Even though a chord of D appears gloriously at the beginning of Rick Wright’s verse in ‘Time”…garnished as it is with flanged female choir, message-laden lyrics and the fresh sound of Rick’s lead vocal…we are yet to reach D (our ultimate chord I) as a keychord. Why not? Well, because this moment only constitutes a ‘visit’ to D. The chord that follows it, A, is clearly the home chord for the song (so the D before is actually chord IV of A major!). A firmer, resolutory D (as chord I of D major) will appear later, of course!

As well as this long-term album-spanning statement of a II-V-I progression, we have also had the beginnings of the II-V-I progression suggested on a more local level. The chief example being the ‘E minor to A7” progression of “Breathe” which imprints itself on the listener’s brain in readiness for a resolution on D that is yet to come. Another more sneaky suggestion of II-V-I, albeit in a different key, is used as a device in “Time”  to get from Wright’s verse back to the ‘F# minor - A - E - F# minor’ sequence for Gilmour’s fantastic guitar solo. Note how B minor (on the line “no one told you when to run..”) followed by E (on the line “you missed the starting gun”) could have been followed by A to complete a II-V-I progression but teasingly it resolves on the relative minor, F sharp, instead.

And now, back to that sting in the tail at the end of “Breathe Reprise”…

To close the song, the C - Bminor - F - G - D7#9 - B/D# sequence does not resolve on E minor as it did first time at the end of “Breathe”. Rather surprisingly (or crudely, some would say), from D7#9 to B/D# (which prepared our ear for the return of E minor both times in the earlier song) we land unpredictably at B minor. The band freeze in their tracks as if startled by the lack of preparation. The new ‘surprise’ key chord fades…

GREAT GIG IN THE SKY

Wright piano: B minor - F - B flat - F/A   G minor - C7 - G minor - C7   F - B flat - E flat - C minor   F - B flat - E flat - B flat     Torry vocal: G minor - C7   G minor/D - C#dim - F#7 - Bminor     Wright & Torry: B minor - F - B flat - F/A   G minor - C7 - G minor C7