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)
Avicii - Wake Me Up - Chord
Key D major – B minor Chords D, Bm, G, A Easy key G (capo 7)
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Key: D | Bm
Capo: 0
Bm G D A
Bm G D D
Feeling my way through the darkness
Bm G D D
Guided by a beating heart
Bm G D D
I can’t tell where the journey will end
Bm G D D
But I know where it starts
Bm G D D
They tell me I’m too young to understand
Bm G D D
They say I’m caught up in a dream
Bm G D D
Well life will pass me by if I don’t open up my eyes
Bm G D D
Well that’s fine by me
Bm G D A
So wake me up when it’s all over
Bm G D A
When I’m wiser and I’m older
Bm G D A
All this time I was finding myself
Bm G D A
And I didn’t know I was lost
Bm G D A
So wake me up when it’s all over
Bm G D A
When I’m wiser and I’m older
Bm G D A
All this time I was finding myself
Bm G D A
And I didn’t know I was lost
Bm G D D
I tried carrying the weight of the world
Bm G D D
But I only have two hands
Bm G D D
Hope I get the chance to travel the world
Bm G D D
And I don’t have any plans
Bm G D D
Wish that I could stay forever this young
Bm G D D
Not afraid to close my eyes
Bm G D D
Life’s a game made for everyone
Bm G D D
And love is a prize
Bm G D A
So wake me up when it’s all over
Bm G D A
When I’m wiser and I’m older
Bm G D A
All this time I was finding myself
Bm G D A
And I didn’t know I was lost
Bm G D A
So wake me up when it’s all over
Bm G D A
When I’m wiser and I’m older
Bm G D A
All this time I was finding myself
And I
Bm G D A
I didn’t know I was lost
Bm G D A
I didn’t know I was lost
Bm G D A
I didn’t know I was lost
Bm G D A
I didn’t know I was lost
Bm G Bm G Bm G
I didn’t know I (didn’t know I, didn’t know I)
End of song Play again?
Avicii - Wake Me Up Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Avicii – Wake Me Up: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Bm and ends on G. 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: we can't honestly pick a side here — the song moves freely between D major and B minor because it opens on Bm and D is heard 52 times against 39 for Bm. Try reading the chords both ways and see which feels more like home to you.
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 | 52× |
| ii | Em | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | E · G · B | — |
| iii | F#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | F# · A · C# | — |
| V/vi | F# | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bmsecondary dominant | F# · A# · C# | — |
| IV | G | Subdominant — moves away from home | G · B · D | 39× |
| V | A | Dominant — strongest pull home | A · C# · E | 20× |
| vi | Bm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | B · D · F# | 39× |
| vii° | C#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | C# · E · G | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Bm | Tonic — home | B · D · F# | 39× |
| ii° | C#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | C# · E · G | — |
| III | D | Relative major — the bright side | D · F# · A | 52× |
| iv | Em | Subdominant — moves away from home | E · G · B | — |
| 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 | 39× |
| VII | A | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | A · C# · E | 20× |
Analysis
The key pair is D major and its relative B minor (2 sharps). 4 different chords appear 150 times in total; 4 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Everything stays inside one scale, which is why the song is easy to follow by ear.
Chord movement
- G D DIV → Iplagal cadence BmVI → III ×36
- A Bm DV → videceptive cadence BmVII → iAeolian arrival ×20
- G Bm DIV → vi BmVI → iVI → i ×2
The move to watch is G → D, heard 36 times. From the D side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the Bm side it is VI → III. 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 D, land on D, F#, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Bm, land on B, D, F# — 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.
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
- 5 semitones up · capo 7 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is Bm; the ear learns where home is within a second. D, Bm, G, A carry the song: I–vi–IV–V relative to D, III–i–VI–VII relative to Bm. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on G → D (IV → I in D, VI → III in Bm): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. It closes on G, letting the D 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.
Avicii - Wake Me Up 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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