Out-of-key chords

[sherif_shaaban]

Hi all .... I was trying to figure out the chords of Bobby Vinton's song "Mr. Lonely". It's - I think - in B Mixolydian (5th mode of E major). The confusing part was (sorry if the lyrics are not perfect):

E
Now I'm a soldier,
C#m
a lonely soldier
A
away from home,
Am
through no wish of my own

Am does not belong to E major key, but it sounds very good. Is there a 'rule' for using out-of-key chords?

Thanks a lot......

[Edited by sherif_shaaban on 04-01-2001 at 06:19 AM]

[LuigiCabrini]

No, there are no "rules" for using chords that aren't in the key. In a case like that, the writer just did it because he liked the sound. Is that the whole progression?
Anyway, here are some general ideas about chords outside the key. Sometimes, a dominant chord outside of the key will be used to lead into another chord. An example would be the beginning of Cherokee in the key of Bb: Bbmaj Fm Bb7 Ebmaj. The Bb7 would be called a secondary dominant; it's a dominant chord, but its not the V of the key, in this case it's the I.
That would be an example in jazz. In rock, sometimes a chord progression will be entirely in major chords, whether or not they are in key. How many of you have seen a half diminished chord in rock? Look at punk songs especially for using entirely major chords.
In modal jazz, chords aren't really in progressions. You will often see one chord for 16 or more bars, so when the next chord comes, it need not relate to the first one and is often in an entirely different key. An example would be "So What" which has 2 chords, Dm and Ebm, that are clearly not in the same key.
As for your example, hey, if it sounds good, do it.

[Bardsley]

Changing the IV from a major to a minor in a progression is actually quite common in pop tunes, I believe the Beatles used it sometimes though I cannot think of an example. I find it is a nice change of feel that can work really well. You should listen to Bob Dylan's Idiot wind, it too is in E major, though the verse starts on an Am chord.
The progreesion goes like this.
Am, B, E, Am, B, E
C#min, G#min, F#min, E
C#min, G#min, F#min, E, G#min, A.
Thus, the verse ends on an A before and starts again on Amin, because there are two verses to each chorus. This is a very nasty technique, as the verse goes on, it feels as if the pain builds up, which is cut by bitterness again by the Amin. It's a pretty nasty song, though very good.

[James Hetfield Is Jesus]

YEah