🧠 3 harmony techniques John Legend hides in 'All of Me'

Hey music makers!

Two weeks ago, my wife took me to John Legend's 20th anniversary tour of Get Lifted at the Amphitheatre at Chastain Park in Atlanta for my birthday.

I'd been looking forward to this for weeks. And from the first song, it delivered.

Hearing Get Lifted live took me straight back to high school in Philadelphia. "Ordinary People" was one of the first songs I learned on piano. "So High" hit differently. One of my best friends sang it at our wedding.

After what felt like the finale with “Live It Up”, John reappeared for one more song: "All of Me." Everyone stopped mid-exit. We stood wherever we were and sang along. Thousands of voices filling the amphitheater beautifully.

I've heard that song more times than I can count, but hearing it live like that made me want to understand it more deeply. I came home and started working through it at the piano.

And as I analyzed the progression, I was rather surprised to discover that "All of Me" isn't the simple song everyone thinks it is.

Key: Ab Major

Progressions:

This song uses three progressions strategically. Each one varies the emotional flow while keeping sections harmonically familiar. You get variety and simplicity all at once.

If you listen closely (or play through these progressions yourself), you'll notice the harmonic rhythm changes for each one, giving different sections distinct momentum.

Most listeners would say "All of Me" is simple, just a beautiful piano ballad with straightforward chords. And they're partly right.

It “sounds” simple.

But when you analyze it, you find layers of deliberate compositional strategies working together to create it’s effortless feeling.

Here are three you can start using today.

At first glance, "All of Me" appears deceptively simple. Music theory analysis shows it has below-average chord complexity because it uses only 5 unique chords: Fmi, Db, Ab, Eb, and Bbmi.

Five chords arranged in three progressions. Sounds simple, right?

But here's where some of John’s craft reveals itself: he doesn't just play those five chords. Because that would be boring.

He plays 14 different chord colors throughout the song.

What Are Chord Colors?

Think of songwriting like painting. Chord colors are variations of basic chords that express specific emotions.

The four basic colors are:

Seventh (bluesy).

But you can vary each by adding or replacing notes, creating a chord family with the same root but different emotional textures.

Legend takes his five basic chords and expands them into 14 distinct colors.

For example, F minor becomes Fmi, Fmi9, and F5. Db major becomes Db, Dbmaj7, and Dbsus2.

So yes he's not adding Herbie Hancock level complexity but he is effectively adding color. And those subtle variations are what give the song its emotional depth.

But chord colors are only half the story. What makes "All of Me" feel intimate is how he plays the chord colors.

Listen to the syncopated rhythm patterns. How he emphasizes off-beats and leaves space between chord hits. The harmony provides the emotional palette while the rhythm provides the pulse of the record. And as I mentioned earlier the section based changes in harmonic rhythm controls the pacing.

Now here's the third layer of sophistication: every single harmonic phrase and section in "All of Me" ends on the V chord (the dominant).

In music theory, when a phrase ends on V, it's called a half cadence. And half cadences create incompleteness, tension, and anticipation, leaving the listener expecting more music to follow.

The dominant chord creates a sense of suspense because it strongly pulls the listener toward the tonic chord, which is being held back.

When songs resolve their phrases by ending on the I chord (the tonic), momentum stops and we feel a return home. But John Legend intentionally avoids that resolution in the verses, pre-choruses, and even the bridge.

This strategy continuously propels the music forward pulling you deeper into the emotional narrative. You're never quite settled.

You're always leaning forward, waiting for resolution.

And the resolution finally comes in the chorus, where the progression starts on I (the tonic). It also lands right on the title lyric of the song which is a common songwriting strategy. That shift from starting on vi in the verse to starting on I in the chorus creates an emotional release from a somewhat minor and anxious feeling.

The song also ends on a half cadence, which is why it feels slightly unresolved and emotionally open-ended. It's a deliberate compositional choice that mirrors the vulnerability of the lyrics.

Cudos to John on writing this beautiful song.

Sometimes all a song needs is a few good elements and a performer who knows how to execute them.

These principles give the music for “All of Me” loads of emotion:

"All of Me" proves simplicity and sophistication aren't opposites. Sophistication is knowing how to use simple tools with intention.

I'll be honest. I rarely feel like analyzing songs. But every time I do, I walk away better and more informed.

Working through "All of Me" at the piano, I hear layers I missed before. The way John stretches five chords into fourteen colors. The way each section loops because of the half cadence, pulling you deeper into the vulnerability.

Someone once commented on one of my Threads posts saying formulas ruin creativity. I couldn't disagree more.

Understanding the formulas reveal how intentional the magic moments are in art.

Song analysis turns listening into learning. Your favorite songs become tools you can draw from whenever you sit down to write.