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sensitivity to the emotional and artistic possibilities of asymmetry, which in its simplest form means working with
odd numbers. We will discuss this a little later.
Popular Four-Chord Turnarounds
Turnarounds are so significant in popular songwriting that there are many variations. For convenience, I've sorted
them into groups. Remember that the songs mentioned as examples may use the turnaround only for a section, not
for the whole song. These sequences not only sound good in themselves but may be incorporated into larger
structures. For instance, you might take two turnarounds and join them to make an eight-bar phrase that could then
be repeated to make a 16-bar verse.
Group 1
The most popular turnarounds start on chord I and end on chord V, assuring that the sense of key is strong. They are
also satisfying because of their positive upward energy. Some of the song illustrations mention "displaced" and
"stretched" turnarounds – see section 4 for an explanation of these terms.
The first three examples are satisfying because they move onto a minor but then draw back from the sadness it
represents to the reassuring major.
I II IV V: C Dm F G
'Love Is All Around' ch, 'Fall On Me' ch, 'Show Me Heaven', '99 Red Balloons', 'I've
Just Got To Get A Message To You' ch, 'Poetry In Motion', 'A Northern Lad' v,
'Somebody', 'Away From The Numbers', 'They Are All In Love' v, 'Vincent' v, 'Eton
Rifles' v stretched form: I II (x4) IV V, 'Somebody To Love' ch displaced as IV I II V,
'If It Makes You Happy' ch displaced as II IV V I.I III IV V: C Em F G
'Down In The Tube Station At Midnight', 'Going Underground', 'Waiting For An Alibi'
ch, 'Have I Told You Lately', 'Let's Get It On', 'Bright Side Of The Road' v (notice the
difference if you make F here F7), 'The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get' v.I VI IV V: C Am F G
This is the Big Daddy of all pop turnarounds. During the doo-wop era of 1958-63, many
hits were written with this sequence. It seemingly took The Beatles to break its
stranglehold on the charts, though even they used a displaced version for 'I Wanna Hold
Your Hand' ch (IV V I VI). Later Lennon ironically evoked its 1950s associations in
'Happiness Is A Warm Gun' and its innocence worked in 'Octopus' Garden'. It has been
used in countless songs. Here are a very few!
'I Can't Explain' b, 'Concrete And Clay' ch, 'Strange Town' v, 'Teenage Dream' v,
'Runaround Sue' v, 'A Teenager In Love' v, 'Stand By Me', 'Every Breath You Take' v,
'All I Have To Do Is Dream' ch, 'Please Mr Postman', 'Dance Away', 'Duke Of Earl',
'Crocodile Rock', 'Let's Twist Again', 'D'yer Mak'er', 'Lonely This Christmas', 'True
Blue' ch, 'Unchained Melody' v, 'When You're Young And In Love', 'It's In His Kiss' hk,
'I Will Always Love You', 'Brass In Pocket' v. 'Wonderful World' v. 'Angel Interceptor'
I, 'Say My Name', 'I Guess I'll Always Love You' v.