Adele - Hometown Glory - Chord

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

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Capo 0

Am   G   Em   F

Am                G       Em            F
I've been walking in the same way as I did
 Am                            G
Missing out the cracks in the pavement
Em                  F
And tutting my heel and strutting my feet
 Am                              G                 Em            F
"Is there anything I can do for you dear? Is there anyone I can call?"
 Am                          G            Em    F
"No and thank you, please Madam. I ain't lost, just wandering"

 Am           G
Round my hometown
         Em    F
Memories are fresh
 Am           G
Round my hometown
         Em          F
Ooh the people I've met
         Am         G
Are the wonders of my world
         Em         F
Are the wonders of my world
         Am          G
Are the wonders of this world
         Em         F
Are the wonders of my world

Am                      G              Em          F
I like it in the city when the air is so thick and opaque
Am                      G          Em           F
I love to see everybody in short skirts, shorts and shades
Am                      G              Em   F
I like it in the city when two worlds collide
 Am                         G
You get the people and the government
    Em                 F
Everybody taking different sides

  Am                              G
Shows that we ain't gonna stand shit
                  Em
Shows that we are united
                     F
Shows that we ain't gonna take it
  Am                              G
Shows that we ain't gonna stand shit
                  Em     F
Shows that we are united

 Am           G
Round my hometown
         Em    F
Memories are fresh
 Am           G
Round my hometown
         Em          F
Ooh the people I've met
         Am         G
Are the wonders of my world
         Em         F
Are the wonders of my world
         Am          G
Are the wonders of this world
         Em         F
Are the wonders of my world

End of song Play again?

Adele - Hometown Glory Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Adele – Hometown Glory: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Am and ends on F. 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 opens on Am and Am is heard 19 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	19×
V/vi	E	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	—
IV	F	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · A · C	19×
V	G	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	19×
vi	Am	Relative minor — the melancholy side	A · C · E	19×
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	19×
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	19×
V	E	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	E · G# · B	—
VI	F	Submediant — warm colour	F · A · C	19×
VII	G	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D	19×

Analysis

The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 4 different chords appear 76 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

F Am CIV → vi AmVI → iVI → i ×18

The move to watch is F → Am, heard 18 times. From the Am side it is VI → i (VI → i: falls a half step into home); from the C side it reads IV → 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 Am, land on A, C, E — 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 Em, land on E, G, B — 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 Am lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The backbone is Am, G, Em, F — vi–V–iii–IV from the C side, i–VII–v–VI from the Am side. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on F → Am (IV → vi in C, VI → i in Am): VI → i — falls a half step into home. It closes on F, letting the C 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.