Madonna - Frozen - Chord

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

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Capo 0

Em
1.    You only see what your eyes want to see,
                              D
    how can life be what you want it to be,
             C      D                    Em     D
    you're frozen when your heart's not open.
   Em
2.    You're so consumed with how much you get,
                              D
    you waste your time with hate and regret,
             C      D                    Em
    you're broken when your heart's not open.
 Em Am     C                  G    Em  Am        F         G
Mm mm, if I could melt your heart, mm mm, we'd never be apart.
Em Am   C                G  Em Am   F   G    Em          
Mm mm, give yourself to me, mm mm, you hold      the key.
   Em
3.    Now there's no point in placing the blame,
                           D
    and you should know I suffer the same,
          C         D                 Em      D
    if I lose you, my heart will be broken.
  Em                                                        D
4.   Love is a bird, she needs to fly, let all the hurt inside of you die,
             C      D                    Em
    you're frozen when your heart's not open.  + REFRAIN
   Em
5.    You only see what your eyes want to see,
                             D
    how can I feel what you want it to be,
             C      D                    Em
    you're frozen when your heart's not open  + REFRAIN  + Am
     C                  G
+ if I could melt your heart.

End of song Play again?

Madonna - Frozen Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Madonna – Frozen: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Em and ends on G. 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: we can't honestly pick a side here — the song moves freely between G major and E minor because it comes to rest on G, it opens on Em and Em is heard 15 times against 5 for G. 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 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	5×
ii	Am	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · E	4×
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	8×
V	D	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	12×
vi	Em	Relative minor — the melancholy side	E · G · B	15×
bVII	F	bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord	F · A · C	2×
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	15×
bII	F	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	F · A · C	2×
ii°	F#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F# · A · C	—
III	G	Relative major — the bright side	G · B · D	5×
iv	Am	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C · E	4×
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	8×
VII	D	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	12×

Analysis

The key pair is G major and its relative E minor (1 sharp). 6 different chords appear 46 times in total; 5 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. F is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

D Em GV → videceptive cadence EmVII → iAeolian arrival ×7
C D GIV → VIV → V EmVI → VIIVI → VII ×5
C G GIV → Iplagal cadence EmVI → III ×3
F G GbVII → IbVII → I EmbII → III ×2

The move to watch is D → Em, heard 7 times. From the G side it reads V → vi (deceptive cadence: expected G, lands on Em); from the Em side it is VII → i (Aeolian arrival: rises a whole tone into home). 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 Em, land on E, G, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over D, land on D, F#, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over C, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
On F, follow the chord's notes (F · A · C) 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 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

Starting on Em, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The chords that keep coming back are Em, D, C, G; read them as vi–V–IV–I in G or i–VII–VI–III in Em. F briefly darkens the picture: bvii — borrowed (mixolydian / parallel minor). Keep an ear on D → Em (V → vi in G, VII → i in Em): deceptive cadence — expected G, lands on Em. The final chord is G; the ear comes to rest in G.

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.