MonkeyCube t1_iuqx2aa wrote
Reply to comment by ArtesianDiff in [OC] Billboard's top 10 singles are getting progressively more negative (and less acoustic) over time by robert_ritz
It takes more than simply using a minor key to make a song evoke sad emotions. The minor keys have traditional been more effective at doing so, but they're surprisingly versatile. A majority of electronic dancehall music in the 90s was written in aeolian, for example. Seven Nation Army became a sports anthem with a solidly minor riff. But to more clearly illustrate the point:
Major key songs that sound sad:
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Radiohead - No Surprises
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Adele - Someone Like You
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Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun
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Taps (funeral song)
And conversely, happy songs in minor keys:
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Usher - Yeah
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Justin Timberlake - Sexy Back
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Lady Gaga - Just Dance
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LMFAO - Party Rock
samillos t1_iuqz3kc wrote
My most recent discovery, Levitating by Dua Lipa not only is in a minor key, it only uses minor chords during the whole song
Sheyvan t1_iur7qmj wrote
>Seven Nation Army became a sports anthem with a solidly minor riff.
Ok, sure - the Melody is in Minor, but Jack White plays every Chord as a major one in an open tuning. Lots of Chromatic Mediants. ;)
MonkeyCube t1_iur9bb0 wrote
Ha. Fair. Though if we're going down that rabbit hole, couldn't it be argued that a large chunk of the blues is the sound of minor key melodies over major chords?
[deleted] t1_iurbcee wrote
[removed]
Mine-Shaft-Gap t1_iur2b6g wrote
Ahhh, No Surprises. Sounds like a lullaby, but with lyrics like "I'll take a quiet life, a hand shake of carbon monoxide".
CheckOutUserNamesLad t1_iurymfl wrote
Any measure of happiness or sadness is going to have inherent bias and error. It doesn't make the measurement bad or unuseful.
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