Madonna - American Pie - Chord

Key G major – E minor Chords G, D, C, Em, D/F#, Am, Em7, Am7 … Difficulty already in its easiest key

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Capo 0

  G      D/F#  Em7
A longg, longg time ago, 
Am            C                Em           D
I can still remember how that music used to make me smilee
    G      D/F# Em7
And I knew if I had my chance,
Am                 C                Em              C           D
I could make those people dance and maybe they'd be happy for a while

D   
4x

G                   Am                  C                 Am
Didd youu write the book of love and do you have faith in God above
Em           D              Dsus4 D  Dsus2 D
If the Bible tells you soooo
G            D/F#     Em7
Now do you believe in rock and roll
        Am7               C
and can music  save your  mortal soul and
Em                Am7           D         Dsus4   D
Can you teach me  how to dance  reall slowwwwww
Em                          D
Well, I know that you're in love with him,
        Em              D
Cause I saw you dancing in the gym, 
    C           G           Am7
You both kicked off your shoes, 
      C                    D7
Man I dig those rhythm and bluesss.
        G      D/F#    Em7
I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck with a
Am                    C
Pink carnation and a pick up truck,
       G         D/F#    Em7               C         D7       G     C    G
But I  knew that III was outt of luck  the dayy, the muuusic, diedd.
            D7
I started singing,

G       C           G        D
Byeee   Byeee, Miss American Pie, 
         G            C             G         D
Drove my chevy to the levee but the levee was dry,
     G         C                  G           D
Them good ole' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye, singin'
Em                        A7     Em                            D
This'll be the day that I dieeee, This'll be the day that I dieeee.

D  D/C  D/B

G                 Am                    C                  Am
 I met a girl who sang the blues and I  asked her for some happy newsss, 
    Em                  D            Dsus4 D  Dsus2 D
But she just smiled and turned awayyy
       G         D/F#    Em
Well I went down to the sacred store
          Am7              C                     Em         Am7
Where I'd heard the music  years before, but the man there  said the music
         D     Dsus4   D
wouldn't playyyy
         Em                 D
Well now in the streets the children screamed,
Em                       D
the lovers cried and the poets dreamed
    C     G        Am            C                     D
But not a word was spokennn, the church bells all were brokennnnn
        G         D/F#  Em             Am7                      C
And the three men III admire the most, the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost
G               D/F#        Em7                 C          D7        G     C    G
They caught the lastt train for the coastt  the dayyy, the muuuusic, dieddd.
                D7
They started singing,

G       C           G        D
Byeee   Byeee, Miss American Pie, 
         G            C             G         D
Drove my chevy to the levee but the levee was dry,
     G         C                  G           D
Them good ole' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye, singin'
Em                        A7     Em                          D
This'll be the day that I dieeee, This'll be the day that I diee.

G       C           G        D
Byeee   Byeee, Miss American Pie, 
         G            C             G         D
Drove my chevy to the levee but the levee was dry,
     G         C                  G           D
Them good ole' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye, singin'
Em                        A7     Em                           D
This'll be the day that I dieeee, This'll be the day that I diee.
D    D/C  D/B
             We started singingggg
D    D/C  D/B
             We started singingggg

End of song Play again?

Madonna - American Pie Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Madonna – American Pie: key and chord analysis

The song opens on G and ends on D/B. 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)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the G major side because it opens on G and G is heard 34 times against 24 for Em. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from E minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

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	34×
ii	Am	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · E	8×
ii7	Am7	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · E · G	6×
V7/V	A7	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Dsecondary dominant	A · C# · E · G	3×
iii	Bm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	B · D · F#	—
V/vi	B	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	—
IV	C	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · E · G	26×
V	D	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	33×
V	D/F#	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	8×
V7	D7	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A · C	5×
Vsus4	Dsus4	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · G · A	4×
V	D/C	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	3×
V	D/B	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	3×
Vsus2	Dsus2	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · E · A	2×
vi	Em	Relative minor — the melancholy side	E · G · B	18×
vi7	Em7	Relative minor — the melancholy side	E · G · B · D	6×
vii°	F#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	F# · A · C	—

Seen from E minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Em	Tonic — home	E · G · B	18×
i7	Em7	Tonic — home	E · G · B · D	6×
ii°	F#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F# · A · C	—
III	G	Relative major — the bright side	G · B · D	34×
iv	Am	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C · E	8×
iv7	Am7	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C · E · G	6×
IV7	A7	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	A · C# · E · G	3×
v	Bm	Minor dominant — soft pull	B · D · F#	—
V	B	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	B · D# · F#	—
VI	C	Submediant — warm colour	C · E · G	26×
VII	D	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	33×
VII	D/F#	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	8×
VII7	D7	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A · C	5×
VIIsus4	Dsus4	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · G · A	4×
VII	D/C	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	3×
VII	D/B	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	3×
VIIsus2	Dsus2	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · E · A	2×

Analysis

The key pair is G major and its relative E minor (1 sharp). 14 different chords appear 159 times in total; 13 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. A7 acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

C G GIV → Iplagal cadence EmVI → III ×15
D G GV → Iauthentic cadence EmVII → III ×12
D Em GV → videceptive cadence EmVII → iAeolian arrival ×7
D/F# Em7 GV → vi7deceptive cadence EmVII → i7Aeolian arrival ×6
D7 G GV7 → Iauthentic cadence EmVII7 → III ×5
C Em GIV → vi EmVI → iVI → i ×4

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 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 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

The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.

The song's harmonic story

The opening G lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The backbone is G, D, C, Em — I–V–IV–vi from the G side, III–VII–VI–i from the Em side. A7 adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/V — leads to D. Keep an ear on C → G (IV → I in G, VI → III in Em): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. Ending on D/B, the song seals G 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.