Madonna - Don't Cry For Me, Argentina - Chord

Key C major – A minor Chords G, D, C, A, F, G7, Am, D7 … Easy key G (capo 5)

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Capo 0

C
  It won`t be easy
                   F
You`ll think it strange
                              G
When  I try to explain how I feel
         G7                       C
That I still need your love after all

That I`ve done
             Am
You won`t believe me, all you will see is
      D
The girl you once knew
    D7                            G
Although she`s dressed up to the nines
    D                     G  G7
At sixes and sevens with you
C
  I had to let it happen
           F
I had to change
                                   G
Couldn`t stay all my life down at heel
         G7
Looking out of the window
         C
Staying out of the sun
             Am
So I chose freedom, running around
         D
Trying everything new
     D7                      G    
But nothing impressed me at all
    D                G
I never expected it to

 C
Don`t cry for me, Argentina

The truth is I  never left you
                G
All through my wild days
         Am
My mad existence
            G
I kept my promise
                 F
Don`t keep your distance

C                                 F
  And as for fortune and as for fame
                      G
I never invited them in
           G7
Though it seemed to the world they were
 C
All I desired
            Am
They are illusions, they`re not the
                 D
Solutions they promised to be
     D7                        G
The answers were here all the time
   D                         G
I love you and hope you love me
 C                           
Don`t cry for me, Argentina

 D
Don`t cry for me, Argentina

The truth is I never left you
                A
All through my wild days
         Bm
My mad existence
            A
I kept my promise
                 G
Don`t keep your distance

D
  Have I said too much

There's nothing more
                     A
I can think of to say to you
Bm
   But all you have to do is look at me
                    A   A7   D
To know that every word is true

D  A  Bm  A  G

End of song Play again?

Madonna - Don't Cry For Me, Argentina Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Madonna – Don't Cry For Me, Argentina: key and chord analysis

The song opens on C and ends on G. 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 C major side because it opens on C and C is heard 8 times against 4 for Am. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from A minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

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	8×
ii	Dm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · A	—
V/V	D	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Gsecondary dominant	D · F# · A	10×
V7/V	D7	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Gsecondary dominant	D · F# · A · C	3×
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	4×
V	G	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	13×
V7	G7	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D · F	4×
vi	Am	Relative minor — the melancholy side	A · C · E	4×
V/ii	A	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Dmsecondary dominant	A · C# · E	6×
V7/ii	A7	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Dmsecondary dominant	A · C# · E · G	1×
vii°	Bdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	B · D · F	—
vii	Bm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D · F#	3×

Seen from A minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Am	Tonic — home	A · C · E	4×
V/iv	A	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Dmsecondary dominant	A · C# · E	6×
V7/iv	A7	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Dmsecondary dominant	A · C# · E · G	1×
ii°	Bdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F	—
ii	Bm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D · F#	3×
III	C	Relative major — the bright side	C · E · G	8×
iv	Dm	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F · A	—
IV	D	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	D · F# · A	10×
IV7	D7	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	D · F# · A · C	3×
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	4×
VII	G	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D	13×
VII7	G7	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D · F	4×

Analysis

The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 10 different chords appear 56 times in total; 5 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. D, A, D7, A7 act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

G7 C CV7 → Iauthentic cadence AmVII7 → III ×4
F G CIV → VIV → V AmVI → VIIVI → VII ×3
D7 G CV7/V → Vsecondary resolution AmIV7 → VII ×3
G C CV → Iauthentic cadence AmVII → III ×2
G Am CV → videceptive cadence AmVII → iAeolian arrival ×1
F C CIV → Iplagal cadence AmVI → III ×1

The move to watch is G7 → C, heard 4 times. From the C side it reads V7 → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home); from the Am side it is VII7 → III. 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 G, land on G, B, D — 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.

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 C lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The chords that keep coming back are G, D, C, A; read them as V–V/V–I–V/ii in C or VII–IV–III–V/iv in Am. D adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/V — leads to G. Keep an ear on G7 → C (V7 → I in C, VII7 → III in Am): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. The final chord is G; the ear comes to rest in C.

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.