Frank Sinatra - New York New York - Chord

Key D major – B minor Chords D, Em7, Eb, Fm, A7, Gmaj7, Abmaj7, G/A … Easy key E

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D  Em7  D  Em7

D  Em7

                     D
Start spreading the news
               Em7
I'm leaving today
           D
I want to be a part of it
           Em7    G/A
New york, New York

                 D
These vagabond shoes
                  Em7  A7
Are longing to stray
                   D
Right through the very heart of it
           Am7    D7
New york, New York

           Gmaj7          Gm6
I want to wake up in a city
               D
That doesn't sleep
              Gbm
And find I'm king of the hill
B7             Em  G/A
   Top of the heap

                    D
These little town blues
              Em7  A7
Are melting away
              D                D6
I'll make a brand new start of it
        Am7     D7
In old New York

      Gmaj7          Gm6
If I can make it there
          D/F#    B7
I'll make it anywhere
            Em7
It's up to you
 Gbm7  Gmaj7   A7  D   Em7
New   York, New York

Bb  Eb

           Bbm7
New York, New York
           Abmaj7 
I want to wake up
        Abm6             Eb
In the city that never sleeps
             Gm              C7
And find I'm A, number one, top of the list
 Fm
King of the hill
Ab/Bb
A number one

                    Eb
These little town blues
                     Fm
Oh they´re melting away
                   Eb
I'm gonna make a brand new start of it
        Ab  Eb7
In old New York

Abmaj7
And
Abm6
If I can make it there
           Eb/G        C7
I'm gonna make it anywhere
            Fm
It's up to you
 Gm  Abmaj7  Bb7           Eb  Fm  Bb7  Eb
New York, New York, New York

End of song Play again?

Frank Sinatra - New York New York Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Frank Sinatra – New York New York: key and chord analysis

The song opens on D and ends on Eb. 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 15 times while Bm never appears. 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	11×
I6	D6	Tonic — home	D · F# · A · B	1×
I	D/F#	Tonic — home	D · F# · A	1×
V7/IV	D7	Secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Gsecondary dominant	D · F# · A · C	2×
bII	Eb	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	Eb · G · Bb	6×
bII7	Eb7	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	Eb · G · Bb · Db	1×
bII	Eb/G	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	Eb · G · Bb	1×
ii7	Em7	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	E · G · B · D	9×
ii	Em	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	E · G · B	1×
biii	Fm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F · Ab · C	4×
iii	Gbm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	Gb · A · Db	1×
iii7	Gbm7	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	Gb · A · Db · Fb	1×
V/vi	F#	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bmsecondary dominant	F# · A# · C#	—
IVmaj7	Gmaj7	Subdominant — moves away from home	G · B · D · F#	3×
IV	G/A	Subdominant — moves away from home	G · B · D	2×
iv6	Gm6	Minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	G · Bb · D · E	2×
iv	Gm	Minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	G · Bb · D	2×
#IVmaj7	Abmaj7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · C · Eb · G	3×
#iv6	Abm6	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · Cb · Eb · F	2×
#IV	Ab/Bb	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · C · Eb	1×
#IV	Ab	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · C · Eb	1×
V7	A7	Dominant — strongest pull home	A · C# · E · G	3×
v7	Am7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C · E · G	2×
bVI7	Bb7	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	Bb · D · F · Ab	2×
bVI	Bb	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	Bb · D · F	1×
bvi7	Bbm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Bb · Db · F · Ab	1×
vi	Bm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	B · D · F#	—
V7/ii	B7	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F# · A	2×
bVII7	C7	bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord	C · E · G · Bb	2×
vii°	C#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	C# · E · G	—

Seen from B minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Bm	Tonic — home	B · D · F#	—
V7/iv	B7	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F# · A	2×
bII7	C7	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	C · E · G · Bb	2×
ii°	C#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	C# · E · G	—
III	D	Relative major — the bright side	D · F# · A	11×
III6	D6	Relative major — the bright side	D · F# · A · B	1×
III	D/F#	Relative major — the bright side	D · F# · A	1×
V7/VI	D7	Secondary dominant V/VI — leads to Gsecondary dominant	D · F# · A · C	2×
#III	Eb	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Eb · G · Bb	6×
#III7	Eb7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Eb · G · Bb · Db	1×
#III	Eb/G	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Eb · G · Bb	1×
iv7	Em7	Subdominant — moves away from home	E · G · B · D	9×
iv	Em	Subdominant — moves away from home	E · G · B	1×
#iv	Fm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F · Ab · C	4×
v	Gbm	Minor dominant — soft pull	Gb · A · Db	1×
v7	Gbm7	Minor dominant — soft pull	Gb · A · Db · Fb	1×
V	F#	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	F# · A# · C#	—
VImaj7	Gmaj7	Submediant — warm colour	G · B · D · F#	3×
VI	G/A	Submediant — warm colour	G · B · D	2×
vi6	Gm6	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	G · Bb · D · E	2×
vi	Gm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	G · Bb · D	2×
#VImaj7	Abmaj7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · C · Eb · G	3×
#vi6	Abm6	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · Cb · Eb · F	2×
#VI	Ab/Bb	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · C · Eb	1×
#VI	Ab	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · C · Eb	1×
VII7	A7	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	A · C# · E · G	3×
vii7	Am7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C · E · G	2×
#VII7	Bb7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Bb · D · F · Ab	2×
#VII	Bb	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Bb · D · F	1×
#vii7	Bbm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Bb · Db · F · Ab	1×

Analysis

The key pair is D major and its relative B minor (2 sharps). 27 different chords appear 68 times in total; 10 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. D7, B7 act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. Eb, Gm6, Gm, C7, Bb7, Bb, Eb7, Eb/G are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

A7 D DV7 → Iauthentic cadence BmVII7 → III ×3
G/A D DIV → Iplagal cadence BmVI → III ×2
Em7 A7 Dii7 → V7ii → V Bmiv7 → VII7 ×2
D7 Gmaj7 DV7/IV → IVmaj7secondary resolution BmV7/VI → VImaj7 ×2
C7 Fm DbVII7 → biiisecondary resolution BmbII7 → #iv ×2
Bb7 Eb DbVI7 → bIIsecondary resolution Bm#VII7 → #III ×2

The move to watch is A7 → D, heard 3 times. From the D side it reads V7 → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home); from the Bm side it is VII7 → 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 Em7, land on E, G, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Eb, land on Eb, G, Bb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
On Eb, follow the chord's notes (Eb · G · Bb) 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

2 semitones up

The song's harmonic story

Starting on D, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. D, Em7, Eb, Fm carry the song: I–ii7–bII–biii relative to D, III–iv7–#III–#iv relative to Bm. D7 adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/IV — leads to G. Keep an ear on A7 → D (V7 → I in D, VII7 → III in Bm): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. Ending on Eb, the song seals D 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.

Frank Sinatra - New York New York Chords on Guitar, Ukulele and Piano

Hover over or tap a chord in the lyrics for its shapes, its degree in both keys and a listen button. Here you have every chord of the song side by side.

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