# Bm ... A ... E ... Which songs contain this progression?



## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Bm ... A ... E ...
This progression sounded so familiar when my friend @starjag introduced me to it and we played it today. 

Does anyone know of any (reasonably) well known songs with this as the main progression?

Thanks in advance.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

Green Day, working class hero

There are a lot more that use Bm, A, E & G


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## Dan Caldwell (Feb 26, 2017)

Chris Issak wicked game I believe is exactly that.


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

Lots of songs specially if you include those in different keys like Am, G, D.


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## Duntov (Apr 2, 2021)

Dan Caldwell said:


> Chris Issak wicked game I believe is exactly that.


yup...this great song immediately came to mind..


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Thanks everyone. It sounded so familiar when we played it.

How would you describe the progression from an "emotional" perspective? Just curious.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

The song I'm writing in my head right now.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

zontar said:


> The song I'm writing in my head right now.


How would you describe it emotionally?


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

greco said:


> Thanks everyone. It sounded so familiar when we played it.
> 
> How would you describe the progression from an "emotional" perspective? Just curious.


I think this would depend on the melody. You could play B Dorian or B minor which would change the feel. A major may work as well.


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## YaReMi (Mar 9, 2006)

Dan Caldwell said:


> Chris Issak wicked game I believe is exactly that.


I started playing these three chords trying to trigger other examples and Chris Isaak kept coming back .. and the video!


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## starjag (Jan 30, 2008)

So is this a I ii IV progression? I really don't know how things connect with modes. 



Kerry Brown said:


> I think this would depend on the melody. You could play B Dorian or B minor which would change the feel. A major may work as well.


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

starjag said:


> So is this a I ii IV progression? I really don't know how things connect with modes.


I’m not an expert in modes but I think this is most likely a ii I V progression in A. Take this with a grain of salt. Hopefully someone with more knowledge will speak up.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

A three bar progression is unusual. 4 bars is more common. Perhaps you meant Bm A E E (Wicked Game)? A much different feel if played Bm Bm A E.


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

It’s the hook in Black Crowes - Hard to Handle.

and...

Sorry that is incorrect...


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## evenon (Nov 13, 2006)

Kerry Brown said:


> I’m not an expert in modes but I think this is most likely a ii I V progression in A. Take this with a grain of salt. Hopefully someone with more knowledge will speak up.


Not sure I have officially more knowledge but I will vote A major too.

Don't think it's Bm as then E would have to be minor as well.


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## Grab n Go (May 1, 2013)

This song as well.


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

Kerry Brown said:


> I’m not an expert in modes but I think this is most likely a ii I V progression in A. Take this with a grain of salt. Hopefully someone with more knowledge will speak up.


That is correct. It is a ii I V progression in A major. Which is the same as the progression I wrote Am G D but in the key of G.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Try Real Wild Child, might be all majors.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

To my mind, given that the progression resolves to E, would this not be a v-IV-I progression in E Mixolydian? Where are the theory geeks?


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## leftysg (Mar 29, 2008)

greco said:


> How would you describe it emotionally?


To my ear, the Bm to A creates a melancholic feel, tempered by a hopefulness from A to E. Strumming, then suspending as eighth notes adds a bit of interest as well.
Sort of a Lifeson feel, they figure prominently in the Trees I believe.


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

Chito said:


> That is correct. It is a ii I V progression in A major. Which is the same as the progression I wrote Am G D but in the key of G.


Last Dance with Mary Jane is Am G D Am, very close. I usually play Am pentatonic over it. It is a weird progression where you can play many different scales depending on the feel you are going for.


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## scotheath (Mar 23, 2020)

AC DC Live Wire


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## slag banal (May 4, 2020)

Add some suspensions to give it some originality, and you get verses in James McMurtry “put Away Childish Things”. Melancholy, wistful and haunting when against his chorus.


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## ezcomes (Jul 28, 2008)

same chords, different progression is most Eagles songs


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## nman (Sep 14, 2019)

Strummed Bm A E chords with a quick pause between, form the intro to a famous song...can't place it right now...


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Thanks for all the responses so far. Very interesting!


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## scotheath (Mar 23, 2020)

scotheath said:


> AC DC Live Wire


Sorry I hadn't played live Wire in awhile its actually A E Bm


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## starjag (Jan 30, 2008)

What a rocker!



scotheath said:


> Sorry I hadn't played live Wire in awhile its actually A E Bm


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

Kerry Brown said:


> Last Dance with Mary Jane is Am G D Am, very close. I usually play Am pentatonic over it. It is a weird progression where you can play many different scales depending on the feel you are going for.


Very close in terms of the intervals between chords, but it resolves to the minor chord, so a very different feel. I would call that A Dorian. And yes, A minor pentatonic would work well since the F# that differentiates A Dorian from A Natural Minor isn't in the scale.

Still waiting for the theory geeks to chime in. I love this stuff, but I'm no expert.


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

bw66 said:


> Very close in terms of the intervals between chords, but it resolves to the minor chord, so a very different feel. I would call that A Dorian. And yes, A minor pentatonic would work well since the F# that differentiates A Dorian from A Natural Minor isn't in the scale.
> 
> Still waiting for the theory geeks to chime in. I love this stuff, but I'm no expert.


Last Dance is explained pretty well here. A minor pentatonic is a subset of A Dorian The bridge or chorus (not sure what it is technically) is in E Dorian although I usually just play the chords for that.









Last Dance with Dorian


It all started with a Fender Champ and a three-chord rock anthem.




www.premierguitar.com


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## starjag (Jan 30, 2008)

Nicely unpacked. Thank you for the link. The first couple examples are challenging but also intuitive. 



Kerry Brown said:


> Last Dance is explained pretty well here. A minor pentatonic is a subset of A Dorian The bridge or chorus (not sure what it is technically) is in E Dorian although I usually just play the chords for that.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

greco said:


> How would you describe it emotionally?


Happy & sad.


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## polyslax (May 15, 2020)

zontar said:


> Happy & sad.


Sappy?

But yeah, nostalgia, wistfulness, longing. The memory is typically sweet, but it's long gone, just a memory.


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

You guys might enjoy this site:


http://clicheprogressions.com/index.php?title=Main_Page


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Doug Gifford said:


> You guys might enjoy this site:
> 
> 
> http://clicheprogressions.com/index.php?title=Main_Page


I'll have to check that out when I have a little more time & a guitar in my hands.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

Doug Gifford said:


> You guys might enjoy this site:
> 
> 
> http://clicheprogressions.com/index.php?title=Main_Page


Interesting, but I think he does us a dis-service by reducing everything to major keys. You really don't get a feel for the modes when you're thinking in terms of an unrelated (okay, maybe distantly related) key.

Edit: And "Sweet Home Alabama": I-bVII-IV-IV ??? How about V-IV-I-I. K.I.S.S.

Edit #2: I take it back... I just sat down and played it and Sweet Home does resolve to the D, so they probably got that one right. 😳


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

This has been a really interesting topic. I think basically it comes down to theory is used to explain things that sound good and is not something that needs to be etched in stone. I am envious of those players who can play by ear and not worry about theory. Myself without theory I could never improvise. I can't play by feel. I have to think about it. I've come to accept that.


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## butterknucket (Feb 5, 2006)

Mazzy Star's Fade Into You is A E Bm with a D thrown in on the chorus.


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## undermystone (May 10, 2021)

Althea by the Greatful Dead , doesn't that riff fall Bm A E ?


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