Holy $#!t, they've been tricking us all this time!

Three Chords and the Truth . . .

LOL at Jet good one.

Noah's #11,

an apt video, they left off Pachebel's Canon...but remembered 'Waltzing Matilda'!

In 'Nashville' charting, the music for all those in the vid is:

I, bVIIm, IV, V

Or something like that--not sure how to notate the second voicing (flatted Seventh minor) accurately.

If you shuffle those same chords up a bit you can play another thousand or so songs (more country, less pop)

Um, you mean the 90s through today Rock music right?

re:4

MOST punk is 2.

Easily the vast majority of popular music is 4 chords or less. Especially true with blues, country, and r&r. Most modern rap or R&B stuff is only one. (Think Kravitz' version of "American Woman" or Pink's "Get This Party Started.")

That's why those of us in the biz don't listen to much commercially successful stuff. It usually appeals to the lowest common denominator, which is fine--nothing wrong with that--but not of personal interest to me. It's all the same, just different clothes and recording techniques.