Dream Police by Cheap Trick

Overview

Key: E major · Chords used: 29 · Sections: 12

Form: Intro → Chorus → Verse → Pre-Chorus → Chorus → Verse → Pre-Chorus → Bridge → Solo → Pre-Chorus → Interlude → Chorus

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

• E – B – A (×2)
  I – V – IV

Chorus 1

• E – B – A (×3)
  I – V – IV
• E
  I

Verse 1

• F♯m – C♯m – D – A – C♯m – G♯ – E – B (×2)
  ii – vi – bVII – IV – vi – III – I – V
• E – B
  I – V

Pre-Chorus 1

• E – D – C – G/B – A – Em – D – C – G/B – B
  I – bVII – bVI – bIII⁶ – IV – i – bVII – bVI – bIII⁶ – V

Chorus 2

Same chords as Chorus 1.

Verse 2

Same chords as Verse 1.

Pre-Chorus 2

Same chords as Pre-Chorus 1.

Bridge

• Em – A (×2)
  i – IV

Solo

• F♯m – C♯m – D – A – C♯m – G♯ – E – B (×2)
  ii – vi – bVII – IV – vi – III – I – V
• E – B
  I – V

Pre-Chorus 3

• E – B – E – D – C – G/B – A – Am – Em – D – C – G/B
  I – V – I – bVII – bVI – bIII⁶ – IV – iv – i – bVII – bVI – bIII⁶

Interlude

• B – Em/B – Fdim/B – B7 – D♯/B – B6 – Cdim/B – B – F♯7♭5 – Gmaj7 – A♭m – A♭ – C7♭5 – D♭ – D7♭9 – E♭7♭5 – G7♭5 – A♭maj7 – Am
  V – i⁶₄ – bii°⁶₄ – V7 – VII (bass B) – V6 – bvi° (bass B) – V – II7♭5 – bIIImaj7 – biv – bIV – bVI7♭5 – VI – bVII7b9 – bI7♭5 – bIII7♭5 – bIVmaj7 – iv
• B♭maj7 – A7♭5 (×4)
  bVmaj7 – IV7♭5

Chorus 3

• E – B – A (×9)
  I – V – IV

Chord vocabulary

Harmonic highlights

• D (bVII) is borrowed from the parallel key, E minor.
• C (bVI) is borrowed from the parallel key, E minor.
• G/B (bIII⁶) is borrowed from the parallel key, E minor.
• Em (i) is borrowed from the parallel key, E minor.
• Am (iv) is borrowed from the parallel key, E minor.
• Em/B (i⁶₄) is borrowed from the parallel key, E minor.
• Gmaj7 (bIIImaj7) is borrowed from the parallel key, E minor.

Sources & accuracy

• Chords and sections: the McGill Billboard Project (Burgoyne, Wild & Fujinaga, 2011). Expert transcription by trained musicians (song 0317, 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.