Elvis Presley - Blue Suede Shoes - Chord

Key A major – F# minor Chords A, D, E, A7 Difficulty already in its easiest key

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Capo 0

           A
Well, it's one for the money,

Two for the show,

Three to get ready,
    A7
Now go, cat, go.
    D                               A
But don't you step on my blue suede shoes.
        E               D                        A
You can do anything but lay off of my Blue suede shoes.

              A
Well, you can knock me down,

Step in my face,

Slander my name

All over the place.

Do anything that you want to do, but uh-uh, 
       A7
Honey, lay off of my shoes
D                               A
Don't you step on my Blue suede shoes.
             E               D                        A
Well you can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes.

        A
You can burn my house,

Steal my car,

Drink my liquor 

From an old fruitjar.

Do anything that you want to do, but uh-uh, 
       A7
Honey, lay off of my shoes
D                               A
Don't you step on my Blue suede shoes.
             E               D                        A
Well you can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes.

            A
Well it's a blue blue blue suede shoes
A
Blue blue blue suede shoes
D
Blue blue blue suede shoes
A
Blue blue blue suede shoes
        E               D                        A
You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes.

End of song Play again?

Elvis Presley - Blue Suede Shoes Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Elvis Presley – Blue Suede Shoes: key and chord analysis

The song opens on A and ends on A. Its chords belong to both A major and F#m, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

A major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = G# (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = D (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

F# minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = D (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = E (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the A major side because it both starts and finishes on A and A is heard 16 times while F#m never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from F# minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to A or to F#m; 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 A major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	A	Tonic — home	A · C# · E	13×
V7/IV	A7	Secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Dsecondary dominant	A · C# · E · G	3×
ii	Bm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F#	—
iii	C#m	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	C# · E · G#	—
III	C#	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C# · E# · G#	—
IV	D	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F# · A	8×
V	E	Dominant — strongest pull home	E · G# · B	4×
vi	F#m	Relative minor — the melancholy side	F# · A · C#	—
vii°	G#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	G# · B · D	—

Seen from F# minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	F#m	Tonic — home	F# · A · C#	—
ii°	G#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G# · B · D	—
III	A	Relative major — the bright side	A · C# · E	13×
V7/VI	A7	Secondary dominant V/VI — leads to Dsecondary dominant	A · C# · E · G	3×
iv	Bm	Subdominant — moves away from home	B · D · F#	—
v	C#m	Minor dominant — soft pull	C# · E · G#	—
V	C#	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	C# · E# · G#	—
VI	D	Submediant — warm colour	D · F# · A	8×
VII	E	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	E · G# · B	4×

Analysis

The key pair is A major and its relative F# minor (3 sharps). 4 different chords appear 28 times in total; 3 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. A7 acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

D A AIV → Iplagal cadence F#mVI → III ×8
A7 D AV7/IV → IVsecondary resolution F#mV7/VI → VI ×3

The move to watch is D → A, heard 8 times. From the A side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the F#m side it is VI → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

A major pentatonic and F# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (A – B – C# – E – F#): start from A for a brighter phrase, from F# for a bluesier one.
Over A, land on A, C#, E — 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 E, 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 A major shapes

No capo — open A shapes
Capo 2 + G shapes
Capo 5 + E shapes

With F# minor shapes

Capo 2 + Em shapes
Capo 4 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

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

The song's harmonic story

The opening A lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The chords that keep coming back are A, D, E, A7; read them as I–IV–V–V7/IV in A or III–VI–VII–V7/VI in F#m. A7 adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/IV — leads to D. Keep an ear on D → A (IV → I in A, VI → III in F#m): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. It closes on A, letting the A 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.