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)
George Michael - Careless Whisper - Chord
Key F major – D minor Chords Am7, Dm7, Gm7, Bbmaj7 Easy key C (capo 5)
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Key: F | Dm
Capo: 0
Dm7 Gm7 Am7 Bbmaj7 Am7
Dm7 Gm7 Am7
I feel so unsure
Bbmaj7 Am7
As I take your hand and lead you to the dance floor
Dm7
As the music dies
Gm7 Am7
Something in your eyes
Bbmaj7
Calls to mind a silver screen
Am7
And all its sad goodbyes
Dm7
I'm never gonna dance again
Gm7 Am7
Guilty feet have got no rhythm
Bbmaj7
Though it's easy to pretend
Am7
I know you're not a fool
Dm7
Should've known better than to cheat a friend
Gm7 Am7
And waste the chance that I've been given
Bbmaj7
So, I'm never gonna dance again
Am7
The way I danced with you
Dm7 Gm7 Am7 Bbmaj7 Am7
ohh oh
Dm7 Gm7 Am7
Time can never mend
Bbmaj7 Am7
The careless whispers of a good friend
Dm7
To the heart and mind
Gm7 Am7
Ignorance is kind
Bbmaj7
There's no comfort in the truth
Am7
Pain is all you'll find
Dm7
I'm never gonna dance again
Gm7 Am7
Guilty feet have got no rhythm
Bbmaj7
Though it's easy to pretend
Am7
I know you're not a fool
Dm7
Should've known better than to cheat a friend
Gm7 Am7
And waste the chance that I've been given
Bbmaj7
So, I'm never gonna dance again
Am7
The way I danced with you, ohh oh
Dm7 Gm7 Am7 Bbmaj7 Am7
Never without your love
Dm7
Tonight, the music seems so loud
Gm7 Am7
I wish that we could lose this crowd
Bbmaj7
Maybe it's better this way
Am7
We'd hurt each other with the things we'd want to say
Dm7
We could have been so good together
Gm7 Am7
We could have lived this dance forever
Bbmaj7 Am7
But now who's gonna dance with me? Please stay
Dm7
I'm never gonna dance again
Gm7 Am7
Guilty feet have got no rhythm
Bbmaj7
Though it's easy to pretend
Am7
I know you're not a fool
Dm7
Should've known better than to cheat a friend
Gm7 Am7
And waste the chance that I've been given
Bbmaj7
So, I'm never gonna dance again
Am7
The way I danced with you
Dm7 Gm7 Am7 Bbmaj7 Am7
ohh oh
Dm7 Gm7 Am7 Bbmaj7 Am7
(Now that you're gone) Now that you're gone
Dm7 Gm7 Am7
(Now that you're gone) Was what I did so wrong?
Bbmaj7 Am7
so wrong, that you had to leave me alone?
Dm7 Gm7 Am7 Bbmaj7 Am7
Do-waa ahh, do-waa ahh, do-waa ahh
Dm7 Gm7 Am7 Bbmaj7 Am7
End of song Play again?
George Michael - Careless Whisper Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
George Michael – Careless Whisper: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Dm7 and ends on Am7. 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 20 times while F never appears. 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 | — |
| ii7 | Gm7 | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G · Bb · D · F | 20× |
| iii7 | Am7 | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | A · C · E · G | 40× |
| V/vi | A | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dmsecondary dominant | A · C# · E | — |
| IVmaj7 | Bbmaj7 | Subdominant — moves away from home | Bb · D · F · A | 20× |
| V | C | Dominant — strongest pull home | C · E · G | — |
| vi7 | Dm7 | Relative minor — the melancholy side | D · F · A · C | 20× |
| vii° | Edim | Leading-tone chord — tension | E · G · Bb | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i7 | Dm7 | Tonic — home | D · F · A · C | 20× |
| ii° | Edim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | E · G · Bb | — |
| III | F | Relative major — the bright side | F · A · C | — |
| iv7 | Gm7 | Subdominant — moves away from home | G · Bb · D · F | 20× |
| v7 | Am7 | Minor dominant — soft pull | A · C · E · G | 40× |
| V | A | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | A · C# · E | — |
| VImaj7 | Bbmaj7 | Submediant — warm colour | Bb · D · F · A | 20× |
| VII | C | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | C · E · G | — |
Analysis
The key pair is F major and its relative D minor (1 flat). 4 different chords appear 100 times in total; 4 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
- Am7 Dm7 Fiii7 → vi7 Dmv7 → i7natural-minor cadence ×19
The move to watch is Am7 → Dm7, heard 19 times. From the Dm side it is v7 → i7 (natural-minor cadence: gentle, modal arrival); from the F side it reads iii7 → vi7. 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 Am7, land on A, C, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Dm7, land on D, F, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Gm7, land on G, Bb, D — 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
- 5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch
- 2 semitones up
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is Dm7; the ear learns where home is within a second. The backbone is Am7, Dm7, Gm7, Bbmaj7 — iii7–vi7–ii7–IVmaj7 from the F side, v7–i7–iv7–VImaj7 from the Dm side. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Am7 → Dm7 (iii7 → vi7 in F, v7 → i7 in Dm): natural-minor cadence — gentle, modal arrival. The final chord is Am7; the ear comes to rest in F.
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.
George Michael - Careless Whisper 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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