Axis Of Awesome Updates 'Four Chord Song' To Include 'Double Rainbow' Lyrics (VIDEO)

Our lives were changed forever when we first heard the great comedy rock band Axis of Awesome's "Four Chord Song," which humorously proved that every popular song from John Denver to Lady GaGa uses the same four chords.

Now, for the Red Nose Day Telethon on BBC, the band performs an updated version of the "Four Chord Song," complete with lyrics from the hit about the "Double Rainbow" guy. If you haven't heard it yet, you'll be amazed at how well they tie everything from Red Hot Chili Peppers to MGMT and "Auld Lang Syne" together.

You may also remember the Axis for the hilarious parody of loves songs they did for Valentine's Day this year.

WATCH:

Via Buzzfeed

Comments

[LefttoBeaver]

10:36 PM on 03/24/2011

Sorry guys--any reasonably competent vocalist can make those melodies mesh with those those four chords. You perform those songs with those four chords as stand-alones in even the most backwater...uhhh...watering hole...you will bore the audience to de@th and be rightly seen as hacks who either didn't have the talent or were too lazy to learn the song correctly (or even change key for that matter). Next why don't you try to take down modern painting for using redundant color schemes. It would be funny as a medley without the commentary trying to demonstrate that pop is a sham...but up the wrong tree you bark.

[Kevin Kuntz]

09:34 PM on 03/30/2011

So wait..you're defending pop because three guys didn't take the time to learn it exactly how it was wrote? I believe you're missing the point.

[trweste144]

08:18 PM on 03/22/2011

Whoa, man, and it's like, it's like those same four chords are made up of like different combinations of only, like, 8 notes, and there's only like, 4 octaves, and like--get this, get this--a lot of pop songs, whole bunches of them are in the same dang time signature, 4/4. It's like a deconstruction of mind blowing effen awesomeness, brothers. Like, whoa, totally...

[LefttoBeaver]

10:42 PM on 03/24/2011

We're gonna be all like a bunch of Fonzies. And what does the Fonz say...EXACTAMUNDO!

[Infostream]

04:39 PM on 03/22/2011

Similar idea, a million times mo' better:
Mother of All Funk Chords
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tprMEs-zfQA

[thewirah]

10:40 PM on 03/22/2011

Cool link, thanks.

[MFS001]

04:00 PM on 03/22/2011

It would be more accurate to say it's the same chord progression, and not necessarily the same chords. In any case, this chord progression has produced many popular hits because it works -- our western music ears are in tune with it. Look at Pachelbel's Canon, written hundreds of years ago. It remains a popular song to this day because of this.

[Canuknotusa]

06:00 PM on 03/22/2011

Pachelbel's Canon is not a 'song'.

[MFS001]

07:05 PM on 03/22/2011

oh relax

[classicalgeek]

03:11 PM on 03/23/2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdxkVQy7QLM

[Ed Casso Sr]

02:31 PM on 03/22/2011

That's how George Harrison (My Sweet Lord/He's so Fine) copyright probably happened!

[baxtron]

02:24 PM on 03/22/2011

They left out half of Nirvana's library of music.

[Ronni01]

01:46 PM on 03/22/2011

Good to know

[Puffin16]

12:30 PM on 03/22/2011

This gives me hope! I've been taking piano lessons for two years now, and I'm going to throw my books in my piano teacher's face and demand that he teach me the four chords only! My goal to be Elton John may soon be within reach!

[Candide33]

07:53 AM on 03/22/2011

I once thought it was the same 3 over and over now I know it is 4 lol

[mcnote5150]

07:53 AM on 03/22/2011

C,G,A,D for the" unpluggers" out there. Keep on strumming.

[Canuknotusa]

07:43 AM on 03/22/2011

Well, in a culture that cannot distinguish between a 'song' and a 'symphony', the dumbing down of music is inevitable.

[Poyda]

03:19 PM on 03/22/2011

Let that gas pass. Most of us look to comedians on youtube for a laugh, not a lesson on music theory.

[Canuknotusa]

06:15 PM on 03/22/2011

First, there was no lesson in 'music theory'.

Second, my comment was about western 'pop music' culture, not Youtube.

[adamsmith3]

10:54 PM on 03/22/2011

People know the difference. But if it makes you feel smarter by pretending most people don't know this simple fact, keep it up. People are just too casual/lazy to distinguish properly. The same way I say I am doing good when I know full well that I should say well.

[Luke McIntosh]

07:38 AM on 03/22/2011

AWESOME!

[John David Pride]

05:56 AM on 03/22/2011

How funny, I wrote almost this exact same, identical sog a year ago, when heard Train's "Soul Sister" and said, "That's it, enough already!!". Commercials use these exact same four chords, as well. My song is called "These Four Chords" and is almost identical, although I'm quite sure these guys never heard it - it's just so obvious!

[stephj6]

05:36 AM on 03/22/2011

so what are the four chords? c, g, e, a? those are pretty basic

[Leper]

04:29 AM on 03/22/2011

It's not the first parody. It won't be the last.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy51CTN6AfE
"I only know three chords!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36c5aFZSr4o
"My ficus plant has lost his will to live."

[mcnote5150]

08:02 AM on 03/22/2011

Cheech and Chong f in great !

[baxtron]

02:26 PM on 03/22/2011

"This song is just 6 words long" by Weird Al rocks.