10 Classic Rock Songs That Use 3 Chords Or Less
2. Heroin - The Velvet Underground
When the Velvet Underground first appeared in the art rock scene, they were considered some of the most amateur musicians out there. Even listening back to their debut, you're probably going to find guitars that are out of tune or songs that sound like they're on the verge of falling apart every other song. That's just counting for the song construction, not the art that Lou Reed is actually creating.
As the track Heroin opens up, all you get are two chords that drone on for over 7 minutes. While that sounds like it's going to get really boring really fast, this is one of the most intense rock songs to come out of the '60s. Detailing what it's like to live as a junkie, you're practically being given an audible version of how it feels. The minute the song starts, everything seems happy and a bit off kilter, and then everything snaps on a dime when he talks about putting the spike into his veins.
The chords stay the same, but the rest of the band get more and more intense, making for a song that sounds like the walls are closing in around and you're about to have an out of body experience where you're either going to see God, suffer the cold embrace of death, or both at the same time. You may have just been listening to a simple rock song, but you were also just given a lesson in what happens when a junkie takes things too far.