You Are Reading the First 6 FREE Chapters (470 pages)

6.13.5
“Dear Landlord”: How the Chord Progression Works

“Dear Landlord,” one of Dylan’s most musically intriguing tunes, begins innocently enough in the key of C Major.

  • Within a few bars, the progression modulates to the key of A minor, its relative minor.
  • The progression then uses the chord F major to pivot to the key of D minor.
  • Then the tonal centre moves on to the key of F major, the relative major of D minor.
  • Finally, it moves back to the key of C major via a nifty turnaround: Dm – F – G – C (Figure 108).
Chord progression Chase chart for the 1967 song Dear Landlord, recorded and written by Bob Dylan.

FIGURE 108: Chord Map of “Dear Landlord” (Words and Music by Bob Dylan, 1967)

Dylan accomplishes this tour of four keys in just 60 seconds, the time it takes to get through one 20-bar stanza. The cycle then repeats two more times.

If you’re unfamiliar with “Dear Landlord,” it would be worth your while to listen to this track a few dozen times. Get a sense of how a gifted songwriter at the height of his powers brilliantly uses modulation. It’s on the album John Wesley Harding.

< Previous   Next >