Song Analysis : Shout by Tears for Fears (Part 1)
In the first part of this analysis I look at the chord progressions that lie beneath Shout - the 1984 hit song by Tears for Fears
Over on my YouTube channel I recently published a deep dive into Shout by Tears for Fears. You can see that video below 👇
Here on Substack I have the space to go into more detail about certain aspects of the song. In the first of these posts I want to discuss the chords and progressions that make up this song.
Shout is a fairly simple song, with two main sections and a limited palette of chords. But this simplicity does not mean that the song should be overlooked for chord analysis.
Although the song starts with section A or the Chorus, the focus here will be the verse chords.
The first verse can be heard at 00:49 in the official music video, which I’ve linked below for reference
The song is in the key of G Minor. Here are the diatonic chords that are found in this key.
The first verse doesn’t use full chords, but in the second verse a guitar is introduced. This is at 1:49 and here are the chords used in this verse.
We have two chords here. The III chord is a standard diatonic chord as shown above. But the the major IV chord, C major, is not on our list of chords. So where does this come from?
It is a borrowed chord from the parallel major key. In this example the parallel major key would be G major. And you can see the chords in G major below.
So what we’re doing is taking the IV chord from the G major key and using it in the G minor key song.
But what’s happening under the hood of these chords?
The original iv chord C minor has the notes : C E♭ G
And the borrowed chord C major has the notes : C E G
So there is only one note difference between the two. And these notes are only half a step or semitone away from each other.
Back to our verse chord progression now, moving from B♭ major to C major.
Look at how the notes in the chords are moving here ( i chord included for reference):
The thing that stands out is the E note in the C major chord. This is because it is not in the G natural minor scale and therefore has a mixed colour in this image.
This creates the interest and tension with the major IV chord. This note is an “outsider”, it isn’t from this tonal planet.
Creating and releasing tension is critical to Western music. This is why you will come across similar chord progressions again and again. And you don’t need to move beyond diatonic chords to see this in action.
For example, the I IV V major chord progression in major keys can take you through the full cycle of tension and release.
But reaching beyond the diatonic chords of the key adds an extra edge that can elevate your music.
The other thing to note with this III to major IV progression is that this E note is the only chromatic note used. The scaffolding of the rest of the chord, and progression, is diatonic notes. This means that this outsider is more easily accepted, without causing too much fuss.
Add to this that because this technique is used so widely, it is not completely alien to our ears and as such provides a pinch of spice rather than a bucketful of chilli!
Of course chord progressions don’t live in isolation and they are coloured by all the other parts of the song. But as the building blocks of songs they are interesting to dig into in isolation.
In the next newsletter I will cover the vocal melodies from “Shout”, so subscribe today so you don’t miss out!