (also known as the tonic, dominant, submediant, and subdominant). In the key of C major, for example, this translates to the chords C (1), G (5), Am (6), and F (4). These chords seem to provide exactly the right amount of tension and resolution to keep listeners engaged, and to make the songs that use these chords both moving and memorable. It’s a strangely mesmeric loop, even though it’s so familiar; every chord seems to lead unavoidably to the next (which I guess is why some many 1564 songs fade out – there’s no natural end point).
Honourable mention – the Axis of Awesome!
We can’t let this subject go without a nod to the artist who really popularized online discussions about 1564 – the Australian comedy rock band Axis of Awesome. Their 2011 video is beloved of songwriting teachers everywhere, so I had to include it here. Not all of the examples are exactly accurate, and some of the loops don’t actually loop, but it certainly made a lot more people aware of chord loops as a songwriting tool. Of course, their conclusion “that’s all it takes to be a star” isn’t one I agree with, but it’s a nice ‘hook’ to round off the idea. My own view is that 1564 is just a part of the musician’s arsenal, like a four on the floor kick drum, or a vocal arpeggio, or an 8-to-the-bar hi-hat. It’s a constant against which other variables can be introduced, creating a balance of the familiar and the new.
Tonight’s playlist
We wanted to go super early, and find a real prehistoric oldie that used the loop. The oldest one we found was Phil Spector’s 1958 song To Know Him Is To Love Him, as recorded by girl group The Teddy Bears. But it only uses the progression once in each verse, before going to different changes, so it was disqualified from the playlist. If anyone finds a 1564 hit older than that with an actual loop, let me know!
So Lonely by The Police, released in 1978, was the third and final single for their debut album Outlandos d’Amour. Sting has said that ‘So Lonely’ was “unabashedly culled” from Bob Marley and the Wailers‘ ‘No Woman No Cry‘. Evidence for this is found not only in the former’s Reggae-influenced rhythms, but also the 1-5-6-4 progression that runs throughout both songs.
Imogen Heap’s Hide and Seek offers a more experimental take on the 1564 progression. The song was released on 19th May 2005, the same day it appeared in the final episode of the second season of The O.C.. Hide and Seek is known for its experimental a cappella, ‘folktronica’ sound. Heap’s haunting vocals are processed through a harmonizer, which outlines the track’s repeating 1-5-6-4 chord progression.
Another clear example of the 1564 progression in action is Rihanna’s California King Bed – the sixth single from her 2010 Loud. The ballad was co-written and produced by Andrew Harr and Jermaine Jackson (of the American production duo the Runners) with Priscilla Renea, and Alex Delicata, and features a 1-5-6-4 progression in its emotional chorus. Co-writer Renea revealed that she wrote the song in ten minutes, while browsing furniture online…
Florida Georgia Line‘s Cruise takes the 1-5-6-4 progression to the world of ‘bro-country’. Cruise was released in 2012 as the first single to the band’s extended play It’z Just What We Do, and became the best-selling country digital song of all time in the United States. Gotta love the even weirder Nelly remix!
Lana Del Rey‘s 2017 song Love appears on her fifth studio album, Lust for Life. The song was written and produced by Del Rey, Benny Blanco, Emile Haynie and Rick Nowels, and embellishes its 1-5-6-4 progression with elements of alternative pop, bubblegum pop, dream pop, and 50s-style rock.
The Black Eyed Peas released Where is the Love? on May 12, 2003, as the lead single from their third album, Elephunk. The song was written by will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo, Justin Timberlake, Printz Board, Michael Fratantuno, and George Pajon, and features vocals from Timberlake, although he is not officially credited on the single release. It was the group’s first single to feature singer Fergie as an official member, and topped the charts in Australia, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, where it became the biggest-selling single of 2003.
If time allows, we will also hear Blink 182‘s What’s My Age Again?. Bassist Mark Hoppus allegedly wrote the song while attempting to play J.A.R. by Green Day. The song was originally titled “Peter Pan Complex”, an allusion to the pop-psychology concept, but their record label – who were also concerned about litigation from Walt Disney Company – found the reference obscure and adjusted the title.
Finally we hear Spiderwebs by No Doubt (1995), written for the band’s third album Tragic Kingdom. Gwen Stefani was inspired to write the song after an admirer recited bad poetry to her – “You’re intruding on what’s mine/And you’re taking up my time…”.
If there is an undisputed queen of 1564, it is the mighty Taylor Swift. Almost 10% of her entire catalogue (225 solo-written or co-written songs) consists of this loop, in its 2-bar, 4-bar, or 8-bar iteration. Here’s our mashup of 22 of her songs 2006-2024!
For our quiz you will have to identify seven songs that all feature the 1-5-6-4 progression – you’ll hear them backwards, so technically they’re now 4-6-5-1, another popular progression!
As always, find the show and blog at joebennett.net/5live, with occasional Instagram extras at @joebennettmusicology. And you can find our Spotify mega-playlist, which contains all songs ever featured on the show, here:
- Words: Joe Bennett, John Pierce O’Reilly
- Audio production: Joe Bennett, Rafi Waters
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