Major view
Gb major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = F (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Cb (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Michael Jackson - Beat It - Chord
Key Gb major – Eb minor Chords Db, Ebm, B Easy key G
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Key: Gb | D#m | Ebm
Capo: 0
Ebm Db
They told him, don't you ever come around here
Ebm
Don't wanna see your face,
Db
You better disappear
B Db
The fires in their eyes and their words are really clear
Ebm
So beat it
Db
Just beat it
Ebm
You better run
Db
You better do what you can
Ebm
Don't wanna see no blood
Db
Don't be a macho man
B
You wanna be tough
Db
Better do what you can
Ebm
So beat it
Db
But you wanna be bad
Ebm
Just beat, beat it
Db
Beat it, beat it
Ebm Db
No one wants to be defeated
Ebm Db
Showin' how funky and strong is your fight
Ebm Db
It doesn't matter who's wrong or right
Ebm
Just beat it
Db
Just beat it
Ebm
Just beat it
Db
Just beat it
Ebm
They're out to get you
Db
Better leave while you can
Ebm
Don't wanna be a boy
Db
You wanna be a man
B
You wanna stay alive
Db
Better do what you can
Ebm
So beat it
Db
Just beat it
Ebm Db
You have to show them that you're really not scared
Ebm
You're playin' with your life
Db
This ain't no truth or dare
B Db
They'll kick you, then they beat you, then they'll tell you its fair
Ebm
So beat it
Db
But you wanna be bad
Ebm
Just beat, beat it
Db
Beat it, beat it
Ebm Db
No one wants to be defeated
Ebm Db
Showin' how funky and strong is your fight
Ebm Db
It doesn't matter who's wrong or right
Ebm
Just beat it
Db
Just beat it
Ebm
Just beat it
Db
Just beat it
End of song Play again?
Michael Jackson - Beat It Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Michael Jackson – Beat It: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Ebm and ends on Db. Its chords belong to both Gb major and Ebm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
Eb minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Cb (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = Db (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the Eb minor side because it opens on Ebm and Ebm is heard 24 times while Gb never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Gb 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 Gb or to Ebm; 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 | Gb | Tonic — home | Gb · Bb · Db | — |
| ii | Abm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | Ab · Cb · Eb | — |
| iii | Bbm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | Bb · Db · F | — |
| V/vi | Bb | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Ebmsecondary dominant | Bb · D · F | — |
| IV | B | Subdominant — moves away from home | B · D# · F# | 4× |
| V | Db | Dominant — strongest pull home | Db · F · Ab | 28× |
| vi | Ebm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | Eb · Gb · Bb | 24× |
| vii° | Fdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | F · Ab · Cb | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Ebm | Tonic — home | Eb · Gb · Bb | 24× |
| ii° | Fdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | F · Ab · Cb | — |
| III | Gb | Relative major — the bright side | Gb · Bb · Db | — |
| iv | Abm | Subdominant — moves away from home | Ab · Cb · Eb | — |
| v | Bbm | Minor dominant — soft pull | Bb · Db · F | — |
| V | Bb | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | Bb · D · F | — |
| VI | B | Submediant — warm colour | B · D# · F# | 4× |
| VII | Db | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | Db · F · Ab | 28× |
Analysis
The key pair is Gb major and its relative Eb minor (6 flats). 3 different chords appear 56 times in total; 3 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
- Db Ebm GbV → videceptive cadence EbmVII → iAeolian arrival ×23
- B Db GbIV → VIV → V EbmVI → VIIVI → VII ×4
The move to watch is Db → Ebm, heard 23 times. From the Ebm side it is VII → i (Aeolian arrival: rises a whole tone into home); from the Gb side it reads V → vi (deceptive cadence: expected Gb, lands on Ebm). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- Gb major pentatonic and Eb minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Gb – Ab – Bb – Db – Eb): start from Gb for a brighter phrase, from Eb for a bluesier one.
- Over Db, land on Db, F, Ab — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Ebm, land on Eb, Gb, Bb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over B, land on B, D#, F# — 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 Gb major shapes
- Capo 2 + E shapes
- Capo 4 + D shapes
- Capo 6 + C shapes
With Eb minor shapes
- Capo 1 + Dm shapes
- Capo 6 + Am shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 1 semitone up
- 6 semitones up · capo 6 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The opening Ebm lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The chords that keep coming back are Db, Ebm, B; read them as V–vi–IV in Gb or VII–i–VI in Ebm. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Db → Ebm (V → vi in Gb, VII → i in Ebm): Aeolian arrival — rises a whole tone into home. It closes on Db, letting the Gb 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.
Michael Jackson - Beat It 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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