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A chord progression consisting of the following: I vi IV V. If that didn't make sense to you, try playing the following chords: C major, A minor, F major, G major. Repeat.

Also known as the "50s progression". Possibly most famously occuring in the song "Heart and Soul", which starred for years on the TV commercials of Quaker Oats.

Closely related to the Humoresque Progression, which instead has I at the end.

Examples:

• The Rodgers and Hart standard "Blue Moon", a hit doo-wop cover of which was done by the Marcels in 1961.
• "Heart and Soul"
• Ben E. King - "Stand By Me"
• Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - "Enola Gay"
• Gene Chandler - "Duke of Earl"
• Dion and the Belmonts - "Runaround Sue", "A Teenager in Love"
• The Edsels - "Rama Lama Ding Dong"
• Barry Mann - "Who Put The Bomp (In The Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)"
• The score of Grease is a homage to 1950s rock 'n' roll, so of course this progression turns up in such songs as "Mooning," "We Go Together," "Beauty School Dropout" and "It's Raining On Prom Night." "Those Magic Changes" introduces it with a great big lampshade attached:
  C-C-C-C-C-C,
  A-A-A-A-minor,
  F-F-F-F-F-F,
  G-G-G-G-seventh...
• The chorus to Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart."
• The Beatles - "Octopus's Garden", "I'm So Tired", "Happiness is a Warm Gun", "I've Just Seen a Face", "This Boy", "Free as a Bird"
• NOFX - "Murder The Government"
• J. Frank Wilson - "Last Kiss"
• Ricky Nelson - "Poor Little Fool", "Donna"
• The Police - "Every Breath You Take"
  • By extension, Puff Daddy's "I'll Be Missing You"
• Pretenders - "Don't Get Me Wrong"
• Bay City Rollers - "Saturday Night"
• Ace of Base - "The Sign"
• Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty Woman" and Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson" have a variation. First bar is I-vi, second bar is I-vi, third bar is IV, fourth bar is V.
• Barry McGuire - "Eve of Destruction"
• Pete Seeger - "If I Had a Hammer"
• Bobby "Boris" Pickett - "Monster Mash"
• Elton John - "Crocodile Rock" (during the "na na na" part)
• The Marvelettes - "Please Mr. Postman"
• Led Zeppelin - "D'yer Mak'er"
• Sean Kingston - "Beautiful Girls", "Me Love" (which samples "D'yer Mak'er")
• The Everly Brothers - "Love Hurts"
• Sam Cooke - "Wonderful World"
• Captain & Tennille - "Do That to Me One More Time"
• The Who - "I Can't Explain" (bridge)
• Village People - "YMCA"
• Dolly Parton - "I Will Always Love You" (chorus)
• Drifters - "Up on the Roof", "This Magic Moment"
• Starship - "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now"
• Air Supply - "Making Love out of Nothing at All"
• Chubby Checker - "Let's Twist Again"
• David Bowie - "Ashes to Ashes"
• Justin Bieber - "Baby"
• Leona Lewis - "Bleeding Love"
• Todd Duncan - "Unchained Melody" (later Covered Up by the Righteous Brothers)
• The Penguins - "Earth Angel"
• Whitney Houston - "I Wanna Dance with Somebody"
• Barry Manilow - "Mandy"
• Dusty Springfield - "I Only Wanna Be with You"
• Pink Floyd - "The Thin Ice"
• Buddy Holly - "Everyday"
• Robert Hazard - "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" (intro) (later Covered Up by Cyndi Lauper)
• LazyTown - "Cooking by the Book"
• P!nk - "Just Like a Pill"
• The theme to Happy Days' chorus
  • And Muppet Babies'
• Burt Bacharach - "Magic Moments" (verses)
• John Lennon - "God" (verse)
• Rebecca Black - "Friday"
• Frank Zappa - "Go Cry On Somebody Else's Shoulder"
• Brand New - "The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows"
• "Weird Al" Yankovic - "Stop Forwarding That Crap to Me" (chorus)
• Iron & Wine - "Flightless Bird, American Mouth"
• Neutral Milk Hotel - "Aeroplane Over the Sea"
• Creedence Clearwater Revival - "Looking Out My Back Door"
• Toby Keith — "Big Blue Note"
• The Sea Ponies song from My Little Pony
• "Dentist!" from Little Shop of Horrors (first half of chorus)
• Faith Hill — "I Can't Do That Anymore" (first half of verses)
• Kenny Chesney — "The Tin Man" (verses)
• Rick Trevino — "Running Out of Reasons to Run" (first half of verses)
• Hal Ketchum — "Stay Forever" (first half of verses)
• Alan Jackson — "Remember When"
• Die Toten Hosen - "Verschwende deine Zeit"
• Billy Joel - "Uptown Girl"
• Jim Croce - "Lover's Cross"
• Zac Brown Band — "As She's Walking Away"

Circle Of Fifths

Chord Progression

Falling Bass