One Chord Songs

[trevcda]

Another thread here mentioned the "one chord song" and set the wheels to turning; I couldn't think of any one chord songs apart from the usual rap and hip-hop four beat sample phrase stuff.  So I though it might be fun to see what you guys could come up with.  After racking my brain for awhile I came up with this old gem, a C7 with alternating bass on the root and the V.  I give you Harry Nilsson and Coconut in a slightly disturbing video featuring three apes, one of whom has absolutely no rhythym!

 

All in good fun, what have you got?

[Vito Corleone]

 

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trevcda wrote:

 

 

Another thread here mentioned the "one chord song" and set the wheels to turning; I couldn't think of any one chord songs apart from the usual rap and hip-hop four beat sample phrase stuff.  So I though it might be fun to see what you guys could come up with.  After racking my brain for awhile I came up with this old gem, a C7 with alternating bass on the root and the V.  I give you Harry Nilsson and Coconut in a slightly disturbing video featuring three apes, one of whom has absolutely no rhythym!

 

 

All in good fun, what have you got?

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"Born On The Bayou" is, for all intents and purposes, a one-chord song. 

[Vito Corleone]

Many traditional nursery rhymes are one chord:  Three Blind Mice and Row Row Your Boat, for example.

And many pop songs really only have one chord althought the melody changes imply other changes, so it kind of becomes debatable.  Same with "one riff" type songs.

"Run Through The Jungle", "Low Rider", "And The Beat Goes On", "Once In A Lifetime", "Copperhead Road",  "Everyday People" and "Tomorrow Never Knows" are all pretty much one-chord songs.  

[Shaster]

Funky Broadway immediately came to mind. I used to play that tune and it was tough to keep it interesting, although the recording makes it work. 

 There quite a a few other Soul, R&B grooves that are based on one chord. Come to think of it, if you subtract the intro then another Pickett tune Land Of A Thousand Dances, is one chord

 James Brown Payback is another one chord except for the "hit me" riff - and no one is playing chords over the riff anyway  

Of course thee are a ton of Fusion Jazz  and other types of  instrumentals that are one chord wonders. Miles Davis certainly did a few like On the Corner, Herbie did one in the Eighties called Rockit but I'm thinking they don't count in this case.

EDIT: Just heard Rawhide in a Youtube ad, I believe that's another one.

[Vito Corleone]

Chain Of Fools

[tlbonehead]

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guido61 wrote:

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trevcda wrote:

Another thread here mentioned the "one chord song" and set the wheels to turning; I couldn't think of any one chord songs apart from the usual rap and hip-hop four beat sample phrase stuff.  So I though it might be fun to see what you guys could come up with.  After racking my brain for awhile I came up with this old gem, a C7 with alternating bass on the root and the V.  I give you Harry Nilsson and Coconut in a slightly disturbing video featuring three apes, one of whom has absolutely no rhythym!

All in good fun, what have you got?

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"Born On The Bayou" is, for all intents and purposes, a one-chord song. 

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especially if you dismiss the D and the A.