Four Chords Wonders
Una delle accuse che vengono rivolte alla musica rock, al punk, al pop riguarda l’eccessiva somiglianza tra i pezzi musicali. Non parliamo poi dell’elettronica, sempre tacciata di essere musica “che si suona con un dito o due”, ovvero quelli necessari a premere i tasti del synth o del campionatore. Chiunque ami le canzoni moderne e popolari – di qualsiasi stile siano – ha sempre rifiutato questi luoghi comuni anche se in fondo, sotto sotto, abbiamo sempre saputo che contengono qualcosa di vero. Le migliori canzoni di Elvis Presley, dei Sex Pistols o dei Beatles sono state scritte su tre, massimo quattro accordi, anche se molti dei loro fan probabilmente non se ne rendono conto, ed è giusto così.
A renderlo del tutto evidente ci ha pensato il video dei comici australiani Axis Of Awesome, che nel corso di cinque minuti di puro delirio riescono, suonando sempre gli stessi quattro accordi – rigorosamente sempre nello stesso ordine – a passare in rassegna quarant’anni di storia del pop più o meno commerciale. Ci sono grandi classici come gli stessi Beatles ed Elton John, stars del rock alternative come i Red Hot Chili Peppers, nuovi cantautori come James Blunt, star del punk anni ‘90 come Offspring e Green Day, del pop anni ‘80 come i finlandesi A- ha e i Toto, superstar assolute come U2 e Bob Marley, ma anche, in ordine sparso, Journey, Alphaville, Jason Mraz, Mika, Alex Lloyd, The Calling, Maroon 5, The last goodnight, Crowded house, Kasey Chambers, Men at work, Eagle eye cherry, Beyoncé, Pink, Lady Gaga, Aqua, MGMT, Tim Minchin, Natalie Imbruglia e Missy Higgins.
Tutto vero, certo. Questa legge sembra valere solo per il puro e semplice pop, dal momento che ad esempio non ci trovo dentro, che so, Nick Cave o Tom Waits, ma nemmeno i Radiohead e gli Stones. E comunque, anche se così fosse, il fatto che siano fatte con quattro accordi non toglie certo il gusto della grandi canzoni. I padri neri del blues americano, da cui sono nati rock, pop e poi tutto il resto, suonavano sempre i soliti tre accordi, e hanno creato la musica moderna. Scusate se è poco.
One of the most frequent charges against rock music, punk and pop are about the similarity between musical pieces. Not to mention electronics, always accused of being music that is played with a finger or two, those which are needed to press the buttons on the synth or the sampler. Anyone who enjoys the popular and modern songs – of any style – has always rejected these clichés but basically, deep down, we always knew that they contain some truth. The best songs by Elvis Presley, the Beatles or the Sex Pistols have been written with three to four chords, although many of their fans probably do not realize it, and that’s good.
The video of the Australian comedians Axis Of Awesome make it quite clear, when during five minutes of pure delirium they always play the same four chords – strictly in the same order – going through forty years of history of more or less commercial pop. There are classics like the same Beatles and Elton John, alternative rock stars such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, new songwriters like James Blunt, star of ’90s punk like Offspring and Green Day, popstars of the ’80s as the Finnish A – ha and Toto, absolute superstars such as U2 and Bob Marley, but also Journey, Alphaville, Jason Mraz, Mika, Alex Lloyd, The Calling, Maroon 5, The Last Goodnight, Crowded House, Kasey Chambers, Men at work, Eagle Eye Cherry, Beyonce, Pink, Lady Gaga, Aqua, MGMT, Tim Minchin, Missy Higgins and Natalie Imbruglia.
But this law seems to apply only to the pure pop, as I can’t see there, for example, Nick Cave or Tom Waits, and not even Radiohead and the Stones. Anyway, even if they were, the fact that they used just four chords doesn’t alter the taste of their great songs. The black fathers of American blues, from which was born the rock, pop and everything else in music, were used to always play the same three chords, and they created the modern music. I guess it’s enough.
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