Taylor Swift has 'used the same chord progression in 21 different songs'

The old saying goes, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it,' and Taylor Swift seems to be a big believer in the adage.

The singer-songwriter is one of the biggest artists in the world, smashing out hit after hit over more than a decade - all the while using the same chord progression more than 21 times, according to pianist David Bennett.

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In a video on his YouTube channel, David said: "It's not that uncommon for a songwriter to write more than one song using a particular chord progression. They might write three, four, maybe even five songs using the exact same order of chords.

"However, Taylor Swift takes this to a whole new level, there are particular chord progressions that she has used in more than 20 of her songs.

"It seems to be a habit of hers to come back to the same common and reliable chord progressions to write hit after hit."

David said he listened through her entire discography and found that she'd used the classic 'I V vi IV' progression 21 times.

Still, as any musician will tell you, a vast amount of huge songs have been created from just a handful of chords; the art form is using these same chords and creating hit after hit, and this is clearly an art form Swift has mastered.

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It's been another big year for the 32-year-old, who last month said she would 'scream for 10 minutes straight' after earning a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year - an accolade she has not won previously.

The pop megastar picked up the nomination for her 10-minute version of 'All Too Well', saying it was the song she was 'most proud of, out of anything I've written'.

The 10-minute version of her popular 2012 hit featured on Swift's re-recorded album Red (Taylor's version), which was released in November last year.

She later released an accompanying music video which starred Stranger Things actor Sadie Sink and Teen Wolf's Dylan O'Brien.

It comes after the singer triumphed at the MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs) amid chaotic scenes online, as ticket sales for her Eras tour went live.

Sharing a clip of the video on her Instagram story, Swift wrote: "So many reasons to lose my damn mind today but… All Too Well 10 is the song I'm the most proud of, out of anything I've written.

"The fact that it's nominated for Song of the Year at the Grammys, an award I've never won, that honours the songwriting… it's momentous and surreal."

PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo

She added that she had spoken to her collaborator for 'All Too Well', US country songwriter Liz Rose, and reminisced about beginning the song when she was just 14-years-old.

"She believed in me then and we are nominated together now. It's just so cute I can't cope," Swift wrote."I want to ramble about the magic and mystery of time and fate and reclaiming my art but instead I think I'll go scream for ten minutes straight."

Swift also reigned supreme at the 2022 EMAs, winning four of the top gongs, including two for 'All Too Well'.

Across her six nominations, she took home best video and best long-form video award for the song, as well as best artist and best pop at the ceremony in Dusseldorf, Germany.

Topics: Music, Taylor Swift

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey