Adele - Million Years Ago - Chord

Key E major – C# minor Chords Gbm7, Dbm, B7, Emaj7, A9, Ab7, Dbm7, Db7 … Easy key C (capo 4)

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Capo 0

Dbm  B  Gbm/A  Abm7  Dbm

        Gbm7           B7
I only wanted to have fun
              Emaj7             A9
Learning to fly, learning to run
          Gbm7             Ab7
I let my heart decide the way
            Dbm7
When I was young

       Db7   Gbm7              B7
Deep down I must have always known
                 Emaj7        A9
That is would be inevitable
              Gbm7              Ab7
To earn my stripes I'd have to pay
             3x  G#7
And bear my soul

            Gbm7        B7
I know I'm not the only one
        Emaj7                     A9
Who regrets the things they've done
                  Gbm7           Ab7
Sometimes I just feel it's only me
                        Dbm7
Who can't stand the reflection

That they see

   Db7          Gbm7          B7
I wish I could live a little more
                 Emaj7               A9
Look up to the sky, not just the floor
                Gbm7             Ab7
I feel like my life is flashing by
               Dbm7
And all I can do is watch and cry

   Db7     Gbm7             B7
I miss the air, I miss my friends
           Emaj7                A9
I miss my mother, I miss it when
            Gbm7          Ab7
Life was a party to be thrown
                
But that was 
   Dbm  B    Gbm/A  Abm7  Dbm
A miiillion years   aaaaaaaaago

Dbm  B   Gbm/A  Abm7  Dbm

              Gbm7               B7
When I walk around all of the streets
             Emaj7              A9
Where I grew up and found my feet
            Gbm7              Ab7
They can't look me in the eye
                             Dbm7
It's like they're scared of me

    Db7    Gbm7              B7
I try to think of things to say
        Emaj7           A9
Like a joke or a memory
                Gbm7         Ab7
But they don't recognize me now
                 3x  G#7
In the light of day

            Gbm7        B7
I know I'm not the only one
        Emaj7                     A9
Who regrets the things they've done
                  Gbm7           Ab7
Sometimes I just feel it's only me
             Dbm7
Who never became

Who they thought they'd be

   Db7          Gbm7          B7
I wish I could live a little more
                 Emaj7               A9
Look up to the sky, not just the floor
                Gbm7             Ab7
I feel like my life is flashing by
               Dbm7
And all I can do is watch and cry

   Db7     Gbm7             B7
I miss the air, I miss my friends
           Emaj7                A9
I miss my mother, I miss it when
            Gbm7          Ab7
Life was a party to be thrown

But that was 
   Dbm  B    Gbm/A  Abm7  Dbm
A miiillion years   aaaaaaaaago
   Dbm  B    Gbm/A  Abm7  Dbm
A miiillion years   aaaaaaaaago

End of song Play again?

Adele - Million Years Ago Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Adele – Million Years Ago: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Dbm and ends on Dbm. Its chords belong to both E major and C#m, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

E major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

C# minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = A (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = B (natural-minor colour)
#7 = B# (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 C# minor side because it both starts and finishes on C#m, C#m is heard 16 times against 10 for E and the major V chord points straight at C#m. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from E 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 E or to C#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.

Seen from E major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
Imaj7	Emaj7	Tonic — home	E · G# · B · D#	10×
ii7	Gbm7	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Gb · A · Db · Fb	20×
ii	Gbm/A	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Gb · A · Db	5×
iii7	Abm7	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb	5×
V7/vi	Ab7	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dbmsecondary dominant	Ab · C · Eb · Gb	10×
IV7	A9	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C# · E · G · B	10×
V7	B7	Dominant — strongest pull home	B · D# · F# · A	10×
V	B	Dominant — strongest pull home	B · D# · F#	5×
vi	Dbm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Db · Fb · Ab	10×
vi7	Dbm7	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Db · Fb · Ab · Cb	6×
V7/ii	Db7	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Gbmsecondary dominant	Db · F · Ab · Cb	6×
vii°	D#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	D# · F# · A	—

Seen from C# minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Dbm	Tonic — home	Db · Fb · Ab	10×
i7	Dbm7	Tonic — home	Db · Fb · Ab · Cb	6×
V7/iv	Db7	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Gbmsecondary dominant	Db · F · Ab · Cb	6×
ii°	D#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D# · F# · A	—
IIImaj7	Emaj7	Relative major — the bright side	E · G# · B · D#	10×
iv7	Gbm7	Subdominant — moves away from home	Gb · A · Db · Fb	20×
iv	Gbm/A	Subdominant — moves away from home	Gb · A · Db	5×
v7	Abm7	Minor dominant — soft pull	Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb	5×
V7	Ab7	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	Ab · C · Eb · Gb	10×
VI7	A9	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C# · E · G · B	10×
VII7	B7	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	B · D# · F# · A	10×
VII	B	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	B · D# · F#	5×

Analysis

The key pair is E major and its relative C# minor (4 sharps). 11 different chords appear 97 times in total; 8 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of C#m brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from E, the same Ab7 is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for C#m. Db7 acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

B7 Emaj7 EV7 → Imaj7authentic cadence C#mVII7 → IIImaj7 ×10
Gbm7 B7 Eii7 → V7ii → V C#miv7 → VII7 ×10
Gbm7 Ab7 Eii7 → V7/vi C#miv7 → V7iv → V ×10
Ab7 Dbm7 EV7/vi → vi7secondary resolution C#mV7 → i7harmonic-minor cadence ×6
Db7 Gbm7 EV7/ii → ii7secondary resolution C#mV7/iv → iv7 ×6
Abm7 Dbm Eiii7 → vi C#mv7 → inatural-minor cadence ×5

The move to watch is B7 → Emaj7, heard 10 times. From the C#m side it is VII7 → IIImaj7; from the E side it reads V7 → Imaj7 (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

E major pentatonic and C# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (E – F# – G# – B – C#): start from E for a brighter phrase, from C# for a bluesier one.
Over Gbm7, land on Gb, A, Db — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Dbm, land on Db, Fb, Ab — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over B7, land on B, D#, F# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When Ab7 comes, swap the scale's B for B#: 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 E major shapes

No capo — open E shapes
Capo 2 + D shapes
Capo 4 + C shapes

With C# minor shapes

Capo 4 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

4 semitones down · capo 4 keeps the original pitch
3 semitones up

The song's harmonic story

Starting on Dbm, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The chords that keep coming back are Gbm7, Dbm, B7, Emaj7; read them as ii7–vi–V7–Imaj7 in E or iv7–i–VII7–IIImaj7 in C#m. A9 is the interesting twist: in E it is a chromatic chord (IV7), while in C#m it becomes the dominant (VI7) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on B7 → Emaj7 (V7 → Imaj7 in E, VII7 → IIImaj7 in C#m): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. Ending on Dbm, the song seals C#m 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.