Madonna - Spanish Eyes - Chord

Key C major – A minor Chords F, Am, C, Bb, Dm, G, G/B Easy key G (capo 5)

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Capo 0

Am  C  Dm  F  Bb  C  Dm  F  C  G  F  Am
 
    Bb                       F          Am     
I know for sure his heart is here with me
               Bb          F              C
Though I wish him back, I know he cannot see
G/B   Bb      F        Am
My hands trembling, I know he hears me sing

F         Bb    C         Dm
I light this candle and watch it throw
F              C
Tears on my pillow
               G                  F
And if there is a Christ, he'll come tonight
      Am
To pray for Spanish eyes
F         Bb  C            Dm
And if I     have nothing left to show but
 F            C
Tears on my pillow
               G                F
What kind of life is this if God exists
         Am
Then help me pray for Spanish eyes

Bb               F                Am
   He had to fight like all the rest
            Bb             F                  C
In the barrio all the streets are paved with fear
G/B  Bb             F           Am
I      don't understand at least he was a man

Am  F  Dm  G  

Am              F                        Dm      
    How many lives will they have to take
               G
How much heartache
Am             F                   Dm
    How many suns will they have to burn
            G
Spanish eyes
       Am                
When will they ever learn

Am  C  Dm  F  Bb  C  Dm  F  C  G  F  Am

           Bb        F                Am
You were not the Maravilla in our minds
          Bb                      F                C
We were proud to fight but we cannot win this blind
  G/B        Bb              F
Stand your guns against the wall
        Am
Who's next in line to fall

End of song Play again?

Madonna - Spanish Eyes Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Madonna – Spanish Eyes: key and chord analysis

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

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)

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 it both starts and finishes on Am and Am is heard 16 times against 13 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.

Seen from C major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	C	Tonic — home	C · E · G	13×
ii	Dm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · A	9×
iii	Em	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	E · G · B	—
V/vi	E	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	—
IV	F	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · A · C	24×
V	G	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	7×
V	G/B	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	3×
vi	Am	Relative minor — the melancholy side	A · C · E	16×
bVII	Bb	bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord	Bb · D · F	13×
vii°	Bdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	B · D · F	—

Seen from A minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Am	Tonic — home	A · C · E	16×
bII	Bb	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	Bb · D · F	13×
ii°	Bdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F	—
III	C	Relative major — the bright side	C · E · G	13×
iv	Dm	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F · A	9×
v	Em	Minor dominant — soft pull	E · G · B	—
V	E	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	E · G# · B	—
VI	F	Submediant — warm colour	F · A · C	24×
VII	G	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D	7×
VII	G/B	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D	3×

Analysis

The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 7 different chords appear 85 times in total; 6 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Bb is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

F Am CIV → vi AmVI → iVI → i ×10
F C CIV → Iplagal cadence AmVI → III ×7
Bb C CbVII → IbVII → I AmbII → III ×4
G Am CV → videceptive cadence AmVII → iAeolian arrival ×3
Dm G Cii → Vii → V Amiv → VII ×3

The move to watch is F → Am, heard 10 times. From the Am side it is VI → i (VI → i: falls a half step into home); from the C side it reads IV → vi. 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 Am, land on A, C, E — 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.
On Bb, follow the chord's notes (Bb · D · F) 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 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
2 semitones up

The song's harmonic story

The first chord is Am; the ear learns where home is within a second. The chords that keep coming back are F, Am, C, Bb; read them as IV–vi–I–bVII in C or VI–i–III–bII in Am. Bb briefly darkens the picture: bvii — borrowed (mixolydian / parallel minor). Keep an ear on F → Am (IV → vi in C, VI → i in Am): VI → i — falls a half step into home. Ending on Am, the song seals Am 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.