Talk Back Trembling Lips by Johnny Tillotson

Overview

Key: A major · Chords used: 9 · Sections: 5

Form: Chorus → Verse → Chorus → Verse → 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

• Verse 2 moves to B♭ major.

Section by section

Chorus 1

• D – A – E7 – A (×2)
  IV – I – V7 – I

Verse 1

• A – D (×2)
  I – IV
• E7 – A – D – A – B7 – E7
  V7 – I – IV – I – II7 – V7

Chorus 2

• D – A – E7 – A (×2)
  IV – I – V7 – I
• F
  bVI

Verse 2

• B♭ – E♭ (×2)
  I – IV
• F7 – B♭ – E♭ – B♭ – C7 – F7
  V7 – I – IV – I – II7 – V7

Chorus 3

• E♭ – B♭ – F7 – B♭ (×2)
  IV – I – V7 – I
• F7 – B♭
  V7 – I

Chord vocabulary

Harmonic highlights

• F (bVI) is borrowed from the parallel key, A minor.
• B7 acts as V/V: it resolves to E7.
• C7 acts as V/V: it resolves to F7.

Sources & accuracy

• Chords and sections: the McGill Billboard Project (Burgoyne, Wild & Fujinaga, 2011). Expert transcription by trained musicians (song 1141, 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.