Two-Chord!

This week Tony and I explored two-chord songs. There are a lot – indeed an almost infinite number – of chords available to composers and songwriters, but this week we heard songs from those who only needed two…

The Beatles & Bill Withers

Tomorrow Never Knows was released in August 1966 as the final track on Revolver, and marked a decisive turn toward studio experimentation for The Beatles. John Lennon drew lyrical inspiration from The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead by Timothy Leary, Richard Alpert, and Ralph Metzner, as well as his own experiences with Lucy in the Sky… Musically, the track integrates Indian drone textures, tape loops, reversed guitar, and Leslie speaker processing on the vocals. The harmony centers almost entirely on C, with brief shifts to Bb/C, creating a static but immersive modal sound. The recording’s incorporation of musique concrète techniques and tape manipulation established a new direction for psychedelic and electronic music.

Hope She’ll Be Happier appeared on Bill Withers’ debut album Just As I Am (1971). The song is sparsely arranged, and is built entirely on alternating D and G minor (6) chords. The song’s restrained vocal and minimalist instrumentation emphasize its emotional tension, contrasting Withers’s later, more rhythmic work. Its introspective tone reflects the broader stylistic range of Just As I Am, which was produced by Booker T. Jones. The track was later interpolated by James Blake in Radio Silence (2016).

Gregory Isaacs & Alicia Keys

Night Nurse was released in 1982 as the title track from Gregory Isaacs’ album of the same name, his first for Island Records. Built on a slow reggae rhythm with characteristic offbeat guitar stabs, the song uses a medical metaphor to describe romantic dependence. It became one of Isaacs’s best-known tracks, reaching the UK album charts and later appearing in advertising for a cold and flu remedy that shared its name. The 1997 cover version by Sly and Robbie featuring Simply Red reached No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart.

Released as the lead single from Alicia Keys’ debut album Songs in A Minor (2001), Fallin’ was written and produced by Keys herself. The track, in E minor and compound 12/8 time, alternates between two chords: Em and Bm. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 and earned three Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.

FKA Twigs & Billie Eilish

Cellophane was released as the lead single from FKA Twigs’ second studio album Magdalene (2019). Written and produced with Jeff Kleinman and Michael Uzowuru, the song employs sparse instrumentation and a slow tempo to convey vulnerability. The lyrics are often interpreted in the context of Twigs’s former relationship with actor Robert Pattinson and the public scrutiny that accompanied it. The composition’s simplicity – using only Dmaj7 and Gmaj7 chords – and transparency contribute to its critical reception as one of Twigs’s most personal works.

Released as the second single from Happier Than Ever (2021), Therefore I Am was written by Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas O’Connell. The track alternates between D minor and A, paired with an understated rhythmic production. Its title references René Descartes’ philosophical statement “Cogito, ergo sum” (“I think, therefore I am”), suggesting themes of autonomy and self-definition. The accompanying video, filmed in an empty shopping mall during the COVID-19 pandemic, reinforces its detached and self-assured tone. The song reached No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Madonna vs Lady Gaga

This week’s soundslike came from Adrian in Preston. Adrian heard the similarities between Madonna‘s 1989 song Express Yourself and Born This Way by Lady Gaga (2011) – a comparison that the Queen of Pop has made herself…

Two-Chord Quiz

For our quiz this week, we played clips from famous two-chord songs – guess the artist and song!

As always, find the show and blog at joebennett.net/5live, with occasional Instagram extras at @joebennettmusicology. With a new show comes a new Spotify mega-playlist, which contains all songs featured on the show:

And you can still listen to our old mega-playlist here.

Words: Joe Bennett, John Pierce O’Reilly

Audio production: Joe Bennett, Rafi Waters