Madonna - Open Your Heart - Chord

Key F major – D minor Chords Gm, F, D#, A#, C, Dm, G#, G#/C# … Easy key D (capo 3)

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Capo 0

F    D#   Gm

F                   D#          Gm      F   D# Gm
I see you on the street and you walk on by
F                   D#     Gm           F   D# Gm
You make me wanna hang my head down and cry
A#              G#           G#/C#  A#
If you gave me half a chance you'd see
           G#          G#/C#
My desire burning inside of me
F                  D#       Gm    F   D# Gm
But you choose to look the other way
A#           C         Dm
I've had to work much harder than this
     A#          C         Gm        A#  C
For something I want don't try to resist me


Dm         Gm      C
Open your heart to me, baby
Dm          A#       C          A#
I hold the lock and you hold the key
F           A#      C
Open your heart to me, darlin'
Dm             Gm      C                  F   D# Gm
I'll give you love if you, you turn the key


F                     D#       Gm         F   D# Gm
I think that you're afraid to look in my eyes
F                  D#      Gm        F   D# Gm
You look a little sad boy, I wonder why
A#             G#        G#/C#     A#
I follow you around but you can't see
                              G#      G#/C#
You're too wrapped up in yourself to notice
F                 D#       Gm    F
So you choose to look the other way
                D#           Gm
Well, I've got something to say
A#           C          Dm
Don't try to run I can keep up with you
A#           C            Gm             A# C
Nothing can stop me from trying, you've got to


Dm         Gm      C
Open your heart to me, baby
Dm          A#       C          A#
I hold the lock and you hold the key
F           A#      C
Open your heart to me, darlin'
Dm             Gm      C                  D# F
I'll give you love if you, you turn the key
Gm                      D#
Open your heart with the key
C                    Dm
One is such a lonely number
A#   C    Gm    F/Bb
Ah,  ah,  ah,   ah
F                D#             Gm      F   D# Gm
Open your heart, I'll make you love me
F                   D#           Gm       F   D# Gm
It's not that hard, if you just turn the key
A#            C         Dm
Don't try to run I can keep up with you
A#            C            Gm            A# C
Nothing can stop me from trying, you've got to


Dm         Gm      C
Open your heart to me, baby
Dm          A#       C          A#
I hold the lock and you hold the key
F           A#      C
Open your heart to me, darlin'
Dm             Gm      C                  F   D# Gm
I'll give you love if you, you turn the key

F                       D#  Gm
Open your heart with the key
F                D#             Gm
Open your heart, I'll make you love me
F                   D#           Gm
It's not that hard, if you just turn the key

End of song Play again?

Madonna - Open Your Heart Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Madonna – Open Your Heart: key and chord analysis

The song opens on F and ends on Gm. Its chords belong to both F major and Dm, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

F major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

D minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

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

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the F major side because it opens on F and F is heard 27 times against 13 for Dm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from D minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to F or to Dm; 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 F major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	F	Tonic — home	F · A · C	26×
I	F/Bb	Tonic — home	F · A · C	1×
ii	Gm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G · Bb · D	33×
bIII	G#	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	G# · B# · D#	4×
bIII	G#/C#	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	G# · B# · D#	4×
iii	Am	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	A · C · E	—
V/vi	A	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dmsecondary dominant	A · C# · E	—
IV	A#	Subdominant — moves away from home	A# · D · E#	23×
V	C	Dominant — strongest pull home	C · E · G	23×
vi	Dm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	D · F · A	13×
bVII	D#	bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord	D# · G · A#	24×
vii°	Edim	Leading-tone chord — tension	E · G · Bb	—

Seen from D minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Dm	Tonic — home	D · F · A	13×
bII	D#	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	D# · G · A#	24×
ii°	Edim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	E · G · Bb	—
III	F	Relative major — the bright side	F · A · C	26×
III	F/Bb	Relative major — the bright side	F · A · C	1×
iv	Gm	Subdominant — moves away from home	G · Bb · D	33×
#IV	G#	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	G# · B# · D#	4×
#IV	G#/C#	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	G# · B# · D#	4×
v	Am	Minor dominant — soft pull	A · C · E	—
V	A	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	A · C# · E	—
VI	A#	Submediant — warm colour	A# · D · E#	23×
VII	C	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	C · E · G	23×

Analysis

The key pair is F major and its relative D minor (1 flat). 9 different chords appear 151 times in total; 6 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. D#, G#, G#/C# are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

A# C FIV → VIV → V DmVI → VIIVI → VII ×16
C Dm FV → videceptive cadence DmVII → iAeolian arrival ×13
Gm C Fii → Vii → V Dmiv → VII ×6
A# F FIV → Iplagal cadence DmVI → III ×3
C F FV → Iauthentic cadence DmVII → III ×2
D# F FbVII → IbVII → I DmbII → III ×1

The move to watch is A# → C, heard 16 times. From the F side it reads IV → V (IV → V: the lift that builds tension before home); from the Dm side it is VI → VII (VI → VII: the rising step that heads for the tonic). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

F major pentatonic and D minor pentatonic are the same five notes (F – G – A – C – D): start from F for a brighter phrase, from D for a bluesier one.
Over Gm, land on G, Bb, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over F, land on F, A, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over D#, land on D#, G, A# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
On D#, follow the chord's notes (D# · G · A#) rather than the key's scale — it's a borrowed colour.

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 F major shapes

Capo 1 + E shapes
Capo 3 + D shapes
Capo 5 + C shapes

With D minor shapes

No capo — open Dm shapes
Capo 5 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

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

The song's harmonic story

The first chord is F; the ear learns where home is within a second. Gm, F, D#, A# carry the song: ii–I–bVII–IV relative to F, iv–III–bII–VI relative to Dm. D# briefly darkens the picture: bvii — borrowed (mixolydian / parallel minor). Keep an ear on A# → C (IV → V in F, VI → VII in Dm): IV → V — the lift that builds tension before home. It closes on Gm, letting the F 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.