Major view
E major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = D# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = A (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Radiohead - Lift - Chord
Key E major – C# minor Chords B, A, G#m, E Easy key D (capo 2)
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Key: E | Dbm | C#m
Capo: 0
B
B
This is the place.
A G#m E
Sit down, you're safe now.
B
You've been stuck in a lift.
A G#m E
We've been trying to reach you, thom
B
This is the place.
A G#m E
It won’t hurt ever again
B
The smell of air conditioning
The fish are belly up
Empty all your pockets.
A G#m E
Cause it's time to come home.
B
This is the place.
A G#m E
Remember me? I’m that face you always see
B
You've been stuck in a lift.
A G#m E
In the belly of a whale at the bottom of the o cean.
B
The smell of air conditioning
The fish are belly up
Empty all your pockets.
A G#m E
Cause it's time to come home.
B
The smell of air conditioning
The fish are belly up
A G#m E
Let it go
B
Today is the first day
A G#m E
of the rest of your days.
B
So lighten up, squirt.
End of song Play again?
Radiohead - Lift Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Radiohead – Lift: key and chord analysis
The song opens on B and ends on B. Its chords belong to both E major and C#m, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
C# minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = A (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = B (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the E major side because E is heard 9 times while C#m never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from C# minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to E or to C#m; 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 | E | Tonic — home | E · G# · B | 9× |
| ii | F#m | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | F# · A · C# | — |
| iii | G#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | G# · B · D# | 9× |
| III | G# | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | G# · B# · D# | — |
| IV | A | Subdominant — moves away from home | A · C# · E | 9× |
| V | B | Dominant — strongest pull home | B · D# · F# | 11× |
| vi | C#m | Relative minor — the melancholy side | C# · E · G# | — |
| vii° | D#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | D# · F# · A | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | C#m | Tonic — home | C# · E · G# | — |
| ii° | D#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | D# · F# · A | — |
| III | E | Relative major — the bright side | E · G# · B | 9× |
| iv | F#m | Subdominant — moves away from home | F# · A · C# | — |
| v | G#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | G# · B · D# | 9× |
| V | G# | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | G# · B# · D# | — |
| VI | A | Submediant — warm colour | A · C# · E | 9× |
| VII | B | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | B · D# · F# | 11× |
Analysis
The key pair is E major and its relative C# minor (4 sharps). 4 different chords appear 38 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
There's no textbook cadence here; the chords circle around each other in a loop, so the song feels more like a groove than a series of arrivals.
Improvisation tips
- E major pentatonic and C# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (E – F# – G# – B – C#): start from E for a brighter phrase, from C# for a bluesier one.
- Over B, land on B, D#, F# — 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.
- Over G#m, 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 E major shapes
- No capo — open E shapes
- Capo 2 + D shapes
- Capo 4 + C shapes
With C# minor shapes
- Capo 4 + Am shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch
- 3 semitones up
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is B; the ear learns where home is within a second. The backbone is B, A, G#m, E — V–IV–iii–I from the E side, VII–VI–v–III from the C#m side. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. The final chord is B; the ear comes to rest in E.
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.
Radiohead - Lift 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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