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)
Miley Cyrus - Wrecking Ball - Chord
Key F major – D minor Chords Dm, Bb, F, C, Gm, Am Easy key G
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Key: F | Dm
Capo: 0
Dm F C Gm
Dm F
We clawed, we chained our hearts in vain
C Gm
We jumped, never asking why
Dm F
We kissed, I fell under your spell
C Gm
A love no one could deny
Bb Dm
Don't you ever say I just walked away
F Bb
I will always want you
Dm
I can't live a lie, running for my life
F Bb
I will always want you
F C
I came in like a wrecking ball
Dm Bb
I never hit so hard in love
F C
All I wanted was to break your walls
Dm Bb
All you ever did was wreck me
Dm Bb
Yeah, you wreck me
Dm F
I put you high up in the sky
C Gm
And now, you're not coming down
Dm F
It slowly turned, you let me burn
C Gm
And now, we're ashes on the ground
Bb Dm
Don't you ever say I just walked away
F Bb
I will always want you
Dm
I can't live a lie, running for my life
F Bb
I will always want you
F C
I came in like a wrecking ball
Dm Bb
I never hit so hard in love
F C
All I wanted was to break your walls
Dm Bb
All you ever did was wreck me
F C
I came in like a wrecking ball
Dm Bb
Yeah, I just closed my eyes and swung
F C
Left me crouching in a blaze and fall
Dm Bb
All you ever did was wreck me
Dm Bb
Yeah, you you wreck me
Bb Dm
I never meant to start a war
F
I just wanted you to let me in
Am
And instead of using force
Bb
I guess I should've let you in
Dm
I never meant to start a war
F
I just wanted you to let me in
Am
I guess I should've let you in
Bb Dm
Don't you ever say I just walked away
F Bb
I will always want you
F C
I came in like a wrecking ball
Dm Bb
I never hit so hard in love
F C
All I wanted was to break your walls
Dm Bb
All you ever did was wreck me
F C
I came in like a wrecking ball
Dm Bb
Yeah, I just closed my eyes and swung
F C
Left me crouching in a blaze and fall
Dm Bb
All you ever did was wreck me
Dm Bb
Yeah, you wreck me
End of song Play again?
Miley Cyrus - Wrecking Ball Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Miley Cyrus – Wrecking Ball: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Dm and ends on Bb. Its chords belong to both F major and Dm, so every chord below is read both ways.
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 D minor side because it opens on Dm and Dm is heard 25 times against 22 for F. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from F 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 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.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | F | Tonic — home | F · A · C | 22× |
| ii | Gm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G · Bb · D | 5× |
| iii | Am | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | A · C · E | 2× |
| V/vi | A | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dmsecondary dominant | A · C# · E | — |
| IV | Bb | Subdominant — moves away from home | Bb · D · F | 23× |
| V | C | Dominant — strongest pull home | C · E · G | 15× |
| vi | Dm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | D · F · A | 25× |
| vii° | Edim | Leading-tone chord — tension | E · G · Bb | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Dm | Tonic — home | D · F · A | 25× |
| ii° | Edim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | E · G · Bb | — |
| III | F | Relative major — the bright side | F · A · C | 22× |
| iv | Gm | Subdominant — moves away from home | G · Bb · D | 5× |
| v | Am | Minor dominant — soft pull | A · C · E | 2× |
| V | A | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | A · C# · E | — |
| VI | Bb | Submediant — warm colour | Bb · D · F | 23× |
| VII | C | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | C · E · G | 15× |
Analysis
The key pair is F major and its relative D minor (1 flat). 6 different chords appear 92 times in total; 6 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
- Bb Dm FIV → vi DmVI → iVI → i ×11
- Bb F FIV → Iplagal cadence DmVI → III ×10
- C Dm FV → videceptive cadence DmVII → iAeolian arrival ×10
- Gm Dm Fii → vi Dmiv → iminor plagal ×3
The move to watch is Bb → Dm, heard 11 times. From the Dm side it is VI → i (VI → i: falls a half step into home); from the F side it reads IV → vi. 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 Dm, land on D, F, A — 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 F, land on F, A, C — 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 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
- 2 semitones up
- 5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The opening Dm lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The backbone is Dm, Bb, F, C — vi–IV–I–V from the F side, i–VI–III–VII from the Dm side. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Bb → Dm (IV → vi in F, VI → i in Dm): VI → i — falls a half step into home. It closes on Bb, 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.
Miley Cyrus - Wrecking Ball 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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