One by Metallica

Overview

Key: B minor · Chords used: 27 · Sections: 15

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

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

• Interlude moves to E major.

Section by section

Solo 1

• Bm – Gmaj7 (×2)
  i – bVImaj7
• Bm – D/A – Gmaj7 – E5 – F♯sus4
  i – bIII⁶₄ – bVImaj7 – IV5 – Vsus4

Solo 2

Same chords as Solo 1.

Solo 3

• Bm – Gmaj7 (×2)
  i – bVImaj7
• Bm – D/A – Gmaj7 – E5 – F♯sus4 – E5
  i – bIII⁶₄ – bVImaj7 – IV5 – Vsus4 – IV5

Solo 4

• Bm – Gmaj7 (×2)
  i – bVImaj7
• Bm – D/A – Gmaj7 – Esus2 – F♯5 – G – A
  i – bIII⁶₄ – bVImaj7 – IVsus2 – V5 – bVI – bVII

Pre-Verse 1

• D – G – Fadd9 – Em (×2)
  bIII – bVI – bVadd9 – iv

Verse 1

• Bm – Gmaj7 – Bm – Gmaj7 – Asus4 – Bm – D/A – Gmaj7 – Esus2 – F♯5 (×2)
  i – bVImaj7 – i – bVImaj7 – bVIIsus4 – i – bIII⁶₄ – bVImaj7 – IVsus2 – V5

Pre-Chorus 1

• G – F♯7 – Bm – A
  bVI – V7 – i – bVII

Pre-Verse 2

Same chords as Pre-Verse 1.

Verse 2

Same chords as Verse 1.

Pre-Chorus 2

Same chords as Pre-Chorus 1.

Pre-Verse 3

• D – G – Fadd9 – Em (×4)
  bIII – bVI – bVadd9 – iv

Pre-Chorus 3

• G – F♯7 – Bm – A (×2)
  bVI – V7 – i – bVII
• G – F♯7 – Bm
  bVI – V7 – i

Solo 5

• Am – G – B – C5 (×6)
  bvii – bVI – I – bII5
• C
  bII

Interlude

• E7(no3) – F5 (×3)
  I7(no3) – bII5
• E7(no3) – F – E7(no3) – F5
  I7(no3) – bII – I7(no3) – bII5
• E – F (×2)
  I – bII
• E7(no3) – F5 (×2)
  I7(no3) – bII5
• E7(no3) – E5 – B5 – E7(no3) – F5 – E7(no3) – F
  I7(no3) – I5 – V5 – I7(no3) – bII5 – I7(no3) – bII
• E7(no3) – F5 (×3)
  I7(no3) – bII5
• E7(no3) – F – E7(no3) – F5 – E5
  I7(no3) – bII – I7(no3) – bII5 – I5
• E7(no3) – F5 (×2)
  I7(no3) – bII5
• E7(no3) – F – E7(no3) – F5 – E5
  I7(no3) – bII – I7(no3) – bII5 – I5

Solo 6

• E7(no3) – F5 (×2)
  I7(no3) – bII5
• E7(no3) – F – E7(no3) – F5 – E5
  I7(no3) – bII – I7(no3) – bII5 – I5
• E7(no3) – G5 (×2)
  I7(no3) – bIII5
• A♭5 – F5 – G5 – A♭5
  bIV5 – bII5 – bIII5 – bIV5
• F5 – G7 (×2)
  bII5 – bIII7
• F – G5 – D5
  bII – bIII5 – bVII5
• E7(no3) – F5 (×4)
  I7(no3) – bII5
• E
  I
• E7(no3) – F5 (×13)
  I7(no3) – bII5
• G5 – E7(no3) – F5 (×2)
  bIII5 – I7(no3) – bII5
• E7(no3) – F5 – E7(no3) – F – E7(no3) – G5 – E7(no3) – F5 – E7(no3)
  I7(no3) – bII5 – I7(no3) – bII – I7(no3) – bIII5 – I7(no3) – bII5 – I7(no3)

Chord vocabulary

Harmonic highlights

• B (I) is borrowed from the parallel key, B major.
• E7(no3) (I7(no3)) is borrowed from the parallel key, E minor.
• G5 (bIII5) is borrowed from the parallel key, E minor.
• D5 (bVII5) 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 0884, 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.