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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:

  • Radiohead - No Surprises

  • Adele - Someone Like You

  • Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun

  • Taps (funeral song)

And conversely, happy songs in minor keys:

  • Usher - Yeah

  • Justin Timberlake - Sexy Back

  • Lady Gaga - Just Dance

  • LMFAO - Party Rock

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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

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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. ;)

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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?

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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".

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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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