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)
B. B. King - The Thrill Is Gone Tracy Chapman - Chord
Key D major – B minor Chords Bm, Em, G, F#7 Easy key G (capo 7)
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Key: D | Bm
Capo: 0
Bm
The thrill is gone, the thrill is gone away
Em Bm
The thrill is gone, the thrill is gone away
G F#7 Bm
You done me wrong baby And you're gonna be sorry someday
Bm
The thrill is gone, it's gone away from me
Em Bm
The thrill is gone, the thrill has gone away from me
G F#7 Bm
Although I’ll still live on, But so lonely I'll be
Bm
The thrill is gone, it's gone away for good
Em Bm
Oh, the thrill is gone, baby it's gone away for good
G F#7 Bm
Someday I know I'll be open armed baby, just like I know a good man should
Bm
You know I’m free, free now baby, I’m free from your spell
Em Bm
Oh, I’m free, free, free, now, I’m free from your spell
G F#7 Bm
And now that it’s all over, all I can do is wish you well
End of song Play again?
B. B. King - The Thrill Is Gone Tracy Chapman Tabs
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Harmony analysis
B. B. King – The Thrill Is Gone Tracy Chapman: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Bm and ends on Bm. 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)
- #7 = A# (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 B minor side because it both starts and finishes on Bm, Bm is heard 12 times while D never appears and the major V chord points straight at Bm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from D 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 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 | — |
| ii | Em | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | E · G · B | 4× |
| iii | F#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | F# · A · C# | — |
| V7/vi | F#7 | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bmsecondary dominant | F# · A# · C# · E | 4× |
| IV | G | Subdominant — moves away from home | G · B · D | 4× |
| V | A | Dominant — strongest pull home | A · C# · E | — |
| vi | Bm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | B · D · F# | 12× |
| vii° | C#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | C# · E · G | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Bm | Tonic — home | B · D · F# | 12× |
| ii° | C#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | C# · E · G | — |
| III | D | Relative major — the bright side | D · F# · A | — |
| iv | Em | Subdominant — moves away from home | E · G · B | 4× |
| v | F#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | F# · A · C# | — |
| V7 | F#7 | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | F# · A# · C# · E | 4× |
| VI | G | Submediant — warm colour | G · B · D | 4× |
| VII | A | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | A · C# · E | — |
Analysis
The key pair is D major and its relative B minor (2 sharps). 4 different chords appear 24 times in total; 3 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Bm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from D, the same F#7 is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Bm.
Chord movement
- F#7 Bm DV7/vi → visecondary resolution BmV7 → iharmonic-minor cadence ×4
- Em Bm Dii → vi Bmiv → iminor plagal ×4
The move to watch is F#7 → Bm, heard 4 times. From the Bm side it is V7 → i (harmonic-minor cadence: the major V resolves dramatically); from the D side it reads V7/vi → vi (secondary resolution: F#7 resolves a fourth up to Bm). 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 Bm, land on B, D, F# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Em, land on E, G, B — 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.
- When F#7 comes, swap the scale's A for A#: 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 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
- 2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The opening Bm lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The chords that keep coming back are Bm, Em, G, F#7; read them as vi–ii–IV–V7/vi in D or i–iv–VI–V7 in Bm. F#7 is the interesting twist: in D it is a chromatic chord (V7/vi), while in Bm it becomes the dominant (V7) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on F#7 → Bm (V7/vi → vi in D, V7 → i in Bm): harmonic-minor cadence — the major V resolves dramatically. Ending on Bm, the song seals Bm 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.
B. B. King - The Thrill Is Gone Tracy Chapman 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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