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6.10.7
Deceptive Cadence: "When a Man Loves a Woman" Chords and Progression

"When a Man Loves a Woman" slips in a little deceptive cadence in the middle of the first 4-bar phrase of the verse, where the V-chord does not resolve to the tonic, but instead goes to the VIm chord, followed by a seondary dominant, the I7 chord:

I — V — VIm — I7

These harmonic moves keep the brain in suspense about resolution until the seventh bar. Then the tonic chord is followed by another V chord, a turnaround, creating more propulsion (Figure 80):

Chord progression Chase chart for the 1966 hit song When a Man Loves a Woman, recorded by Percy Sledge and written by Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright.

FIGURE 80: Chord Map of “When A Man Loves A Woman” (Words and Music by Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright, 1966)

The progression keeps moving, mostly via fifths and seconds, and includes a third-up progression (Am – C7).The tonic seventh in turn demands to move on to the IV chord.

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