Through the Years by Kenny Rogers

Overview

Key: G major · Chords used: 41 · Sections: 11

Form: Intro → Verse → Chorus → Transition → Verse → Chorus → Transition → Chorus → Instrumental → Chorus ×2

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 3 moves to A♭ major.

Section by section

Intro

• Gadd9 – Esus4 – Emadd9 – Am7 – D11 – D7/C – Bm7 – Em7 – Am7 – D9sus4
  Iadd9 – VIsus4 – viadd9 – ii7 – V11 – V⁴₂ – iii7 – vi7 – ii7 – V9sus4

Verse 1

• G – F♯7sus4 – B7 – Em – Dm7 – G7 – Cadd9 – D7/C – Bm7 – D9sus4 – G – F♯7sus4 – B7 – Em – Dm7 – G7 – Cadd9 – Gadd9/B – Am7 – D9sus4
  I – VII7sus4 – III7 – vi – v7 – I7 – IVadd9 – V⁴₂ – iii7 – V9sus4 – I – VII7sus4 – III7 – vi – v7 – I7 – IVadd9 – Iadd9 (bass B) – ii7 – V9sus4

Chorus 1

• Gadd9 – Esus4 – Emadd9 – Am7 – D11 – D/C – Bm7 – Em7 – Am7 – D9sus4 – D7/C – Bm7 – E7 – Am7 – D – D7/C – Bm7 – E7♭9 – Cmaj9 – Am9 – D9sus4
  Iadd9 – VIsus4 – viadd9 – ii7 – V11 – V (bass C) – iii7 – vi7 – ii7 – V9sus4 – V⁴₂ – iii7 – VI7 – ii7 – V – V⁴₂ – iii7 – VI7b9 – IVmaj9 – ii9 – V9sus4

Transition 1

• G – E7sus4 – Em7 – Csus4 – C – D9sus4
  I – VI7sus4 – vi7 – IVsus4 – IV – V9sus4

Verse 2

Same chords as Verse 1.

Chorus 2

Same chords as Chorus 1.

Transition 2

• G – E♭11
  I – bVI11

Chorus 3

• A♭add9 – Fsus4 – Fmadd9 – B♭m7 – E♭11 – E♭/D♭ – Cm7 – Fm7 – B♭m7 – E♭9sus4 – E♭7/D♭ – Cm7 – F7 – B♭m7 – E♭ – E♭7/D♭ – Cm7 – F7♭9 – D♭maj9 – B♭m9 – E♭9sus4
  Iadd9 – VIsus4 – viadd9 – ii7 – V11 – V (bass D♭) – iii7 – vi7 – ii7 – V9sus4 – V⁴₂ – iii7 – VI7 – ii7 – V – V⁴₂ – iii7 – VI7b9 – IVmaj9 – ii9 – V9sus4

Instrumental

• A♭add9 – Fsus4 – Fmadd9 – B♭m7 – E♭11 – E♭/D♭ – Cm7 – Fm7 – B♭m7 – E♭9sus4 – E♭7/D♭ – Cm7 – F7 – B♭m7 – E♭ – E♭7/D♭ – Cm7 – F7♭9 – D♭maj9 – B♭m9 – E♭9sus4
  Iadd9 – VIsus4 – viadd9 – ii7 – V11 – V (bass D♭) – iii7 – vi7 – ii7 – V9sus4 – V⁴₂ – iii7 – VI7 – ii7 – V – V⁴₂ – iii7 – VI7b9 – IVmaj9 – ii9 – V9sus4

Chorus 4

Same chords as Chorus 3.

Chorus 5

Same chords as Chorus 3.

Chord vocabulary

Harmonic highlights

• Dm7 (v7) is borrowed from the parallel key, G minor.
• Csus4 (IVsus4) is borrowed from the parallel key, G minor.
• B7 acts as V/vi: it resolves to Em.
• G7 acts as V/IV: it resolves to Cadd9.
• E7 acts as V/ii: it resolves to Am7.
• F7 acts as V/ii: it resolves to B♭m7.

Sources & accuracy

• Chords and sections: the McGill Billboard Project (Burgoyne, Wild & Fujinaga, 2011). Expert transcription by trained musicians (song 0338, CC0), via ChoCo.
• Not verified: only one expert transcription of this song is available so far.
• 8 chords were simplified to the closest symbol our player supports (for example, an unusual added tone dropped).
• Rhythm and chord durations aren't shown; each step is one chord change.