Madonna - Holiday - Chord

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

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Capo 0

F  G  Em  Am  F  G  Em  Am  F  G  Em  Am  G  Em 

Am        F G Em Am
           Holiday,         celebrate,       holiday,        celebrate 
       F          G Em Am               F            G Em Am
If we took a holiday,      took some time to celebrate.
          F          G Em Am             F G              Em    Am
Just one day out of life,     it would be,    it would be so nice
         F               G Em Am          F            G    Em   Am
1. Everybody spread the word,    we're gonna have a celebration,
F    G              Em   Am   F      G     e     Am
    all across the world,         in every nation.
F       G             e         Am F     G             Em            Am
  It's time for the good times,      forget about the bad times, oh yeah
         F             G           Em          Am
    One day to come together to release the pressure.
F       G         Em Am
    We need a holidaaaay    F G Em Am     F G Em Am
            F                G      Em Am
   You can turn this world around,
          F         G            Em    Am
    and bring back all of those happy days.
F     G                 Em    Am    F           G       Em   Am
     Put your troubles down,             it's time to celebrate 
F      G        Em   Am    F         G        Em Am
      Let love shi...ne,      and we will finnnnd,
       F             G           Em           Am
    a way to come together, and make things better.
F       G           Em Am
    We need a holidaaaay    F G Em Am    F G Em Am
       F G Em Am           F G Em Am         F G Em Am          F G Em Am
  Holiday,         celebrate,       holiday,        celebrate 
       F G Em Am         F G Em Am            F G Em Am          F G Em Am
  Holiday,       celebrate,          holiday,        celebrate .

End of song Play again?

Madonna - Holiday Tabs

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Harmony analysis

Madonna – Holiday: key and chord analysis

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

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)

Minor view

A minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = F (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = G (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the A minor side because it comes to rest on Am and Am is heard 29 times while C never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from C 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 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.

Seen from C major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	C	Tonic — home	C · E · G	—
ii	Dm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · A	—
iii	Em	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	E · G · B	29×
V/vi	E	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	—
IV	F	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · A · C	28×
V	G	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	29×
vi	Am	Relative minor — the melancholy side	A · C · E	29×
vii°	Bdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	B · D · F	—

Seen from A minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Am	Tonic — home	A · C · E	29×
ii°	Bdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F	—
III	C	Relative major — the bright side	C · E · G	—
iv	Dm	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F · A	—
v	Em	Minor dominant — soft pull	E · G · B	29×
V	E	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	E · G# · B	—
VI	F	Submediant — warm colour	F · A · C	28×
VII	G	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D	29×

Analysis

The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 4 different chords appear 115 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

Em Am Ciii → vi Amv → inatural-minor cadence ×29
F G CIV → VIV → V AmVI → VIIVI → VII ×28

The move to watch is Em → Am, heard 29 times. From the Am side it is v → i (natural-minor cadence: gentle, modal arrival); from the C side it reads iii → vi. 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 G, land on G, B, D — 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 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

The opening F lays a solid floor for everything that follows. G, Em, Am, F carry the song: V–iii–vi–IV relative to C, VII–v–i–VI relative to Am. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Em → Am (iii → vi in C, v → i in Am): natural-minor cadence — gentle, modal arrival. Ending on Am, the song seals Am 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.