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)
Michael Jackson - Ben - Chord
Key F major – D minor Chords F, C7/E, F4, Cm/Eb, D7, Bbm/Db, C7, Gm … Easy key G
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Key: F | Dm
Capo: 0
F C7/E
Ben, the two of us need look no more,
F C7/E
we both found what we were looking for.
F C7/E A7/C# Cm/Eb
With a friend to call my own, I'll never be alone.
D7 Bbm/Db C7 F F4 F F4
And you my friend will see, you've got a friend in me.
F C7/E
Ben, you're always running here and there,
F C7/E
you feel you're not wanted anywhere.
F C7/E A7/C# Cm/Eb
If you ever look behind, and don't like what you find,
D7 Bbm/Db C7 F F4 F F4
there's something you should know, you've got a place to go.
Gm7 C7/E F Gm C7/E F
I used to say I and me. Now it's us, now it's we.
Gm C7/E F Gm C7/E F Bb
I used to say I and me. Now it's us, now it's we.
F C7/E
Ben, most people would turn you away,
F C7/E
I don't listen to a word they say.
F C7/E Cm/Eb
They don't see you as I do, I wish they would try to,
D7 Bbm/Db C7 F F4
I'm sure they'd think again, if they had a friend like Ben,
F F4 F F4 F
like Ben, like Ben
End of song Play again?
Michael Jackson - Ben Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Michael Jackson – Ben: key and chord analysis
The song opens on F and ends on F. 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)
- #7 = C# (harmonic-minor leading tone from the V chord)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the F major side because it both starts and finishes on F, F is heard 28 times while Dm never appears and the major V chord points straight at Dm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from D minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.
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 | 21× |
| I | F4 | Tonic — home | F · A · C | 7× |
| ii | Gm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G · Bb · D | 3× |
| ii7 | Gm7 | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G · Bb · D · F | 1× |
| iii | Am | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | A · C · E | — |
| V7/vi | A7/C# | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dmsecondary dominant | A · C# · E · G | 2× |
| IV | Bb | Subdominant — moves away from home | Bb · D · F | 1× |
| iv | Bbm/Db | Minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord | Bb · Db · F | 3× |
| V7 | C7/E | Dominant — strongest pull home | C · E · G · Bb | 13× |
| V7 | C7 | Dominant — strongest pull home | C · E · G · Bb | 3× |
| v | Cm/Eb | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C · Eb · G | 3× |
| vi | Dm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | D · F · A | — |
| V7/ii | D7 | Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Gmsecondary dominant | D · F# · A · C | 3× |
| vii° | Edim | Leading-tone chord — tension | E · G · Bb | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Dm | Tonic — home | D · F · A | — |
| V7/iv | D7 | Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Gmsecondary dominant | D · F# · A · C | 3× |
| ii° | Edim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | E · G · Bb | — |
| III | F | Relative major — the bright side | F · A · C | 21× |
| III | F4 | Relative major — the bright side | F · A · C | 7× |
| iv | Gm | Subdominant — moves away from home | G · Bb · D | 3× |
| iv7 | Gm7 | Subdominant — moves away from home | G · Bb · D · F | 1× |
| v | Am | Minor dominant — soft pull | A · C · E | — |
| V7 | A7/C# | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | A · C# · E · G | 2× |
| VI | Bb | Submediant — warm colour | Bb · D · F | 1× |
| vi | Bbm/Db | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Bb · Db · F | 3× |
| VII7 | C7/E | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | C · E · G · Bb | 13× |
| VII7 | C7 | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | C · E · G · Bb | 3× |
| vii | Cm/Eb | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C · Eb · G | 3× |
Analysis
The key pair is F major and its relative D minor (1 flat). 11 different chords appear 60 times in total; 7 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Dm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from F, the same A7/C# is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Dm. D7 acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. Bbm/Db is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
Chord movement
- C7/E F FV7 → Iauthentic cadence DmVII7 → III ×10
- C7 F FV7 → Iauthentic cadence DmVII7 → III ×3
- Gm C7/E Fii → V7ii → V Dmiv → VII7 ×3
- Bb F FIV → Iplagal cadence DmVI → III ×1
- Gm7 C7/E Fii7 → V7ii → V Dmiv7 → VII7 ×1
The move to watch is C7/E → F, heard 10 times. From the F side it reads V7 → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home); from the Dm side it is VII7 → III. 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 F, land on F, A, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over C7/E, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over F4, land on F, A, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When A7/C# comes, swap the scale's C for C#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
- On Bbm/Db, follow the chord's notes (Bb · Db · F) 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 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
- 3 semitones down · capo 3 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The opening F lays a solid floor for everything that follows. F, C7/E, F4, Cm/Eb carry the song: I–V7–I–v relative to F, III–VII7–III–vii relative to Dm. D7 is the interesting twist: in F it is a chromatic chord (V7/ii), while in Dm it becomes the dominant (V7/iv) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on C7/E → F (V7 → I in F, VII7 → III in Dm): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. It closes on F, 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.
Michael Jackson - Ben 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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