Green Day - Boulevard Of Broken Dreams - Chord

Key Ab major – F minor Chords Fm, Ab, Eb, Db, Bb, G, D, A … Easy key G (capo 1)

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Capo 0

Fm        Ab               Eb            Bb             Fm
 I walk a lonely road, the only one that I have ever known
           Ab             Eb               Bb              Fm
Don't know where it goes, but it's home to me and I walk alone

Fm  Ab  Eb  Bb

Fm           Ab            Eb           Bb            Fm
 I walk this empty street, on the boulevard of broken dreams
          Ab               Eb            Bb              Fm
Where the city sleeps, and I'm the only one and I walk alone

Fm  G  D         A             Em
         I walk alone, I walk alone
Fm  G  D         A
         I walk alone, I walk a...
		 
Db    Ab           Eb             Fm
 My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
Db     Ab      Eb              Fm
 My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Db     Ab      Eb                Fm
 Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
Db      Ab     C7
 Till then I walk alone

Fm  Ab  Eb  Bb Fm  Ab  Eb  Bb
ahahaha

Fm           Ab
 I'm walking down the line
Eb              Bb              Fm
That divides me somewhere in my mind
       Ab          Eb
On the border line of the edge
    Bb             Fm
And where I walk alone

Fm  Ab  Eb  Bb

Fm      Ab
 Read between the lines
Eb                   Bb             Fm
What's fucked up and everything's alright
         Ab              Eb              Bb
Check my vital signs, to know I'm still alive
             Fm
And I walk alone

Fm  G  D         A             Em
         I walk alone, I walk alone
Fm  G  D         A
         I walk alone, I walk a...

Db    Ab           Eb             Fm
 My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
Db     Ab      Eb              Fm
 My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Db     Ab      Eb                Fm
 Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
Db      Ab     C7
 Till then I walk alone

Fm  Ab  Eb  Bb Fm  Ab  Eb  Bb
ahahaha

Db  Ab  Eb  Fm  Db  Ab  Eb  Fm
Db  Ab  Eb  Fm  Db  Ab  C

Fm          Ab            Eb          Bb              Fm
I walk this empty street, on the boulevard of broken dreams
           Ab              Eb             Bb
Where the city sleeps, and I'm the only one and I walk a...
 
Db      Ab           Eb             Fm
    My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
Db       Ab      Eb              Fm
    My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Db       Ab      Eb                Fm
    Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
Db        Ab     C
    Till then I walk alone

Fm  Db  Eb  Bb/D  Ab  E

End of song Play again?

Green Day - Boulevard Of Broken Dreams Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Green Day – Boulevard Of Broken Dreams: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Fm and ends on E. Its chords belong to both Ab major and Fm, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

Ab major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = G (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = Db (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

F minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Db (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = Eb (natural-minor colour)
#7 = E (harmonic-minor leading tone from the V chord)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the F minor side because it opens on Fm, Fm is heard 37 times against 33 for Ab and the major V chord points straight at Fm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Ab major, and switching between the two views is exactly where the practice value lies.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to Ab or to Fm; comparing both readings is a practice of its own.

Every chord of the key, listed 1 to 7 separately for each key. Chords played in the song show how often they appear; chords from outside the scale sit next to their own degree.

Seen from Ab major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Ab	Tonic — home	Ab · C · Eb	33×
bII	A	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	A · C# · E	4×
ii	Bbm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Bb · Db · F	—
V/V	Bb	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Ebsecondary dominant	Bb · D · F	16×
V/V	Bb/D	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Ebsecondary dominant	Bb · D · F	1×
iii	Cm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	C · Eb · G	—
V7/vi	C7	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Fmsecondary dominant	C · E · G · Bb	2×
V/vi	C	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Fmsecondary dominant	C · E · G	2×
IV	Db	Subdominant — moves away from home	Db · F · Ab	17×
#IV	D	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	D · F# · A	4×
V	Eb	Dominant — strongest pull home	Eb · G · Bb	29×
bvi	Em	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G · B	2×
bVI	E	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	E · G# · B	1×
vi	Fm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	F · Ab · C	37×
vii°	Gdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	G · Bb · Db	—
V/iii	G	Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Cmsecondary dominant	G · B · D	4×

Seen from F minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Fm	Tonic — home	F · Ab · C	37×
ii°	Gdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G · Bb · Db	—
V/v	G	Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Cmsecondary dominant	G · B · D	4×
III	Ab	Relative major — the bright side	Ab · C · Eb	33×
#III	A	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C# · E	4×
iv	Bbm	Subdominant — moves away from home	Bb · Db · F	—
IV	Bb	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	Bb · D · F	16×
IV	Bb/D	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	Bb · D · F	1×
v	Cm	Minor dominant — soft pull	C · Eb · G	—
V7	C7	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	C · E · G · Bb	2×
V	C	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	C · E · G	2×
VI	Db	Submediant — warm colour	Db · F · Ab	17×
#VI	D	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	D · F# · A	4×
VII	Eb	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Eb · G · Bb	29×
#vii	Em	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G · B	2×
#VII	E	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G# · B	1×

Analysis

The key pair is Ab major and its relative F minor (4 flats). 13 different chords appear 152 times in total; 4 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Fm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from Ab, the same C7 / C is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Fm. Bb, G, Bb/D act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. A, E are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

Db Ab AbIV → Iplagal cadence FmVI → III ×16
Eb Fm AbV → videceptive cadence FmVII → iAeolian arrival ×12
C7 Fm AbV7/vi → visecondary resolution FmV7 → iharmonic-minor cadence ×2
C Fm AbV/vi → vi FmV → iharmonic-minor cadence ×2
Db Eb AbIV → VIV → V FmVI → VIIVI → VII ×1

The move to watch is Db → Ab, heard 16 times. From the Fm side it is VI → III; from the Ab side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

Ab major pentatonic and F minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Ab – Bb – C – Eb – F): start from Ab for a brighter phrase, from F for a bluesier one.
Over Fm, land on F, Ab, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Ab, land on Ab, C, Eb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Eb, land on Eb, G, Bb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When C7 comes, swap the scale's Eb for E: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
On A, follow the chord's notes (A · C# · E) rather than the key's scale — it's a borrowed colour.

The song on the circle of fifths

Played in the song — chord of the key
Played — the minor's harmonic V or a secondary dominant
Played — borrowed or outside chord
Home region: IV–I–V and ii–vi–iii

Empty slices are chords the song doesn't use.

Capo and easier keys

With Ab major shapes

Capo 1 + G shapes
Capo 4 + E shapes
Capo 6 + D shapes

With F minor shapes

Capo 1 + Em shapes
Capo 3 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

1 semitone down · capo 1 keeps the original pitch
4 semitones up

The song's harmonic story

Starting on Fm, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. Fm, Ab, Eb, Db carry the song: vi–I–V–IV relative to Ab, i–III–VII–VI relative to Fm. G is the interesting twist: in Ab it is a chromatic chord (V/iii), while in Fm it becomes the dominant (V/v) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Db → Ab (IV → I in Ab, VI → III in Fm): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. The final chord is E; the ear comes to rest in Ab.

This analysis is generated from the song's chords by akorculuk's harmony engine using consistent rules. When you change key, the degrees stay the same; only the chord names change.

Green Day - Boulevard Of Broken Dreams Chords on Guitar, Ukulele and Piano

Hover over or tap a chord in the lyrics for its shapes, its degree in both keys and a listen button. Here you have every chord of the song side by side.

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