Madonna - Cherish - Chord

Key D major – B minor Chords D, G, A, Em, C, Bm7, E Difficulty already in its easiest key

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Capo 0

D             C                G         
So tired of broken hearts, of losing at this game
   A       D                 G               Bm7
Before I start this dance I take a chance in telling you
                  A      D 
I want more than just romance
            C           G
You are my destiny, I can't let go baby
               A
Can't you see
D             G                D   E A
Cupid please take your aim at me
 D            G
Cherish the thought 
                     Em          A 
Of always having you here by my side, oh baby
  D          G                       Em       A 
Cherish the joy you keep bringing it into my life
     D             G
Oh cherish your strenght
                        Em            A
You got the to power to make me feel good, oh baby
D            G                     Em     A 
Perish the thought of ever leaving never would
 D           C              G
I was never satisfied with casual encounters
A        D                     G  
I can't hide the need for two hearts that bleed
     Bm7                               A 
With burning love that's the way it's got to be
D             C         G                     A    
Romeo and Juliet, they never felt this way I bet
          D             G           D    E  A
So don't underestimate my point of view
 D            G
Cherish the thought 
                     Em          A 
Of always having you here by my side, oh baby
  D          G                       Em       A 
Cherish the joy you keep bringing it into my life
     D             G
Oh cherish your strenght
                        Em            A
You got the to power to make me feel good, oh baby
D            G                     Em     A 
Perish the thought of ever leaving never would
 D           C              G
I was never satisfied with casual encounters
 
      G    Bm7                     A 
Who? You! Can't get away, I won't let you
      G    Bm7              A 
Who? You! I could never forget to
  D                   G
Cherish is the word I use to remind me of
          D    C
--- your love
D             C         G                     A
Romeo and Juliet, they never felt this way I bet
          D        G                D    E  A
So don't underestimate my point of view

End of song Play again?

Madonna - Cherish Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Madonna – Cherish: key and chord analysis

The song opens on D and ends on A. Its chords belong to both D major and Bm, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

D major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = C# (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = G (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

B minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

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

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the D major side because it opens on D and D is heard 24 times against 4 for Bm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from B minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to D or to Bm; 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 D major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	D	Tonic — home	D · F# · A	24×
ii	Em	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	E · G · B	8×
V/V	E	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Asecondary dominant	E · G# · B	3×
iii	F#m	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	F# · A · C#	—
V/vi	F#	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bmsecondary dominant	F# · A# · C#	—
IV	G	Subdominant — moves away from home	G · B · D	22×
V	A	Dominant — strongest pull home	A · C# · E	20×
vi7	Bm7	Relative minor — the melancholy side	B · D · F# · A	4×
bVII	C	bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord	C · E · G	7×
vii°	C#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	C# · E · G	—

Seen from B minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i7	Bm7	Tonic — home	B · D · F# · A	4×
bII	C	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	C · E · G	7×
ii°	C#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	C# · E · G	—
III	D	Relative major — the bright side	D · F# · A	24×
iv	Em	Subdominant — moves away from home	E · G · B	8×
IV	E	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	E · G# · B	3×
v	F#m	Minor dominant — soft pull	F# · A · C#	—
V	F#	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	F# · A# · C#	—
VI	G	Submediant — warm colour	G · B · D	22×
VII	A	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	A · C# · E	20×

Analysis

The key pair is D major and its relative B minor (2 sharps). 7 different chords appear 88 times in total; 5 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. E acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. C is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

A D DV → Iauthentic cadence BmVII → III ×18
Em A Dii → Vii → V Bmiv → VII ×8
G A DIV → VIV → V BmVI → VIIVI → VII ×5
G D DIV → Iplagal cadence BmVI → III ×4
G Bm7 DIV → vi7 BmVI → i7VI → i ×4
C D DbVII → IbVII → I BmbII → III ×1

The move to watch is A → D, heard 18 times. From the D side it reads V → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home); from the Bm side it is VII → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

D major pentatonic and B minor pentatonic are the same five notes (D – E – F# – A – B): start from D for a brighter phrase, from B for a bluesier one.
Over D, land on D, F#, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over G, land on G, B, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over A, land on A, C#, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
On C, follow the chord's notes (C · E · G) 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 D major shapes

No capo — open D shapes
Capo 2 + C shapes
Capo 5 + A shapes

With B minor shapes

Capo 2 + Am shapes
Capo 7 + Em shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.

The song's harmonic story

The opening D lays a solid floor for everything that follows. D, G, A, Em carry the song: I–IV–V–ii relative to D, III–VI–VII–iv relative to Bm. E adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/V — leads to A. Keep an ear on A → D (V → I in D, VII → III in Bm): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. It closes on A, letting the D 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.