Have you ever tried writing a song with just one chord? This is an assignment I give occasionally in songwriting workshops and the results, particularly given how limited the idea can seem at first, are often really good.

Lacking harmonic variety, successful one-chord songs seem to put a strong emphasis on the groove of the song, the notes and rhythm of the melody, the lyric, and the performance. And they can benefit from that emphasis.

There are a lot of songs that I’d call almost one-chord songs, such as The Who’s ‘Magic Bus’ (Peter Townshend), War’s ‘Cisco Kid’, Harry Nillson’s ‘Jump Into The Fire’, Talking Heads’ ‘Once In A Lifetime (TH w. Brian Eno), Creedence Clearwater Revival’s ‘Born On The Bayou’ (John Fogerty), Sly & The Family Stone’s ‘Everyday People’ (Sylvester Stewart), The Beatles’ ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ (Lennon/McCartney). Some great songs, but I’d say they, in various different ways, introduce enough of the tonality of a second chord to fall outside the category.

In songwriting history, there aren’t all that many that truly stick to one chord, but the good ones are strong.

To begin with, there’s a long tradition of one-chord blues songs. Some of the most famous are ‘Spoonful’ (Willie Dixon), ‘I’m A Man’ (Muddy Waters), ‘Who Do You Love’ (Bo Diddley), and ‘Smokestack Lightning’ (Howlin’ Wolf). A lot of even earlier country blues songs have only one chord (if that!). Most Mississippi Hill Country blues, most notably by R.L. Burnside, are the same – for example, Porkchop Willie’s ‘Too Many Cuts’ (Bill Hammer).

There are some classic one-chord R&B songs – Aretha Franklin’s ‘Chain Of Fools’ (Don Covay), Wilson Pickett’s ‘Land Of A Thousand Dances’ (Chris Kenner), and ‘Funky Broadway’ (Arlester ‘Dyke’ Christian), Jr. Walker’s ‘Shotgun’ (Autry DeWalt) and, later, Sly’s ‘Thank You’ (Sylvester Stewart). Also occasional Pop songs, like Sonny & Cher’s ‘The Beat Goes On’ (by Sonny Bono – and Donovan’s ‘The Trip’, on which it’s based); Rock songs like The Guess Who’s (and now Lenny Kravitz’s) ’American Woman, Creedence Clearwater Revival’s ‘Run Through The Jungle’; and the incredible and uncategorizable ‘Coconut’ by Harry Nillson.

More recent and contrasting entrants into the one chord sweepstakes are Pink’s ‘Get The Party Started’ (Linda Perry) and I Am Snow Angel’s ‘Losing Face’ (Julie Kathryn).

One thing these songs seem to have in common is a lot of drive. I wouldn’t exactly say they’re compensating for a lack of chords, but their power and interest have to come from somewhere else – and they do.

There are quite a few good role models above. If you haven’t written one yet… why not try?

Can you add any songs I’ve missed to the ones listed above? Or would you subtract any?

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