Major view
F major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = E (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Bb (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Michael Jackson - I'll Be There - Chord
Key F major – D minor Chords F, Bb, C/E, Dm7, F/C, C7sus, Am, Am7 … Easy key C (capo 5)
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Key: F | Dm
Capo: 0
F C/E
You and I must make a pact
Dm7 F/C Am
We must bring salvation back
Bb C7sus
where there is love
F
I'll be there
F C/E
I'll reach out my hand to you
Dm7 F/C Am
I'll have faith in all you do
Bb C7sus
just call my name
F Gm F/A
And I'll be there
Ab Eb
And oh I'll be there to comfort you,
Bb
build my world of dreams around you
F
I'm so glad I that I found you
Ab Eb
I'll be there with a love thats strong
Bb
I'll be your strength
F Fsus
I'll keep holding on
yes i will,yes i will
F C/E
Let me fill yout heart with joy and laughter
Dm7 F/C Am
Togetherness, well that's all I'm after
Bb C7sus F
Whenever you need me, I'll be there
F C/E
I'll be there to protect you
Dm7 F/C Am
With an unselfish love I respect you
Bb C7sus F
Just call my name and I'll be there
F C/E
If you should ever find someone new
Dm7 F/C Am Bb
I know he'd better be good to you
C7sus
Cause if he doesn't
F
I'll be there
Don't you know, baby, yeah yeah
F C/E Dm7 F/C Am7 Bb
I'll be there, I'll be there
C7sus
Just call my name
F
I'll be there
C/E
I'll be there
Dm7 F/C Am7
I'll be there
Bb C7sus
Whenever you need me
F
I'll be there
Don't you know, baby, yeah yeah
F C/E
I'll be there
Dm7 F/C Am7
I'll be there
Bb C7sus F
Just call my name and I'll be there
End of song Play again?
Michael Jackson - I'll Be There Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Michael Jackson – I'll Be There: key and chord analysis
The song opens on F and ends on F. Its chords belong to both F major and Dm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
D minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Bb (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = C (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the F major side because it both starts and finishes on F and F is heard 27 times against 8 for Dm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from D minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to F or to Dm; 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 | F | Tonic — home | F · A · C | 17× |
| I | F/C | Tonic — home | F · A · C | 8× |
| I | F/A | Tonic — home | F · A · C | 1× |
| Isus4 | Fsus | Tonic — home | F · Bb · C | 1× |
| ii | Gm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G · Bb · D | 1× |
| bIII | Ab | Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord | Ab · C · Eb | 2× |
| iii | Am | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | A · C · E | 5× |
| iii7 | Am7 | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | A · C · E · G | 3× |
| V/vi | A | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dmsecondary dominant | A · C# · E | — |
| IV | Bb | Subdominant — moves away from home | Bb · D · F | 10× |
| V | C/E | Dominant — strongest pull home | C · E · G | 8× |
| V7sus4 | C7sus | Dominant — strongest pull home | C · F · G · Bb | 8× |
| vi7 | Dm7 | Relative minor — the melancholy side | D · F · A · C | 8× |
| bVII | Eb | bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord | Eb · G · Bb | 2× |
| vii° | Edim | Leading-tone chord — tension | E · G · Bb | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i7 | Dm7 | Tonic — home | D · F · A · C | 8× |
| bII | Eb | Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord | Eb · G · Bb | 2× |
| ii° | Edim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | E · G · Bb | — |
| III | F | Relative major — the bright side | F · A · C | 17× |
| III | F/C | Relative major — the bright side | F · A · C | 8× |
| III | F/A | Relative major — the bright side | F · A · C | 1× |
| IIIsus4 | Fsus | Relative major — the bright side | F · Bb · C | 1× |
| iv | Gm | Subdominant — moves away from home | G · Bb · D | 1× |
| #IV | Ab | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Ab · C · Eb | 2× |
| v | Am | Minor dominant — soft pull | A · C · E | 5× |
| v7 | Am7 | Minor dominant — soft pull | A · C · E · G | 3× |
| V | A | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | A · C# · E | — |
| VI | Bb | Submediant — warm colour | Bb · D · F | 10× |
| VII | C/E | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | C · E · G | 8× |
| VII7sus4 | C7sus | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | C · F · G · Bb | 8× |
Analysis
The key pair is F major and its relative D minor (1 flat). 13 different chords appear 74 times in total; 11 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Ab, Eb are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
Chord movement
- C7sus F FV7sus4 → Iauthentic cadence DmVII7sus4 → III ×8
- C/E Dm7 FV → vi7deceptive cadence DmVII → i7Aeolian arrival ×8
- Bb C7sus FIV → V7sus4IV → V DmVI → VII7sus4VI → VII ×8
- Bb F FIV → Iplagal cadence DmVI → III ×2
The move to watch is C7sus → F, heard 8 times. From the F side it reads V7sus4 → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home); from the Dm side it is VII7sus4 → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- F major pentatonic and D minor pentatonic are the same five notes (F – G – A – C – D): start from F for a brighter phrase, from D for a bluesier one.
- Over F, land on F, A, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Bb, land on Bb, D, F — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over C/E, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- On Ab, follow the chord's notes (Ab · C · Eb) 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 F major shapes
- Capo 1 + E shapes
- Capo 3 + D shapes
- Capo 5 + C shapes
With D minor shapes
- No capo — open Dm shapes
- Capo 5 + Am shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch
- 2 semitones up
The song's harmonic story
Starting on F, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is F, Bb, C/E, Dm7 — I–IV–V–vi7 from the F side, III–VI–VII–i7 from the Dm side. Ab briefly darkens the picture: borrowed from the parallel minor. Keep an ear on C7sus → F (V7sus4 → I in F, VII7sus4 → III in Dm): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. The final chord is F; the ear comes to rest in F.
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.
Michael Jackson - I'll Be There 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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