Interesting set of chord changes -- what was the name of the song?

June 26, 2011 2:05 PM

Ska band with a horn section. Prominent piano (?) chords on the off-beat, following the pattern I i i iv. No, that's not a typo: the first tonic chord is major, the rest are minor. Name that tune?
posted by nebulawindphone to media & arts (6 answers total)

In what rough time period would you place it? Vocals: none, toasting, or lyrical? And roughly what tempo? (And how close is Funky Kingston in terms of instrumentation and accent prominence?)
posted by milquetoast at 4:09 PM on June 26, 2011

Funky Kingston is so close, it's actually the exact song I was looking for. Thanks.
posted by nebulawindphone at 6:06 PM on June 26, 2011 [1 favorite]

It probably doesn't matter now that you found the tune, but that just sounds like a straightforward I-IV-V progression, not I i i IV. Unless I'm missing something?
posted by rossination at 8:28 PM on June 26, 2011

that just sounds like a straightforward I-IV-V progression

No way, dude. The chords are:

F# F#m F#m/A B

So the progression is I i i IV.
posted by av123 at 8:54 PM on June 26, 2011

Whoops, my mistake. You're right!
posted by rossination at 9:42 PM on June 26, 2011

(But if I might ask, milquetoast: did you have other songs in mind with that same set of changes? It sounds like you did, since you didn't just say "Oh, that's Funky Kingston" and call it done. I'm absolutely ignorant about ska, just happened to hear this song playing in a bar the other night, but it struck me as a really unusual — and seriously catchy — harmony, so I'd be curious to know if it crops up other places.)
posted by nebulawindphone at 10:38 PM on June 26, 2011