The YES rain delay song: A harmonic analysis

The only silver lining to a Yankees rain delay is having an excuse to play the YES rain delay song. But why is it so satisfying to listen to? We all love hearing that smooth sax, but a closer analysis of the composition reveals deeper explanations.

You needn't be a music theorist to recognize that the YES rain delay song borrows the melody from the main theme. The first time through that melody, though, we notice a difference: The melody's drop down to the root note is far more pronounced than it is in the main theme, in part because the latter comes with a flourish of lead guitar on top. This subtle shift provides a feeling of resolution, bringing us home in stormy weather.

The more profound change occurs the second time through the melody. In the main theme, there's this big, long descending cadence where the brass section and guitar trade fours, all leading to the final, triumphant ring of those three iconic horn blasts.

The rain delay takes a detour that borrows from the lesser-heard full theme, dropping into a vi-vii-I progression whose first two chords would normally appear in the minor scale. Normally the switch from major to minor would strike a somber note, but because we resolve back to a major I chord, what we hear sounds more akin to triumph over adversity—the sun peeking out from the storm clouds.

All this leads us into new territory: The B section! Here we get soulful piano and smoothly overdriven lead guitar playing over a IV-ii-V chord progression, bringing an inescapable feeling that the storm is about to resolve.

That leads to the payoff: The Vb9 chord—a nod to some crunchy jazz harmony—followed by a big, dominant V chord with the iconic three melody notes on top. It's the last gasp of suspense before we return to the top of the theme again and the warm hug of that smooth sax. In this moment, we know that everything will be alright, even if we're doomed to repeat the cycle for as long as the rain keeps coming down.

(edit: Vb9, not V#9)