Here’s a link to the song, which won’t let me embed for reasons I don’t really understand…
Justin Timberlake’s Cry me a River might be guilty of stealing the title of a much better song, and having truly dreadful lyrics but I happen to think it’s an okay little ditty that does some interesting things.
Specifically, it only uses one chord progression. Most pop songs use chord changes to create interest, but here the songwriters have decided to stick with the same 4 chords and create interest in other ways.
Now, it’s a good set of chords – song starts with keybord arpeggios of G# min, D#7, E, D#7/C# which don’t stop until near the very end of the song.
There’s also the countermelody that starts at 13 secs, and is also used as the bridge melody. The rest of the song is all about different melodies and layers – the verse starts with a drum beat, bass line and staccato string pad chords emphasising the chord changes. The strings go legato for the chorus and Timberlake layers up the falsetto vox in his best Michael Jackson tribute mode.
The second verse adds some more interest by putting in a couple of short breaks from the drum beat and adding some extra vocal layers. I particularly like the staccato vocal melodies, eg at 3.28, which are a great example of one of my favourite features of modern rnb.
The whole point of the song is to create interest through the layering of different melodies and loops though, and there are certain points where the lack of harmonic changes starts to drag – essentially every time the song reaches ‘Cry me a river, cry me a river…’ where it sounds like an outro and therefore loses energy. And the ‘jammy jay’s done…’ rap sections are just laughable.
While it’s not a perfect song, and certainly needs some improvement in the lyrical department, there are some great ideas that I’d steal if I was thinking of writing in this style:
1. Staccato vocal melodies (usually in the natural minor mode) – very RnB but rarely heard in other genres.
2. Complicated chords – that is a good chord progression, I like the D#7/C#. It’s essentially a clever play on the common harmonic minor i VI V7 progression (eg. Am, F E7)
3. Tiny percussion breaks – a second verse always needs something new – why not have the rhythm section drop out for just one bar?
Talking of RnB style vocals, here’s a much better songwriter who does some great vocal stuff: Trouble Over Tokyo
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Hey, enjoying the blog. I’ve written several songs with one chord progression and always worry if it will maintain interest throughout. Arranging sometimes can have an effect as well as changing melody, phrasing and rhythm.
Hi TC,
I wish I had the courage in my own songwriting to embrace simplicity! I always insist on complicating things too much.
Yes, it’s totally possible to maintain interest if you’ve got good melodies and an interesting arrangement. There’s more to songwriting than fancy chords!
Hi, i love u site!
Most of my song are with 1 chord progression and i work like you say (by layers). I try to change alot of stuff, de drums, melodies, and also riffs is there is a rock song but… most of the time when i try to change the chord progression but really dont like me and i just back to same progression and change melodie or some others stuff. I know i should us weak progression in verse and more strong in chorus, but still happens 3 things 1) dont like me 2)the new progresion dont work with the old 3) or I start a new song with the new progression.
¿Can give some tip about making a song this or about merging 2 progressions?
thanks alot.
Really love your site!
machine gun -jimi hendrix is 1 chord the whole way thru
2 things:
1) i V IV ain’t Am, F, E7, but it would be Am D E7.
2) There are tons of ways to create interest! You named a great one, namely making the melody very staccato in one part and legato in another one, or the adding of layers. Going to a different octave or just any higher (or maybe even lower) range can create a lot of contrast between parts if you want to use the same chord progression. The form of your melody (arch, valley, zigzag, straight line, etc) can create contrast too, or creating a different rhyming scheme (by rhyming at the end of every second line in a verse and at the middle and end of every line in the chorus or something).
i V IV ain’t Am, F, E7, but it would be Am D E7.
You’re right, should read I VI V7 – which it now does.
Those are great ideas you raise. Basically I think, given the lack of variation in the harmony, you’ve got to find the interest and contrast in all the other elements.