A big part of writing a well-constructed song is properly controlling the expectations of the listener. The human brain loves hearing patterns, and sometimes what makes a song great is hearing something that sounds complex and yet seems to always give us exactly the sound we want to hear next. One fundamental way that songwriters satisfy listeners’ desire for this is through properly constructed chord progressions that we’ve discussed so far.
In Hooktheory I, we learned that when a progression cadences with a IV or V, the listener subconsciously knows the phrase is over and expects a resolution to the home base so a new progression can begin. When we fulfill this expectation, we give the listener comfort, reassurance, and closure. On the other hand, breaking this basic expectation is surprising. One powerful composing technique is to write a progression ending with a V that has a strong pull to I and then fool the listener by going somewhere else instead.
First let’s listen to an example that fulfills the listener’s expectations. “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith is an example of a song that sets up a strong progression ending V:
The buildup to the V chord creates a big pull back to the home base. When the cymbals crash on the I chord to start the next section, the listener has been given exactly what he or she wanted to hear.
“Defying Gravity” from the musical Wicked is an example of a song with a powerful buildup to V that instead surprises the user by going to a different chord.
Notice that the buildup to the V uses the same bass line motion as the progression that Aerosmith used in the previous example. The ascending pattern in the bass 2 → 3 → 4 → 5 increases the strength of the progression and really makes the listener think the idea has reached its conclusion. However, instead of going to I, it goes to vi!
Cadences that trick the listener by going to an unexpected chord are known as strongdeceptive cadences and are commonly used in popular music.
While deceptively going to the vi chord instead of the I chord is common, when properly set up, deceptive cadences can be effective with other chords as well. Feel free to experiment. For example, “That’s the Way it is” by Celine Dion has a deceptive cadence from V that goes to ii:
Notice how the simple four-chord pattern I → IV → vi → V is repeated three times to ingrain the progression in your mind. Then on the last repetition, instead of resolving to I, a long deceptive ii chord is used to break the pattern and set up the “real” IV → V cadence to end the section.
“Wonderboy” by Tenacious D is another classic example of a deceptive cadence. Before we listen to the real version of “Wonderboy,” lets listen to a version that has been edited to remove the deception, making it more of what we expect.
In the fourth measure, as the progression is wrapping up on V , we get a quick IV → V → I (the strongest cadence possible) and our ears are expecting nothing less than a I chord to end the song, which we get in the “predictable” version. Now lets listen to the real version:
Instead of the I, out of nowhere we are given a IV/IV. This secondary chord is out of the key, and its exotic sound strengthens the deception. After being deceived in this way, it’s often very nice to give the listener something that is more in line with expectations; the mind doesn’t like to be fooled all the time. The IV/IV resolves nicely in the typical manner: IV → I as discussed in Chapter 2.
Check for Understanding
Listen to the prechorus of Ariana Grande’s “Break Free”
Part 1 of 2. What chord do we expect to hear as the chorus starts?
Part 2 of 2. Give two reasons why we expect this chord.
Instead of resolving to the expected chord, the V⁷/vi is actually a deceptive cadence that goes to IV instead!