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Songs in the key of A

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(@chamby_x)
Active Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 14
Topic starter  

Is anyone aware of any popular or well known songs that are in the key of A? I'm trying to learn songs, and the chords in the key of A are all well known to me so it seems a good place to start. I've searched the net and tab sites but I can't find any group of songs organized by their key.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Rock on!

Willow- Don't you have any ambitions?
Oz- Sure. E-flat diminish 9th.
Willow- Huh?
Oz- The E-flat, it's doable, but that diminish 9th...it's a man's chord. You could lose a finger.
-Buffy the Vampire Slayer


   
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(@jasonrunguitar)
Reputable Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 273
 

It's not much of a strummer...but Crazy Train by Ozzy is in A. If you listen to any country, 'The Grundy County Auction Incident' by John Michael Montgomery and 'Standing Outside the Fire' by Garth Brooks are both in A, if I remember right.

Here's something maybe even better though. If you have a capo, putting the capo on the 3rd fret will take any song in C and make the chord fingerings seem like they're in A...here's how the substitutions would work:

C -> A
F -> D
G -> E
Am -> F#m
Dm -> Bm

The song will still technically be in C, but you'll get to practice the chord shapes from the key of A! The capo is really just letting you play barre chords without have to actually do any barring. A similar trick will work for songs in D, if you put the capo on the 5th fret. I'll let your work out what which chords in D go to what shapes in A (I can explain how to figure out if you don't see it from the example from C, but I don't want to take all the fun out of it, :smile:). Have fun!

-Jason
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To those about to rock, we salute you!
http://www.soundclick.com/jasonwittenbach


   
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(@telemarker)
Trusted Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 64
 

Up On Cripple Creek - The Band
Two More Bottles Of Wine - Delbert McClinton
Return Of The Grievious Angel - Gram Parsons
Six Days On The Road- Various/Gram Parsons
The Mercenary Song - Steve Earle
Amarillo Highway - Terry Allen, Robert Earl Keen
If Wishes Were Horses- Claire Lynch
Little Sister - Dwight Yoakam, Elvis

The links will take you to a page with mp3's of my band (Right Turn Clyde) doing those songs.


   
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(@kingpatzer)
Noble Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 2171
 

Any song you choose to play in A . . .

Seriously, if you know the circle of fifths, it's pretty easy to transpose any song from one key to the next.

If you don't know the circle, it's a good excuse to learn it!

"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." -- HST


   
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 lars
(@lars)
Noble Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 1120
 

Kingpatzer is right. You can play any song in A - but since you're asking, a few (easy?) songs which have actually been recorded in A / I have used to play in A, spring to mind:

I shall be released (A c#m bm E) - Dylan
Blowin' in the wind (A D E and maybe f#m) - Dylan
Mr Tambourine man - ditto w/o f#m
I'm so tired - Beatles

+ all the 12 bar blues songs in the world 8)

Lars

...only thing I know how to do is to keep on keepin' on...

LARS kolberg http://www.facebook.com/sangerersomfolk


   
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(@rahul)
Famed Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 2736
 

Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton


   
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(@mikey)
Reputable Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 329
 

Wild Thing

Not the key of A but the chords are A, D, E & G.

Very easy and very recognizable. If you have to put together songs that define the anti-establishment, bad boy, uncontrolled raw energy of early rock and roll, this song has to be on the list. This song can not be played loud enough.

Mike

Playing an instrument is good for your soul


   
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(@wes-inman)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5582
 

Rock and Roll - Led Zeppelin
Black Dog- Led Zeppelin
Crossroads- Cream version
La Grange- ZZ Top
Alright Now- Free
Slow Ride- Foghat

really hundreds of songs.

If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis


   
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(@anonymous)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 8184
 

Nirvana - Rape Me

Well it's close anyway. Chords are A, C, Em, G.

Also,

The Rembrandts - I'll Be There For You

If you've watch the show Friends, you've heard it.


   
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(@vic-lewis-vl)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 10264
 

Krnnon's version of "Stand by Me" is in A.....I think the Ben E King original was in G. G, by the way, is possibly the easiest key of all to play in - there are hhundreds of songs which use G Em C & D, to transpose them put a capo on the 2nd fret and presto, you're in A....

:D :D :D

Vic

"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)


   
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(@blind_lemon_pye)
Trusted Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 81
 

Key to the Highway is usually played in A. Chords : A, E, D, D, A, E, and A/D/E for the tunaround.

If I'm not in the band
Don't mean I'm square
Mercury Rev - Car Wash Air


   
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(@clazon)
Honorable Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 502
 

Fake Plastic Trees - Radiohead
Under the Bridge - RHCP
Paranoid Android - RHCP

They all predominantly use A, despite bending the rules quite a bit, but it helps to do that!

I certainly took chords from all three, although most of them and many other songs in A also interchange with C and like someone said, with a capo you can transfer them anyway.

"Today is what it means to be young..."

(Radiohead, RHCP, Jimi Hendrix - the big 3)


   
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(@blackzerogsh)
Prominent Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 759
 

stormy monday- allman brothers band

while my guitar gently weeps- the ebatles (i think its Am though)


   
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(@progressions)
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Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 320
 

"Wild Thing" was going to be my recommendation, too. I played that one a lot when I was getting started, it's fun, easy to play, and easily recognizable. "Louie Louie" is the same keys too. Play around with A, D and E and you can have a lot of fun.

"Words of Love" by Buddy Holly, also performed by The Beatles, is good. When The Beatles played "Johnny B. Goode" they did it in A, too.

If you know the 12-bar blues, it's easy to do in A because the A, D and E can all be played easily at the first position, with no barres necessary, and they're easy to do a simple blue groove in.

BTW I love the Buffy quote in your sig. Another favorite is:

Devon: Man, we need a roadie. Other bands have roadies.
Oz: Well, other bands know more than three chords. Your professional bands can play up to six, sometimes seven completely different chords.
Devon: That's just, like, fruity jazz bands.

Jeff

Isaac Priestley: World Racketeering Squad
http://www.progressions.org/
http://www.youtube.com/worldracketeer


   
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(@chamby_x)
Active Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 14
Topic starter  

Thanks a lot for all the ideas so far everyone. I've got tons of songs to check out.

Willow- Don't you have any ambitions?
Oz- Sure. E-flat diminish 9th.
Willow- Huh?
Oz- The E-flat, it's doable, but that diminish 9th...it's a man's chord. You could lose a finger.
-Buffy the Vampire Slayer


   
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