Can't Buy Me Love

Harmonic Analysis Worksheet (RMA/HA)

Published: 18 Dec 2023 Updated: 18 Dec 2023Visits: 12Code: ULHA-YB-48

Category: Harmonic-AnalysisInstrument: Any Subjects: Theory • Progressions • Harmony • Analysis • RMA

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Can't Buy Me Love


Harmonic Analysis (RMA) Worksheet for the song: Can't Buy Me Love.

Can't Buy Me Love

Released: 16 March 1964 (US), 20 March 1964 (UK)

Can't Buy Me Love is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released in March 1964 as the A-side of their sixth single. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The song was included on the group's album A Hard Day's Night and was featured in a scene in Richard Lester's film of the same title. The single topped charts in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and Sweden. In the UK, it was the fourth highest selling single of the 1960s.

While in Paris, the Beatles stayed at the five-star George V hotel and had an upright piano moved into one of their suites so that songwriting could continue. It was here that McCartney wrote "Can't Buy Me Love". The song was written under the pressure of the success achieved by "I Want to Hold Your Hand", which had just reached number one in America. When producer George Martin first heard "Can't Buy Me Love", he felt that the song needed changing: "I thought that we really needed a tag for the song's ending, and a tag for the beginning; a kind of intro. So I took the first two lines of the chorus and changed the ending, and said 'Let's just have these lines, and by altering the second phrase we can get back into the verse pretty quickly.'" And they said: "That's not a bad idea, we'll do it that way". The song's verse is a twelve-bar blues in structure, a formula that the Beatles seldom applied to their own material. (wikiwand) ·

Can't Buy Me Love is in the The Daily Ukulele 365 Songs for Better Living book.

Strum a different song every day with easy arrangements of 365 of your favorite songs in one big songbook! The Daily Ukulele features ukulele arrangements with melody, lyrics and uke chord grids and are in ukulele-friendly keys that are particularly suited for groups of one to one hundred to play and sing.

Chords

Bm7 Em Am D G C7

Theses and many other chords where covered in the Learn A Chord A Day series of lessons.

C Tuning Chords

Starting Melody Note and 1st Interval

  • Start on Root ↓ ↑ M3.
  • C Tuning, Low or High G

    INTERVALS: Root=note that begins a scale of the starting key; C is C, D is D, Am is a, Em is E, etc... m=minor; M=Major; P=Perfect; D=Diminished; A=Augmented. • ↑ is up/ascending; ↓ is down/descending;

    Harmonic Analysis (HA)

    A Harmonic Analysis (RMA/HA) and its worksheet are intended to show the function of the chords, the harmonic principles used, the keys and tonalities the song explores. And, can be used for scale selections and chord and scale substitutions.

    A Harmonic Analysis Worksheet is NOT intended to be a leadsheet and minimal roadmap information such repeats, fines, D.S., D.C., codas have been used in preparing the worksheets to somewhat mirror the leadsheet in the Daily Ukulele book..

    Sections, Verse, Chorus, 1st, 2nd Ending, turnbacks …

    The worksheets will show 1st, 2nd Ending, turnbacks, etc. as in indicated the Yellow Book. You should start to recognize that 1st endings typically always return to a previous or verse or section. With a 2nd ending, a transition to a different section, a or chorus. Harmonic Principles are used for these repeats and transitions.

    If turnbacks chord are not indication for the these 1st, 2nd Ending will indicate recommended chord(s) in parentheses or as an alternate harmony in Red . Typically the last measures or turnbacks will be a chord that resolves to and harmonically leads you to the next section or turning you back to the same section.

    Reference Key

    This is the key of the source leadsheet.

    • Can't Buy Me Love is in 4/4, Common Time and the Key of G . The 2015 Can't Buy Me Love – Remaster is in the Key of C , Tempo: 172 bpm

    Harmonic Principles Used:

    Harmonic Analysis (HA) Worksheet

    Visit the Harmonic Analysis for Scale and Chord Selection series of lessons for information on creating a Harmonic Analysis Worksheet

    (G)
    Bm7
    Em
    Bm7
    I
    III
    VI
    III

    C: G Ionian

    N.C. for measure 1 . Let the pickup notes shine.

    Em
    Am
    D
    ||: G
    III
    VI
    III
    VI
    G
    G
    G
    C7
    I
    IV7

    C Mix

    The IV7 is NOT a Secondary Dominant as it does not resolve to its I , which would be F and the G . In this case it just a Blues IV .

    C7
    G
    G
    D
    IV7
    I
    I
    V

    Mix

    1.

    2., 3.
    C7 N.C.
    C7
    G :||
    G
    IV7
    I
    I

    C Mix

    Bm7
    Em
    G
    G
    III
    VI
    I
    Bm7
    Em
    Am
    D
    III
    VI
    II
    V
    G
    G
    G
    G
    I
    I
    C7
    C7
    G
    G
    IV7
    I

    C Mix

    D.S. al Coda
    (Take 2nd ending)

    D
    C7
    C7
    G
    G
    V
    IV7
    I

    C Mix

    Coda

    C7
    G
    Bm7
    Em
    IV7
    I
    III
    VI

    C Mix

    NOTE: — The C7 in the above Harmonic Analysis is NOT a Secondary Dominant. It's simply aBluesy IV chord when the seventh is added.

    Bm7
    Em
    Am
    D
    G
    G
    III
    VI
    II
    V
    I

    Nashville Number System (NNS)

    Nashville Numbering System always uses four bars/measures per line, no bar lines, and default is each number of the number of beats per bar/measure based on the time signature. If multiple chords in same bar then they are underlined. It can be as simple as convert the Roman Numerals above to Arabic number.

    Scale Selection

    Once a Harmonic Analysis has been completed then scale selections can be made. These scale selections can be either vertical and horizontal choices. And, really only needed if you are going to take a solo or embellish the melody with added notes.

    Scale Abbreviation Legend

    Traditional Scales: Maj: Major (Ionian), Dim: Diminished, WT: Whole Tone, Har Min: Harmonic Minor,
    Contemporary Scales: Minor Pent: Minor Pentatonic, Pent: Major Pentatonic, Blues,
    Scale/Mode Names: Ion: Ionian (Major), Dor: Dorian (Minor), Phrygian: Phrygian, Lyd: Lydian, Mix: Mixolydian (Dominant), Aeol: Aeolian (Natural Minor), Loc: Locrian

    Checkout LESSONSeries : Harmonic Analysis for Scale and Chord Selection or download the Harmonic Analysis for Scale and Chord Selection book. And the QuickStart Series of Scale and Arpeggio books.

    RMA book cover QS1UKES book cover

    Performance Notes

    Intro

    No Intro for Can't Buy Me Love, just the pickup notes. So for a Ukulele jam count it in, 1 2 3 4 1 2 , coming in on the second 2 .

    There are some N.C. , No Chord parts that are not indicated on the leadsheet that are cool to add to the arrangement. These are marked on RMA Worksheet above.

    Links & Resources

    Sign-IN — it's FREE — to view, un-blur any additional content for this lesson.

    End of Lesson - Thanks, Hope You Enjoyed It!

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