Walk Like a Man by Grand Funk Railroad

Overview

Key: E major · Chords used: 10 · Sections: 14

Form: Intro → Instrumental → Chorus → Verse → Chorus → Transition → Verse → Chorus → Bridge → Interlude → Solo → Bridge → Instrumental → 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

• E – D (×2)
  I – bVII
• A – E – D – A – E
  IV – I – bVII – IV – I

Instrumental 1

• D – A – E (×4)
  bVII – IV – I

Chorus 1

• D – A – E (×4)
  bVII – IV – I

Verse 1

• D – A – E (×4)
  bVII – IV – I

Chorus 2

Same chords as Chorus 1.

Transition

• D – A – E
  bVII – IV – I

Verse 2

Same chords as Verse 1.

Chorus 3

Same chords as Chorus 1.

Bridge 1

• F – Esus4 – Bmaj7/D♯ – A – B – C – D – D♯ – E – D – A
  bII – Isus4 – Vmaj⁶₅ – IV – V – bVI – bVII – VII – I – bVII – IV

Interlude

• E – D (×2)
  I – bVII
• A – E – D – A – E
  IV – I – bVII – IV – I

Solo

• D – A – E (×12)
  bVII – IV – I

Bridge 2

• F – Esus4 – Bmaj7/D♯ – A – B – C – D – D♯
  bII – Isus4 – Vmaj⁶₅ – IV – V – bVI – bVII – VII
• E – D – A (×2)
  I – bVII – IV

Instrumental 2

• Em7
  i7

Chorus 4

Same chords as Chorus 1.

Chord vocabulary

Harmonic highlights

• D (bVII) is borrowed from the parallel key, E minor.
• C (bVI) is borrowed from the parallel key, E minor.
• Em7 (i7) 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 0762, 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.