The classic Bob Dylan song that uses the ‘Something’ chord progression
Not all Bob Dylan chord progressions are meant to be a stroke of genius. All great Dylan songs are about the words first and the melody second, and considering that he could build an entire composition off of just one chord, it wasn’t like he was trying to be the Beethoven of folk music or anything. He did notice cool chord progressions when he saw them, and it took him a few years to turn George Harrison’s ‘Something’ into ‘A Simple Twist of Fate’.
But Harrison initially wasn’t even convinced of what he was working with on his ode to romantic devotion. Though his quota for Beatles tracks could have been filled for years at a time before they decided to break up, ‘Something’ was one of the purest compositions he ever made, only using one note to differentiate the chords in the verse.
And somehow, that one musical change is pretty much a shortcut to raw emotion. Harrison is singing about how just the thought of the love of his life is enough to fill him with happiness, and that subtle descending pattern paints a picture of someone’s heart leaping out of their chest with joy, especially when Paul McCartney comes in supporting Harrison with his beautiful vocal harmony.
In the case of Dylan’s song, this is far from the romantic side of love. Half of Blood on the Tracks seems to be coated in tunes centred around the folk legend’s divorce from his wife Sara, and while ‘Tangled Up in Blue’ is probably a more evocative character portrait, ‘A Simple Twist of Fate’ feels like watching a relationship drama in real-time.
By using the exact same chords, Dylan turns the entire concept on its head by discussing all of the wrong decisions that brought him to where he is today. He may blame it on a simple twist of fate, but it’s hard to listen to the tone in his voice and not hear a little bit of regret, almost like he would do anything to get back to those days when he and Sara had nothing to worry about.
The tale of heartache was even pivotal in illustrating Dylan’s emotions in the movie I’m Not There. Since the film is told through different perspectives, everything in Heath Ledger’s portrayal is centred around this one tune, with the actor later recalling that playing it on set really helped him understand what Dylan was feeling at that point in his life.
In essence, Dylan’s version of the song is a lesson in using a chord sequence to tell a story. Harrison stumbled upon those chords and put together an open-hearted track about the power of love, but Dylan sounds like a survivor warning everyone that love can be just as destructive if not taken care of properly.
Then again, it’s not like Harrison was necessarily mad about Dylan pinching the chords, especially since he was more than keen to work with Dylan on his own material with The Travelling Wilburys. It can be a bit jarring seeing the same chords used as vehicles for two completely opposite topics, but it’s never about the chords being played. It’s about the person singing it, and Dylan’s recontextualisation of the Beatles classic stands as one of the most openly honest tunes he would ever put to tape.
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