The Beatles · from Let It Be (rooftop concert, Jan 1969) · written by John Lennon
A study in the ♭VII–IV–I rock cadence and mixolydian color.
Lennon's rooftop rocker hangs its hook on the mixolydian move G–D–A (♭VII–IV–I) around a droning A tonic, then rides a bluesy G7 borrowed from the same flat side.
This is one of the songs the Beatles played on their famous rooftop concert, in a home key of A major.
The catchy part is a walk-up G to D to A, three chords stepping up into home.
Two of those chords are borrowed from a slightly darker version of the key, called mixolydian.
The verse holds the home chord A while another chord slides underneath, like the ground shifting under a held bell.
These flat-side borrowed chords are the rock-and-roll sound of the whole song.
To see the exact chords and key, open Pollack or Isophonics.
The song is planted on A, but it consistently uses the mixolydian ♭7 (G) rather than the diatonic leading-tone G#.
That single sharpening-avoided is what gives Dig a Pony its raw rock quality instead of a bright pop shine.
The intro, chorus, and outro all lock onto G, D, A, a step-up cadence that walks from ♭7 through 4 to home.
This ♭VII–IV–I move is one of the most recognizable rock cadences (think “Sympathy for the Devil,” late Beatles, countless classic-rock choruses) and it is the whole song's hook.
The verse holds the A chord and alternates it with A/D, an A triad over a D bass, so the harmony above stays put while the bass rocks between the tonic and the fourth degree.
That drone-with-shifting-bass texture is the folk-modal cousin of a bagpipe drone, and it prepares the ear for the bright ♭VII–IV–I release when the chorus arrives.
Inside the verse, after F#m and Bm land, the harmony steps out to G7, borrowing not just the ♭7 chord but its dominant-seventh coloring for a full blues wink.
The verse then resolves through E, the diatonic dominant, back home, so both worlds (mixolydian ♭7 and major-key 5) coexist inside a single song.
The form alternates the drone verse with the ♭VII–IV–I chorus, has one solo built on the same verse frame, and closes on the hook.
It is a compact rocker whose interest sits entirely in the modal borrowing, not in any structural surprise.
| Degree | Chord | Nashville | Roman |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | 1 | I |
| 3 | F#m | 6m → 3m | vi |
| 4 | D | 4 | IV |
| 5 | E | 5 | V |
| 6 | Bm | 2m | ii |
| b7 | G (G7) | b7 (b7(7)) | ♭VII (borrowed) |
Chords sourced from a public transcription, in A major.
Reading the numbers: each is a scale degree in A. Plain = major, m = minor, (7) = a dominant-seventh coloring, slash chords show a bass tone under the chord, b-degrees are borrowed from A mixolydian / minor. Here b7 (G, G7) is the mixolydian borrowing that defines the sound.
Most chords (A, D, E, F#m, Bm, G) are plain open or barre triads. The dominant-seventh flavored chord in the verse is shown below (low E to high e; x = mute).
Prose analysis of the A-mixolydian rocker, the drone verse, and the ♭VII–IV–I hook.
Open Pollack mirror →Downloadable chord and key files: the exact chords and where the mixolydian ♭7 lands.
Open Isophonics →Roman-numeral function and melody for the hook, if a community tab exists.
Open the Beatles index →