Need help w/ a senior moment

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1

Need help with a tune I can kind-a-recall and a name I definitely cannot recall. Here’s the chord progression: Strum Machine. Pls advise me if sharing the link does not enable U2 listen to it. My name is mike and this is my first-ever post on SM help forum.

Additionally, I know less than nothing about formal music structure and would appreciate knowing if a chord other than A7(♭9) would work better at the end of the first line.

2

Hmm. Interesting question. This is what my local AI - qwen/qwen3, 5-35b-a3b - thinks: Thinking Process:

  1. Analyze the Request:
  • Input: A specific chord progression: G, B7, Em, C, E, Am, A7b9.
  • Task: Identify the tune (song) that uses this progression.
  • Context: The user is asking for song identification based on chords.
  1. Analyze the Chord Progression:
  • G (I in G major / V of C)
  • B7 (III7 in G major, or secondary dominant to Em)
  • Em (vi in G major, or i in E minor)
  • C (IV in G major)
  • E (V of Am? Or V of A?)
  • Am (ii in G, vi in C)
  • A7b9 (Secondary dominant to Dm, or a bluesy approach chord)Key Signature Ambiguity:
  • Starts on G. Could be G Major.
  • B7 is the V of Em. So G → B7 → Em looks like I - III7 - vi in G major (or a deceptive move).
  • Then moves to C (IV).
  • Then E (V of Am) → Am. This is a ii-V in C minor? Or V/vi → vi in G? In G Major, E7 would be V/vi. Here it’s just E major (no 7th specified initially, but A7b9 follows).
  • Then A7b9. This is the V of Dm. It creates a strong pull towards D minor.Pattern Recognition:
  • G - B7 - Em - C is a very common pop/folk progression (I - III7 - vi - IV). This looks like “Don’t Look Back in Anger” (Oasis) or similar variations, but the second half doesn’t match exactly.
  • E - Am - A7b9. The E major chord moving to Am is a V-vi move (in G minor? No, E is V of A). In G Major, E major is not diatonic (needs D#). This suggests a modal interchange or blues influence.
  • A7b9 is distinct. It’s often used in jazz, funk, or specific rock progressions to resolve to Dm or as a turnaround.Search Query Mental Simulation:
  • “G B7 Em C E Am A7b9 progression”
  • Does this match a famous song?
  • Let’s check the sequence: I - III7 - vi - IV is very common. Then V/vi - vi - V/ii.
  • Actually, looking closely at the last few chords: E - Am - A7b9. This looks like a turnaround or a specific bluesy progression.Wait, is this a trick question?
  • The combination of G B7 Em C followed by E Am A7b9 is quite specific.
  • Could it be “Brown Eyed Girl”? No (C D G).
  • Could it be “Wonderful Tonight”? No.
  • Could it be a jazz standard? The A7b9 suggests jazz/blues.
  • Could it be from the user’s own composition or a less famous song?Re-evaluating the progression:
  • G (I) → B7 (III7, leads to Em) → Em (vi). This is a very standard “Andalusian Cadence” variant or just a common pop loop.
  • C (IV).
  • E (V of Am? Or V/vi in G?). If it’s G major, E major requires D#. E - Am is a V-vi deceptive resolution if we consider the key to be A minor temporarily? No. In G Major, E7 is not diatonic. E natural is diatonic (Em). So an E Major chord implies a secondary dominant to Am (V/vi… wait, vi in G is Am, so V of vi is D#dim or E7). Yes, E7 is V of Am? No, V of Am is E. Wait.
  • Key: A Minor.
    • i = Am
    • III = C
    • VII = G
    • VI = F
    • So G-B7-Em in A minor?
      • G (VII) → B7 (III7, leads to Em?) → Em (v). In natural minor, v is Em. E major would be V of Am.
  • Key: C Major / A Minor.
    • C (I/VI) → Ab? No, we have G-B7-Em-C.
  • Let’s look at the A7b9. This is a very specific sound. It often appears in Jazz or Funk.Is it possible this is a misidentified progression?
  • Maybe the user is describing a specific riff?
  • Could it be “The House of the Rising Sun”? (Am, C, D, E). No.
  • Could it be related to Jimi Hendrix or similar blues-rock?Wait, let’s consider the possibility that this is NOT a famous song.
  • There isn’t an immediate “match” in my internal database for G - B7 - Em - C - E - Am - A7b9 as a definitive hit song progression. It looks like a custom writing piece or a specific jazz turnaround.
  • However, the sequence I - III7 - vi - IV is extremely common (e.g., “Landslide”, “Wonderful Tonight” has variations). But the second half (E Am A7b9) is distinct.Hypothesis: It might be a specific variation of a known progression, or I need to ask for more context.
  • Alternatively, could it be “Blue Moon”? No.
  • Could it be a blues progression in G? G7 C7 D7. No.Let’s look at the “A7b9” again. This is a dominant chord with a flat 9. It screams resolution to Dm or Db. If the song stays in G, A7b9 acts as a tritone sub for E7 (V of Am)? Or V of Dm?
  • If it goes E - Am, that’s V-vi (in C major? No). In E minor?
  • Let’s try to find a match via “G B7 Em C” search memory. This is the “Axis of Awesome” 4-chord progression variant, but usually it’s I-V-vi-IV or i-VI-VII-IV. G-B7-Em-C is essentially G - E7 - Am - D (if following circle of fifths) but here it’s Em - C.Wait, could this be “Sultans of Swing”? No.
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I responded to Michael’s email about this, but against all odds I was able to recognize this chord progression a perfect fit for the melody of Little Rock Getaway – a tune I’ve never played but quite enjoy the sound of.

And I looked up some sheet music and saw that a 4#dim (C#dim in the key of G) was suggested in lieu of the A7b9.

This is one thing were humans still have a huge leg up over AI… at least text-based LLMs. They can’t hear music! At least not yet… :sweat_smile:

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Wow, eidetic memory! :clap:

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Great job Luke. I also have enjoyed the song. Great tune. It seems that we humans have more going for ourselves than we like to give ourselves credit for. :grinning: