Major view
A major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = G# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = D (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Michael Jackson - Remember The Time - Chord
Key A major – F# minor Chords Fm9, C7, Dbmaj9, Bbm7 Easy key C#
No ratings yet
or your user informations
Make it yours
Text size
Key: A | Gbm | F#m
Capo: 0
C7 Fm9 C7 Fm9
C7
Do you remember
When we fell in love
Fm9
We were so young
And innocent then
C7
Do you remember
How it all began
Fm9
It just seemed like heaven
So why did it end
C7
Do you remember
Back in the fall
Fm9
We'd be together
All day long
C7
Do you remember
Us holding hands
Fm9
In each other's eyes we'd stare
C7
Do you remember the time
When we fell in love
Fm9
Do you remember the time
When we first met
C7
Do you remember the time
When we fell in love
Fm9
Do you remember the time
C7
Do you remember
How we used to talk
Fm9
We'd stay on the phone
At night till dawn
C7
Do you remember
All the things we said
Fm9
Like, I love you so
I'll never let you go
C7
Do you remember
Back in the spring
Fm9
Every morning
Birds would sing
C7
Do you remember
Those special times
Fm9
They'll just go on and on
In the back of my mind
C7
Do you remember the time
When we fell in love
Fm9
Do you remember the time
When we first met
C7
Do you remember the time
When we fell in love
Fm9
Do you remember the time
Dbmaj9 Fm9
Those sweet memo ries
Dbmaj9 Fm9
Will always be dear to me
Dbmaj9
And girl no matter
Fm9
What was said
Bbm7
I will never forget
C7
What we had now baby
C7
Do you remember the time
When we fell in love
Fm9
Do you remember the time
When we first met
C7
Do you remember the time
When we fell in love
Fm9
Do you remember the time
C7
Do you remember the time
When we fell in love
Fm9
Do you remember the time
When we first met
C7
Do you remember the time
When we fell in love
Fm9
Do you remember the time
End of song Play again?
Michael Jackson - Remember The Time Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Michael Jackson – Remember The Time: key and chord analysis
The song opens on C7 and ends on Fm9. Its chords belong to both A major and F#m, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
F# minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = D (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = E (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = E# (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# minor side because the major V chord points straight at F#m. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from A 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 A or to F#m; 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 | A | Tonic — home | A · C# · E | — |
| bii7 | Bbm7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Bb · Db · F · Ab | 1× |
| ii | Bm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F# | — |
| bIII7 | C7 | Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord | C · E · G · Bb | 19× |
| iii | C#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | C# · E · G# | — |
| IIImaj7 | Dbmaj9 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Db · F · Ab · C · Eb | 3× |
| IV | D | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F# · A | — |
| V | E | Dominant — strongest pull home | E · G# · B | — |
| bvi7 | Fm9 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | F · Ab · C · Eb · G | 21× |
| vi | F#m | Relative minor — the melancholy side | F# · A · C# | — |
| vii° | G#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | G# · B · D | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | F#m | Tonic — home | F# · A · C# | — |
| ii° | G#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G# · B · D | — |
| III | A | Relative major — the bright side | A · C# · E | — |
| #iii7 | Bbm7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Bb · Db · F · Ab | 1× |
| iv | Bm | Subdominant — moves away from home | B · D · F# | — |
| #IV7 | C7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C · E · G · Bb | 19× |
| v | C#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | C# · E · G# | — |
| Vmaj7 | Dbmaj9 | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | Db · F · Ab · C · Eb | 3× |
| VI | D | Submediant — warm colour | D · F# · A | — |
| VII | E | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | E · G# · B | — |
| #vii7 | Fm9 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | F · Ab · C · Eb · G | 21× |
Analysis
The key pair is A major and its relative F# minor (3 sharps). 4 different chords appear 44 times in total; 0 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of F#m brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull. C7 is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
Chord movement
- C7 Fm9 AbIII7 → bvi7secondary resolution F#m#IV7 → #vii7 ×18
The move to watch is C7 → Fm9, heard 18 times. From the F#m side it is #IV7 → #vii7; from the A side it reads bIII7 → bvi7 (secondary resolution: C7 resolves a fourth up to Fm9). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- A major pentatonic and F# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (A – B – C# – E – F#): start from A for a brighter phrase, from F# for a bluesier one.
- Over Fm9, land on F, Ab, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over C7, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Dbmaj9, land on Db, F, Ab — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When Dbmaj9 comes, swap the scale's E for E#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
- On C7, follow the chord's notes (C · E · G · Bb) 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 A major shapes
- No capo — open A shapes
- Capo 2 + G shapes
- Capo 5 + E shapes
With F# minor shapes
- Capo 2 + Em shapes
- Capo 4 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 4 semitones up
- 1 semitone down · capo 1 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is C7; the ear learns where home is within a second. Fm9, C7, Dbmaj9, Bbm7 carry the song: bvi7–bIII7–IIImaj7–bii7 relative to A, #vii7–#IV7–Vmaj7–#iii7 relative to F#m. Dbmaj9 is the interesting twist: in A it is a chromatic chord (IIImaj7), while in F#m it becomes the dominant (Vmaj7) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on C7 → Fm9 (bIII7 → bvi7 in A, #IV7 → #vii7 in F#m): secondary resolution — C7 resolves a fourth up to Fm9. It closes on Fm9, letting the A 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 - Remember The Time 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.
Repertoires with this song
Similar songs, ready to play: pick a list.
Report error for this content report.
All copyrights belong to their respective owners. If you think this content contains copyright infringement, please contact us.