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6.10.5 Chords to "Jambalaya": A Dominant 7th Master Class
"Jambalaya" has exacty two chords, the tonic and the dominant 7th. In the key of C, that would be C and G7. Wanna write a two-chord classic? You could not pick two better chords than I and V7. Hank Williams, Sr., shows how it’s done (Figure 78).
FIGURE 78: Chord Map of “Jambalaya (On The Bayou)” (Words and Music by Hank Williams, Sr., 1952)
Chord progressions don’t get any simpler. And yet, over the centuries, that I – V7 – I progression has taken on all the other chord progressions in harmony and arm-wrestled them into submission.
In “Jambalaya,” fully half the song has unstable dominant 7th harmony, which keeps the listener on edge, expecting resolution.
In this song, Hank’s doing some interesting things melodically, too, which is why everybody knows the tune. It’s way, way easier to write a boring ol’ country song with a I – V7 – I chord progression than a great classic country song with a I – V7 – I progression. Chapter 9 discusses in detail what goes into making a memorable melody.