Minor subdominant in a major key

Question

I was listening to the Raspberries's song "Go All the Way" as covered by The Killers in the movie "Dark Shadows." I sorta figured out the song by ear on my guitar and I was a little confused. It is in the key of A and uses D minor. Here's the chorus I found on guitaretab.com:

    A            F#m         D      C#m Bm
    Please (baby) go all the way
        E       C#m              F#
    It feels so right (feels so right)
               Bm           Dm   E
    Being with you here tonight
    A            F#m         D      C#m Bm
    Please (baby) go all the way
          E      C#m              F#
    Just hold me close (hold me close)
               Bm           Dm  [1: G6   2, 3: E]
    Don't ever let       me go
              (don't let me go)

Youtube:

What is the effect of a minor subdominant in a major key? Is it an abrupt key change, modulation, something else? I don't get it, but it's really cool.

Answer 1

Borrowed chords—that is to say, chords that belong to the parallel key—are actually quite common, and borrowed IV or iv chords are probably the most common of all. This is an example of a iv chord borrowed from the parallel minor.

In general, the function doesn't change—the normal IV would have functioned as a predominant chord leading to V, the borrowed iv does too. The aural effect varies based on the situation, but the use of a chromatic note (in this case, the third of the borrowed chord) within a harmony tends to create a somewhat surprising, fresh quality to the progression. In the case where the borrowed chord is minor like this, it can also add a bit of darkness to the sound.

Answer 2

I analyze the first two lines as follows:

I - vi - IV - (passing iii) - ii - V -
iii - V/ii - ii - iv - V -
I

To my ear, ii (Bm) and iv (Dm) have the same harmonic function, so @rlo's answer is a good horizontal (melodic) interpretation.

I think the reason it is also effective vertically (tonally) is that the F-natural implies the neapolitan chord. (Try substituting Bb in first inversion - i.e. D, F, Bb - for Dm.) This is a standard 19th-century trick, and the analysis would read iii - V/ii - ii - bII(6) - V - I.

Answer 3

You've already defined the effect of a subdominant minor in a major key. It's 'really cool'. And it's so common that it really doesn't need any other justification.

MAYBE the piece is later going to modulate to C major. That's a very common modulation in 'Golden age' songwriting (Cole Porter and the like). It might get there via ii7, V7, I in the new key. That would be Dm7, G7, C. So IF you were going to do that, throwing in some iv chords might be a tasty way of preparing the ear for the modulation. But that would be vast overthinking here!

Get rid of the idea that a chromatic chord or note needs special justification. It really doesn't. It can be there to just add an interesting musical colour (chroma - colour - chromatic, geddit?) The diatonic scale and chords of whatever key a song is based in (if any) is a framework, not a strait-jacket.

Answer 4

Bm chord - (B D F#) to Dm (D F A) I could only guess that the writer wanted the notes F# - F -E leading to a resolution on the following E chord.