Every day definitely was starting to blur a bit, and I can’t say I was doing much of note except rewatch Community, a sitcom I first watched in 2014. However, I seem to be incapable of ever fully removing my music analysis cap, and found myself learning the chords to the show’s opening theme song. Funnily enough, it also prominently employs the bVII chord throughout the song, which served as encouragement for me to continue with the song I was writing last week. The prechorus and chorus chords were as follows:
D – Dmaj7 – A – Amaj7 – D – F#m – F#m9 – Amaj7
E
F#m – G#m – B – Amaj7
With this prechorus, the song’s initial key of E is thrown into doubt given that it seems to have transitioned to A major – but then the chorus lands on a strong E, and remains firmly in E for the remainder of the chorus, resolving the key uncertainty to reinforce the uptempo energy.
I also love the juxtaposition between the upbeat nature of the song and its rather downtrodden lyrics – finishing a verse with the line “we could be roped up, tied up, dead in a year,”7 without losing any pep is pretty impressive.
Song Of The Week is “At Least It Was Here” by The 88. My favourite part is the chord change for the bridge entry at 0:59:
7The 88. “At Least It Was Here (Community Main Title)”. Community (Music From The Original Television Series). Madison Gate Records, 2010.
Jachin's Songwriting and Performance Journal 