Major view
D major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = C# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = G (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Steppenwolf - Born To Be Wild - Chord
Key D major – B minor Chords E, G, A, D Difficulty already in its easiest key
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Key: D | Bm
Capo: 0
E
Get your motor runnin'
Head out on the highway
Lookin' for adventure
In whatever comes our way
G A E
Yeah, darlin' gonna make it happen
G A E
Take the world in a love embrace
G A E
Fire all of your guns at once and
G A E
Ex-plode into space
I like smoke and lightnin'
Heavy metal thunder
Racin' with the wind
And the feelin' that I'm under
E
Like a true nature's child
G
We were born, born to be wild
A
We can climb so high
G E
I never wanna die
E D E D
Born to be wild
E D E D
Born to be wild
End of song Play again?
Steppenwolf - Born To Be Wild Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Steppenwolf – Born To Be Wild: key and chord analysis
The song opens on E and ends on D. Its chords belong to both D major and Bm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
B minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = G (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = A (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the D major side because it comes to rest on D and D is heard 4 times while Bm never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from B minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to D or to Bm; 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 | D | Tonic — home | D · F# · A | 4× |
| ii | Em | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | E · G · B | — |
| V/V | E | Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Asecondary dominant | E · G# · B | 11× |
| iii | F#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | F# · A · C# | — |
| III | F# | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | F# · A# · C# | — |
| IV | G | Subdominant — moves away from home | G · B · D | 6× |
| V | A | Dominant — strongest pull home | A · C# · E | 5× |
| vi | Bm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | B · D · F# | — |
| vii° | C#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | C# · E · G | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Bm | Tonic — home | B · D · F# | — |
| ii° | C#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | C# · E · G | — |
| III | D | Relative major — the bright side | D · F# · A | 4× |
| iv | Em | Subdominant — moves away from home | E · G · B | — |
| IV | E | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | E · G# · B | 11× |
| v | F#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | F# · A · C# | — |
| V | F# | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | F# · A# · C# | — |
| VI | G | Submediant — warm colour | G · B · D | 6× |
| VII | A | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | A · C# · E | 5× |
Analysis
The key pair is D major and its relative B minor (2 sharps). 4 different chords appear 26 times in total; 3 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. E acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.
Chord movement
- G A DIV → VIV → V BmVI → VIIVI → VII ×5
The move to watch is G → A, heard 5 times. From the D side it reads IV → V (IV → V: the lift that builds tension before home); from the Bm side it is VI → VII (VI → VII: the rising step that heads for the tonic). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- D major pentatonic and B minor pentatonic are the same five notes (D – E – F# – A – B): start from D for a brighter phrase, from B for a bluesier one.
- Over E, land on E, G#, B — 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 A, land on A, C#, E — 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 D major shapes
- No capo — open D shapes
- Capo 2 + C shapes
- Capo 5 + A shapes
With B minor shapes
- Capo 2 + Am shapes
- Capo 7 + Em shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.
The song's harmonic story
Starting on E, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is E, G, A, D — V/V–IV–V–I from the D side, IV–VI–VII–III from the Bm side. E adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/V — leads to A. Keep an ear on G → A (IV → V in D, VI → VII in Bm): IV → V — the lift that builds tension before home. Ending on D, the song seals D 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.
Steppenwolf - Born To Be Wild 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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