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6.13.4“Kodachrome”: Using the Same Chord (Root) to Pivot Both Ways
Paul Simon recorded 'Kodachrome' in the key of E major, modulating to A major. For the sake of a bit more clarity and simplicity, the chord map below uses the key of G major modulating to C major.
In “Kodachrome,” Paul Simon uses the variant chord E7 in place of Em in the key of G to pivot to the closely-related key of C, its harmonic scale neighbour.
In the new key, he uses a lot of consecutive descending fifths (clockwise around the circular harmonic scale) to keep the progression moving forward powerfully, and to maintain tonality in the new key.
Then he uses E minor to pivot out of C and back to G, again using descending fifths to re-establish the original key (Figure 107).
FIGURE 107: Chord Map of “Kodachrome” (Words and Music by Paul Simon, 1973)
The song returns to the original key for the second verse, then modulates to the “chorus key” and stays there. The song ends without returning to the original key. The song closes with a doubling of the tempo.