best one chord song?

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> "Pump It Up" is one chord for verses, one other chord for choruses. Pretty close.

True enough that the verse stays on is B7 and the chorus E7.

But the main riff goes B B B B Bb A, B B B B Bb A. Even if you don't count the Bb (just hit in passing), the A is pretty necessary and makes three.

Lately in concert he does some Bo Diddley-ish stuff with the verse that should technically count as additional chords.

― The Mad Puffin, Tuesday, 14 June 2005 13:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Dear Eyeball,

First of all, my answer would be that you cannot really play two "chords" at the same time on the same piano -- the notes of both chords would form one chord, as a chord is just a group of notes played at the same time. So in your example you'd basically be playing a C6.

Part two of your question is harder for me to answer -- I think it would depend on just how you were playing the A on the piccolo -- whether you were playing it in tandem with the piano chord or just erratically.

― Hurting (Hurting), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 13:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Rhys Chatham did some one chord pieces.

Neu! and Faust win this one, I think.

― Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 13:39 (twenty-one years ago)

I was thinking of Spacemen 3 -'Revolution' what's their other stuff like?

"O.D. Catastrophe" is my favourite S3 one-chord song.

In Stereolab's "Superelectric", the guitar plays only one chord throughout, but the organ changes chords a couple of times. I'm not sure if this counts.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 13:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Kevin Coyne - White Horse (and quite a few others)

― Bifidus Digestivum (Dada), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 13:40 (twenty-one years ago)

The accoustic live "Hope" i saw required michael to ask mike remind him of the changes.

"I do dream you" is mostly one chord (G# i think)..but theres some passing chords thrown into the bridgy, prechorus/postchorus bits.

― b b, Tuesday, 14 June 2005 13:56 (twenty-one years ago)

scelsi pwns this thread

― you will be shot (you will be shot), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 13:59 (twenty-one years ago)

"I do dream you" is mostly one chord (G# i think)..but theres some passing chords thrown into the bridgy, prechorus/postchorus bits

Yeah, I was thinking that on some of the turnarounds they seem to allude to some other chords, but mostly it's that one glorious chord.

― o. nate (onate), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 14:00 (twenty-one years ago)

'drifter's escape" by bob dylan (john wesley harding)

― naturemorte, Tuesday, 14 June 2005 14:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Eddie Grant's "Electric Avenue" is just A the whole way through, isn't it?

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Tuesday, 14 June 2005 14:16 (twenty-one years ago)

(though it is still disqualified from this thread because it sucks)

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Tuesday, 14 June 2005 14:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Blasphemer!

― o. nate (onate), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 14:18 (twenty-one years ago)

That one Medicine song where they play one long guitar chord for like nine minutes.

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 14:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Ernest Ranglin's new
album contains a great song
called "One Chord Stylee"

I kept listening
to make sure there was just one,
and in fact it's true

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 15:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Ah! That Medicine song, "One More Kiss," right?
Haven't thought about that for a long time. Or heard it, either.

― Tripmaker (SDWitzm), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 15:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Spoon - Small Stakes. Unless they snuck a V7 in there somewhere.

― C-Real (neither nor easter), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 15:30 (twenty-one years ago)

BTW, "One Note Samba" is not one chord, nor is it even one note.

― Hurting (Hurting), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 15:31 (twenty-one years ago)

That's a note on the guitar (and its various overtones) in that Medicine song, not a chord, I think... in that the bass note alternates, it could be seen as more than one chord.

― 666 (Robust Cookies), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 15:32 (twenty-one years ago)

(XPOST HURTING!!)

I just want to point out that "One Note Samba" has quite a few chords! The only thing that's "one note" about it is the melody of the verse -- and not even the whole verse! "This is just a little samba, built upon a single note, other notes are bound to follow, but the root is just this note" -- all that's one note, but then the next line is a fifth up, so there's a total of two notes in the verse.

The chords, on the other hand, are always moving, on like every other beat: "this is JUST(Dm7) a little SAM(C#7)-ba, built u-PON(Cmin7) a single NOTE(B7b5)."

And then the chorus, of course, is all about the contrast with the verse, running up and down scales, more or less.

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 15:35 (twenty-one years ago)

The Adverts - One Chord Wonders

― PappaWheelie (PappaWheelie), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 16:17 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, I know about the one note samba.

― lexurian (lexurian), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 16:27 (twenty-one years ago)

It's an interesting case, tho, isn't it?

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 16:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Cornershop's "Jullander Shere" (yes, both of them) is a one-chorder I believe.

Jesus and Mary Chain must have done some one-chorders?

Nope - they were a whole lot more melodic than people remember. Even their cover of Can's "Mushroom" has at least a couple.

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 16:36 (twenty-one years ago)

"Jullandar Shere" uses a second chord during the chorus, but 95% of the song (both versions) do in fact use only one chord.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 16:39 (twenty-one years ago)

dammit you're right - and an obvious one too.

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 16:41 (twenty-one years ago)

There's several songs that feel like one-chord drones, but the chord changes in the last two counts of an eight-count. Lots of Stereolab songs, also "Roadrunner."

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 16:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Eddie Grant's "Electric Avenue" is just A the whole way through, isn't it?
-- Lagartija Curt1sss (curtis.stephen...), June 14th, 2005 8:16 AM. (Curtis Stephens)

C#maj and yes it is only one chord the whole song. Good thing we're not talking about dub music.

― gygax! (gygax!), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 16:50 (twenty-one years ago)

GODZ PWN: "PERMANENT GREEN LIGHT," "RADAR EYES," "SOON THE MOON"

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 17:00 (twenty-one years ago)

never heard the j richman verion, but again, G500's Dont let your youth go to waste is two chords, and mostly just 1.

― AaronK (AaronK), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 17:01 (twenty-one years ago)

so what's THE BEST?????

― lexurian (lexurian), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 17:09 (twenty-one years ago)

I told you at the top of the thread, "Fur Immer" by Neu!

― Bifidus Digestivum (Dada), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 17:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Swans - Celebrity Lifestyle is pretty much all G5. and a strong candidate for the top spot.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 17:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper, "The Story Of One Chord"

― pdf (Phil Freeman), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 17:55 (twenty-one years ago)

names are escaping me, but Liquid Liquid has some one-chord (or no-chord) tunes that are great. Konono No.1, too.

The key is to get rid of that whole "melody" thing and focus on rhythm instead. Granted, this statement is coming from a drummer, but surely that doesn't COMPLETELY discredit me.

― matlewis, Tuesday, 14 June 2005 17:59 (twenty-one years ago)

I nominate Funkadelic's "Loose Booty"

The Godz could barely manage HALF a chord!

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 18:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Elvis Costello: Big Boys

― Ryan Pitchfork, Tuesday, 14 June 2005 18:17 (twenty-one years ago)

you guys are fucking lame-o's
it's obviously "theoretical girls" by theoretical girls
i prefer the live version

― Fetchboy (Felcher), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 18:36 (twenty-one years ago)

The key is to get rid of that whole "melody" thing and focus on rhythm instead.

Geir, are you when we need you most?!

― PappaWheelie (PappaWheelie), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 18:36 (twenty-one years ago)

BTW, "One Note Samba" is not one chord, nor is it even one note.

-- Hurting (Hurtingchie...), June 14th, 2005.

And, for that matter, "I'm in the Mood for a Melody" has almost no melody at all.

― Hurting (Hurting), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 19:20 (twenty-one years ago)

The Godz could barely manage HALF a chord!

-- Myonga Von Bontee (scottyfield...), June 14th, 2005.

E minor, baby.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 19:21 (twenty-one years ago)

"Plastic Dreams" - Jaydee

LOCK THREAD

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 19:29 (twenty-one years ago)

The key is to get rid of that whole "melody" thing and focus on rhythm instead.

Then, there isn't a song anymore.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 19:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Geir, don't you ever tire of being wrong? I mean, on a basic, fundamental, dictionary-definition level, YOU ARE WRONG. Give up already, it's okay to say that there are ways of writing songs that you dislike, you don't have to exclude them from being music altogether.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 19:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Lucinda Williams "Joy" I think

― dan. (dan.), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 19:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Crap, you're right about "Run run run".
Just.

― Koens (Koens), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 19:38 (twenty-one years ago)

"Duane Eddy" by the Great Unwashed (ie the Clean pretty much).

― Venga (Venga), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 19:39 (twenty-one years ago)

"Coconut" by Harry Nilsson (C7, I think)

― electric derby, Tuesday, 14 June 2005 19:47 (twenty-one years ago)

matlewis - I'm just impressed that a drummer has learnt to use the internet.

― lexurian (lexurian), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 20:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Costello's Big Boys is comprised of E, A, B, G, Em, C, & D. It does however stay on E at the beginning for quite some time.

xxxxxxpost

― darin (darin), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 20:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Run Run Run by VU briefly switches chords (in the chorus)...

― Joe (Joe), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 21:41 (twenty-one years ago)

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