The "Message in a Bottle" example makes me wonder if such key changes are perhaps made to accommodate vocalists' ranges.

That chromatic climb in Lovefool is the best part of the song. No wonder they kept the key change!

Perhaps the reason for the key change in Africa is that moving it a whole step down made it easier to sing. Repeatedly singing the high B puts too much strain on the voice.

In my opinion, the smoothest change of key the Red Hot ever did was in Californication's solo: it moved on to the relative minor of the parallel major. It's so brilliant you don't even notice, but hits hard when the solo ends and the song returns to the verse.

Until I played it in a covers band once, I never knew the last chorus of 'Stacey's Mom' is a minor third higher than the rest.... really surprised me! I think it's because the key change actually comes in the guitar solo which distracts you, then stays in that key for the last chorus.

8:08 that 3D maze screensaver in the corner brings back some memories!

“Here, There, and Everywhere” is another one that’s pretty subtle

When it comes to key changes, Nik Kershaw is the first name that immediately springs to mind. Never noticed that the last chorus of "The Riddle" is a semitone higher than the rest of the song until I had to learn it for a wedding gig. Lots of his other songs also have loads of subtle and not-so-subtle key changes.

Funny because to my ears the key changes are noticeable, and especially the message in a bottle one, even though according to you it is supposed to be the most subtle one. Anyways I think it is a pity that nowadays there doesn't seem to be a lot of key changes in songs anymore.

I love the many keychanges in 'Penny Lane' from the beatles. There are a few key changes that are obvious, but others are less obvious. The song sounds like such an innocent simple song, but is so much more complex...

The "Message In A Bottle" key change is really smart, as both C# minor and A major all pivot around E major. Sting is so good at that stuff. Even the really stark key changes in "Fortress Around Your Heart" feel really seamless.

It wasn't until I listened to '60's music as an adult that I realized virtually every song played on Top 40 radio had a really significant key change -- as you said, it was clearly about injecting energy into songs you would have to get through many minutes of commercials in order to listen to and therefore make it worth the wait -- interesting stuff David, thanks!

"Always Look on the Bright Side of Life". The key change is so subtle that Eric Idle has to shout out the words "key change!" to let everyone know it's happening! 😅

2:18 Africa: theres actually two key changes: the A chord and melody are consistent with E major scale (and inconsistent with B). So from a key perspective (ignore modes), it's B to E to A, rolling perfectly along the circle of fifths. So you could argue the subtle key changes are the ones along the circle of fifth, like in scarborough fair

I know my channel is extremely Mark Knopfler-oriented, but still, one of my favourite "invisible" key changes is his version of "What A Wonderful World" he did with Chris Botti, with the arrangement coming from his keyboard player and long-time collaborator Jim Cox. While Mark's version is in the key of C Major, for the solo, it returns to the original key of Louis Armstrong and switches back to C. I wonder how many people noticed this.

God Only Knows has gotta be up there - unsettled key, yet an absolute masterpiece 👍

Another thing about the Zephyr Song is how smooth the key change is BACK to the verse, as the chorus ends on A major then switches to A minor as the tonic chord of the verse. Its like by making the key change to the chorus more stark it allowed them to line up a more smoother transition back to verse again.

Those new vocals on the C Major version of Lovefool are wildin

Worth pointing out that Toto go the extent of changing the vocalist for the chorus of Africa. Paich sings the verse, Bobby Kimball the chorus. Adds to the feeling of a step change IMHO.

TMBG's Birdhouse In Your Soul bounces between two keys through the whole song, but very smoothly and not jarring at all.

Knights of Cydonia by Muse is also a great example of this, the verse melody changes key at every repeat (Em -> Cm -> Abm -> Em). It's also incredibly smooth in how its done too, especially considering how dissimilar these keys are from each other.

Weezer's 'Undone - The Sweater Song' is in the key of Gb Major but switches to A Major for the solo.

Just love this series! I learn so much, you’re like that special teacher we hopefully all have at school at some point, thank you 🙏

I can think of a few examples: - La lezione (The Lesson) by Premiata Forneria Marcone - Schwarz by Rammstein - Plant Life by Owl City

My favourite key changes are the most obvious - like splashing one's face with cold water. Not a fan of Diana Ross or the Bee Gees, but I really enjoy the frequent chordal disorientation of 'Chain Reaction'.

Walk the Line by Johnny Cash… each verse is a key change, but slips right in

I immediately knew there was something off about the “Africa” example, because I still experience David’s modified version as a key change, despite it supposedly being a continuation of the same key. I was curious as to why. The problem is that David’s analysis, I would argue, has missed the crucial step - a third key that always separates the B Major that begins the verses from the F#m of the choruses. That key is C#m, and it’s actually the home key in which the song both begins and ends (when it doesn’t end in a fade-out of the chorus) The song begins straightforwardly in C#m, the intro vamping between the VI chord and the i chord (arguably stopping briefly at the v chord in between) and that exact motif reappears at the end of every verse and chorus. So we never do move directly from the key of B Major to the key of F#m. There’s always a section in C#m in between. It actually begins half-way though the (repeated) verse section, at the moment the apparently chromatic (in the context of B Major) AMajor chord is immediately recontextualised as a perfectly diatonic VI chord in a new key. This occurs on the “rises like Olympus” line, when the AMajor chord is immediately followed by C#m, firmly re-establishing the later as the tonic chord it was at the beginning of the song, aided by the vocal melody hovering around C# before resolving to it on “Serengeti” So David hasn’t actually removed the key change, he’s just replaced one very smooth key change (to the iv of the current key) with another very smooth key change (to the v of the current key). This explains why “Africa” sticks out in the video as the only example that retains its uplift in energy even after David’s transposition. I actually think I might like David’s key change even more than the original. Somehow, it’s more arresting, lifting that extra whole tone. But if we wanted to hear what the song would sound like with that particular key change gone, we would need to transpose Toto’s F#m chorus, not into G#m as David has done, but into C#m.

I didn't notice And I Love Her until I played it for the first time - in high school. So odd not to have caught it earlier.

I noticed. But I'm obsessed with complex harmony. It's probably the thing I'm most drawn to in music. In my own music, I work really hard at making "strange" chord progressions sound "normal." There are all sorts of tricks for doing this that you learn over time. Obviously, you can do things like employ secondary dominants and other clever pivot chords. But the real trick, in my opinion, is having a singing melody that bridges the gap between the keys.

"Penny Lane" shifts down a step at the chorus as well. I stole that technique for one of my own songs to help suit my vocal range, so I wonder if McCartney and Paich did it for similar reasons.

The Beach Boys are full of them. One of my favorites is the key change in Don't Worry Baby going into each chorus. The ii-V, but resolving to the iii (or ii of the new key), setting up another ii-V to bring us to the new key is probably one of the most clever ways to hide a truck driver key shift. Then the iv-IV7 cadence back down to the verse. So good.

Another RCHP song with a subtle key change is Under the Bridge, it changes twice, from A, to E then back to A

There is a lovely and fairly subtle key change in The Carpenters "Calling Occupants of INterplanetary Craft" after Karen sings the title line for the first time and is just about to sing it for the second time. It is a fairly joyous thing indeed.

"Lovefool" starts in A minor and modulates to A major in the chorus.

The cardigans song is graceful and perfectly serves the theme and the song with this subtle change of tone. As one would say in "Cyrano de bergerac" (I translate from French): "It looks like a peach smiling with a strawberry, and so fresh that one could, approaching it, take a heart cold!" "On dirait une pêche qui sourirait avec une fraise, et si fraîche qu'on pourrait, l'approchant, prendre un rhume de coeur!" Thank you, David, for your always fascinating videos!

Sweet child o mine is one I always think of for a great key change

Fascinating how playing an instrument in my childhood and young adulthood makes every single one of these changes very obvious to me. Not once did I NOT notice that the key changes before you specifically pointed it out. I haven't played my instrument for fifteen years or so but the musical hearing just stay with you.

This is one I was really asking for and appreciate thanks!!

I think for Lovefool it is subtle because the verse, although in C major, is interpreted in A minor. it makes it feel like it's going from A minor to A major playing with the parallel keys

I always thought of LoveFool as simply moving from the minor (Am) to the parallel major, with the E7 acting as the pivot between both.

absolutely fantastic video, the most approachable video explaining the effects of key changes in the song. thanks so much for this 🙏

I reckon that 'climb' in Lovefool elevates it from a pretty standard pop riff with cleverer-than-normal lyrics, to a great piece of alt-pop. I'd never have thought it hinged so much on that. Great analysis.

Good Times Bad Times by Led Zeppelin is stealthy at changing keys. Verse1 is in E, Chorus goes into A then Verse2 is in F# and we only go back to E after the second chorus. And the song is well under 3 minutes. Another interesting example is the refrains in Zeppelin's "In the Evening". Instead of having a chorus there's that "Oh, I need your love" refrain. It's in D, but after Verse2 it's in G and then later in the song it's in D again...

I've always found the key shifts in Nik Kershaw's "the riddle" fascinating. Would love to see your analysis.

Thank you for this David. I love these subtle changes.

Love your Videos too inspire my songwriting. Thank you for your awesome Work ❤

A Man I'll Never Be by Boston has a really fluid key change in the solo (half step down).

How about a segment on songs with key changes between the intro and first verse? To me it's a stylish way of opening a song. Warning - once you've heard a few you'll be listening for them all the time! For example Everlasting love/Love affair 1960s?

Squeeze, Up the junction... The key change is very hidden.

Eagles New kid in town is one of my favorites. Like your last example, George Harrison's Something goes from C to A. Great job!

I love how you were able to show how they would sound with out the key change really great thanks!

The best of the best and the most interesting one as for the vid of chord progressions, many thanks!

This was very informative!

Most songs really get better with such keychanges. Pop music is just so simple that often without keychanges, it just goes on for way too long with way too little variation, it becomes boring easily.

Great video!

I love this way of teaching music. What did a song do and how would it sound like if they did something else. I am learning so much. Now I will try playing around with different ways of changing keys. Thanks.

Yet another awesome video hooking me on theory. Super fun!

Very good!

Rush have to be worth a discussion on key changes. Also Talk Talk (not the phone company!)

Great video! One of my favorite example is Morning Has Broken by Cat Stevens, the transitions are so brilliant.

What about songs where you don't notice a key? (I'm looking at you, King Crimson)

What about the verses of "Just A Girl" by No Doubt, repeatedly pivoting between D major and D minor? Cory from 12tone has described this as an example of "hybrid tonality," but what do you think? Would it be one of these?

I do not have a musical ear but I had noticed the three first ones 😊. Thanks for the video.

I've always loved the clever key change (or is it multiple key changes?) near the end of St. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band -- but I don't know enough music theory to analyze it.

Another good one is the intro from Wouldn’t it be nice by The Beach Boys

One thing I only just realised in Lovefool is that during the "So I cry... and I beg" bits in the chorus the guitar is playing the melody from the verse in the background. Neat!

this is becoming mi favourite youtube channel

Message in a Bottle also has the key shift down a whole step for the outro riff - adds a soupcon of drama.

I think that another great exaple is the key change in the last chorus of "Latley" by Stevie Wonder, I love it. He uses a climbing bridge too, what makes it very smooth.

For me, in Zephyr Song the key change to the D Major gives musical imagery to support the 'fly away' lyric. If it went to the obvious Cmaj then you dont get that tonic uplift so less of a feeling of flying away evoked. Similarly in Lovefool, I think the tonal shift fits the lyrical content of Nina's pretence that the other person loves her - she loves him, he no longer loves her, the chorus is lyrically a dream scenario, so the music reflects this.

I always thought it was pretty clever how the title track of Tool's Fear Inoculum sneakily shifts from A minor to D phrygian by making just one small change at a time as the song progresses. We get a couple brief passages early in the song where the B gets flattened, giving it an A phrygian sound. This becomes permanent about halfway through the song, so this Bflat is already well established by the time the tonal center shifts to D toward the end. Then it's just a matter of adding the Eflat for a properly gnarly outro.

Queen used to include those kind of subtle key changes in its most popular songs. Bohemian Raphsody goes from Bb to Eb without almost being noticed when the key changes. And Love of My Life from C to F in the same way. In both case it's a change to the IV grade of the original scale, having 6 notes in common in it. That's the cause for the changes being so smooth.

I'll argue that changing the key in Africa kept the song comfortably within the sweet spot of the songwriter's range, sort of transposing it. Keeping it in the same key he would have had to sing higher and it felt awkward for him.

I've always liked the key change in And I Love Her. And also the final chorus of Livin' On A Prayer

Great video and I know you mentioned a few times the relationship between the shift in keys in regards to how many notes are common, however are there any more details you can tell us about how you would go about choosing and writing in a chord change to a song?

Enjoying your channel thanks David, would it be possible at some point to make a short analysis of "Flower of Scotland", with some references to any modes used and how it comes to be for so many people, the world over, such an emotional piece of music?

A very nice example is Roxette's "It Must Have Been Love", with a subtle key change in the middle-8 from C to F.

Beautiful Noise by Neil Diamond is an unusual one where is goes down a whole tone after the first verse.

Great video, thank you so much! So now that you've covered examples with key changes in the way up, do you have any example of key changes the way down? Like after a chorus key change for instance? :)

The 80s and 90s fusion artist Yutaka does this a lot. Three of his songs are transcribed on Hooktheory (Theorytab) and they all have subtle key changes amid their smoothly wandering chord progressions. "Lambada Nova" has an incredibly sneaky one at the end of the chorus! Worth checking out Yutaka if you haven't come across him.

I think a big part of why C to A works so well in Lovefool is that both keys are part of the same diminished family (C, Eb, F#, A). All are relative majors/minors of one another. E7 is also fairly at home in C Major, being the V of vi.

I don't guess it's particularly subtle, but the change at beginning of the instrumental section of Songs From the Woods by Jethro Tull is especially brilliant. I believe it remains in the same key but changes from a major to some sort of minor. If you understand music theory better than me (not a high bar), perhaps give it a listen and tell me what is happening precisely there because I'd love to know

Don't Worry Baby by The beach Boys, from E to F# in the pre-chorus

Hi David Marillion , kayleigh changes for verse 2 then back for the chorusi I believe great site thanks

I’d like to see a follow up showing how songs modulate back to the original key, for example, after the chorus. Have you noticed the key changes in Road Rage by Catatonia?

Very interesting.

Stock, Aitken and Waterman’s ‘I Should Be So Lucky’ sung by Kylie Minogue. It was her breakthrough record back in 1984. So many key changes in a top of the charts pop song that you kind of accept it in a can't-see-the-forest-for-the-trees-way, cuz it's just so da** catchy.

Africa in G#m sounds so good!

Our house by madness has a nice key change

Thank you for a great video on key changes. Actually one of the most extreme key changes I know is within the Imperial march by John Williams. When he jumps from g-minor to c#-minor without any modulationg chords in between. These keys have not one single note in common!!!!! Notice that before that, He evn jumps between g-minor and e flat minor, which is also extreme, but at least they have two notes in common... You should do a video on that as well....

I would say "Miss You Love" by Silverchair

Hi David, love your work. If it hasn't been mentioned, 'Breathless' by The Corrs is the most amazing unnoticed key change IMO.

For 'The Zephyr Song', the 3rd from the F major (A) carries over to the D major in the chorus as the 5th. It still keeps the song rooted around A, just not obviously.

would love to hear you talk more often about the red hot chili peppers !

I've been in bands with multiple writer's, sometimes one person writes the verse one person writes the chorus and the singer complains and something changes to accommodate the vocalists range... Resulting in "we might have to figure out how to change keys smoother than that"

C Major transitioning to A Major is the most amazing I've ever heard

Johnny Hates Jazz - Shattered Dreams is a wonderful example of good Keychange. I didn‘t realized it, just after I learned the bassline.

I wonder how much the key change was to do with the composition, Layla by Derek and the Dominos had an chorus in a different key to the verse because it was written by two different people and then effectively sellotaped together. I wonder if this happened with Message in a Bottle and Africa. I would analyse Zephyr differently though as I believe the verse is in C major, there is no hint at a G# in the melody or harmony (Emin chord rather than E7) Even though it does not touch C maj as a chord, the only key Amin, Emin, F and G belong in is C major. This would make the modulation only up a tone which does have a lovely lifted feel. Roy wood does the same thing in See My Baby Jive and I wish it could be Christmas everyday. Also Jason Donovan with Too Many Broken Hearts. That’s just my opinion anyway. Great video and great explanation, love hearing them with out the key change!

I know you just talked about King Gizzard a few videos ago, but it would be awesome if you covered anything about their album "Changes" and how they pulled off every song changing keys every other bar.

Chris Rea’s Road to hell has a lovely change at the end of the very long and slow intro. It goes from the major to the minor.