Most pop songs of any decade can be boiled down to a strong chord progression or two.
This Get Inspired! episode features videos of relatively “clean” hits that aim to stay away from dark topics and the lovey-dovey stuff with a few exceptions. Just couldn’t help it!
As hits ebb and flow, there’s plenty more I could add and some to eventually subtract. I may change things up as time goes by. Some tunes were suggested by my son, others by my students and some have withstood the test of time and are permanent hits that crossover from generation to generation.
Below each video, you’ll find the opening or a popular chord progression of the hit in the original key and then translated into numbers so the piece can be played in any key.
Why an episode featuring pop songs and their chord progressions?
The 321 Challenge is an innovative resource found here at LeilaViss.com. It's premise is simple: select 3 musical boundaries that include a popular chord progression, explore the boundaries for 2 minutes, 1x each day. This episode directly correlates with the 321 challenge and gets under the hood of pop songs. It shares the basic chord progressions and encourages you to play along, play by ear and get creative yourself.
This quality-controlled collection of pop tunes serves to assist teachers and pianists in their search for appropriate/decent lyrics and pop tunes. They have been student-tested and/or approved.
These tunes were chosen because they use standard and sometimes unique chord progressions which offer great teaching and learning opportunities. To really know a chord progression, it’s crucial to understand the chords in relationship to each other and then transpose them to any key. That’s when knowing the numbers or functions of chords within in a key is crucial and that’s why they are supplied below. Watch this tutorial video to learn more.
Chord progressions can spur creativity. That’s why you’ll see unique “covers” of some tunes. These artists were inspired and made the tunes their own—that’s what a “cover” is.
When you see others create clever covers of hit tunes, it may inspire you to do the same. Perhaps you’ll want to create your own YouTube Channel! That’s just what my student Rylan Montoya did. Make sure to hear his covers and original work and subscribe to his channel here.
BIG TIP! YouTube has a feature that allows you to change the Playback Speed
If you want to play along by ear, you may want to slow the video down to give you more time to process what you hear. That’s when you want to take advantage of YouTube’s playback speed control features.
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Can’t Stop the Feeling
by Justin Timberlake
Any Key:
1 6m 4 6m 1
Despacito
by Luis Fonsi Feat and Daddy Yankee
Cover by Peter Bence
Any key:
1m 6 3 7
Havana
by Camila Cabello Feat, Young Thug
Cover by Peter Buka
Radioactive
by Imagine Dragons
Cover by Lindsey Stirling and Pentatonix
Any key:
1m 3 7 4
Let it Be
by the Beatles
Any key:
1 5 6m 4
Something Just Like This
by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay
Any key:
6 7 1m 7
Student Rylan Montoya’s cover of
Something Just Like This
Pompeii
by Bastille
Any key:
6 3 1m 2
Walking in Memphis
by Marc Cohn
Any key:
4 5 1 6m
Hallelujah
by Leonard Cohen
Cover by Pentatonix
Any key:
1 5 1 6m 1 6m 4 5
Piano Man
by Billy Joel
Cover by Brooklyn Duo
Any key:
1 5/7 4/6 1/5 4 1/3 2 5
Fight Song
by Rachel Platten
Cover by Piano Guys
Any key:
I 5 6m 4
Hey Ho
by the Lumineers
Any key:
4 1 6m 5
Africa
by Toto
Cover by Peter Bence
Any key:
b7 6m 2m
Happy
by Pharrell Williams
Any key:
1m7 4 5
Married Life
from Disney Pixar’s “Up,”
Cover by Kyle Landry
Any key:
1 1/7 1/6 1/5 2
I Will Wait
by Mumford and Sons
Any key:
1 7/2 3 6 3/5 2
High Hopes
by Panic! At the Disco
Any key:
4 1 6m 5
Happier
by Marshmello and Bastille
Any key: