Major view
C major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = B (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = F (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Duncan Laurence - Arcade - Chord
Key C major – A minor Chords F, G, Em, Am, C, Dm, Fmaj7 Easy key G (capo 5)
No ratings yet
or your user informations
Make it yours
Text size
Key: C | Am
Capo: 0
F G Em F
Ooh ooh ooh, ooh ooh, ooh ooh
F G Em F
A broken heart is all that's left
G Em F
I'm still fixing all the cracks
G Em F
Lost a couple of pieces when
G Em F
I carried it, carried it, carried it home
G Em F
I'm afraid of all I am
G Em F
My mind feels like a foreign land
G Em F
Silence ringing inside my head
G Em F
Please, carry me, carry me, carry me home
F G
I spent all of the love I've saved
Am G
We were always a losing game
F G
Small-town boy in a big arcade
Dm
I got addicted to a losing game
Am G C F
Oooooh, ooooh
Am G
All I know, all I know
F
Loving you is a losing game
F G Em F
How many pennies in the slot?
F G Em F
Giving us up didn't take a lot
F G Em Fmaj7
I saw the end 'fore it begun
F G Em F
Still I carried, I carried, I carry on
Am G C F
Oooooh, ooooh
Am G
All I know, all I know
F
Loving you is a losing game
Am G C F
Oooooh, ooooh
Am G
All I know, all I know
F
Loving you is a losing game
Dm C G
I don't need your games, game over
C Em F
Get me off this rollercoaster
Am G C F
Oooooh, ooooh
Am G
All I know, all I know
F
Loving you is a losing game
F G Em F
Ooh ooh ooh, ooh ooh, ooh ooh
End of song Play again?
Duncan Laurence - Arcade Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Duncan Laurence – Arcade: key and chord analysis
The song opens on F and ends on F. Its chords belong to both C major and Am, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
A minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = F (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = G (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the A minor side because Am is heard 9 times against 6 for C. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from C 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 C or to Am; 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.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | C | Tonic — home | C · E · G | 6× |
| ii | Dm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | D · F · A | 2× |
| iii | Em | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | E · G · B | 15× |
| V/vi | E | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant | E · G# · B | — |
| IV | F | Subdominant — moves away from home | F · A · C | 31× |
| IVmaj7 | Fmaj7 | Subdominant — moves away from home | F · A · C · E | 1× |
| V | G | Dominant — strongest pull home | G · B · D | 26× |
| vi | Am | Relative minor — the melancholy side | A · C · E | 9× |
| vii° | Bdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | B · D · F | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Am | Tonic — home | A · C · E | 9× |
| ii° | Bdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F | — |
| III | C | Relative major — the bright side | C · E · G | 6× |
| iv | Dm | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F · A | 2× |
| v | Em | Minor dominant — soft pull | E · G · B | 15× |
| V | E | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | E · G# · B | — |
| VI | F | Submediant — warm colour | F · A · C | 31× |
| VImaj7 | Fmaj7 | Submediant — warm colour | F · A · C · E | 1× |
| VII | G | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | G · B · D | 26× |
Analysis
The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 7 different chords appear 90 times in total; 7 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Everything stays inside one scale, which is why the song is easy to follow by ear.
Chord movement
- F G CIV → VIV → V AmVI → VIIVI → VII ×16
- F Am CIV → vi AmVI → iVI → i ×7
- G C CV → Iauthentic cadence AmVII → III ×5
- G Am CV → videceptive cadence AmVII → iAeolian arrival ×1
- Dm Am Cii → vi Amiv → iminor plagal ×1
The move to watch is F → G, heard 16 times. From the Am side it is VI → VII (VI → VII: the rising step that heads for the tonic); from the C side it reads IV → V (IV → V: the lift that builds tension before home). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- C major pentatonic and A minor pentatonic are the same five notes (C – D – E – G – A): start from C for a brighter phrase, from A for a bluesier one.
- Over F, land on F, A, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over G, land on G, B, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Em, land on E, G, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
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 C major shapes
- No capo — open C shapes
- Capo 3 + A shapes
- Capo 5 + G shapes
With A minor shapes
- No capo — open Am shapes
- Capo 5 + Em shapes
- Capo 7 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The opening F lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The chords that keep coming back are F, G, Em, Am; read them as IV–V–iii–vi in C or VI–VII–v–i in Am. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on F → G (IV → V in C, VI → VII in Am): VI → VII — the rising step that heads for the tonic. Ending on F, the song seals C as home.
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.
Duncan Laurence - Arcade 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.
Find something to play next
Ready-made lists by difficulty and mood.
Report error for this content report.
All copyrights belong to their respective owners. If you think this content contains copyright infringement, please contact us.