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)
Green Day - Wake Me Up When September - Chord
Key G major – E minor Chords G, C, Em, D/F#, D, Cm, Bm Difficulty already in its easiest key
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Key: G | Em
Capo: 0
G G G G
G D/F#
Summer has come and passed
Em D
The innocent can never last
C Cm G
Wake me up when September ends
G D/F#
Like my father's come to pass
Em D
Seven years has gone so fast
C Cm G
Wake me up when September ends
G D/F#
Em Bm
Here comes the rain again
C G D/F#
Falling from the stars
Em Bm
Drenched in my pain again
C D
Becoming who we are
G D/F#
As my memory rests
Em D
But never forgets what I lost
C Cm G
Wake me up when September ends
G D/F#
Summer has come and passed
Em G
The innocent can never last
C Cm G
Wake me up when September ends
G D/F#
Ring out the bells again
Em D
Like we did when spring began
C Cm G
Wake me up when September ends
Em Bm
Here comes the rain again
C G D/F#
Falling from the stars
Em Bm
Drenched in my pain again
C D
Becoming who we are
G D/F#
As my memory rests
Em D
But never forgets what I lost
C Cm G
Wake me up when September ends
Em Bm C G D/F#
Em Bm C D
G
G D/F#
Summer has come and passed
Em D
The innocent can never last
C Cm G
Wake me up when September ends
G D/F#
Like my father's come to pass
Em D
Twenty years has gone so fast
C Cm G
Wake me up when September ends
C Cm G
Wake me up when September ends
C Cm G
Wake me up when September ends
End of song Play again?
Green Day - Wake Me Up When September Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Green Day – Wake Me Up When September: key and chord analysis
The song opens on G and ends on G. 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 both starts and finishes on G and G is heard 28 times against 14 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 | 28× |
| ii | Am | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | A · C · E | — |
| iii | Bm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | B · D · F# | 6× |
| V/vi | B | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Emsecondary dominant | B · D# · F# | — |
| IV | C | Subdominant — moves away from home | C · E · G | 16× |
| iv | Cm | Minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord | C · Eb · G | 10× |
| V | D/F# | Dominant — strongest pull home | D · F# · A | 12× |
| V | D | Dominant — strongest pull home | D · F# · A | 10× |
| vi | Em | Relative minor — the melancholy side | E · G · B | 14× |
| vii° | F#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | F# · A · C | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Em | Tonic — home | E · G · B | 14× |
| ii° | F#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | F# · A · C | — |
| III | G | Relative major — the bright side | G · B · D | 28× |
| iv | Am | Subdominant — moves away from home | A · C · E | — |
| v | Bm | Minor dominant — soft pull | B · D · F# | 6× |
| V | B | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | B · D# · F# | — |
| VI | C | Submediant — warm colour | C · E · G | 16× |
| vi | Cm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C · Eb · G | 10× |
| VII | D/F# | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | D · F# · A | 12× |
| VII | D | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | D · F# · A | 10× |
Analysis
The key pair is G major and its relative E minor (1 sharp). 7 different chords appear 96 times in total; 6 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Cm is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
Chord movement
- D/F# Em GV → videceptive cadence EmVII → iAeolian arrival ×12
- Cm G Giv → Iminor plagal Emvi → III ×10
- D G GV → Iauthentic cadence EmVII → III ×3
- C G GIV → Iplagal cadence EmVI → III ×3
- C D GIV → VIV → V EmVI → VIIVI → VII ×3
The move to watch is D/F# → Em, heard 12 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 G, land on G, B, D — 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.
- Over Em, land on E, G, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- On Cm, follow the chord's notes (C · Eb · G) 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
Starting on G, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is G, C, Em, D/F# — I–IV–vi–V from the G side, III–VI–i–VII from the Em side. Cm briefly darkens the picture: minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minor. Keep an ear on D/F# → Em (V → vi in G, VII → i in Em): deceptive cadence — expected G, lands on Em. Ending on G, 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.
Green Day - Wake Me Up When September 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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