Major view
C major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = B (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = F (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Joe Cocker - Unchain My Heart - Chord
Key C major – A minor Chords Am, Dm, E7, F7 Easy key G (capo 5)
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Key: C | Am
Capo: 0
Am Dm Am
Unchain my heart, baby let me be
F7 E7
‘Cause you don’t care, so please
Am
Set me free
Am
Unchain my heart, baby let me go
Dm Am
Unchain my heart, ‘cause you don’t love me no more
Dm Am
Every time I call you on the phone
Dm Am
Some fellow tells me that you’re not at home
F7 E7 Am
Unchain my heart, set me free
Am
Unchain my heart, baby let me be
Dm Am
Unchain my heart, ‘cause you don’t care about me
Dm Am
You got me sewed up like al pillowcase
Dm Am
But you let my love go to waste
F7 E7 Am
Unchain my heart, set me free
Dm Am
I’m under your spell, like a man in a trance
Dm E7
Oh, but you know damned well that I don’t stand a chance
Am
Unchain my heart, let me go away
Dm Am
Unchain my heart, you worry me night and day
Dm Am
Why lead me through a life of misery
Dm Am
When you don’t care a bag of beans for me
F7 E7 Am
Unchain my heart, please set me free
Am Am Dm Dm Am Am F7 E7 Am
Dm Am
I’m under your spell, like a man in a trance
Dm E7
Oh, but you know damned well that I don’t stand a chance
Am
Unchain my heart, let me go away
Dm Am
Unchain my heart, you worry me night and day
Dm Am
Why lead me through a life of misery
Dm Am
When you don’t care a bag of beans for me
F7 E7 Am
Unchain my heart, please set me free
Am Am Dm Dm Am Am F7 E7 Am
Am
Unchain my heart
F7
You don’t care
E7 Am
So please set me free
Am
Unchain my heart
End of song Play again?
Joe Cocker - Unchain My Heart Tabs
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Harmony analysis
Joe Cocker – Unchain My Heart: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Am and ends on Am. Its chords belong to both C major and Am, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
A minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = F (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = G (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = G# (harmonic-minor leading tone from the V chord)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the A minor side because it both starts and finishes on Am, Am is heard 38 times while C never appears and the major V chord points straight at Am. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from C major, and switching between the two views is exactly where the practice value lies.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to C or to Am; 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 | C | Tonic — home | C · E · G | — |
| ii | Dm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | D · F · A | 21× |
| iii | Em | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | E · G · B | — |
| V7/vi | E7 | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant | E · G# · B · D | 10× |
| IV7 | F7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | F · A · C · Eb | 8× |
| V | G | Dominant — strongest pull home | G · B · D | — |
| vi | Am | Relative minor — the melancholy side | A · C · E | 38× |
| vii° | Bdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | B · D · F | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Am | Tonic — home | A · C · E | 38× |
| ii° | Bdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F | — |
| III | C | Relative major — the bright side | C · E · G | — |
| iv | Dm | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F · A | 21× |
| v | Em | Minor dominant — soft pull | E · G · B | — |
| V7 | E7 | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | E · G# · B · D | 10× |
| VI7 | F7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | F · A · C · Eb | 8× |
| VII | G | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | G · B · D | — |
Analysis
The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 4 different chords appear 77 times in total; 2 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Am brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from C, the same E7 is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Am. F7 step outside the scale as colour chords.
Chord movement
- Dm Am Cii → vi Amiv → iminor plagal ×17
- E7 Am CV7/vi → visecondary resolution AmV7 → iharmonic-minor cadence ×10
- Dm E7 Cii → V7/vi Amiv → V7iv → V ×2
The move to watch is Dm → Am, heard 17 times. From the Am side it is iv → i (minor plagal: deep and melancholic); from the C side it reads ii → vi. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- C major pentatonic and A minor pentatonic are the same five notes (C – D – E – G – A): start from C for a brighter phrase, from A for a bluesier one.
- Over Am, land on A, C, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Dm, land on D, F, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over E7, land on E, G#, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When E7 comes, swap the scale's G for G#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
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 C major shapes
- No capo — open C shapes
- Capo 3 + A shapes
- Capo 5 + G shapes
With A minor shapes
- No capo — open Am shapes
- Capo 5 + Em shapes
- Capo 7 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
Starting on Am, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is Am, Dm, E7, F7 — vi–ii–V7/vi–IV7 from the C side, i–iv–V7–VI7 from the Am side. E7 is the interesting twist: in C it is a chromatic chord (V7/vi), while in Am it becomes the dominant (V7) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Dm → Am (ii → vi in C, iv → i in Am): minor plagal — deep and melancholic. The final chord is Am; the ear comes to rest in Am.
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.
Joe Cocker - Unchain My Heart 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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