History Main / TwelveBarBlues

The classic twelve-bar blues: (I, IV, I, V, IV, I; often all of them being [[superscript:7]] chords). A ChordProgression that started out being used for blues songs (hence the name) but later worked its way into big-band swing and particularly early rock-and-roll, where it became all but omnipresent up until the mid-60's. Like the DooWopProgression, it has a distinctly "classic" feel to modern listeners. It's so recognizable that all Marty [=McFly=] had to tell his backup band in ''Film/BackToTheFuture1'' was "This is a 'blues' riff in B" and they were able to properly accompany his rendition of Music/ChuckBerry's "Johnny B. Goode" (until he started channeling Eddie van Halen, anyway).

* The TropeCodifier is arguably W.C. Handy's "Saint Louis Blues".

* The Hippie Battle theme from ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'' and ''VideoGame/EarthBound'', as well as "Rock and Roll (Mild)" and "(Spicy)" in ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'' use this progression as they are in the style of 50's rock. In fact, the former is said to be based off "Johnny B. Goode".

The classic twelve-bar blues: (I, IV, I, V, IV, I; often all of them being [[superscript:7]] chords). A ChordProgression that started out being used for blues songs (hence the name) but later worked its way into big-band swing and particularly early rock-and-roll, where it became all but omnipresent up until the mid-60's. Like the DooWopProgression, it has a distinctly "classic" feel to modern listeners. It's so recognizable that all Marty [=McFly=] had to tell his backup band in ''Film/BackToTheFuture'' was "This is a 'blues' riff in B" and they were able to properly accompany his rendition of Music/ChuckBerry's "Johnny B. Goode" (until he started channeling Eddie van Halen, anyway).

* The Mona Pizza song from ''VideoGame/WarioWare Twisted''
** Mike's theme from ''Wario Ware: Touched'' does this with a slight variation at the end.

* Being a blues singer, a number of songs by (or even just sung by) Music/LongJohnBaldry (best known for his role as [[WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog "Dr. Rrrrobotnik"]][[note]]Known these days by his Japanese name Dr. Eggman[[/note]]) naturally consist of this.

!Songs using this chord progression:
* Music/GlennMiller's "In the Mood"
* Music/ChuckBerry's "Johnny B. Goode"

* Big Joe Turner's "Shake, Rattle and Roll"

* The TropeCodifier is arguably W.C. Handy's "Saint Louis Blues".
* "Jump, Jive, An' Wail" by Louis Prima; famously covered by The Brian Setzer Orchestra
* Ellis Hall's "Flip Flop and Fly" (as heard in ''WesternAnimation/ChickenRun''), which is [[SuspiciouslySimilarSong similar sounding]] to the above.
* The Hippie Battle theme from ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'' and ''VideoGame/EarthBound'', as well as "Rock and Roll (Mild)" and "(Spicy)" in ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'' use this progression as they are in the style of 50's rock. In fact, the former is said to be based off "Johnny B. Goode".

* "Greased Lightning" from the ''Film/{{Grease}}'' musical and film.
* The legendary Music/RobertJohnson, the king of the Delta Blues, recorded many examples of this, including such classics as "Crossroad Blues", "Sweet Home Chicago", and "Love in Vain".
* Music/PinkFloyd put a straight-forward 12-bar blues song, "Seamus", on their album ''Music/{{Meddle}}''. Just to keep things from seeming ''too'' normal, though, they used an actual dog to howl along with the instrumental section. A different dog performed live on their concert film, ''Live at Pompeii''.

* "Johnny C. Bad", that upbeat piano and bass tune that plays in a crowded bar and later the Dragon's Neck Coliseum in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI''.
* Music/BobDylan did quite a bit of 12-Bar Blues, most notably on "Subterranean Homesick Blues".
** "Bob", being a parody of Dylan's work by Music/WeirdAlYankovic, is also in the 12-bar style.
** Music/BobDylan's "Gotta Serve Somebody" from ''Music/SlowTrainComing'' is an interesting variant, with a minor I chord instead of a major one.
* The Louisiana Gator Boys in ''Film/BluesBrothers2000'', fronted by Music/BBKing and with a literal [[AllStarCast all-star lineup]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5mL1UOsK74 seen here singing "How Blue Can You Get."]] (The ending falls into a 16-bar blues style.)
* "Mighty, Mighty Man" by Roy Brown is one of the songs in constant rotation on "Galaxy News Radio" in the video game ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}''.
* "I Got A Marble And A Star" from ''Theatre/StreetScene''.
* The songs sung by the Hippie Hitler in the ShowWithinTheShow in ''Film/TheProducers'' (the original movie).
* The title screen/bonus stage theme from ''VideoGame/IceClimber'', also appearing in the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series.
* Adeleine's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESgIdWCPkBo battle theme]] in ''VideoGame/Kirby64TheCrystalShards''.
* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vddbWs8TOLk theme]] to the 1980 game show ''Series/{{Blockbusters}}''.
* Music/NeilSedaka's song "Stupid Cupid", popularised by Connie Francis.
* "Li'l Augie Is A Natural Man" from the musical ''St. Louis Woman'' uses the 12-bar blues as the first section of the standard AABA pattern, as does "Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home" (though only the final A section isn't truncated to 10 bars).
* Found occasionally in the works of Music/PDQBach with rather un-bluesy themes:
** The Prelude in A major from "The Short-Tempered Clavier."
** The Lullaby and Goodnight from the "Little Pickle Book" takes the familiar opening motif of Music/JohannesBrahms' "Wiegenlied" and repeats it over the 12-bar blues changes.
** The third movement of "Concerto for Two Pianos vs. Orchestra" gives its theme a "Rock Around the Clock"-like bluesy twist halfway through (and throws in a quotation of [[Theatre/ThePiratesOfPenzance "I am the very model of a modern Major-General"]] in the eleventh and twelfth bars of this).
* "Unfinished Business" from the ''VideoGame/{{Skullgirls}}'' OST.
* The refrain of "Biggest Blame Fool" from ''Theatre/{{Seussical}}'' uses the all major-minor sevenths version.
* "Wild One" by Johnny O'Keefe (aka "Real Wild Child" in most of its covers).

* "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby" and the chorus of "Honey Don't" by Carl Perkins (which replaces the IV in the tenth bar for a second V), both covered by Music/TheBeatles on the same album.
* "Money (That's What I Want)" by Barrett Strong, also famously covered by Music/TheBeatles.
* "Chains" by the Cookies, ''also'' covered by the Beatles.
* Beatles originals that use this chord progression include "You Can't Do That" and "For You Blue", in which George Harrison actually mentions this trope by name in the lyrics. "12 Bar Original" was an unreleased outtake that was eventually included on the ''Anthology 2'' compilation in 1996.
* "I Got You (I Feel Good)" by Music/JamesBrown.

* Two arcade games by Irem: Moon Patrol and Spartan X (AKA: "VideoGame/KungFuMaster") do this in their main themes.
* Used throughout the [[WesternAnimation/OhYeahCartoons Oh Yeah! Cartoon]] short "Blotto".
* The opening theme music to WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow does this[[note]]On the "You Eediot" album, it's referred to as "Dog Pound Hop".[[/note]], as well as the ending theme.[[note]]"Big House Blues", named after the original pilot.[[/note]]
* Both versions of "Woo Hoo"[[note]]"Woo hoo, woo hoo hoo! Woo hoo, woo hoo hoo! Woo hoo, woo hoo hoo! Woo hoo, woo hoo hoo! Woo hoo! Woo hoo! Woo hoo, woo hoo hoo!...[[/note]] (perhaps best known by its cover version by The 5.6.7.8.'s).
* "Wooly Bully" by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs
* "Who Wears Short Shorts" by The Royal Teens

* 1P Music Type B (NES/GB/GCN)/2P Music Type A (SNES) in ''Yoshi's Cookie''.
* "Lucas with the Lid Off" by Lucas, a OneHitWonder hip-hop artist from the mid-1990s.

* The Mona Pizza song from ''VideoGame/WarioWare Twisted''
** Mike's theme from ''Wario Ware: Touched'' does this with a slight variation at the end.

* Both "In the Summertime" and "Baby Jump" by Music/MungoJerry.

* "Stuck in the Middle with You" by Stealers Wheel, minus the bridge.
* Being a blues singer, a number of songs by[[note]]Or even just sung by.[[/note]] Long John Baldry (best known for his role as [[WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog "Dr. Rrrrobotnik"]][[note]]Known these days by his Japanese name Dr. Eggman.[[/note]]) naturally consist of this.
* "Don't Bring Me Down" by Music/ElectricLightOrchestra uses this in its verses.
* As does "Better in Color" by Music/{{Lizzo}}.
* Even K-pop is not immune: "Dancing Queen" by Music/GirlsGeneration uses it.

* "Sing Along" by Sturgill Simpson (verses)
* "New Genius (Brother)" by Gorillaz

** The Lullaby and Goodnight from the "Little Pickle Book" takes the familiar opening motif of Creator/JohannesBrahms' "Wiegenlied" and repeats it over the 12-bar blues changes.

* The Louisiana Gator Boys in ''Film/TheBluesBrothers 2000'', fronted by B.B. King and with a literal [[AllStarCast all-star lineup]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5mL1UOsK74 seen here singing "How Blue Can You Get."]] (The ending falls into a 16-bar blues style.)

* The principal theme of the second movement of Music/GeorgeGershwin's Concerto in F is a harmonically elaborate variation on this standard blues progression.

* "Li'l Augie Is A Natural Man" from the musical ''St. Louis Woman'' uses the 12-bar blues as the first section of the standard AABA pattern, as does "Any Place I Hang I Hat Is Home" (though only the final A section isn't truncated).