Beato Breaks Down 1983 Mendes Hit to Chart Pop's Harmonic Decline

Rick Beato

Sergio Mendes's 1983 hit 'Never Gonna Let You Go' disguised constant jazz modulations inside top-40 radio, establishing a peak of harmonic density modern pop songwriting has since abandoned.

AI-assisted summary of The Most COMPLEX Pop Song of All Time — original source. Check the original for full context.

Source published: 2021-06-23

Key ideas

Rick Beato identifies Sergio Mendes' 1983 hit 'Never Gonna Let You Go', penned by Brill Building songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, as arguably the most harmonically complex pop hit ever recorded. (0:00)
The composition masterfully masks dense jazz theory—including abrupt half-step modulations within verses and choruses, complex slash chords, and deceptive mediant substitutions—behind an accessible pop vocal melody. (6:16)
A signature ascending three-major-chord whole-step sequence continuously shifts pitch levels throughout the song, moving from D–E–F# to Db–Eb–F and finally landing on Gb–Ab–Bb in the climactic out-chorus. (17:40)
Beato benchmarks the track against contemporary radio hits to argue that commercial pop songwriting over the past 40 years has overwhelmingly abandoned harmonic richness in favor of minimalist, static chord loops. (18:59)

Detailed notes

## Background Published by Rick Beato on YouTube on June 23, 2021, this video sets out to answer whether a specific hit is the most complex pop song ever written. In the page description, Beato introduces his breakdown while promoting his educational music resources, including The Beato Book Interactive, his Ear Training Program, and guitar courses.

## TL;DR Rick Beato breaks down the harmonic architecture of Sergio Mendes's 1983 hit ballad 'Never Gonna Let You Go', penned by legendary songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. Recalling an infamous summer gig in Rochester where his jazz-trained band completely derailed trying to play the tune from memory for an audience of children, Beato analyzes its dizzying web of voice-leading, deceptive cadences, and relentless half-step modulations. Demonstrating the progression on piano and guitar, he explains how the song camouflages elite jazz theory under an accessible melody, contrasting its structural sophistication with the simpler, loop-based trends of modern commercial pop.

## Atmosphere & style The presentation strikes an engaging balance between scholarly music analysis and nostalgic comedic storytelling. Beato's delivery is animated, passionate, and warm, shifting seamlessly from technical fretboard demonstrations to infectious laughter as he recounts weeping with giggles on stage in front of confused elementary school kids. Watching the video feels like an intimate masterclass with a seasoned musician who genuinely marvels at forgotten studio craftsmanship while reveling in the humbling chaos of live performance.

## Bulletin - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=0s) Rick Beato identifies Sergio Mendes' 1983 hit 'Never Gonna Let You Go', penned by Brill Building songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, as arguably the most harmonically complex pop hit ever recorded. - [06:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=376s) The composition masterfully masks dense jazz theory—including abrupt half-step modulations within verses and choruses, complex slash chords, and deceptive mediant substitutions—behind an accessible pop vocal melody. - [17:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=1060s) A signature ascending three-major-chord whole-step sequence continuously shifts pitch levels throughout the song, moving from D–E–F# to Db–Eb–F and finally landing on Gb–Ab–Bb in the climactic out-chorus. - [18:59](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=1139s) Beato benchmarks the track against contemporary radio hits to argue that commercial pop songwriting over the past 40 years has overwhelmingly abandoned harmonic richness in favor of minimalist, static chord loops.

## Key takeaways - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=0s) Pop music songwriting has grown progressively simpler and harmonically streamlined over the past three to four decades. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=0s) Trained jazz musicians routinely struggle to play 'Never Gonna Let You Go' by ear without a chart due to its atypical, unpredictable chord motion. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=0s) The song's intro progression in F# minor immediately jumps up a half step to G minor 7 to launch the first verse. - [02:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=147s) The verse destabilizes its key center early, starting in G minor before modulating down a minor third to E minor in its second half. - [02:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=147s) The pre-chorus relies on unconventional voice-leading and a minor ii–V cadence that resolves to a mediant tonic substitute chord rather than a standard root target. - [06:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=376s) Instead of remaining in one tonal home, the chorus plays its first half in F minor and then abruptly repeats the exact progression transposed up a half step in F# minor. - [06:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=376s) Brill Building songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil crafted an arrangement so challenging that live performers, including Sergio Mendes himself, often mimed along rather than tackling the voicings live. - [10:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=644s) Attempting to perform the arrangement by ear from a brief cassette listen led to an infamous stage breakdown for Beato and fretless bassist Paul Smitty in Rochester in 1983. - [15:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=909s) The solo section subverts expectations by setting up a standard minor ii–V progression meant for Cmaj7, only to deceptively resolve to Em7. - [15:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=909s) Rather than modulating upward to build energy as is customary in pop arranging, successive choruses drop down a half step. - [17:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=1060s) The motif of three ascending whole-step major chords is transposed to a completely new pitch center each time it reappears across the intro, middle, and outro sections. - [18:59](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=1139s) The track's greatest artistic feat is achieving major commercial success while switching key centers almost every bar without confusing casual radio listeners.

## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=0s) A Rochester Summer Gig and the "Never Gonna Let You Go" Challenge

Rick Beato opens by reflecting on his ongoing observation that pop music has become progressively less complex over the past 30 to 40 years. This thought led him to wonder what the single most complicated pop song he ever had to perform was. His mind immediately went back to the summer of 1983, right after his junior year of college, when his friend Paul "Smitty" Smith called him with an offer for a four-week gig. The job entailed traveling around Rochester, New York parks playing music for crowds of kids. The group was conceived as a pop ensemble that would also mix in some standards: Rick on guitar, Paul Smitty on bass, a drummer, a female lead vocalist, and saxophonist Terrance Bruce, who was already well known locally for playing in the funk band Cabo Frio.

At their very first rehearsal, the band was familiar with almost every tune proposed, except for one request brought in by the singer: the reigning hit ballad "Never Gonna Let You Go" by Sergio Mendes. Rick and Paul, being immersed in jazz and rarely listening to top-40 commercial radio, had never heard it. The singer brought along a cassette tape to play the track for them. Confident in their jazz chops, the musicians assumed learning a pop song would be trivial: “Play it for us we figure oh we can learn any song no problem we're Jazz guys right so she starts playing this song and it's like I'm like yeah oh that's weird.”

Upon hitting play, Rick immediately stopped her to rewind the cassette because the opening progression defied standard pop patterns. Calculating the theory on the spot, he realized the intro kicks off in F# minor, running through a Roman numeral progression of 6, 2, 5, 1 using inversions to 4, to 5, and then landing on a major VI (a borrowed chord) before abruptly jumping up a half step to G minor 7 to begin the verse.

```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: Song Section Key Centers accDescr: Progression of starting chords across sections showing frequent key modulations. subgraph S1["Intro & Verse"] A["Intro: F# minor"] -->|"half-step modulation"| B["Verse (Part 1): G minor"] B -->|"modulate down"| C["Verse (Part 2): E minor"] end subgraph S2["Pre-Chorus & Chorus"] C --> D["Pre-Chorus: Bb sus2"] D -->|"minor ii-V tonic sub"| E["Pre-Chorus Ending: to F# minor"] E --> F["Chorus (Part 1): F minor"] F -->|"half-step modulation"| G["Chorus (Part 2): F# minor"] end ```

[02:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=147s) Dissecting the Intro, Verse, and the Pre-Chorus Labyrinth

Despite the bewildering harmony, Rick and Paul arrogantly believed they could play the song without writing out a chart for a live performance scheduled for later that same afternoon. Rick walks through the theoretical architecture on keyboard and guitar, demonstrating how quickly the song plunges into uncharted pop territory. After the intro in F# minor, the first half of the verse begins on G minor 7, only for the second half of the verse to suddenly modulate down to E minor.

The transition into the pre-chorus introduces chords that require advanced harmonic decoding. Rick points out voicing shifts like D11 (or C/D) moving to D/C, resolving down to a Bb sus2 or an Amin7(b6) / Fadd9/A. Analyzing the harmonic moves step by step, Rick marvels at how counterintuitive the voice-leading is:

> “Now normally you would have a half diminish or you'd go but what they've done is they went a minor 2 5 instead of going to D flat major they go to the to the three chord as a substitute that's actually like a tonic substitute but it's very confusing.”

- **Intro starting chord**: F# minor (cycling inversions of vi - ii - V - I - IV - V - VI). - **Verse 1 (First Half)**: G minor 7. - **Verse 1 (Second Half)**: E minor. - **Pre-Chorus**: Opens with a Bb sus2, navigates through slash chords (C/D, D/C, Fadd9/A), heads toward an unexpected minor ii–V cadence, and lands on a tonic substitute chord before resolving toward the chorus.

[06:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=376s) The Modulating Chorus and Songwriting Pedigree

When the arrangement hits the chorus, the complexity escalates further. The first half of the chorus establishes itself in F minor, cycling through Bb minor, Eb, Eb/Db, C minor 7, Db major, down through G7 to C. Instead of resolving predictably, the song abruptly shifts up a half step for the second half of the chorus: the entire chord progression repeats transposed up into F# minor and B minor 7. Rick emphasizes how extraordinary this is for a commercial hit: “What song modulates what this is a number one song so modulates the first half of the chorus is F minor to B flat 7 B flat minor 7 the second half of the chorus is F sharp minor to B minor 7 half Step Up same chord progression up at half step.”

The tag of the chorus finally wraps by recycling the last three chords of the intro—which Rick notes is the very first time in the entire composition that any harmonic material repeats. He explains the lineage behind the track: it was penned by the celebrated Brill Building songwriting team Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann. Sergio Mendes produced the record and released it under his name using elite Los Angeles session players across drums, guitars, and keyboards. Rick remarks that while Mendes appears playing keyboards in live performance footage, he suspected Mendes was merely miming along because the arrangement and voicings were so demanding.

The second verse introduces the female vocalist answering the male vocal lead from the first verse, following the exact same tortuous chord changes: G minor 7 to C/E, C/F to F major, downward modulations, and back into the dense pre-chorus.

[10:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=644s) The Sax Solo and the Stage Meltdown

Following the second chorus, the song pivots into a solo section where Terrance Bruce performed the recorded keyboard solo on saxophone. Rick demonstrates how the solo section moves rapidly at one chord per beat before modulating up a tritone—one of the few moments where the functional harmony resolves in a textbook manner before twisting off into the third chorus.

Rick then recounts the disastrous reality of trying to play this song live in 1983. Having spent only 20 to 30 minutes hacking through the cassette, he and Paul Smitty took the stage before an audience of roughly one hundred children. Rick lost his place almost immediately. Paul, possessing a phenomenal musical memory, yelled out the roots from across the stage—shouting "E minor here! E minor, A minor!"—enabling Rick to recover while Terrance laughed into his saxophone. The performance was a mess, and the two singers cast scathing looks at the rhythm section afterward.

Determined to redeem themselves, Rick and Paul rehearsed the tune the following morning, convinced they had finally mastered it. However, during the afternoon set, disaster struck from the opposite direction halfway through verse one:

> “Paul gets lost but instead of me being the nice guy like Paul was helping me out the day before I decid to mess with him and I turned my guitar away from him so he can't see my hands and Paul starts laughing so hard and he keeps playing wrong bass note after wrong bass note and and it doesn't matter because even if I'm playing the wrong chords with the bass notes being wrong it sounds like me being wrong too and the singers are singing they can't even sing because it's just all wrong chords and they're trying to do this love duet right and we are screwing it up so royally and we're doubled over with laughter I walk back I've got tears streaming down from my face Paul does too then the audience it's all kid kids that are you know 10 years old 8 years old 12 years old and they're seeing us crack up on stage and just butchering this song but we kept going with it and we kind of get back on for a while and then we get off again and and it was the funniest thing it's literally the funniest gig that I've ever played in my life because it was so botched.”

Rick highlights the impossibility of Paul recovering on a fretless bass with no fret markers once visual contact with the guitar fretboard was cut off. The singers were trying to deliver an earnest, romantic love duet over a trainwreck of dissonant, clashing chords while the band was physically weeping with laughter in front of bewildered elementary school kids. Rick then turns back to the instrument to break down how the solo transitions out of its tritone modulation toward the third chorus through an eccentric revision of a traditional 2-5-1 cadence.

[15:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=909s) The Solo, the Deceptive Cadence, and Chorus Key Shifts

Rick Beato breaks down the harmonic machinery behind the solo section, observing how Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil leaned into sophisticated jazz vocabulary that somehow functioned invisibly within a chart-topping pop track. He explains that the progression sets up what sounds like a minor ii–V–I using Dm7♭5 and G7♯5, which would ordinarily resolve straight to Cmaj7. Instead, the song substitutes Em7 for the expected resolution chord. Beato marvels at the elegance of this move, highlighting how disguised these harmonic pivots are to the casual listener: “It's actually very brilliant to go there only a jazzer would think of this.” The astonishing feat of the track is that it became a massive hit despite switching key centers at a dizzying pace without alienating the listener.

```mermaid flowchart LR accTitle: Solo Resolution Cadence accDescr: Harmonic resolution flow from Dm7b5 to G7#5 substituting Em7 for Cmaj7

subgraph Setup ["Cadential Setup"] A["Dm7♭5 (ii chord)"] --> B["G7♯5 (V chord)"] end

subgraph Resolution ["Resolution Strategy"] B -.->|"Expected Target"| C["Cmaj7 (Tonic I)"] B ==>|"Actual Deceptive Substitution"| D["Em7 (iii chord sub)"] end ```

Moving out of the solo, the arrangement provides no relief, remaining unpredictable straight toward the ending. As Beato plays along with the recording at the piano, singing lines like “never going to let you go” and “to hold you in my heart,” he traces the keys across successive choruses. The first chorus kicks off in Em7 to Am7 to D, whereas the second chorus transposes down to Fm to B♭m to E♭, leaving the subsequent chorus a half step lower than the previous one. Beato stresses how disorienting this is for an instrumentalist performing from memory without a lead sheet. The movement defies standard pop intuition:

- The chord substitution replaces Cmaj7 with its relative mediant, Em7, forming an inventive deceptive cadence. - The shifting choruses do not follow an upward build; instead, the chorus drops down a half step, running counter to conventional pop arranging habits. - Rick emphasizes that memorization is virtually impossible without external guidance: “There's really nothing to grab on to so you really need to have a chart in front of you.”

---

[17:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=1060s) The Ascending Major Chords and the Out-Chorus

Beato highlights another signature harmonic motif in the tune: three straight major chords moving upward in whole steps. This recurring sequence shifts transpositional pitch levels every time it appears in the song structure. In the intro, the chords are D, E, and F♯. When the progression returns after the post-solo sections, the entire trio shifts down a half step to D♭, E♭, and F.

As the track drives into the out-chorus and guitar solo, the listener might assume the song has finally settled into a repeatable groove, but the arrangement throws another curveball. At the absolute climax, as the vocals belt out “let you go,” the three-chord sequence transposes to a completely different tonal plateau: F♯ major, G♯ major, and B♭ major (or enharmonically G♭, A♭, B♭). Beato compares all three iterations side by side to illustrate how restless the underlying harmony is:

| Section Appearance | Three-Major-Chord Sequence | Enharmonic Spelling | |:--- |:--- |:--- | | **Intro** | D – E – F♯ | D – E – F♯ | | **Post-Solo / Middle Chorus** | D♭ – E♭ – F | D♭ – E♭ – F | | **Out-Chorus / Ending** | F♯ – G♯ – B♭ | G♭ – A♭ – B♭ |

---

[18:59](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=1139s) Why Pop Music Has Lost This Complexity

Reflecting on the sheer volume of modulations, Beato crowns “Never Gonna Let You Go” as an unmatched peak of harmonic density in popular songwriting: “That is the most complicated hit song of all time the most complex chord progression yet when you're listen to it you're just like yeah okay yeah it just goes by you don't even realize that it's changing Keys like every other beat.” The track flows with such melodic grace that listeners singing along on their car radios never notice the harmonic labyrinth beneath it.

Beato uses this composition as a benchmark to argue how drastically songwriting priorities have shifted over the decades. Modern pop favors streamlined repetition and minimalist chord loops, making a track with dozens of key modulations nearly unthinkable in the current landscape: “When I say that pop music has gotten simpler over time well if that's not a great example of that can you imagine a song like that being on the radio today well I mean it's stylistically it's too weird but this is what used to pass for pop radio.” He concludes by encouraging viewers to study these sophisticated structures using his educational resources, directing them to his *Quick Lessons Pro Guitar Course* at quicklessons.pro and rickbeato.com, *The Beato Book* for in-depth chord progression studies, and his ear training program at beatoearcheck.com / beatotraining.com to learn how to identify such rapid interval and key changes by ear.

## Mentioned Rick Beato, Paul 'Smitty' Smith, Terrance Bruce, Cabo Frio, Sergio Mendes, Never Gonna Let You Go, Cynthia Weil, Barry Mann, Brill Building, The Beato Book, The Beato Ear Training Program, Quick Lessons Pro Guitar Course

## Video description Is this the most complex song ever? In this video I answer that question.

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[Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8)

中文简报

Beato拆解1983年门德斯热门单曲，揭示流行乐和声的衰退塞尔吉奥·门德斯1983年的热门单曲《Never Gonna Let You Go》将不断的爵士乐转调隐藏在Top 40电台金曲之中，树立了和声密度的巅峰，而现代流行音乐创作此后便放弃了这一高度。 Rick Beato拆解了塞尔吉奥·门德斯1983年热门抒情单曲《Never Gonna Let You Go》的和声结构，该曲由传奇词曲作者巴里·曼和辛西娅·韦尔创作。贝托回忆起在罗切斯特一次尴尬的夏季演出，当时他那群受过爵士乐训练的乐队试图凭记忆为一群儿童观众演奏这首曲子，结果彻底翻车。他分析了该曲令人眼花缭乱的声部进行、阻碍终止以及接连不断的半音转调。通过在钢琴和吉他上演示这一和弦进行，他解释了这首歌如何将高深的爵士乐理论伪装在通俗易懂的旋律之下，并将其结构的复杂性与现代商业流行乐更简单、基于循环的趋势进行了对比。 Rick Beato认为，塞尔吉奥·门德斯1983年的热门单曲《Never Gonna Let You Go》（由布里尔大厦词曲作者巴里·曼和辛西娅·韦尔创作）可以说是史上录制过的和声最复杂的流行金曲。 (0:00) 该曲精妙地将密集的爵士乐理论——包括主歌和副歌中突然的半音转调、复杂的斜线和弦以及阻碍性的中音替代——隐藏在通俗易懂的流行人声旋律背后。 (6:16) 一个标志性的、由三个大和弦组成的全音上行序列在整首歌中不断改变音高水平，从 D–E–F# 移动到 Db–Eb–F，并最终在推向高潮的尾奏副歌中落于 Gb–Ab–Bb。 (17:40) Beato将这首歌与当代的电台热门歌曲进行了对比，指出在过去40年里，商业流行音乐创作绝大多数都放弃了丰富的和声，转而采用极简、静态的和弦循环。 (18:59)

Reading summary

Musician and educator Rick Beato analyzes Sergio Mendes's 1983 hit ballad "Never Gonna Let You Go," arguing that its relentless key modulations and deceptive cadences make it the most harmonically complex pop hit ever recorded. Rapid Modulations and Unorthodox Song Architecture (2:27) Written by Brill Building songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, "Never Gonna Let You Go" disguises an intricate harmonic maze beneath an accessible pop surface. The arrangement begins in F# minor, cycling through a 6-2-5-1 inversion pattern to a major VI chord, before abruptly jumping up a half step to G minor 7 for the first half of the verse. The second half of the verse then drops down a minor third into E minor. The pre-chorus deploys complex slash chords such as C/D, D/C, and Fadd9/A, alongside an unusual minor ii–V progression that resolves to a iii tonic substitute rather than a conventional tonic chord. Rather than settling into a predictable progression, the chorus deepens this harmonic instability. The first half moves through F minor (progressing through Bbm7, Eb, Eb/Db, Cm7, Db, G7, and C), but the second half unexpectedly transposes the identical progression up a half step into F# minor and B minor 7. Beato points out that no harmonic material repeats across the entire composition until the tag of the chorus, which reuses the final three chords of the intro. Deceptive Jazz Cadences and Transposed Motifs (15:09) The solo and climactic sections showcase advanced jazz vocabulary rarely found on commercial radio. A sax solo shifts rapidly at one chord per beat before modulating up a tritone. Following the solo, Mann and Weil set up an apparent minor ii–V cadence using Dm7♭5 and G7♯5. Instead of resolving to the expected Cmaj7 target chord, the harmony delivers a deceptive cadence into an Em7 substitute. Successive choruses also drop by a half step rather than following standard upward-building pop conventions, transitioning from Em7–Am7–D in one iteration down to Fm–B♭m–E♭. Another recurring device is a three-chord sequence of whole-step ascending major triads that appears at different pitch plateaus throughout the song. In the intro, the sequence plays as D–E–F♯; returning after the solo, it shifts down a half step to D♭–E♭–F; and during the climactic out-chorus under the vocals, it leaps to F♯–G♯–B♭ (enharmonically G♭–A♭–B♭). Beato argues that because the underlying keys change virtually every other beat without a repeating structural baseline, performing the piece from memory without a lead sheet is extraordinarily difficult. Stage Failures and the Contrast with Modern Pop (0:00) Beato illustrates the practical difficulty of the composition through an experience from the summer of 1983, when he and bassist Paul Smith had to perform the track on short notice for park crowds in Rochester, New York. Assuming their jazz background would make learning a commercial radio hit simple, the rhythm section attempted to play without charts after only 20 to 30 minutes of rehearsal. During successive live sets, both players lost their places. Because Smith played a fretless bass without fret markers, losing visual cues to Beato's guitar left him unable to recover the root notes, leaving the band laughing on stage as the vocalists struggled through clashing chords. Using the track as a historical benchmark, Beato asserts that mainstream pop music has grown steadily less complex over the past 30 to 40 years. Whereas modern chart songwriting overwhelmingly relies on streamlined chord loops and minimalist repetition, Mendes's recording represents an era where elite session musicians and sophisticated Tin Pan Alley songwriting techniques could yield a number-one hit with dozens of modulations. Beato contends that "Never Gonna Let You Go" remains an unmatched peak of popular harmonic construction, noting that modern radio would find its stylistic complexity and constant tonal shifts unviable.

精炼阅读摘要

音乐制作人兼教育家 Rick Beato 认为，流行音乐在过去三四十年间显著趋于简单，而 1983 年由 Sergio Mendes 发布的流行榜冠军抒情歌《Never Gonna Let You Go》展现了极致的和声密度与离调手法，堪称史上最复杂的流行热门歌曲。前奏至副歌的频繁离调与和声迷宫 (2:27) 这首由 Brill Building 著名创作团队 Barry Mann 与 Cynthia Weil 编写的歌曲，打破了标准流行乐循环和弦的范式。曲目引子以升 F 小调开启，通过包含转位和借用和弦（大调 VI 级）的 vi-ii-V-I-IV-V 走向进行铺垫，随后直接半音上行跳跃至 G 小调 7 和弦进入主歌前半段；而在主歌后半段，调性又毫无预警地下行小三度转入 E 小调。在导歌（Pre-Chorus）部分，编曲大量采用密集的分式斜线和弦（如 C/D、D/C、Fadd9/A）与降 B sus2，并引入冷门的降二级-属五级和弦进行，最终没有解决到目标大调，而是落在作为主和弦替代的 iii 级和弦上，令声部进行极其反直觉。副歌的双重转调与全音阶大和弦移位 (6:16) 进入副歌后，和声复杂性进一步升级。副歌前半段立足于 F 小调，经由降 B 小调、降 E、降 E/降 D、C 小调 7 等和弦走向属和弦；但后半段并未按常理解决，而是将整套和弦走向整体纯半音上移，完全在升 F 小调及 B 小调 7 上重复一遍。直到副歌尾段借用前奏的最后三个和弦，全曲才第一次出现任何重复的和声素材。此外，歌曲贯穿了一个核心特征动机：三个大和弦连续向上进行全音移动。该形态在前奏中为 D-E-F#，在独奏后副歌降半音变为 Db-Eb-F，而在终曲高潮处则进一步转位到 F#-G#-Bb（即 Gb-Ab-Bb），使整个曲式结构处于永不停歇的调性游移中。独奏段的伪终止与无乐谱演奏翻车纪实 (10:44) 在独奏段落，乐曲以每拍换一个和弦的极快速度推进，并向上转调增四度（三全音）。Mann 和 Weil 在此设计了典型的爵士语汇：使用 Dm7b5 接 G7#5 构建小调 ii-V-I 假象，但在预期应解决至 Cmaj7 时，巧妙替换为关系中音 Em7 作为伪终止。正是由于这种几乎没有重复记忆点、调性上下颠簸的结构，若没有乐谱辅助，演奏者极难仅凭记忆还原。Rick Beato 回忆其 1983 年夏天在罗切斯特公园乐队演出该曲时，与贝斯手 Paul Smitty 仅凭卡带试听 20 分钟便盲目登台，导致现场和弦全面崩溃；次日再度尝试时，因彼此失去指板视线参考，无品贝斯与吉他再度陷入互相带偏的调性灾难，使原本深情的情歌对唱沦为极度滑稽的舞台事故。当代流行乐简化趋势与听觉隐蔽性反思 (18:59) Rick Beato 指出，该作最惊人之处在于其虽然几乎每隔一两拍就在改变调性中心，但在顶级录音乐手与制作的打磨下，旋律极其流畅悦耳，以至于普通听众在收音机前跟着哼唱时完全察觉不到底层复杂的爵士调式转换。Beato 将这首作品作为历史参照标杆，对比指出过去三四十年间商业流行乐的创作重点已经彻底转向极简循环与高度重复的模式。他认为，像这样具备精深和声密度的作品在现今的电台环境中已几乎无法想象，也凸显了传统流行作曲技艺在时代演进中的巨大变迁。本期节目通过详尽的和声理论拆解与个人舞台惨痛经历，论证了《Never Gonna Let You Go》罕见的理论高度；Beato 借此表明高超复杂的爵士和声曾完美融入大众流行文化，并由此对当代流行音乐走向简化的现状提出了对比与审视。

Detailed notes — zh

## Background 该视频由知名音乐制作人与教育家 Rick Beato 于 2021 年 6 月 23 日发布在 YouTube 频道上。视频围绕“这是否是史上最复杂的流行歌曲”这一核心问题展开，Rick 结合自身经历与乐理分析，深入拆解了 1983 年由 Sergio Mendes 制作的冠军单曲《Never Gonna Let You Go》。 ## TL;DR Rick Beato 指出近几十年流行乐的和声复杂度大幅下降，并以 1983 年热门榜首单曲《Never Gonna Let You Go》为例，论证其为史上最复杂的流行金曲。他回忆了自己大三时在公园演出中试图单凭记忆盲弹该曲、结果因频繁离调与无品贝斯失误而引发全场笑场的惨痛翻车经历。随后，Rick 在琴键上系统拆解了歌曲中让人眼花缭乱的和弦进行，包括前奏、主歌与副歌之间反复出现的半音模进转调、小调 2-5-1 变形以及绝妙的伪终止手法。整首歌虽然几乎每隔一两拍就在换调，听感上却极其流畅自然，代表了流行音乐黄金年代兼顾和声复杂性与旋律普适性的最高制作水准。 ## Atmosphere & style 视频兼具专业乐理教学的严谨深度与老友叙旧般的幽默松弛感。当 Rick 绘声绘色地回忆当年在孩子面前弹崩伴奏、与贝斯手互相坑害并笑到眼泪狂飙的窘境时，现场感极强，令观众捧腹；而在切入键盘拆解和弦走向时，他又瞬间切换为大师级音乐分析模式，语气中充满对经典时代神级词曲与顶级棚虫乐手的由衷敬畏与叹服。 ## Bulletin - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=0s) Rick Beato 深入解析了由 Sergio Mendes 制作、Cynthia Weil 与 Barry Mann 创作的 1983 年全美流行冠军单曲《Never Gonna Let You Go》，认定其为流行音乐史上和弦进行最复杂的流行金曲。 - [06:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=376s) 该作品打破了常规流行乐逻辑，不仅在前奏、主歌与导歌之间频繁进行反直觉的半音与离调转调，更在副歌内部直接实现两次半音模进转调。 - [15:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=909s) 歌曲巧妙运用了如 Dm7(♭5) - G7(♯5) 伪终止代理解决至 Em7 的精湛爵士和声手法，让极度密集的转调在听感上依然保持流畅优美的流行旋律感。 - [18:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=1101s) Rick Beato 指出近几十年来流行音乐和声日趋扁平简化，而该作展现了 1980 年代流行乐在顶尖棚虫乐手与词曲作者操刀下所达到的和声巅峰。 ## Key takeaways - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=0s) 流行音乐复杂度在过去三四十年间显著下滑，促使 Rick Beato 回忆起自己职业生涯弹过最复杂的流行歌《Never Gonna Let You Go》。 - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=0s) 1983 年夏天的巡演排练中，自负的爵士乐手们原以为流行歌曲易如反掌，但在听到该曲磁带时当场被前奏极其罕见的和弦计算难倒。 - [02:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=147s) 歌曲的前奏从 F#m 起步，通过 2-5-1 转位及借用和弦制造离调，紧接着主歌第一句直接半音上移转调到 Gm7，后半段又骤降至 Em。 - [02:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=147s) 导歌部分使用非常规的 D11（C/D）过渡至 Bbsus2，并在进副歌前采用不常规的小调 2-5 级进行配合三级代理解决，彻底打破和声直觉。 - [02:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=147s) 整首歌极难单凭耳力和记忆盲弹，乐手极易迷失在不断变动的调性中，必须依赖图表谱（Chart）辅助演奏。 - [06:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=376s) 全曲的副歌前半段以 Fm 起始，在下行解决后，后半段竟然生生将完全相同的走向整体半音上移至 F#m 进行模进。 - [06:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=376s) 虽然唱片署名为 Sergio Mendes，但核心灵魂是词曲创作组合 Cynthia Weil 和 Barry Mann，并由当时好莱坞最顶尖的棚虫乐手录制。 - [10:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=644s) 由于和声反常规且排练仓促，Rick Beato 与弹奏无品贝斯的 Paul Smith 在罗切斯特公园现场演出时频频断片忘谱、错音连连并当场笑崩。 - [10:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=644s) 乐曲在独奏段落甚至达到一拍换一个和弦的极高密度，融合了半音转调与上行三全音走向。 - [15:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=909s) 全曲中段构建了一个极其精妙的伪终止，利用小调 2-5 级 Dm7(♭5) - G7(♯5) 代理解决到 Em7，展现出纯正的爵士和声构思。 - [16:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=992s) 各段副歌的起始调性反复剧烈震荡：第一段副歌始于 Em7，第二段上移至 Fm，而独奏之后的第三段副歌则反向下移半音。 - [18:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=1101s) 标志性的连续三大三和弦动机贯穿全曲，分别在前奏（D-E-F#）、曲中（D♭-E♭-F）与尾声（G♭-A♭-B♭）呈现三次对称平移变奏。 - [18:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=1101s) 这首歌最神奇之处在于，普通听众完全察觉不到它每隔一两拍就在换调，复杂精密的和声完全隐匿在朗朗上口的情歌旋律之下。 ## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=0s) 1983 年夏天的公园演出与“史上最复杂流行歌”的登场 Rick Beato 开门见山地指出，自己最近一直在思考一个现象：在过去三四十年里，流行音乐的复杂度正在变得越来越低。这让他不禁开始回想，自己职业生涯中弹奏过的最复杂的流行歌曲究竟是哪一首。思绪将他拉回到了 1983 年的初夏，当时他正在读大三。他的好友 Smitty（贝斯手 Paul Smith）给他打来电话，邀请他参加一个为期四周的演出项目：在纽约罗切斯特（Rochester）的各大公园巡回为孩子们演出。乐队阵容非常精干：Rick Beato 担任吉他手，Paul 弹贝斯，萨克斯手是极为出色的 Terrence Bruce（当时在 Funk 乐队 Cabo Frio 演奏），再加上一名鼓手和一名女歌手。在第一次排练时，乐队原本打算翻唱一些爵士标准曲和流行作品，但女歌手提出想唱当时电台最火的冠军单曲——由 Sergio Mendes 制作的《Never Gonna Let You Go》。Rick 和 Paul 都是纯粹的爵士乐手，平时根本不听商业电台，压根没听过这首歌。女歌手带了一台卡式录音机，自信满满地放给他们听。Rick 当时的心态十分放松，觉得对爵士乐手来说扒一首流行歌简直易如反掌：“play it for us we figure oh we can learn any song no problem we're Jazz guys right”。然而磁带一转，两人当场愣住了。前奏那些诡异的走向让他们直呼“等一下，倒回去倒回去”。这首歌根本不是常规的流行套路，从第一小节开始，就展开了让人大脑过载的和弦计算与转调狂潮。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 《Never Gonna Let You Go》各段落和弦根音与转调路径 accDescr: 展示前奏、主歌、副歌等各部分起首和弦与极度频繁的半音转调走势 subgraph Intro["前奏 (Intro)"] A["F#m (vi)"] --> B["B / E / A / D / G#dim"] B --> C["C#7 借用和弦"] end subgraph Verse1["主歌 (Verse)"] C -->|"半音上移转调"| D["第1段：Gm7"] D --> E["第2段：Em (转调下行)"] end subgraph PreChorus["导歌 (Pre-Chorus)"] E --> F["第1段：Bbsus2 / Fadd9/A"] F --> G["第2段：F# - B - 减和弦转调"] end subgraph Chorus["副歌 (Chorus)"] G --> H["前半段：Fm 起始 (降半音转调)"] H -->|"半音上行转调"| I["后半段：F#m 起始"] end Intro --> Verse1 Verse1 --> PreChorus PreChorus --> Chorus ``` ### [02:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=147s) 试图盲弹：前奏、主歌与导歌中的疯狂转调当天下午乐队就有一场面对公众的正式演出，Rick 和 Paul 在排练室里反复纠结：到底是花时间写一张和弦谱（chart），还是直接靠耳朵和记忆硬啃下来？出于爵士乐手的自负与自信，他们决定不写谱子，现场凭记忆弹。但当 Rick 在钢琴前重新拆解这首歌的和声结构时，他不得不承认这完全走进了未知的和声荒原：“I've never seen a song that went through so many different core changes this is just the beginning of this this is like the most confusing thing ever right”。这首歌的和声逻辑几乎在每一个段落都在强行转调： - **前奏 (Intro)**：以 F#m（6级）起步，随后经过 2-5-1 的转位和弦来到 4 级和 5 级，接着进入大六度并借用和弦，形成了第一次意料之外的离调色彩。 - **主歌 (Verse)**：前奏刚结束，主歌第一句直接半音上移转调到了 Gm7；到了主歌后半段，调性又毫无征兆地下跌转到了 Em。 - **导歌 (Pre-Chorus)**：从极其惊艳却反常的 D11（C/D）过渡到 D/C，再切入 Bbsus2 以及复杂的 Am7b6（或记作 Fadd9/A）。导歌后半部分更令人崩溃，从 F#、B 一路推进，在准备进副歌时，作曲家没有采用常规的半减七和弦或平滑解决，而是用了一个极度别扭的小调 2-5 级进行，且完全没有落在预期的 Db 大调上，反而落在一个代理的三级和弦上作为主和弦替代。面对这种反直觉的走向，Rick 感叹连今天的自己都无法完全默写出来：“what that is the weirdest key change ever he's they're going from I mean I have to read this I still have to read it because I can't remember it to this day”。 - 前奏起始和弦：F#m - 主歌前半段起始和弦：Gm - 主歌后半段起始和弦：Em - 导歌起始和弦：Bbsus2 - 导歌后半段关键转折：F#、B 接小调 2-5 替代解决至 Fm ### [06:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=376s) 副歌与第二段主歌：一首歌里塞进两次半音转调进入副歌（Chorus）后，和声的复杂程度甚至进一步升级。副歌前半段以 Fm 起始，走过 Bbm、Eb、Eb/Db、Cm7、Db，一路下行到 G7 再到 C。就在听众以为调性终于稍微稳定下来时，整套进行竟然在副歌后半段直接“半音上移”——完全相同的和弦走向，直接从 Fm 提到了 F#m（F#m 到 Bm7）。一首红遍全美的商业情歌，竟然在副歌的两个半句之间生生做了一个半音模进转调，这让 Rick 震惊地大喊：“what song modulates what this is a number one song”。在副歌尾句唱到“this time I'm never gonna let you go”时，音乐才终于绕回了前奏最后的那三个和弦，这也是全曲听到这里唯一出现重复的元素。 Rick 介绍了这首神作的幕后背景：虽然唱片以巴西音乐大师 Sergio Mendes 的名义发行，但他其实主要负责制作，现场可能只是跟着假弹键盘；全曲真正的灵魂是著名词曲创作组合 Cynthia Weil 和 Barry Mann。录音室里集结了当时好莱坞最顶尖的一批全职棚虫乐手（Session Musicians），整体的编曲与制作精度堪称奇迹。在结构上，歌曲由男声先唱第一段主歌，副歌男女合唱，第二段主歌则交由女声独唱。第二段主歌的和弦同样严苛考验乐手的转位功底：Gm7、C/E、C/F、F 大调再转到 C，随后再次杀入那段让人心惊肉跳的导歌与副歌。 ### [10:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=644s) 罗切斯特公园的演出惨案：无品贝斯与舞台笑场 Rick 随后绘声绘色地回忆了他们带着这首歌上台后的灾难现场。第一天演出，台下坐着大约一百名孩童。因为事前只排练了半个小时，Rick 刚弹到一半脑子就彻底一片空白，完全迷失在茫茫和弦中。好在贝斯手 Paul 记忆力惊人，在台上扯着嗓子朝 Rick 大喊和弦：“goes no it goes E minor here E minor a minor”。更要命的是，Paul 当天弹的是一把没有品丝（fretless）、琴颈上甚至连品记点都没有的无品电贝斯。Rick 想偷看 Paul 的手型找调根本无从看起，全凭耳朵硬拉。萨克斯手 Terrence 在旁边看得乐不可支，歌手们在前面唱着深情对唱，频频回头向吉他和贝斯投来杀人般的目光。第一天总算磕磕绊绊地糊弄了过去。第二天开演前，两人发誓绝不能再出丑，重新排练并互相打气说“这次我们绝对拿下了”。结果到了正式演出，刚唱到第一段主歌中段，这次轮到 Paul 彻底忘谱断片了。Rick 见状不仅没救他，反而决定狠狠捉弄一把好友： > “instead of me being the nice guy like Paul was helping me out the day before I decided to mess with him and I turned my guitar away from him so he can't see my hands and Paul starts laughing so hard and he keeps playing wrong bass note after wrong bass note” 这一举动引发了多米诺骨牌式的灾难： - Paul 看着 Rick 故意转过去的琴颈，当场笑崩，在无品贝斯上一连串弹出极其刺耳的错音； - 根音全错导致 Rick 哪怕弹对和弦听起来也是错的； - 两位男女主唱在台上试图维持深情对唱的气氛，但伴奏完全崩塌，调性四散奔逃，唱到最后根本找不到调； - Rick 和 Paul 笑得前仰后合，Rick 整个人笑得弯下腰，眼泪直接从脸上飙了出来； - 台下坐着的 8 到 12 岁的小朋友们完全不知道发生了什么，只看见台上的乐手们一边疯狂弹错一边笑到崩溃。 Rick 直言这是他一生中演过最搞笑、最车祸但也最难忘的一场演出。在这场演出的萨克斯 Solo 段落（原曲是键盘独奏），和弦甚至达到了一拍换一个和弦的密集程度，先是半音转调，接着上行三全音。面对这样匪夷所思的和声布局，Rick 总结道，即使是用自己 40 年后今天这颗成熟的大脑来看，这种流行歌曲的复杂性依然让人叹为观止。 ### [15:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=909s) 伪终止的精妙构思与接续独奏的转调迷局 Rick Beato 深入剖析了这段和声进行的理论本质，指出这实际上是一个极其精巧的伪终止（Deceptive Cadence）。从理论上看，原本是一个通向 C 大调的小调 2-5 进行——即 $\text{D}\text{m}^{7(\flat 5)} - \text{G}^{7(\sharp 5)}$ 解决到 $\text{Cmaj}^7$；但作曲家并没有落到 $\text{Cmaj}^7$，而是使用了 $\text{Em}^7$ 作为其代理和弦。这种小调 2-5 搭配伪终止的手法构思极为绝妙，Rick 赞叹道：“It’s actually very brilliant to go there only a jazzer would think of this.” 唯有浸淫爵士乐的创作者才会想到这种走法。更令人惊叹的是，这首歌曲当年是一首风靡全美的流行大金曲，普通听众在聆听时完全沉浸在流畅优美的旋律中，丝毫察觉不到它在背后已经转调了上百次。 ```mermaid flowchart LR accTitle: 和声伪终止走向图 accDescr: 展示从 Dm7b5 和 G7#5 本应解决到 Cmaj7，转而代理解决至 Em7 的伪终止过程 subgraph Preparation ["2-5 预备段"] A["Dm7(♭5)"] --> B["G7(♯5)"] end subgraph Resolution ["和弦解决"] B -.->|"理论常规解决"| C["Cmaj7 (预期主和弦)"] B ==>|"实际代理解决 (伪终止)"| D["Em7 (代理和弦)"] end ``` 然而，即便乐曲走过了独奏段落，演奏者也绝不能掉以轻心，因为整首歌在尾声部分变得更加令人摸不着头脑。Rick 边在键盘上示范弹奏独奏后的段落，边跟着哼唱主旋律（“so if you'll just say to me... never gonna let you go”），带领观众体验进入后续副歌时那种让人防不胜防的和声起伏。 - **小调 2-5-1 变形**：$\text{D}\text{m}^{7(\flat 5)} \to \text{G}^{7(\sharp 5)} \to \text{Em}^7$（以 $\text{Em}^7$ 代理替代 $\text{Cmaj}^7$ 达成伪终止）。 - **听感反差**：虽然底层调性切换频繁复杂，但在听觉上依然保持了极为平滑的流行歌美感。 --- ### [16:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=992s) 下降半音的副歌与难以捉摸的和弦记忆 Rick 紧接着拆解了各个副歌之间的调性变化规律：最初的副歌起始于 $\text{Em}^7 - \text{Am}^7 - \text{D}$；第二段副歌则整体移高半音，变成了 $\text{Fm} - \text{B}\flat\text{m} - \text{E}\flat$；而到了独奏之后的第三段副歌，调性却反过来整体下移了半音。Rick 坦言，光靠耳朵听的时候他很清楚音乐要往哪里走，但如果要凭记忆把整首歌弹出来，难度简直高得不可思议。演奏者只能死记和弦的排列走向，因为这些走向从传统流行逻辑来看几乎是缺乏常理支撑的，根本没有让人能够轻易抓住的规律抓手。Rick 感叹道：“The chord pattern is not uh uh is kind of nonsensical there there's really nothing to grab on to so you really need to have a chart in front of you right.” 面对这首歌，手边必须时刻放着一份和弦总谱。随后，歌曲进入了标志性的“连续三个大三和弦”上行进行。Rick 指出，这组连续大三和弦在全曲中反复出现，但每次出现的调高完全不同：在前奏里，它们是一组和弦；而到了独奏之后的段落，整套三和弦模式同样向下移动了半音。紧接着电吉他独奏再度扬起，将整首歌推向最后的外副歌（Out-chorus），此时听众往往以为乐曲终于要回到平稳的安全区，谁料和声又迎来了最后的剧烈反折。 - **副歌调性轨迹对比**： - 第一段副歌起点：$\text{Em}^7 \to \text{Am}^7 \to \text{D}$ - 第二段副歌起点：$\text{Fm} \to \text{B}\flat\text{m} \to \text{E}\flat$（上移半音） - 独奏后副歌起点：下移半音进行重构 - **记忆难度**：和弦连接逻辑打破常规流行套路，乐手极难单凭直觉盲弹，必须依赖图表谱（Chart）。 --- ### [18:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=1101s) 终曲的三重大三和弦变奏与史上最复杂流行金曲进入尾声外副歌时，同样的结构重复了两次，随后迎来了全曲最精妙的收尾阶段。Rick 将贯穿全曲的“连续三个大三和弦”在三个不同关键节点的形态放在一起进行了对比汇总：在前奏中，这三个和弦是 $\text{D} - \text{E} - \text{F}\sharp$；中间再次出现时，整体下移为 $\text{D}\flat - \text{E}\flat - \text{F}$；而到了全曲最终收尾处，它们变成了 $\text{G}\flat - \text{A}\flat - \text{B}\flat$（亦即 $\text{F}\sharp - \text{G}\sharp - \text{B}\flat$）。这种在不同调性上对称平移的连续大三和弦设计，为整首作品画上了令人叹为观止的句号。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 全曲三组大三和弦动机对比 accDescr: 展现歌曲在引子、曲中及尾声三次出现的连续三大三和弦的不同音高结构 subgraph IntroPattern ["前奏引子动机"] I1["D"] --> I2["E"] --> I3["F♯"] end subgraph MidPattern ["曲中变奏动机 (下移半音)"] M1["D♭"] --> M2["E♭"] --> M3["F"] end subgraph OutroPattern ["尾声终结动机"] O1["G♭ / F♯"] --> O2["A♭ / G♯"] --> O3["B♭"] end IntroPattern -->|"调性变迁"| MidPattern MidPattern -->|"终局转位"| OutroPattern ``` 完成全曲分析后，Rick 郑重给出了自己的结论：“That is the most complicated hit song of all time the most complex chord progression yet when you're listen to it you're just like yeah okay yeah it just goes by you don't even realize that it's changing keys like every other beat.” 听众在听歌时只觉得旋律顺耳流淌，完全意识不到它几乎每隔一两个拍子就在换调。Rick 藉此感慨流行音乐随时间推移变得越来越扁平单一，并向观众发问：如今的流行电台里，还能想象播放这样一首歌吗？虽然在当下的风格语境中它显得过于奇特怪异，但这正是当年流行电台黄金时代的真实水准。视频最后，Rick 提醒大家订阅频道并开启通知铃铛，并介绍了新上线的 Quick Lessons Pro 吉他课程（可通过 quicklessons.pro 或官网获取），以及能够深入掌握和弦走向与音程听辨的 The Beato Book 和 Beato 耳力训练课程。 - **三组标志性大三和弦对比**： - 前奏（Intro）：$\text{D} \to \text{E} \to \text{F}\sharp$ - 中间段（Next occurrence）：$\text{D}\flat \to \text{E}\flat \to \text{F}$ - 尾声（Outro / Ending）：$\text{G}\flat \to \text{A}\flat \to \text{B}\flat$（$\text{F}\sharp \to \text{G}\sharp \to \text{B}\flat$） - **核心论点**：流行音乐和声随年代推移显著简化；《Never Gonna Let You Go》代表了流行金曲在和声复杂性与旋律普适性之间结合的巅峰。 - **推荐学习资源**： - Quick Lessons Pro Guitar Course（网址：`quicklessons.pro`） - The Beato Book（和弦连接与和声理论解析） - Beato Ear Training Program（网址：`beatotraining.com`，音程与听音辨曲训练） ## Notable quotes > [18:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8&t=1101s) That is the most complicated hit song of all time the most complex chord progression yet when you're listen to it you're just like yeah okay yeah it just goes by you don't even realize that it's changing keys like every other beat. — Rick Beato ## Mentioned Rick Beato, Paul Smith, Terrence Bruce, Cabo Frio, Sergio Mendes, Never Gonna Let You Go, Cynthia Weil, Barry Mann, Quick Lessons Pro Guitar Course, The Beato Book, Beato Ear Training Program ## Video description Is this the most complex song ever? In this video I answer that question. 📚👂 Ultimate Bundle Sale - ONLY $99 for all my educational products: https://rickbeato.com 📚— The Beato Book Interactive - $99.00 value 👂— The Beato Ear Training Program - $99.00 value 🎸— The Quick Lessons Pro Guitar Course - $79.00 value … all for just $99.00 Get it here: https://rickbeato.com Live Show! Friday - 11/18 Chicago, IL Park West https://www.axs.com/events/438377/ric... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUBSCRIBE HERE → http://bit.ly/2eEs9gX For recurring support go here: https://flatfiv.co/pages/become-a-bea... [Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRxTW8GxT8)

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[18:21] Rick Beato: That is the most complicated hit song of all time the most complex chord progression yet when you're listen to it you're just like yeah okay yeah it just goes by you don't even realize that it's changing keys like every other beat.

Original transcript

[0:00] hey everybody I'm Rick biato so I've [0:02] been on this kick lately about music [0:05] becoming less and less complex over the [0:08] last I don't know 30 years 40 years or [0:10] so and I keep thinking what is the most [0:14] complicated song that I've ever played [0:16] that's a pop song and I was reminded of [0:19] a gig that I played in 1983 my buddy [0:22] Smitty called me up in the beginning of [0:24] the summer was my junior year of college [0:27] and uh he says hey I got a gig for us [0:28] for for four we weeks I said what is it [0:31] we're going around to the Rochester [0:33] parks and we're going to play for kids [0:36] and it's a pop group we're going to play [0:38] maybe some standards you're going to be [0:40] on guitar I'm on bass Terrence Bruce is [0:42] playing sex Terence was a great great [0:44] sex player playing a bank called Cabo [0:46] Frio funk band and then there's a [0:48] drummer and a female vocalist I said [0:50] okay we get to the first rehearsal and [0:52] this girl says uh one of the songs she [0:54] wanted to do most of the songs we knew [0:56] and one of the songs she wanted to do [0:58] was the number one song of the time it's [1:00] called never going to let you go Sergio [1:01] Mendes Paul and I hadn't heard it we [1:03] didn't listen to the radio or anything [1:05] so um she had a cassette player there [1:07] it's like well play it for us we figure [1:08] oh we can learn any song no problem [1:10] we're Jazz guys right so she starts [1:12] playing this song and it's like I'm like [1:26] yeah oh that's weird [1:30] how was [1:31] WR wait a minute wait wait wait wait [1:33] back that up a second so she backs it up [1:36] it's [1:36] [Music] [1:40] like okay so so we're trying to do the [1:43] the math in our head here we go it [1:45] starts out an F minor so it's 6 2 [1:51] 5 1 these are just inversions to the [1:55] four to the five and then to Major six [1:59] first Ma ation that's a borrowed chord [2:02] but then the verse goes up to G minor 7 [2:06] right so it moves up a half steps [2:07] there's a modulation so then we're [2:09] trying to follow the song from the [2:11] beginning of the verse okay so here's [2:12] the [2:13] verse [2:21] [Music] [2:24] waset what was that [2:27] well what okay so we're thinking that we [2:31] can do this without a chart all right [2:34] for a gig later that day we're going to [2:37] play for people so Paul and I we haven't [2:40] even gotten through the whole song but [2:41] we're thinking should we write a chart [2:43] for this no we can figure this out so we [2:45] start out in F minor right [2:49] [Music] [2:53] so that's just the intro then the [2:56] verse right and then [2:59] [Music] [3:04] then there's [3:05] this and [3:06] [Music] [3:09] then okay now we're really getting in [3:12] Uncharted Territory I've never seen a [3:14] song that went through so many different [3:16] core changes this is just the beginning [3:18] of this this is like the most confusing [3:20] thing ever right so we go into the [3:22] second half of the [3:24] verse and then [3:28] now the [3:30] all I want to do is make things right so [3:34] just say the word and tell me [3:38] that and [3:41] [Music] [3:43] then I mean what so it [3:48] goes pre chorus actually a very cool [3:51] change but going from d11 or C over D [3:55] to D over C to B flat sus to or to uh [4:02] this would be a a minor 7 Flat 6 or F [4:06] add 9 over a right [4:09] so totally confusing so don't forget we [4:12] started [4:14] here in the beginning of the song the [4:16] intro then the verse goes here first [4:18] half of the verse second half of the [4:20] verse goes there then the precourse is [4:27] there and so moving from the pre chorus [4:30] you and me to [4:33] be we [4:37] were then but now I intend to open up [4:43] and love you even [4:45] [Applause] [4:47] more the time can be [4:51] sh [4:53] I'm [4:55] what that is the weirdest key change [5:00] ever he's they're going from I mean I [5:02] have to read this I still have to read [5:03] it because I can't remember it to this [5:08] day now normally you would have a half [5:13] diminish or you'd [5:17] go but what they've done is they went a [5:20] minor 2 five instead of going to d flat [5:25] major they go to [5:27] the to the three chord as a substitute [5:30] that's actually like a tonic substitute [5:33] but it's very [5:38] confusing [5:40] so we have F Shar minor if you think [5:43] about just the first chord of each [5:44] section F minor in the intro first chord [5:48] of the verse is G minor then the second [5:52] half of the verse is E minor first chord [5:55] of the pre chorus B flat sus two and [5:59] then then the second half of the [6:01] precourse goes [6:02] to F sharp B and then [6:08] this and then 2 [6:12] five and then go to F minor okay so then [6:16] the [6:16] [Music] [6:28] chorus okay listen [6:30] [Music] [6:33] this [6:39] [Music] [6:46] youever okay so the chorus starts out F [6:51] minor to uh B flat minor E flat E flat [6:56] over d [6:57] flat uh C Minor 7 then d flat major down [7:01] to G7 to C and [7:05] then and then moves up a half step what [7:09] song modulates what this is a number one [7:12] song so modulates the first half of the [7:15] chorus is F minor to B flat 7 B flat [7:18] minor 7 the second half of the chorus is [7:20] F sharp minor to B minor 7 half Step [7:26] Up same chord progression up at half [7:28] step and then and this time I'm never [7:31] going to let you [7:33] go then it actually goes into the last [7:36] three chords of the intro that's the [7:39] only thing that's repeated so far that's [7:41] similar to what came before okay so [7:45] here's the chorus [7:52] listen to try and make all the times [7:57] your soul [8:00] [Music] [8:03] close this day all we going to be [8:08] together I'm thinking okay easy I got [8:12] this then it goes in verse [8:17] two same chords [8:20] okay female singer on this so the first [8:24] verse the first verse the guy sings the [8:27] chorus they sing together and then the [8:29] second verse she takes which is a cool [8:31] formula right uh by the way the song is [8:34] written by Cynthia W and Barry man who [8:38] were really famous songwriters at the [8:40] time Sergio Mendes whose record it came [8:43] out on is just the producer and they [8:46] have all session players I mean it's all [8:48] session drummers all session guitar [8:50] players all session keyboard players [8:51] Sergio amendes I think it might be [8:53] playing keyboards on it I don't know I [8:55] looked at a live video and he's playing [8:56] keyboards but I think he's faking along [8:58] with it I don't know but the production [9:01] and the arrangement is really amazing [9:04] right so here's the second verse [9:06] [Music] [9:12] right you really have to know your [9:14] inversions for [9:16] [Music] [9:19] this modulate [9:22] down left in you of love that still [9:27] shines BL let's talk it out let's talk [9:32] about SI [9:34] chanes wait [9:37] [Applause] [9:39] see this is really confusing here G [9:42] minor 7 C over e and then to C over F to [9:48] F [9:52] major and then it goes to to C here's a [9:57] precourse again listen wait and [9:59] it's going to be sweeter than it was [10:04] before I gave some man but [10:08] [Music] [10:15] now then the [10:19] [Music] [10:22] weird hold you in my arms [10:25] forever going to try and make a for the [10:29] time [10:30] [Applause] [10:36] [Music] [10:44] I check this out solo [10:52] [Music] [10:59] [Music] [11:03] this is like the only normal [11:05] spot [11:06] [Music] [11:10] then okay so Terrence played the Solo in [11:13] this the saxophone player so before we [11:17] get into the song so the first day so [11:20] Paul and I are thinking that we can [11:23] memorize this song and play it in a [11:26] couple hours in front of a group of [11:28] hundred kids right so we practice it and [11:31] we hack our way through it and the girl [11:33] and the the drummer and the girl are [11:35] singing okay so so we get out in front [11:37] of these kids we start playing the song [11:39] and I get lost first okay so I'm I'm [11:42] playing along but Paul knows where we [11:43] are Paul's got an incredibly good memory [11:45] I mean I've got a great memory for for [11:47] songs and core changes incredibly good [11:50] memory but this is like this is an [11:52] impossible task just on listening to it [11:56] for 20 minutes and rehearsing it or 30 [11:58] minutes whatever ever so I'm watching [12:01] Paul I look over his bass he's playing a [12:03] fretless [12:04] Bas right it's got no markers on it and [12:07] everything so you got to really use your [12:09] ear it's like okay where is this going [12:10] because I can't predict where it's going [12:12] because I don't have the pattern [12:13] memorized on it so Paul's like yelling [12:16] over to me yeah it goes no it goes E [12:18] minor here E minor a minor and then so [12:20] then I I catch up we keep the song going [12:23] and the singers are kind of because it's [12:26] me playing [12:27] guitar the since the big notes aren't [12:30] wrong it's going along okay and Terrence [12:33] the sex player is laughing and Paul and [12:36] I are laughing but not that hysterically [12:39] yet and then we kind of hack our way [12:42] through the song and the singers are [12:45] looking back at us like come on you guys [12:48] what a disaster so we get there the next [12:51] day and we're like we got to rehearse [12:52] that song we can't play that again that [12:54] was a disaster so we rehearse our way [12:56] through it and uh I say um okay we got [13:00] this looking at Paul we got this yeah so [13:03] it comes up into the set and I'm [13:04] thinking like oh how's this going to go [13:07] so we start playing we get about I don't [13:10] know halfway through the first verse or [13:12] so and then Paul gets [13:14] lost but instead of me being the nice [13:17] guy like Paul was helping me out the day [13:19] before I decid to mess with him and I [13:21] turned my guitar away from him so he [13:23] can't see my hands and Paul starts [13:26] laughing so hard and he keeps playing [13:29] wrong bass note after wrong bass note [13:30] and and it doesn't matter because even [13:33] if I'm playing the wrong chords with the [13:35] bass notes being wrong it sounds like me [13:37] being wrong [13:38] too and the singers are singing they [13:41] can't even sing because it's just all [13:43] wrong chords and they're trying to do [13:45] this love duet right and we are screwing [13:49] it up so royally and we're doubled over [13:51] with laughter I walk back I've got tears [13:54] streaming down from my face Paul does [13:56] too then the audience it's all kid kids [13:59] that are you know 10 years old 8 years [14:01] old 12 years old and they're seeing us [14:04] crack up on stage and just butchering [14:06] this song but we kept going with it and [14:09] we kind of get back on for a while and [14:11] then we get off again and [14:14] and it was the funniest thing it's [14:16] literally the funniest gig that I've [14:18] ever played in my life because it was so [14:21] botched okay but as you're seeing this [14:24] like you see this solo section right so [14:26] Terrence is playing the keyboard solo on [14:28] the set [14:29] but this thing here it's it's one chord [14:31] per [14:33] [Music] [14:43] beat then up a [14:46] trone that's the first kind of normal [14:48] progression that goes where you expect [14:50] it but then that's [14:53] okay and then it [14:55] goes to the third chorus so after the [14:59] solo it goes instead of 251 going like [15:02] that it [15:04] goes now my Rick brain of 40 years later [15:09] is like oh it's just a deceptive Cadence [15:12] because now that I'm thinking about [15:15] it okay that's a minor 251 but it goes [15:18] to C major so D Minor 7 flat 5 G7 Shar 5 [15:23] to C major 7 but instead we're subbing [15:26] the E minor 7 is the sub for C major [15:31] 7 right so it's really 2 five deceptive [15:35] Cadence it's actually very brilliant to [15:38] go there only a jazzer would think of [15:41] this the fact is that this was a huge [15:44] hit pop song and you don't even notice [15:47] that it changes Keys like a hundred [15:50] times in it so after it goes from the [15:52] solo you're not even home free because [15:55] it still is confusing on the ending let [15:57] me play from the solo [16:03] [Music] [16:10] [Music] [16:17] so if you'll just [16:19] say me [16:22] to never going to let you go to hold you [16:27] in my heart to [16:30] and then okay we got [16:32] [Music] [16:38] this okay so this chorus starts E minor [16:43] 7 a minor 7 to D the second chorus is F [16:48] minor to B flat minor to E flat so this [16:52] chorus is actually down a half step now [16:55] when I'm listening to it I know where [16:57] it's going but if I'm try to play it [16:59] from memory and then you just have to [17:01] rely on what the chord pattern is [17:03] because the chord pattern is [17:06] not uh uh is kind of nonsensical there [17:09] there's really nothing to grab on to so [17:12] you really need to have a chart in front [17:14] of you right so from the third chorus it [17:22] [Music] [17:25] goes I think of like okay [17:28] [Music] [17:31] so everything's down to half [17:39] [Music] [17:40] stuff then we have [17:43] the three major chords in a [17:45] row okay so those three major chords in [17:48] a row in the intro they [17:53] are but here they [17:57] are down and a half step okay and then [18:01] we get to the out chorus cuz there's a [18:03] guitar solo that happens [18:06] here we think we're home [18:14] [Applause] [18:17] [Music] [18:19] fre [18:21] what and then okay it does the same [18:24] thing twice [18:31] but let you [18:34] go so the [18:37] ending F Shar Major G Shar major B flat [18:40] major or G flat A flat B flat right in [18:44] the intro it's D E F [18:47] sharp and the uh next time it happens [18:51] it's D flat E flat F and at the very end [18:54] it's g flat A flat B flat that that is [18:59] the most complicated hit song of all [19:02] time the most complex chord progression [19:05] yet when you're listen to it you're just [19:07] like yeah okay yeah it just goes by you [19:11] don't even realize that it's changing [19:13] Keys like every other be when I say that [19:16] pop music has gotten simpler over time [19:19] well if that's not a great example of [19:22] that can you imagine a song like that [19:25] being on the radio today well I mean [19:27] it's stylist istically it's too weird [19:31] but this is what used to pass for pop [19:34] radio that's all for now please remember [19:37] to subscribe to the channel hit the Bell [19:39] icon I have my new biato quick lessons [19:43] Pro guitar course that just came out and [19:46] you can find it if you just go to quick [19:48] lons dopro not.com quick lessons. proo [19:52] or you can find it through my website at [19:53] Rick bato.com don't forget you can find [19:56] the Bato book there where you can find [19:58] how all these chord progressions go [20:00] together and my Bato ear training course [20:03] if you go to beato tr.com that will [20:05] teach you how to figure out these kind [20:07] of songs by ear by interval that's all [20:10] for now thank you so much for watching [20:12] [Music]