Lady Gaga - Applause - Chord

Key G major – E minor Chords D, Em, Am, C Difficulty already in its easiest key

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Capo 0

Am D Em

Em  D          C
  I stand here waiting
    Am     D        Em
for you to bang the gong

Em  D         C
 to crash the critic saying:
Am             D          Em
is it right or is it wrong

Em  D    C            Am     D        Em
 If only fame had an IV baby could I bare,
Em D    C              Am             D          Em
 being away from you I found the vein put it in here.


               Em        D         C
I live for the applause, applause, applause.
               Am
I live for the applause plause,
D            Em
live for the applause plause.
             Em           D         C
Live for the way that you cheer and scream for me.
    Am        D         Em
The applause, applause, applause.


Em            D            C
 Give me that thing that I love

Am              D          Em
 Put your hands up make'em touch

 Em      D         C
Am       D     Em
 Make it real loud


Em D   C
 I overheard your theory,
Am         D      Em
 nostalgia's for geeks.
Em D          C
 I guess sir, if you say so,
Am               D        Em
 some of us just like to read.

Em   D      C
 One second I'm a Kunst fan,
Am            D         Em
 suddenly the Kunst is me.
Em   D       C
 Pop culture was in art now,
Am              D       Em
Art's in Pop culture in me

               Em        D         C
I live for the applause, applause, applause.
               Am
I live for the applause plause,
D            Em
live for the applause plause.
             Em           D         C
Live for the way that you cheer and scream for me.
    Am        D         Em
The applause, applause, applause.

Em            D            C
 Give me that thing that I love

Am              D          Em
 Put your hands up make'em touch

 Em            D            C
Am       D     Em
 Make it real loud

End of song Play again?

Lady Gaga - Applause Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Lady Gaga – Applause: key and chord analysis

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

Major view

G major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

E minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

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

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the E minor side because it comes to rest on Em and Em is heard 33 times while G never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from G 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 G or to Em; 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 G major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	G	Tonic — home	G · B · D	—
ii	Am	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · E	17×
iii	Bm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	B · D · F#	—
V/vi	B	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	—
IV	C	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · E · G	16×
V	D	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	33×
vi	Em	Relative minor — the melancholy side	E · G · B	33×
vii°	F#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	F# · A · C	—

Seen from E minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Em	Tonic — home	E · G · B	33×
ii°	F#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F# · A · C	—
III	G	Relative major — the bright side	G · B · D	—
iv	Am	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C · E	17×
v	Bm	Minor dominant — soft pull	B · D · F#	—
V	B	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	B · D# · F#	—
VI	C	Submediant — warm colour	C · E · G	16×
VII	D	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	33×

Analysis

The key pair is G major and its relative E minor (1 sharp). 4 different chords appear 99 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

D Em GV → videceptive cadence EmVII → iAeolian arrival ×17
Am D Gii → Vii → V Emiv → VII ×17

The move to watch is D → Em, heard 17 times. From the Em side it is VII → i (Aeolian arrival: rises a whole tone into home); from the G side it reads V → vi (deceptive cadence: expected G, lands on Em). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

G major pentatonic and E minor pentatonic are the same five notes (G – A – B – D – E): start from G for a brighter phrase, from E for a bluesier one.
Over D, land on D, F#, A — 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.
Over Am, land on A, C, E — 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 G major shapes

No capo — open G shapes
Capo 3 + E shapes
Capo 5 + D shapes

With E minor shapes

No capo — open Em shapes
Capo 2 + Dm shapes
Capo 7 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

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

The song's harmonic story

The opening Am lays a solid floor for everything that follows. D, Em, Am, C carry the song: V–vi–ii–IV relative to G, VII–i–iv–VI relative to Em. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on D → Em (V → vi in G, VII → i in Em): Aeolian arrival — rises a whole tone into home. Ending on Em, the song seals Em 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.