Madonna - Borderline - Chord

Key G major – E minor Chords A, D, C, G, Bm, Em, D/F#, A4 … Easy key C (capo 7)

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Capo 0

B/C#  Gb/A#  Bm 
A  E/G#  Em 
D/F#  A4  A
D  C  G
x4

D                        C        G            D  C  G
Something in the way you love me won't let me be
         D                           C              G       D  C  G
I don't want to be your prisoner so baby won't you set me free
       D                    C                G
Stop playing with my heart Finish what you start
D                           C   G
When you make my love come down
        D                   C            G
If you want me let me know Baby let it show
D
Honey don't you fool around

Bm     B7/D#       Em         A/C#        D/F#
Just try to understand, I've given all I can,
           Gmaj7              A4  A
'Cause you got the best of me

A/C#       Gb/A#                Bm       A       E/G#
Borderline      feels like I'm going to lose my mind
          Em              D/F#             D/A    A  A4  A
You just keep on pushing my love over the borderline
A/C#       Gb/A#                Bm       A       E/G#
Borderline      feels like I'm going to lose my mind
          Em              D/F#             D/A    A  A4  A
You just keep on pushing my love over the borderline

D                          C             G       D  C  G
Something in your eyes is makin' such a fool of me
          D                        C              G          D  C  G
When you hold me in your arms you love me till I just can't see
      D                    C            G      D                         C  G
But then you let me down, when I look around, baby you just can't be found
       D              C              G
Stop driving me away, I just wanna stay,
  D
There's something I just got to say

Bm     B7/D#       Em         B/C#        D/F#
Just try to understand, I've given all I can,
           Gmaj7              A4  A
'Cause you got the best of me

A/C#       Gb/A#                Bm       A       E/G#
Borderline      feels like I'm going to lose my mind
          Em              D/F#             D/A    A  A4  A
You just keep on pushing my love over the borderline
A/C#       Gb/A#                Bm       A       E/G#
Borderline      feels like I'm going to lose my mind
          Em              D/F#             D/A    A  A4  A
You just keep on pushing my love over the borderline

A/C#            Gb/A#              Bm    A          E/G#
Keep pushing me,  keep pushing me, keep pushing my love
Em         D/F#             D/A    A  A4  A
C'mon baby, c'mon darling, yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

A/C#            Gb/A#       Bm    A          E/G#
Lalalalalalalalalalalalallalalalalalalalalalala

End of song Play again?

Madonna - Borderline Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Madonna – Borderline: key and chord analysis

The song opens on B/C# and ends on E/G#. Its chords belong to both G major and Em, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

G major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = F# (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = C (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

E minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

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

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: we can't honestly pick a side here — the song moves freely between G major and E minor because G is heard 17 times against 8 for Em and the major V chord points straight at Em. 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 G or to Em; 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 G major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	G	Tonic — home	G · B · D	15×
Imaj7	Gmaj7	Tonic — home	G · B · D · F#	2×
ii	Am	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · E	—
V/V	A	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Dsecondary dominant	A · C# · E	20×
V/V	A4	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Dsecondary dominant	A · C# · E	8×
V/V	A/C#	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Dsecondary dominant	A · C# · E	7×
iii	Bm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	B · D · F#	9×
V/vi	B/C#	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	2×
V7/vi	B7/D#	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F# · A	2×
IV	C	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · E · G	15×
V	D	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	17×
V	D/F#	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	8×
V	D/A	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	5×
vi	Em	Relative minor — the melancholy side	E · G · B	8×
V/ii	E/G#	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	7×
vii°	F#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	F# · A · C	—
V/iii	Gb/A#	Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Bmsecondary dominant	Gb · Bb · Db	7×

Seen from E minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Em	Tonic — home	E · G · B	8×
V/iv	E/G#	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	7×
ii°	F#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F# · A · C	—
V/v	Gb/A#	Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Bmsecondary dominant	Gb · Bb · Db	7×
III	G	Relative major — the bright side	G · B · D	15×
IIImaj7	Gmaj7	Relative major — the bright side	G · B · D · F#	2×
iv	Am	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C · E	—
IV	A	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	A · C# · E	20×
IV	A4	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	A · C# · E	8×
IV	A/C#	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	A · C# · E	7×
v	Bm	Minor dominant — soft pull	B · D · F#	9×
V	B/C#	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	B · D# · F#	2×
V7	B7/D#	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	B · D# · F# · A	2×
VI	C	Submediant — warm colour	C · E · G	15×
VII	D	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	17×
VII	D/F#	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	8×
VII	D/A	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	5×

Analysis

The key pair is G major and its relative E minor (1 sharp). 15 different chords appear 132 times in total; 8 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Em brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from G, the same B/C# / B7/D# is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Em. A, A4, Gb/A#, E/G#, A/C# act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

C G GIV → Iplagal cadence EmVI → III ×15
B7/D# Em GV7/vi → visecondary resolution EmV7 → iharmonic-minor cadence ×2
D/F# Gmaj7 GV → Imaj7authentic cadence EmVII → IIImaj7 ×2

The move to watch is C → G, heard 15 times. From the G side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the Em side it is VI → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

G major pentatonic and E minor pentatonic are the same five notes (G – A – B – D – E): start from G for a brighter phrase, from E for a bluesier one.
Over A, land on A, C#, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over D, land on D, F#, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over C, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When B/C# comes, swap the scale's D for D#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.

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 G major shapes

No capo — open G shapes
Capo 3 + E shapes
Capo 5 + D shapes

With E minor shapes

No capo — open Em shapes
Capo 2 + Dm shapes
Capo 7 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

5 semitones up · capo 7 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

Starting on B/C#, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. A, D, C, G carry the song: V/V–V–IV–I relative to G, IV–VII–VI–III relative to Em. Gb/A# is the interesting twist: in G it is a chromatic chord (V/iii), while in Em it becomes the dominant (V/v) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on C → G (IV → I in G, VI → III in Em): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. It closes on E/G#, letting the G 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.