Peaches

The harmony of 'Peaches' is deliberately minimal — a single four-chord loop (IV–iii–ii–I) that never deviates. What makes it distinctive is the unusual descending diatonic stepwise motion, which avoids the ubiquitous I–V–vi–IV pop formula entirely. By starting on the subdominant and walking down through the mediant and supertonic to the tonic, the progression creates a gentle gravitational pull that feels effortless and warm. The use of the minor iii and ii chords (Em and Dm) adds subtle color without introducing tension, perfectly matching the song's laid-back, sun-soaked character. This simplicity is the point: the harmony stays out of the way, letting the vocal interplay between Bieber, Caesar, and Giveon carry the musical interest.

The song began during a casual session when Bieber was staying with Shawn Mendes at Andrew Watt's house. Watt invited Bieber into his home studio and told him to play the drums. After recording a drum beat, Bieber sat down at the piano and played some chords, which they looped together. Watt layered bass and guitar while Bieber improvised words over the track. Bieber later posted a snippet of himself singing the chorus on Instagram in September 2020. Producer Shndo saw the clip, screen-recorded it, loaded it into Ableton, added drums, and sped up the tempo. Producer Harv then added more instrumentation. When Bieber heard the reworked version, he loved it, re-recorded the chorus, wrote a new verse, and recruited Giveon and Daniel Caesar to contribute their own parts.

Released in 2021 as the lead-up single from Justin Bieber's sixth album Justice, 'Peaches' blends pop, R&B, and pop-soul over a mid-tempo West Coast bounce. Featuring the honeyed vocals of Daniel Caesar and Giveon's distinctive baritone, the song debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned four Grammy nominations, becoming one of the defining feel-good tracks of the early 2020s.