Pachelbel's Canon Progression

A Chord Progression made famous by the well-known Canon in D in D major, which is the trope namer.

The progression is usually in a major key, and usually runs as follows: I V vi iii IV I IV V (repeat). If in a minor key, it is usually: i v VI III iv i iv V (repeat). Occasionally, II or ii or ii° may be substituted for the last IV/iv, and I or I6 (or i or i6) may be substituted for the iii or III.

Comedian Rob Paravonian famously ranted about the ubiquity of this progression, although most of his medley would be better placed in The Four Chords of Pop. He has a point, though...


 * Pachelbel's "Canon in D", and thus any songs that sample it:
 * Coolio - "C U When U Get There"
 * Monty Python - "Decomposing Composers"
 * Vitamin C - "Graduation Song (Friends Forever)". Uses III instead of iii in the progression.
 * Mega Man 4's prologue uses this once.
 * Coven - "One Tin Soldier"
 * Pet Shop Boys - "Go West" (originally by the Village People, but the progression was purposely played up in the cover)
 * The song's melody, meanwhile, is based on the Soviet national anthem!
 * It's still a copy of "Give Thanks", a Christian worship song written by Henry Smith one year earlier. (YouTube)
 * Which in turn is a copy of Ralph Mc Tell's "Streets of London", released four years before that.
 * Dragon Force - "Valley of the Damned" (chorus and instrumental part)
 * This progression is popular in Melodic Power Metal in general, starting with Helloween's "Eagle Fly Free", arguably a one-song Trope Maker for the genre.
 * Aerosmith - "Cryin'" (actually interpolates "Canon in D" in the bridge)
 * The Farm - "All Together Now"
 * Parts of the ending music from Super Mario Bros 2
 * Most of the intro song from Yoshis Island as well.
 * Parts of the U.S.S.R. national anthem.
 * Green Day - "Basket Case", just missing that last IV chord (goes directly from I to V)
 * Belle and Sebastian - "Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying", which transposes the Canon progression to Db Major, just a half-tone down from D but very difficult to play!
 * COOL&CREATE - "Help Me, Erin!", a super happy fun dance/techno remix of a rock remix (of the same name) of a Touhou track. This link starts at where that high melody comes in, which is where we get the progression, with a ii substituting for the last IV.
 * The track "Lemming 1" from Lemmings. The last four chords are slightly different, being IV V I V.
 * Alfred J Kwak: The main theme, sung in the original Dutch by Herman van Veen. The ending theme halfway does it, but mixes around the order of chords in the second half of the progression.
 * "People Change" by Rockapella, originally from their album "2."
 * The Decemberween version of the intro theme music from Homestar Runner apparantly sounds like this.
 * In Blues Traveler's Hook from their album Four, Canon in D is the hook.
 * The bassline to the Eight Melodies theme from Earth Bound Zero uses a slight variation: I IV vi iii IV I IV V.
 * "Yatta!" by Happatai, used in the Animutation "Irrational Exuberance".
 * Minor key version: "Sprinting Spirits" by Sato Naoki, from the Eureka Seven soundtrack, volume 2 disc 1.
 * "Komm, Süsser Tod" from The End of Evangelion
 * Spiritualized's "Ladies And Gentlemen, We Are Floating In Space"
 * The Osmonds' "Love Me for a Reason", later covered by Boyzone.
 * "I Can Be Your Friend" from the Veggie Tales video Are You My Neighbor?
 * "Tsubasa wo Kudasai," known to non-Japanese Anime fans from K-On! and Rebuild of Evangelion.
 * "Heart Brings You Back" by Blues Traveler, except for the fourth chord, which is changed from iii to III.
 * Scatman John's "Scat Man's World" uses the chord progression.
 * "Anthem" from Bill and Ted's Excellent Musical (yes, this exists).