Less Is More: 3 Songs That Have Achieved Legend Status With Sheer Simplicity

Some musicians and bands just can’t help but pack their music with intricate chord structures, epic key changes, experimental methods, and surreal lyrics. In other words, they love to create complicated songs, and while that complication does often lead to nuance, so does simplicity.

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You’ve surely heard the saying “less is more.” Well, that idiom applies to everything, and it certainly applies to music. Now, is there a time and place for complex and mind-boggling music? Certainly, but it is almost more impressive when a musician can impress with nothing but three chords and the truth. That being said, here are three songs that have achieved legend status with sheer simplicity.

“Blowin’ In The Wind” by Bob Dylan

Every Bob Dylan song of the early 60s falls under the timeless saying mentioned above. Most of his songs from the early 60s featured a guitar, a few basic chords, and just some mighty fine words. Frankly, Dylan’s simplicity is what propelled him forward, and one song he did so on was “Blowin’ In The Wind”.

“Blowin’ In The Wind” is arguably the most famous and influential protest song of all time. And guess what, it features three chords, three verses, and three choruses. There is no bridge, no hook, and no exploratory practices. It is as simple as simple gets.

“Imagine” by John Lennon

John Lennon‘s infamous single about peace and prosperity is the most famous song in the musician’s solo catalog. Unlike Dylan’s “Blowin’ In The Wind”, Lennon’s “Imagine” does feature several instruments. However, those instruments and their arrangement are doing nothing that an amateur player couldn’t do.

Piano, drums, bass, violins, violas, and cellos are the six instruments played on this generational standard. That might sound like a lot, but if you listen closely, you can tell that nothing too complex is transpiring. Rather, it’s just repetition and rhythmic consistency.

“Redemption Song” by Bob Marley & The Wailers

Words carry weight. And for that very reason, Bob Marley was able to create a timeless piece of music with just his vocals, the acoustic guitar, and just six or so chords. Like most acoustic ballads, there is no musical trickery that pulls one away from the sentiments being articulated.

It’s unfiltered, gritty, and sounds as if it were recorded in a backyard and not a recording studio. Also, one might argue that this song has no specific genre, and consequently, no one has to torture themselves about identifying it. It is a song that is there to be purely heard and reacted to.

Photo by Andrew Putler/Redferns