Elvira by Oak Ridge Boys

Overview

Key: C major · Chords used: 9 · Sections: 9

Form: Intro → Chorus → Verse → Chorus → Chorus → Verse → Chorus → Chorus → 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.

Key changes

• Chorus 6 moves to D♭ major.

Section by section

Intro

• C – F/C (×2)
  I – IV⁶₄
• C
  I

Chorus 1

• C – F/C (×2)
  I – IV⁶₄
• C – G – C
  I – V – I

Verse 1

• C7 – G7 – C7 – F7 – C7 – G7 – C7
  I7 – V7 – I7 – IV7 – I7 – V7 – I7

Chorus 2

Same chords as Chorus 1.

Chorus 3

• C – G – C
  I – V – I

Verse 2

Same chords as Verse 1.

Chorus 4

Same chords as Chorus 1.

Chorus 5

• C – G – C – A♭
  I – V – I – bVI

Chorus 6

• D♭ – G♭/D♭ (×2)
  I – IV⁶₄
• D♭ – A♭ – D♭
  I – V – I

Chord vocabulary

Harmonic highlights

• A♭ (bVI) is borrowed from the parallel key, C minor.

Sources & accuracy

• Chords and sections: the McGill Billboard Project (Burgoyne, Wild & Fujinaga, 2011). Expert transcription by trained musicians (song 0864, 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.