Every Beatles Song with an AUGMENTED CHORD in 3 Minutes

George Harrison called it the "naughty chord," but it was certainly nice for the Beatles. They used augmented chords in 23 different songs:
I'm Happy Just to Dance With You
Oh Darling!
It Won't Be Long
Ask Me Why
Glad All Over
Something
From Me to You
It's Only Love
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite
Till There Was You
Michelle
Fixing a Hole
I Want You (She's So Heavy)
Real Love
I Am the Walrus
You Know What to Do
Got to Get You Into My Life
A Taste of Honey
And Your Bird Can Sing
Don't Ever Change
All My Loving
Like Dreamers Do
I'll Be On My Way

FOR BEATLE GEEKS WHO HAVE READ THIS FAR: Only 4 of the 23 are covers (including "A Taste of Honey," which I inadvertently left out of this medley, and "Don't Ever Change," which has *three different* augmented chords). These songs clearly inspired some of the early Lennon/McCartney originals that followed. In fact, many of the songs John & Paul gave away also had prominent augmented chords, including the two original demos on the iTunes 1963 Bootleg release: "Bad to Me" by Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas, and "I'm in Love" by The Fourmost.

I guess this puts to bed the myth that the early Beatles only wrote primitive dopey love songs. Find a primitive dopey love song today that contains an augmented chord! Or a guitarist who knows how to play it!

Some of these might technically be called minor major 7ths -- but if it contains an augmented triad, it's augmented. And the chord shapes shown are what I play; not to be taken as exact representations of what the Beatles played, or what a Mel Bay guitar book might teach you about augmented chords. Plenty of other YouTube videos can show you how to properly play them, and I highly encourage you to seek them out!

Beatles Medleys

 

Great video. I didn't know a lot of these songs had augmented chords. Nice to see that some of the BBC only covers made it into the video since those covers seemed to be overlooked.

 

That's an extremely clever video.

 

Bunch of lazy hacks...

 

Doesn't "Hey Bulldog" use an augmented chord in the "you can talk to me" section?

 

I played and recorded most of these tracks over the years and didn't know those certain chords are called 'augmented'. I learned something today...^^
Btw I think 'All I've Got To Do' also starts with such chord.

 

Unsure about that chord in 'And Your Bid Can Sing". Doesn't sound quite right. Was he, as as the English say, over-egging the pudding or over-Gilesing the mashup?

 

Actually I think the 'Walrus' part contains a straight chord instead.

 

It's a raised 5th but on a minor triad, which takes you to a major triad whose root is what was that raised 5th. They keep the root over from the minor chord on the bass which makes it a first inversion of the major triad formed.

More naughty chords:

"She Loves You"
...and with a love like that you know you should be glad

"You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)"
You know my name [first line in first section - also used in the equivalent places in the last section]

 

Both "I Dig a Pony" and "I Need You" have augmented chords, albeit very briefly as passing chords.

 

He missed a couple as others have pointed out.
Thanks for posting that.
The cool thing was how The Beatles used the chords in the harmonic scheme. They just did not use them strictly as a chromatic passing function. They used them in retransitions which is kind of atypical in Pop.

 

Maybe in the melody lines, but they don't actually play augmented chords in either of those...

 

"All I've Got To Do" - opening chord.

Billy J. Kramer was given some naughty material:

"Bad To Me"
"I'll Keep You Satisfied"

 

The lead guitar certainly does. Listen carefully.

 

What about the second chord in I'm So Tired??

 

Not the second chord, but there is an augmented chord in the tune, in bar 5 (or bar 11, if you're counting in cut time).

 

...I wonder should I call you but I know...

and

...Sir Walter Raleigh...

 

Where in I Need You does that happen? I am not hearing it as well. You mean the part in the bridge when it goes to the V/V B chord? I don't think there is an augmented chord there.

 

It's there briefly (punctuated with harmony guitar arpeggios). If you play a minor triad and drop the root down a half-step then you have an augmented 5th chord.

The organ part has it clearly on the intro (also does it again when that part is reprised later) - try Anthology 2 to hear it better.

 

Anna? Soldier of Love? One After 909?

 

The augmented chord is like raising one eyebrow. It's a subtle expression, but if done at the right time, it can carry a lot of meaning.

 

Brilliant.

 

I think with She Loves You, it is C minor to D Major with an appogiatura in the vocals making it augmented.