Queen - We Are The Champions - Chord

Key Eb major – C minor Chords Gm7, Bb, Cm, F, C7, Eb, Ab, Am … Easy key C (capo 3)

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Capo 0

Cm Eb F Fm

             Cm  Gm7
I've paid my dues
           Cm  Gm7
Time after time
             Cm     Gm7
I've done my sentence
                 Cm  Gm7
But committed no crime
           Eb   Ab
And bad mistakes
            Eb  Ab
I've made a few
            Eb            Bb         Cm
I've had my share of sand kicked in my face
    F7        Bb
But I've come through
                 Ab      Bbm7b5  Bb7     C7
And I mean to go on, and on, and on, and on

F          Am            Dm     Bb C7
We are the champions, my friends
    F             Am                Bb  F#dim7
And we'll keep on fighting till the end
Gm7        C7         Bbm6             Edim7  Gdim7
We are the champions, we are the       cham   pions
F           Ebadd9       Ab6        Bb       Cm7add4
No time for losers cause we are the champions
       Fm   Gm7   Fm   Gm7     Fm   Gm7
Of the world

                Cm  Gm7
I've taken my bows
               Cm  Gm7
And my curtain calls
               Cm
You brought me fame and fortune
                    Gm7
And everything that goes with it
            Cm  Gm7
I thank you all
                        Eb  Ab
But it s been no bed of roses
            Eb  Ab
No pleasure cruise
                Eb
I consider it a challenge
           Bb          Cm
Before the whole human race
    F7            Bb
And I ain't gonna lose
                 Ab      Bbm7b5  Bb7     C7
And I mean to go on, and on, and on, and on

F          Am            Dm     Bb C7
We are the champions, my friends
    F             Am                Bb  F#dim7
And we'll keep on fighting till the end
Gm7        C7         Bbm6             Edim7  Gdim7
We are the champions, we are the       cham   pions
F           Ebadd9       Ab6        Bb       Cm7add4
No time for losers cause we are the champions
       F
Of the world

F          Am            Dm     Bb C7
We are the champions, my friends
    F             Am                Bb  F#dim7
And we'll keep on fighting till the end
Gm7        C7         Bbm6             Edim7  Gdim7
We are the champions, we are the       cham   pions
F           Ebadd9       Ab6        Bb       Cm7add4
No time for losers cause we are the champions

End of song Play again?

Queen - We Are The Champions Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Queen – We Are The Champions: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Cm and ends on Cm7add4. Its chords belong to both Eb major and Cm, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

Eb major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

C minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Ab (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = Bb (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the C minor side because it both starts and finishes on Cm and Cm is heard 14 times against 10 for Eb. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Eb 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 Eb or to Cm; 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 Eb major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Eb	Tonic — home	Eb · G · Bb	7×
I	Ebadd9	Tonic — home	Eb · G · Bb · F	3×
vii°7/ii	Edim7	Secondary leading-tone chord vii°7/ii — leads to Fmsecondary dominant	E · G · Bb · Db	3×
ii	Fm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F · Ab · C	4×
V/V	F	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Bbsecondary dominant	F · A · C	11×
V7/V	F7	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Bbsecondary dominant	F · A · C · Eb	2×
vii°7/iii	F#dim7	Secondary leading-tone chord vii°7/iii — leads to Gmsecondary dominant	F# · A · C · Eb	3×
iii7	Gm7	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	G · Bb · D · F	14×
vii°7/IV	Gdim7	Secondary leading-tone chord vii°7/IV — leads to Absecondary dominant	G · Bb · Db · Fb	3×
V/vi	G	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Cmsecondary dominant	G · B · D	—
IV	Ab	Subdominant — moves away from home	Ab · C · Eb	6×
IV6	Ab6	Subdominant — moves away from home	Ab · C · Eb · F	3×
#iv	Am	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C · E	6×
V	Bb	Dominant — strongest pull home	Bb · D · F	13×
V7	Bb7	Dominant — strongest pull home	Bb · D · F · Ab	2×
v6	Bbm6	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Bb · Db · F · G	3×
vø7	Bbm7b5	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Bb · Db · Fb · Ab	2×
vi	Cm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	C · Eb · G	11×
vi	Cm7add4	Relative minor — the melancholy side	C · Eb · G · F	3×
V7/ii	C7	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Fmsecondary dominant	C · E · G · Bb	8×
vii°	Ddim	Leading-tone chord — tension	D · F · Ab	—
vii	Dm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	D · F · A	3×

Seen from C minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Cm	Tonic — home	C · Eb · G	11×
i	Cm7add4	Tonic — home	C · Eb · G · F	3×
V7/iv	C7	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Fmsecondary dominant	C · E · G · Bb	8×
ii°	Ddim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · Ab	—
ii	Dm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	D · F · A	3×
III	Eb	Relative major — the bright side	Eb · G · Bb	7×
III	Ebadd9	Relative major — the bright side	Eb · G · Bb · F	3×
vii°7/iv	Edim7	Secondary leading-tone chord vii°7/iv — leads to Fmsecondary dominant	E · G · Bb · Db	3×
iv	Fm	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · Ab · C	4×
IV	F	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	F · A · C	11×
IV7	F7	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	F · A · C · Eb	2×
vii°7/v	F#dim7	Secondary leading-tone chord vii°7/v — leads to Gmsecondary dominant	F# · A · C · Eb	3×
v7	Gm7	Minor dominant — soft pull	G · Bb · D · F	14×
vii°7/VI	Gdim7	Secondary leading-tone chord vii°7/VI — leads to Absecondary dominant	G · Bb · Db · Fb	3×
V	G	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	G · B · D	—
VI	Ab	Submediant — warm colour	Ab · C · Eb	6×
VI6	Ab6	Submediant — warm colour	Ab · C · Eb · F	3×
#vi	Am	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C · E	6×
VII	Bb	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Bb · D · F	13×
VII7	Bb7	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Bb · D · F · Ab	2×
vii6	Bbm6	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Bb · Db · F · G	3×
viiø7	Bbm7b5	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Bb · Db · Fb · Ab	2×

Analysis

The key pair is Eb major and its relative C minor (3 flats). 20 different chords appear 110 times in total; 10 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. F, C7, F#dim7, Edim7, Gdim7, F7 act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

Gm7 Cm Ebiii7 → vi Cmv7 → inatural-minor cadence ×7
C7 F EbV7/ii → V/Vsecondary resolution CmV7/iv → IV ×5
Ab Eb EbIV → Iplagal cadence CmVI → III ×4
Bb Cm7add4 EbV → videceptive cadence CmVII → iAeolian arrival ×3
Ab6 Bb EbIV6 → VIV → V CmVI6 → VIIVI → VII ×3
Bb Cm EbV → videceptive cadence CmVII → iAeolian arrival ×2

The move to watch is Gm7 → Cm, heard 7 times. From the Cm side it is v7 → i (natural-minor cadence: gentle, modal arrival); from the Eb side it reads iii7 → vi. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

Eb major pentatonic and C minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Eb – F – G – Bb – C): start from Eb for a brighter phrase, from C for a bluesier one.
Over Gm7, land on G, Bb, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Bb, land on Bb, D, F — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Cm, land on C, Eb, G — 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 Eb major shapes

Capo 1 + D shapes
Capo 3 + C shapes
Capo 6 + A shapes

With C minor shapes

Capo 3 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

3 semitones down · capo 3 keeps the original pitch
4 semitones up

The song's harmonic story

The opening Cm lays a solid floor for everything that follows. Gm7, Bb, Cm, F carry the song: iii7–V–vi–V/V relative to Eb, v7–VII–i–IV relative to Cm. F adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/V — leads to Bb. Keep an ear on Gm7 → Cm (iii7 → vi in Eb, v7 → i in Cm): natural-minor cadence — gentle, modal arrival. Ending on Cm7add4, the song seals Cm 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.

Queen - We Are The Champions 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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