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3 hours ago, tbone_ said:

Ok this is not pron in the traditional sense, but it’s songwriting pron I guess.

And I also think there’s a better than zero chance that I have asked this question here before a while back, but I can’t figure out search in this new format. And I can’t remember the answer if I did. I know I asked it to chat GPT but I want to hear what actual humans think. So here goes again.

The song is Tonight the heartaches on me by the Dixie Chicks. Which I think is as fine a honky tonk tune as any. And probably should have been recorded by Tanya Tucker. But the Dixie chicks and Natalie Maines do a great job.

The song was recorded in F (I play it we a capo on 1 because it’s easier to play in “E”) and is basically F A# and C7. But in the chorus when it gets to the line “Bartender, pour the wine”, on it goes into this awesome change which really isn’t in the key at all. It’s goes A7 to Dm to G. None of those chords should be in this key, officially anyway. The A7 on “wine” just straight makes the song, but the whole phrase is fantastic. And honestly pretty sure I’ve heard this change in other similar songs

My question is, why the fuck does it work?

Here’s the tune:

Didn't you pose this question several months ago?

1 hour ago, Gil Bang said:

Didn't you pose this question several months ago?

Yea maybe.

5 hours ago, tbone_ said:

My question is, why the fuck does it work?

1 hour ago, tbone_ said:

Yea maybe.

I'm not sure the question. It's pretty standard I-IV-V country, with the minor 6th and the major 3rd thrown in passing (to their credit). Is it the chord they hit in the chorus coming down from 6m to 5 to ? that's puzzling?

This is what I love about great pop (Beatles) and country (a zillion examples). The deviation from 1-4-5 to include 4m and 2 and 3 etc. If the writer doesn't have the ear all those chords are nonsense. The greats make them work.

Anyway, the question again?

And not to diminish the Chicks, they are awesome musicians, but any session musicians in the room might have thrown out that option for the descending chord progression out of "wine". Those guys live that stuff. When you hear it it's hair-raising, like the chaser after the shot. I have to force myself to write with those changes, and it almost always ends up sounding forced.

the Dixie Chicks were really, really good. Natalie has become a fucking weirdo, but, before they were "cancelled", they were the best thing that "country music" had seen in a long, long time.

10 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

I'm not sure the question. It's pretty standard I-IV-V country, with the minor 6th and the major 3rd thrown in passing (to their credit). Is it the chord they hit in the chorus coming down from 6m to 5 to ? that's puzzling?

This is what I love about great pop (Beatles) and country (a zillion examples). The deviation from 1-4-5 to include 4m and 2 and 3 etc. If the writer doesn't have the ear all those chords are nonsense. The greats make them work.

Anyway, the question again?

The question is: the change (in the key of F) goes A7, which I guess is the 3, though it should be Am, then Dm which I guess is the six, then G which should be Gm for the 2.

I guess I can see how it fits into that 3 6 passing change you mention, then ending on the 2. Just saying it’s not the chords you would expect - A7 instead of Am and G major instead of Gm. And not only does it work, but the A7 instead of Am on “wine” makes the whole damn song imo.

So I’m wondering why that works? And what was the songwriter thinking, or what did they know, when they wrote that change?

And yea this isn’t a commentary on the Dixie Chicks. That’s a whole separate topic.

Just saying I think this is a damn good tune with great, but unexpected, change. And I’m just trying to understand how it works.

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