Sia - Flames (David Guetta) - Chord

Key Eb major – C minor Chords Fm, Eb, Db, Cm, Ab, Bb, Gm Easy key D (capo 1)

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Capo 0

Eb            Fm
  Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Db            Fm
  Oh oh oh oh oh oh

Eb                         Fm
 One foot in front of the other babe
                     Db                        Fm
One breath leads to another yeah, just keep moving
         Eb                         Fm
Oh oh oh oh oh, look within for the strength today
                   Db                         Fm
Listen out for the voice to say, just keep moving

Eb          Ab
Oh oh oh oh go, go, go
Bb             Gm
Figure it out, figure it out, but don't stop moving
Ab
Go, go, go
Bb
Figure it out, figure it out

            Cm               Eb
You can do this, so my love, keep on running
Fm                       Db
 You gotta get through today
Cm              Eb
 There my love, keep on running
Fm                         Db
 Gotta keep those tears at bay, oh
Cm           Eb
 Oh my love, don't stop burning
Fm                  Db
 Gonna send them up in flames, in flames

Eb                        Fm
 Don't stop, tomorrow's another day
                            Db                         Fm
Don't stop, tomorrow you'll feel no pain, just keep moving
         Eb                             Fm
Oh oh oh oh oh, don't stop, the past'll trip you up
                            Db                      Fm
You know, right now's gotta be enough, just keep moving

Eb          Ab
Oh oh oh oh go, go, go
Bb             Gm
Figure it out, figure it out, but don't stop moving
Ab
Go, go, go
Bb
Figure it out, figure it out

            Cm               Eb
You can do this, so my love, keep on running
Fm                       Db
 You gotta get through today
Cm              Eb
 There my love, keep on running
Fm                         Db
 Gotta keep those tears at bay, oh
Cm           Eb
 Oh my love, don't stop burning
Fm                  Db
 Gonna send them up in flames, in flames

Ab  Bb     Gm
     In flames
Ab  Bb     Gm
     In flames
Ab
Go, go, go
Bb             Gm
Figure it out, figure it out, but don't stop moving
Ab
Go, go, go
Bb
Figure it out, figure it out

            Cm               Eb
You can do this, so my love, keep on running
Fm                       Db
 You gotta get through today
Cm              Eb
 There my love, keep on running
Fm                         Db
 Gotta keep those tears at bay, oh
Cm           Eb
 Oh my love, don't stop burning
Fm                  Db
 Gonna send them up in flames, in flames

End of song Play again?

Sia - Flames (David Guetta) Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Sia – Flames (David Guetta): key and chord analysis

The song opens on Eb and ends on Db. Its chords belong to both Eb major and Cm, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

Eb major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

C minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

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

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the Eb major side because it opens on Eb and Eb is heard 16 times against 9 for Cm. 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 Eb or to Cm; 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 Eb major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Eb	Tonic — home	Eb · G · Bb	16×
ii	Fm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F · Ab · C	19×
iii	Gm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	G · Bb · D	5×
V/vi	G	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Cmsecondary dominant	G · B · D	—
IV	Ab	Subdominant — moves away from home	Ab · C · Eb	8×
V	Bb	Dominant — strongest pull home	Bb · D · F	8×
vi	Cm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	C · Eb · G	9×
bVII	Db	bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord	Db · F · Ab	14×
vii°	Ddim	Leading-tone chord — tension	D · F · Ab	—

Seen from C minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Cm	Tonic — home	C · Eb · G	9×
bII	Db	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	Db · F · Ab	14×
ii°	Ddim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · Ab	—
III	Eb	Relative major — the bright side	Eb · G · Bb	16×
iv	Fm	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · Ab · C	19×
v	Gm	Minor dominant — soft pull	G · Bb · D	5×
V	G	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	G · B · D	—
VI	Ab	Submediant — warm colour	Ab · C · Eb	8×
VII	Bb	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Bb · D · F	8×

Analysis

The key pair is Eb major and its relative C minor (3 flats). 7 different chords appear 79 times in total; 6 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Db is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

Ab Bb EbIV → VIV → V CmVI → VIIVI → VII ×8
Bb Cm EbV → videceptive cadence CmVII → iAeolian arrival ×3
Db Eb EbbVII → IbVII → I CmbII → III ×1

The move to watch is Ab → Bb, heard 8 times. From the Eb side it reads IV → V (IV → V: the lift that builds tension before home); from the Cm 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

Eb major pentatonic and C minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Eb – F – G – Bb – C): start from Eb for a brighter phrase, from C for a bluesier one.
Over Fm, land on F, Ab, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Eb, land on Eb, G, Bb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Db, land on Db, F, Ab — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
On Db, follow the chord's notes (Db · F · Ab) 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 Eb major shapes

Capo 1 + D shapes
Capo 3 + C shapes
Capo 6 + A shapes

With C minor shapes

Capo 3 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

1 semitone down · capo 1 keeps the original pitch
4 semitones up

The song's harmonic story

The first chord is Eb; the ear learns where home is within a second. Fm, Eb, Db, Cm carry the song: ii–I–bVII–vi relative to Eb, iv–III–bII–i relative to Cm. Db briefly darkens the picture: bvii — borrowed (mixolydian / parallel minor). Keep an ear on Ab → Bb (IV → V in Eb, VI → VII in Cm): IV → V — the lift that builds tension before home. Ending on Db, the song seals Eb 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.