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)
Elton John - Bennie And The Jets - Chord
Key G major – E minor Chords Am, G, D, C, Em, F, G#, Bm … Difficulty already in its easiest key
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Key: G | Em
Capo: 0
G F
Am D
Hey kids, shake it loose together
G
The spotlight's hitting something
G#
That's been known to change the weather
Am D
we'll kill the fatted calf tonight
Em
So stick around
Am Bm
You're gonna hear electric music
C
Solid Walls of sound
G
Say, Candy and Ronnie, have you seen them yet
Am C
But they're so spaced out, Bennie and the Jets
G
But they're weird an they're wonderful
Am
Oh, Beannie she's really keen
C D
She's got electrice [eletric] boots a mohair suit
Em Em/D
You know I read it in a magazine
C G F
Oh! Bennie and the Jets
Am D
Hey kids, plug into the faithless
G
Maybe they're blinded
G#
But Bennie makes them ageless
Am D Em
We shall survive, let us take ourselves along
Am Bm
Where we fight our parents out in the streets
C
To find who's right and who's wrong
End of song Play again?
Elton John - Bennie And The Jets Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Elton John – Bennie And The Jets: key and chord analysis
The song opens on G and ends on C. Its chords belong to both G major and Em, so every chord below is read both ways.
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 6 times against 4 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.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | G | Tonic — home | G · B · D | 6× |
| bII | G# | Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord | G# · B# · D# | 2× |
| ii | Am | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | A · C · E | 8× |
| iii | Bm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | B · D · F# | 2× |
| V/vi | B | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Emsecondary dominant | B · D# · F# | — |
| IV | C | Subdominant — moves away from home | C · E · G | 5× |
| V | D | Dominant — strongest pull home | D · F# · A | 5× |
| vi | Em | Relative minor — the melancholy side | E · G · B | 3× |
| vi | Em/D | Relative minor — the melancholy side | E · G · B | 1× |
| bVII | F | bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord | F · A · C | 2× |
| vii° | F#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | F# · A · C | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Em | Tonic — home | E · G · B | 3× |
| i | Em/D | Tonic — home | E · G · B | 1× |
| bII | F | Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord | F · A · C | 2× |
| ii° | F#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | F# · A · C | — |
| III | G | Relative major — the bright side | G · B · D | 6× |
| #III | G# | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | G# · B# · D# | 2× |
| iv | Am | Subdominant — moves away from home | A · C · E | 8× |
| v | Bm | Minor dominant — soft pull | B · D · F# | 2× |
| V | B | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | B · D# · F# | — |
| VI | C | Submediant — warm colour | C · E · G | 5× |
| VII | D | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | D · F# · A | 5× |
Analysis
The key pair is G major and its relative E minor (1 sharp). 9 different chords appear 34 times in total; 7 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. F, G# are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
Chord movement
- Am D Gii → Vii → V Emiv → VII ×4
- D Em GV → videceptive cadence EmVII → iAeolian arrival ×3
- C G GIV → Iplagal cadence EmVI → III ×3
- D G GV → Iauthentic cadence EmVII → III ×2
- C D GIV → VIV → V EmVI → VIIVI → VII ×1
The move to watch is Am → D, heard 4 times. From the G side it reads ii → V (ii → V: the classic preparation of the dominant); from the Em side it is iv → VII. 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 Am, land on A, C, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- 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.
- On F, follow the chord's notes (F · A · C) 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 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. Am, G, D, C carry the song: ii–I–V–IV relative to G, iv–III–VII–VI relative to Em. F briefly darkens the picture: bvii — borrowed (mixolydian / parallel minor). Keep an ear on Am → D (ii → V in G, iv → VII in Em): ii → V — the classic preparation of the dominant. The final chord is C; the ear comes to rest in G.
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.
Elton John - Bennie And The Jets Chords on Guitar, Ukulele and Piano
Hover over or tap a chord in the lyrics for its shapes, its degree in both keys and a listen button. Here you have every chord of the song side by side.
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