A Dream Goes on Forever by Todd Rundgren

Overview

Key: G major · Chords used: 24 · Sections: 7

Form: Intro → Verse → Bridge → Verse → Interlude → Verse → Outro

Where these chords come from: an expert transcription of the original recording made for the McGill Billboard Project (Burgoyne, Wild & Fujinaga, 2011). This page shows that transcription as-is: the analysis below is generated directly from it by code, not written by AI. Consecutive repeats of a chord are shown once, and the piano voicings are our playable arrangement of each chord symbol, not a note-for-note transcription.

Section by section

Intro

• Dm7 – Esus4 – E – Am7 – Bsus4 – B – Em7 – A6 – D9sus4
  v7 – VIsus4 – VI – ii7 – IIIsus4 – III – vi7 – II6 – V9sus4

Verse 1

• Cmaj7 – Bm7 – Am7 – B7 – Em7 – Dm7 – G6 – Cmaj9 – Bm7 – Am7 – D7 – G
  IVmaj7 – iii7 – ii7 – III7 – vi7 – v7 – I6 – IVmaj9 – iii7 – ii7 – V7 – I

Bridge

• Dm7 – G6 – Cmaj9 – Bm7 – Am7 – D7 – G – Dm7 – G7 – Cmaj9 – Bm7 – E9sus4 – E6 – D9 – Cmaj7 – Bm7 – Am7 – B7 – Em7 – Dm7 – G6/D♭ – Cmaj9 – Bm7 – Am7 – D7/G♭ – G
  v7 – I6 – IVmaj9 – iii7 – ii7 – V7 – I – v7 – I7 – IVmaj9 – iii7 – VI9sus4 – VI6 – V9 – IVmaj7 – iii7 – ii7 – III7 – vi7 – v7 – I6 (bass D♭) – IVmaj9 – iii7 – ii7 – V⁶₅ – I

Verse 2

• Dm7 – G6/D♭ – Cmaj9 – Bm7 – Am7 – D7/G♭ – G – Dm7 – G6 – Cmaj9 – Bm7 – Am7 – D7 – G
  v7 – I6 (bass D♭) – IVmaj9 – iii7 – ii7 – V⁶₅ – I – v7 – I6 – IVmaj9 – iii7 – ii7 – V7 – I

Interlude

• Dm7 – Esus4 – E – Am7 – Bsus4 – B – Em7 – A6 – D9sus4
  v7 – VIsus4 – VI – ii7 – IIIsus4 – III – vi7 – II6 – V9sus4

Verse 3

• Cmaj7 – Bm7 – Am7 – B7 – Em7 – Dm7 – G6/D♭ – Cmaj9 – Bm7 – Am7 – D7/G♭ – G
  IVmaj7 – iii7 – ii7 – III7 – vi7 – v7 – I6 (bass D♭) – IVmaj9 – iii7 – ii7 – V⁶₅ – I

Outro

• Cmaj7 – Bm7 – Am7 – B7 – Em7 – Dm7 – G6/D♭ – Cmaj9 – Bm7 – Am7 – D7 – G – Dm7 – D♭7 – Cmaj7 – Bm7 – Am7 – D7sus4/A – G – Dm7 – G6/D♭ – Cmaj9 – Bm7 – Am7 – D7
  IVmaj7 – iii7 – ii7 – III7 – vi7 – v7 – I6 (bass D♭) – IVmaj9 – iii7 – ii7 – V7 – I – v7 – bV7 – IVmaj7 – iii7 – ii7 – V7sus4 (bass A) – I – v7 – I6 (bass D♭) – IVmaj9 – iii7 – ii7 – V7
• G – Dm7 – G6/D♭ – Cmaj9 – Bm7 – Am7 – D7/G♭ (×2)
  I – v7 – I6 (bass D♭) – IVmaj9 – iii7 – ii7 – V⁶₅
• G
  I

Chord vocabulary

Harmonic highlights

• Dm7 (v7) is borrowed from the parallel key, G minor.
• E acts as V/ii: it resolves to Am7.
• B acts as V/vi: it resolves to Em7.
• A6 acts as V/V: it resolves to D9sus4.
• B7 acts as V/vi: it resolves to Em7.
• G7 acts as V/IV: it resolves to Cmaj9.
• G6/D♭ acts as V/IV: it resolves to Cmaj9.

Sources & accuracy

• Chords and sections: the McGill Billboard Project (Burgoyne, Wild & Fujinaga, 2011). Expert transcription by trained musicians (song 0895, CC0), via ChoCo.
• Not verified: only one expert transcription of this song is available so far.
• Rhythm and chord durations aren't shown; each step is one chord change.