Sam Smith - Dancing With A Stranger - Chord

Key G major – E minor Chords C, D, Em, G Difficulty already in its easiest key

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Capo 0

C  D  Em  G
Hmm, mhm

                            C
I don't wanna be alone tonight 
            D                   Em
It's pretty clear that I'm not over you 
G                               C
I'm still thinking 'bout the things you do 
            D              Em                          G
So I don't want to be alone tonight, alone tonight, alone tonight
          C
Can you light the fire? 
           D              Em
I need somebody who can take control 
G                      C
I know exactly what I need to do
                D            Em                          G
'Cause I don't wanna be alone tonight, alone tonight, alone tonight

    C                                 D
Look what you made me do, I'm with somebody new
  Em                        G
Ooh, baby, baby, I'm dancing with a stranger
  C                                   D
Look what you made me do, I'm with somebody new
   Em                       G                C
Ooh, baby, baby, I'm dancing with a stranger
               D    Em  G
Dancing with a stranger

                               C
I wasn't even going out tonight 
              D              Em
But, boy, I need to get you off of my mind 
G                      C
I know exactly what I have to do
          D           Em                          G
I don't wanna be alone tonight, alone tonight, alone tonight

    C                                 D
Look what you made me do, I'm with somebody new
  Em                        G
Ooh, baby, baby, I'm dancing with a stranger
  C                                   D
Look what you made me do, I'm with somebody new
   Em                       G                C
Ooh, baby, baby, I'm dancing with a stranger
               D    Em
Dancing with a stranger
G                      C
Dancing with a stranger
D     Em     G
Dancing, yeah, ooh

    C                                       D
Look what you made me do,  I'm with somebody new
   Em                        G
Ooh, baby, baby, I'm dancing with a stranger
  C                                   D
Look what you made me do, I'm with somebody new
   Em                        G
Ooh, baby, baby, I'm dancing with a stranger
C                       D
I'm dancing, I'm dancing 
 Em                     G
I'm dancing, I'm dancing 
C                       D
I'm dancing, I'm dancing 
 Em                     G
I'm dancing, I'm dancing

End of song Play again?

Sam Smith - Dancing With A Stranger Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Sam Smith – Dancing With A Stranger: key and chord analysis

The song opens on C and ends on 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)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the G major side because it comes to rest on G. 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	18×
ii	Am	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · E	—
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	18×
V	D	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	18×
vi	Em	Relative minor — the melancholy side	E · G · B	18×
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×
ii°	F#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F# · A · C	—
III	G	Relative major — the bright side	G · B · D	18×
iv	Am	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C · E	—
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	18×
VII	D	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	18×

Analysis

The key pair is G major and its relative E minor (1 sharp). 4 different chords appear 72 times in total; 4 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Everything stays inside one scale, which is why the song is easy to follow by ear.

Chord movement

D Em GV → videceptive cadence EmVII → iAeolian arrival ×18
C D GIV → VIV → V EmVI → VIIVI → VII ×18

The move to watch is D → Em, heard 18 times. From the G side it reads V → vi (deceptive cadence: expected G, lands on Em); from the Em side it is VII → i (Aeolian arrival: rises a whole tone into home). 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 C, land on C, E, G — 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 Em, land on E, G, B — 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 first chord is C; the ear learns where home is within a second. The chords that keep coming back are C, D, Em, G; read them as IV–V–vi–I in G or VI–VII–i–III in Em. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on D → Em (V → vi in G, VII → i in Em): deceptive cadence — expected G, lands on Em. It closes on 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.