best one chord song?

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

― Bifidus Digestivum (Dada), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 13:40 (eighteen years ago) link

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 (eighteen years ago) link

scelsi pwns this thread

― you will be shot (you will be shot), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 13:59 (eighteen years ago) link

"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 (eighteen years ago) link

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

― naturemorte, Tuesday, 14 June 2005 14:16 (eighteen years ago) link

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

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Tuesday, 14 June 2005 14:16 (eighteen years ago) link

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

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Tuesday, 14 June 2005 14:17 (eighteen years ago) link

Blasphemer!

― o. nate (onate), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 14:18 (eighteen years ago) link

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 (eighteen years ago) link

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 (eighteen years ago) link

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 (eighteen years ago) link

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

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

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

― Hurting (Hurting), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 15:31 (eighteen years ago) link

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 (eighteen years ago) link

(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 (eighteen years ago) link

The Adverts - One Chord Wonders

― PappaWheelie (PappaWheelie), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 16:17 (eighteen years ago) link

yeah, I know about the one note samba.

― lexurian (lexurian), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 16:27 (eighteen years ago) link

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

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 16:29 (eighteen years ago) link

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 (eighteen years ago) link

"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 (eighteen years ago) link

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

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 16:41 (eighteen years ago) link

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 (eighteen years ago) link

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 (eighteen years ago) link

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

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 17:00 (eighteen years ago) link

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 (eighteen years ago) link

so what's THE BEST?????

― lexurian (lexurian), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 17:09 (eighteen years ago) link

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

― Bifidus Digestivum (Dada), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 17:19 (eighteen years ago) link

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 (eighteen years ago) link

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

― pdf (Phil Freeman), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 17:55 (eighteen years ago) link

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 (eighteen years ago) link

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 (eighteen years ago) link

Elvis Costello: Big Boys

― Ryan Pitchfork, Tuesday, 14 June 2005 18:17 (eighteen years ago) link

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 (eighteen years ago) link

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 (eighteen years ago) link

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 (eighteen years ago) link

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 (eighteen years ago) link

"Plastic Dreams" - Jaydee

LOCK THREAD

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 19:29 (eighteen years ago) link

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 (eighteen years ago) link

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 (eighteen years ago) link

Lucinda Williams "Joy" I think

― dan. (dan.), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 19:38 (eighteen years ago) link

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

― Koens (Koens), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 19:38 (eighteen years ago) link

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

― Venga (Venga), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 19:39 (eighteen years ago) link

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

― electric derby, Tuesday, 14 June 2005 19:47 (eighteen years ago) link

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

― lexurian (lexurian), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 20:11 (eighteen years ago) link

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 (eighteen years ago) link

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

― Joe (Joe), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 21:41 (eighteen years ago) link

"Silverfuck" by the Smashing Pumpkins is technically only one chord, right? At least the main riff is...

― The Brainwasher (Twilight), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 21:47 (eighteen years ago) link

Years and years ago the Mission, the band who British Sea Power most resemble, did a version of 'Tomorrow Never Knows' and proudly told the Melody Maker that they'd put an F in there as the original was boring.

― snotty moore, Tuesday, 14 June 2005 22:07 (eighteen years ago) link

it *is* boring, regardless of how many chords it has.

― AaronK (AaronK), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 22:23 (eighteen years ago) link

Dylan's "Drifter's Escape" is A and D/a as recorded on John Wesley Harding. In its current live incarnation, it's just one chord with a lead part, though.

His "TV Talkin' Song" is only one chord, but it's not a very good song.

How about "Papa Was A Rolling Stone"? The bass moves, but the song's actual tonality never changes.

― Douglas (Douglas), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 22:51 (eighteen years ago) link

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