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)
Michael Jackson - The Way You Make Me Feel - Chord
Key C major – A minor Chords A, G/A, Bm/A, Dm, C/D, Dm/C, Em/D, E Difficulty already in its easiest key
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Key: C | Am
Capo: 0
A G/A
A Bm/A
A G/A A G/A
Hey pretty baby with the high heels on
A G/A A G/A
You give me fever like Ive never, ever known
Dm Dm/C Dm Dm/C
Youre just a product of loveliness
Dm Dm/C Dm C/D
I like the groove of your walk, your talk, your dress
Dm C/D
I feel your fever
Dm Em/D
From miles around
Dm C/D Dm E
Ill pick you up in my car and well paint the town
A G/A A Bm/A
Just kiss me baby and tell me twice
A G/A A Bm/A
That youre the one for me
A G/A A
The way you make me feel
Bm/A A G/A A
You really turn me on
Bm/A A G/A A
You knock me off of my feet
Bm/A A G/A A Bm/A
My lonely days are gone
A G/A A Bm/A
I like the feelin you're givin me
A G/A A Bm/A
Just hold me baby and im in ecstasy
A G/A A Bm/A
Oh Ill be workin from nine to five
A G/A Bm/A
To buy you things to keep you by my side
Dm C/D Dm Em/D
I never felt so in love before
Dm C/D Dm E
Just promise baby, youll love me forevermore
A G/A A Bm/A
I swear Im keepin you satisfied
A G/A A
cause youre the one for me
A G/A A
The way you make me feel
Bm/A A G/A A
You really turn me on
Bm/A A G/A A
You knock me off of my feet
Bm/A A G/A A Bm/A
My lonely days are gone..
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Michael Jackson - The Way You Make Me Feel Tabs
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Harmony analysis
Michael Jackson – The Way You Make Me Feel: key and chord analysis
The song opens on A and ends on Bm/A. Its chords belong to both C major and Am, so every chord below is read both ways.
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 5 times while Am never appears 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.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | C/D | Tonic — home | C · E · G | 5× |
| ii | Dm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | D · F · A | 12× |
| ii | Dm/C | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | D · F · A | 3× |
| iii | Em/D | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | E · G · B | 2× |
| V/vi | E | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant | E · G# · B | 2× |
| IV | F | Subdominant — moves away from home | F · A · C | — |
| V | G/A | Dominant — strongest pull home | G · B · D | 21× |
| vi | Am | Relative minor — the melancholy side | A · C · E | — |
| V/ii | A | Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Dmsecondary dominant | A · C# · E | 37× |
| vii° | Bdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | B · D · F | — |
| vii | Bm/A | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | B · D · F# | 16× |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Am | Tonic — home | A · C · E | — |
| V/iv | A | Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Dmsecondary dominant | A · C# · E | 37× |
| ii° | Bdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F | — |
| ii | Bm/A | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | B · D · F# | 16× |
| III | C/D | Relative major — the bright side | C · E · G | 5× |
| iv | Dm | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F · A | 12× |
| iv | Dm/C | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F · A | 3× |
| v | Em/D | Minor dominant — soft pull | E · G · B | 2× |
| V | E | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | E · G# · B | 2× |
| VI | F | Submediant — warm colour | F · A · C | — |
| VII | G/A | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | G · B · D | 21× |
Analysis
The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 8 different chords appear 98 times in total; 5 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 is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Am. A acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.
Chord movement
- Dm E Cii → V/vi Amiv → Viv → V ×2
The move to watch is Dm → E, heard 2 times. From the C side it reads ii → V/vi; from the Am side it is iv → V (iv → V: the minor side's tension builder). 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 A, land on A, C#, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over G/A, land on G, B, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Bm/A, land on B, D, F# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When E comes, swap the scale's G for G#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
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 A, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The chords that keep coming back are A, G/A, Bm/A, Dm; read them as V/ii–V–vii–ii in C or V/iv–VII–ii–iv in Am. 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 Dm → E (ii → V/vi in C, iv → V in Am): iv → V — the minor side's tension builder. It closes on Bm/A, 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.
Michael Jackson - The Way You Make Me Feel 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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