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)
Arctic Monkeys - 505 - Chord
Key C major – A minor Chords Dm, Em Difficulty already in its easiest key
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Key: C | Am
Capo: 0
Dm Em Dm Em
Dm Em
I'm going back to 505 If it's a 7 hour flight
Dm
Or a forty-five minute drive
Em Dm
In my imagination you're waiting lying on your side
Em Dm Em
With your hands between your thighs
Dm Em
Stop and wait a sec when you look at me like that
Dm Em
My darling what did you expect? I probably still adore you
Dm Em
With your hands around my neck or I did last time I checked
Dm Em
Dm
I'm not shy of a spark
Em Dm
The knife twists at the thought that I should fall short of the mark
Em Dm
Frightened by the bite no it's no harsher than the bark
Em Dm Em
A middle of adventure, such a perfect place to start
Dm Em
I'm going back to 505 If it's a 7 hour flight
Dm
Or a forty-five minute drive
Em Dm
In my imagination you're waiting lying on your side
Em Dm Em
With your hands between your thighs
Dm Em Dm Em
Dm
But I crumble completely when you cry
Em Dm
It seems like once again you've had to greet me with goodbye
Em Dm
I'm always just about to go and spoil the surprise
Em Dm Em
Take my hands off of your eyes too soon
Dm Em
I'm going back to 505 If it's a 7 hour flight
Dm Em Dm
Or a 45 minute drive In my imagination you're waiting lying on your side
Em Dm Em
With your hands between your thighs and a smile
Dm Em Dm Em
Dm Em Dm Em
End of song Play again?
Arctic Monkeys - 505 Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Arctic Monkeys – 505: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Dm and ends on Em. 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: we can't honestly pick a side here — the song moves freely between C major and A minor. Try reading the chords both ways and see which feels more like home to you.
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 | — |
| ii | Dm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | D · F · A | 32× |
| iii | Em | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | E · G · B | 32× |
| III | E | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | E · G# · B | — |
| IV | F | Subdominant — moves away from home | F · A · C | — |
| V | G | Dominant — strongest pull home | G · B · D | — |
| vi | Am | Relative minor — the melancholy side | A · C · E | — |
| vii° | Bdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | B · D · F | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Am | Tonic — home | A · C · E | — |
| ii° | Bdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F | — |
| III | C | Relative major — the bright side | C · E · G | — |
| iv | Dm | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F · A | 32× |
| v | Em | Minor dominant — soft pull | E · G · B | 32× |
| V | E | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | E · G# · B | — |
| VI | F | Submediant — warm colour | F · A · C | — |
| VII | G | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | G · B · D | — |
Analysis
The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 2 different chords appear 64 times in total; 2 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
There's no textbook cadence here; the chords circle around each other in a loop, so the song feels more like a groove than a series of arrivals.
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 Dm, land on D, F, A — 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
The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is Dm; the ear learns where home is within a second. Dm, Em carry the song: ii–iii relative to C, iv–v relative to Am. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. It closes on Em, letting the C side have the last word.
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.
Arctic Monkeys - 505 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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