Songs With the Same Chord Progression: The Four-Chord Loop

The four chords behind a lot of pop

Take the first, fifth, sixth and fourth chords of a major key and play them in a loop: in C major that is C, G, A minor and F. Music theory calls it the I–V–vi–IV progression. The comedy band The Axis of Awesome made it famous with their “Four Chords” medley, which strings dozens of hits together over one loop.

Start the same loop on the minor chord and you get vi–IV–I–V (A minor, F, C, G), which sounds darker even though the chords are identical. Other songs rotate the order again. Because the chords are the same, a melody written over one version will often sit over another.

The chord progressions in the table come from each song’s Wikipedia article, checked on October 6, 2026. Several are for one section (marked chorus), because a song can use different chords in its verse.

Songs built on the four-chord loop

Each of these uses the I, V, vi and IV chords of its key, in the order shown. Roman numerals let you compare songs in different keys.

Starting on the major chord (I–V–vi–IV)

Song	Chords	Order
U2 — With or Without You	D–A–Bm–G	I–V–vi–IV
Jason Mraz — I’m Yours	B–F♯–G♯m–E	I–V–vi–IV
Lady Gaga — Paparazzi (chorus)	A♭–E♭–Fm–D♭	I–V–vi–IV
Journey — Don’t Stop Believin’	Opens with the loop, then extends it	I–V–vi–IV–I–V–iii–IV

Starting on the minor chord (vi–IV–I–V)

Song	Chords	Order
Avicii — Wake Me Up	Bm–G–D–A	vi–IV–I–V
Lady Gaga — Poker Face (chorus)	G♯m–E–B–F♯	vi–IV–I–V
Dua Lipa — Physical	Am–F–C–G	vi–IV–I–V

Same four chords, different order

Song	Chords	Order
OneRepublic — Counting Stars	C♯m–E–B–A	vi–I–V–IV
Bastille — Pompeii	D–A–F♯m–E	IV–I–vi–V

Why this matters for mashups

Two songs on the same loop in the same key can share an instrumental, because each vocal was written over the same chords. Look at “With or Without You” and “Wake Me Up” above: both use D, A, B minor and G, one starting on D and the other on B minor. “I’m Yours” and the chorus of “Poker Face” share B, F♯, G♯ minor and E in the same way.

If two loop songs are in different keys, transpose one so the chords line up, then check the tempo. The keys and tempos still have to be close enough to adjust without obvious artifacts, so run the pair through the compatibility checker before you start editing.

Line up the loop, not just the key

Sharing chords is not enough if the loops start in different places. If one song starts its bar on the I chord and the other on the vi chord, slide one part by a bar or two until the chord changes coincide. Mark where each chord starts in both songs and compare them side by side.

Also check the speed of the changes. One song might hold each chord for a bar while another changes every half bar; at the same BPM they will drift apart unless you count one at half or double time.

Spotting the loop yourself

Hum the bass notes through one cycle of the chorus. If they move home, up five notes, up six, then down to four (C, G, A, F in C major), you have found the loop. Find the key first with our key-finding guide, then name each bass note against it.

A close relative swaps the vi chord for ii (I–V–ii–IV). Taylor Swift’s “You Belong with Me” uses it, which is why it can sit near a four-chord song but will not match it chord for chord.