David Bowie - Space Oddity - Chord

Key C major – A minor Chords C, F, Em, A, Fmaj7, G, Fm, Am … Difficulty already in its easiest key

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Capo 0

Fmaj7  Em  Fmaj7  Em

C                           Em
 Ground control to Major Tom
C                           Em
 Ground control to Major Tom
Am                           D7
 Take your protein pills and put your helmet on
C                           Em
 Ground control to Major Tom
C                               Em
 Commencing countdown engines on
Am                      D7
 Check ignition and may God's love be with you

C                                  E7
This is ground control to Major Tom
                         F
You've really made the grade
        Fm             C                    F
And the papers want to know whose shirt you wear
         Fm                C              F
Now it's time to leave the capsule if you dare
C                               E
This is Major Tom to ground control
                         F
I'm stepping through the door
        Fm            C             F
And I'm floating in a most peculiar way
        Fm              C           F
And the stars look very different today

    Fmaj7     Em7
For here am I sitting in a tin can
Fmaj7         Em7
Far above the world
Bbmaj7          Am               G             F
Planet Earth is blue and there's nothing I can do

C  F  G  A  A  C  F  G  A  A

Fmaj7  Em  A  C  D  E 

C                                      E
Though I'm past one hundred thousand miles
                   F
I'm feeling very still
      Fm                 C                  F
And I think my spaceship knows which way to go
        Fm              C             F
Tell my wife I love her very much she knows

G                 E7              Am
Ground control to Major Tom, your circuit's dead

There's something wrong
        D7
Can you hear me Major Tom
        C
Can you hear me Major Tom
        G
Can you hear me Major Tom, Can you?
,
Fmaj7     Em
Here am I floating 'round my tin can
Fmaj7         Em
Far above the Moon
Bb              Am               G             F
Planet Earth is blue and there's nothing I can do

C  F  G  A  A  C  F  G  A  A

Fmaj7  Em  A  C  D  E

End of song Play again?

David Bowie - Space Oddity Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

David Bowie – Space Oddity: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Fmaj7 and ends on E. Its chords belong to both C major and Am, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

C major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

A minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = F (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = G (natural-minor colour)
#7 = G# (harmonic-minor leading tone from the V chord)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: we can't honestly pick a side here — the song moves freely between C major and A minor because C is heard 20 times against 5 for Am and the major V chord points straight at Am. Try reading the chords both ways and see which feels more like home to you.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to C or to Am; 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 C major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	C	Tonic — home	C · E · G	20×
ii	Dm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · A	—
V7/V	D7	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Gsecondary dominant	D · F# · A · C	3×
V/V	D	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Gsecondary dominant	D · F# · A	2×
iii	Em	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	E · G · B	10×
iii7	Em7	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	E · G · B · D	2×
V/vi	E	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	4×
V7/vi	E7	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B · D	2×
IV	F	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · A · C	15×
IVmaj7	Fmaj7	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · A · C · E	8×
iv	Fm	Minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	F · Ab · C	6×
V	G	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	8×
vi	Am	Relative minor — the melancholy side	A · C · E	5×
V/ii	A	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Dmsecondary dominant	A · C# · E	10×
bVIImaj7	Bbmaj7	bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord	Bb · D · F · A	1×
bVII	Bb	bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord	Bb · D · F	1×
vii°	Bdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	B · D · F	—

Seen from A minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Am	Tonic — home	A · C · E	5×
V/iv	A	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Dmsecondary dominant	A · C# · E	10×
bIImaj7	Bbmaj7	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	Bb · D · F · A	1×
bII	Bb	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	Bb · D · F	1×
ii°	Bdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F	—
III	C	Relative major — the bright side	C · E · G	20×
iv	Dm	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F · A	—
IV7	D7	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	D · F# · A · C	3×
IV	D	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	D · F# · A	2×
v	Em	Minor dominant — soft pull	E · G · B	10×
v7	Em7	Minor dominant — soft pull	E · G · B · D	2×
V	E	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	E · G# · B	4×
V7	E7	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	E · G# · B · D	2×
VI	F	Submediant — warm colour	F · A · C	15×
VImaj7	Fmaj7	Submediant — warm colour	F · A · C · E	8×
vi	Fm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F · Ab · C	6×
VII	G	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D	8×

Analysis

The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 15 different chords appear 97 times in total; 7 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Am brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from C, the same E / E7 is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Am. A, D7, D act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. Fm, Bbmaj7, Bb are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

Fm C Civ → Iminor plagal Amvi → III ×6
F G CIV → VIV → V AmVI → VIIVI → VII ×5
F C CIV → Iplagal cadence AmVI → III ×3
Em Am Ciii → vi Amv → inatural-minor cadence ×2
E7 Am CV7/vi → visecondary resolution AmV7 → iharmonic-minor cadence ×1

The move to watch is Fm → C, heard 6 times. From the C side it reads iv → I (minor plagal: a bittersweet arrival with a borrowed iv); from the Am side it is vi → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

C major pentatonic and A minor pentatonic are the same five notes (C – D – E – G – A): start from C for a brighter phrase, from A for a bluesier one.
Over C, land on C, E, G — 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 Em, land on E, G, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When E7 comes, swap the scale's G for G#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
On Fm, follow the chord's notes (F · Ab · C) 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 C major shapes

No capo — open C shapes
Capo 3 + A shapes
Capo 5 + G shapes

With A minor shapes

No capo — open Am shapes
Capo 5 + Em shapes
Capo 7 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.

The song's harmonic story

Starting on Fmaj7, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is C, F, Em, A — I–IV–iii–V/ii from the C side, III–VI–v–V/iv from the Am side. A is the interesting twist: in C it is a chromatic chord (V/ii), while in Am it becomes the dominant (V/iv) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Fm → C (iv → I in C, vi → III in Am): minor plagal — a bittersweet arrival with a borrowed iv. It closes on E, letting the C 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.

David Bowie - Space Oddity 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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