Pressure by Billy Joel

Overview

Key: D major · Chords used: 24 · Sections: 16

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

Section by section

Intro

• G5 – D5 – C/D – D (×2)
  IV5 – I5 – bVII (bass D) – I

Chorus 1

• Dm – Gm/D – A7/D – Dm – Bdim/D – Gsus4/D – A7/D – D (×2)
  i – iv⁶₄ – V7 (bass D) – i – vi°⁶ – IVsus4 (bass D) – V7 (bass D) – I

Verse 1

• G5 – D5 – C/D – D – C – D (×2)
  IV5 – I5 – bVII (bass D) – I – bVII – I

Pre-Chorus 1

• Gm – C – C♯dim – Dm – C – B♭ – F/A – G7 – A7/E – A7/C♯ – Dm – C – B♭ – Gm – Asus4/E – A/C♯
  iv – bVII – vii° – i – bVII – bVI – bIII⁶ – IV7 – V⁴₃ – V⁶₅ – i – bVII – bVI – iv – Vsus4 (bass E) – V⁶

Chorus 2

Same chords as Chorus 1.

Verse 2

Same chords as Verse 1.

Pre-Chorus 2

Same chords as Pre-Chorus 1.

Chorus 3

Same chords as Chorus 1.

Bridge 1

• Gadd9 – Dmaj7/F♯ (×2)
  IVadd9 – Imaj⁶₅
• F – Em – E♭aug – D
  bIII – ii – bII+ – I

Interlude

• G5 – D5 – C/D – D (×2)
  IV5 – I5 – bVII (bass D) – I

Verse 3

Same chords as Verse 1.

Pre-Chorus 3

Same chords as Pre-Chorus 1.

Chorus 4

Same chords as Chorus 1.

Bridge 2

Same chords as Bridge 1.

Pre-Chorus 4

Same chords as Pre-Chorus 1.

Chorus 5

• Dm – Gm/D – A7/D – Dm – Bdim/D – Gsus4/D – A7/D – D (×3)
  i – iv⁶₄ – V7 (bass D) – i – vi°⁶ – IVsus4 (bass D) – V7 (bass D) – I
• Dm
  i

Chord vocabulary

Harmonic highlights

• C/D (bVII (bass D)) is borrowed from the parallel key, D minor.
• Dm (i) is borrowed from the parallel key, D minor.
• Gm/D (iv⁶₄) is borrowed from the parallel key, D minor.
• Gsus4/D (IVsus4 (bass D)) is borrowed from the parallel key, D minor.
• C (bVII) is borrowed from the parallel key, D minor.
• Gm (iv) is borrowed from the parallel key, D minor.
• B♭ (bVI) is borrowed from the parallel key, D minor.
• F/A (bIII⁶) is borrowed from the parallel key, D minor.
• F (bIII) is borrowed from the parallel key, D minor.

Sources & accuracy

• Chords and sections: the McGill Billboard Project (Burgoyne, Wild & Fujinaga, 2011). Expert transcription by trained musicians (song 0205, 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.