"Mercy Mercy Me" came out right before or right around the time Jerry was probably writing Eyes of the World, and I always think of the similarities with the Emaj starting on both tunes with very similar rhythms.
I feel like these two songs are the perfect pairing and really compliment each other - one having a more sad and pessimistic outlook on the beauty of the world, while the other has a more optimistic and joyful perspective which is also reflected a bit in the progression - Mercy going from I to VI vs. Eyes going from I to IV
Its not uncommon for there to be Maj7 or Maj9 chords in Gospel/R&B music but I think "Whats Going On" was a big album at the time that Jerry had to have heard, and up until Wake of the Flood, Jerry didnt use a lot of Maj7 chords in his music. But suddenly on Wake you have two major songs - Stella and Eyes, which feature them in a big way.
I feel like these two songs are the perfect pairing and really compliment each other - one having a more sad and pessimistic outlook on the beauty of the world, while the other has a more optimistic and joyful perspective which is also reflected a bit in the progression - Mercy going from I to VI vs. Eyes going from I to IV
Its not uncommon for there to be Maj7 or Maj9 chords in Gospel/R&B music but I think "Whats Going On" was a big album at the time that Jerry had to have heard, and up until Wake of the Flood, Jerry didnt use a lot of Maj7 chords in his music. But suddenly on Wake you have two major songs - Stella and Eyes, which feature them in a big way.
