The sensitive female chord progression, named by Boston Globe Columnist Marc Hirsh, is the chord progression vi-IV-I-V in a major key. In the key of C major, this would be Am-F-C-G.
Hirsh first noticed the chord progression in the song One of Us by Joan Osborne. He then began to notice the chord progression in many other songs. He named the progression because he claimed it was used by many members of the Lilith Fair in the late 1990s.
Another common progression that is related to the "sensitive female chord progression" is I-V-vi-IV, used in songs as early as The Beatles' Let It Be, as well as Green Day's When I Come Around, Bush's Glycerin, Blink 182's What's My Age Again?, Red Hot Chili Peppers' Otherside and many others. (Courtesy of Wikipedia)
