Major view
B major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = A# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = E (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Key B major – G# minor Chords Gb, E, Dbm, B, E5, Gb5, Db, Abm7 … Easy key G (capo 4)
B Gb B Gb E Gb Db
B Gb
Out of the ruins
B Gb
Out from the wreckage
E Gb Db
Can't make the same mistake this time
Abm7 Gb
We are the children
Abm7 Gb
The last generation
E Gb Db
We are the ones they left behind
E Gb Dbm
And I wonder when we are ever gonna change it
E Gb Dbm
Living under the fear till nothing else remains
Gb E5 Gb E Gb5
We don't need another hero
Gb E5 Gb E Gb5
We don't need to know the way home
Gb E5 Gb E Gb5 Dbm
All we want is life beyond the Thunderdome
B Gb B Gb
Looking for something, we can rely on
E Gb Db
There's got to be something better out there
Abm7 Gb Abm7 Gb
Love and compassion, that day is coming
E Gb Db
All else are castles built in the air
E Gb Dbm
And I wonder when we are ever gonna change it
E Gb Dbm
Living under the fear till nothing else remains
Gb E5 Gb E Gb5
We don't need another hero
Gb E5 Gb E Gb5
We don't need to know the way home
Gb E5 Gb E Gb5 Dbm B
All we want is life beyond the Thunderdome
A Gb
So what do we do with our lives
A Dbm
We leave only a mark
D E
Will our story shine like a life
D E
Or end in the dark
Give it all or nothing
Gb E5 Gb E Gb5
Dbm
Thunderdome
End of song Play again?
Harmony analysis
The song opens on B and ends on Dbm. Its chords belong to both B major and G#m, so every chord below is read both ways.
Major view
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
Minor view
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the B major side because it opens on B and B is heard 7 times against 4 for G#m. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from G# minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to B or to G#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.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | B | Tonic — home | B · D# · F# | 7× |
| ii | Dbm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | Db · Fb · Ab | 8× |
| V/V | Db | Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Gbsecondary dominant | Db · F · Ab | 5× |
| bIII | D | Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord | D · F# · A | 2× |
| iii | D#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | D# · F# · A# | — |
| V/vi | D# | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Abmsecondary dominant | D# · G · A# | — |
| IV | E | Subdominant — moves away from home | E · G# · B | 18× |
| IV | E5 | Subdominant — moves away from home | E · B | 7× |
| V | Gb | Dominant — strongest pull home | Gb · Bb · Db | 34× |
| V | Gb5 | Dominant — strongest pull home | Gb · Db | 7× |
| vi7 | Abm7 | Relative minor — the melancholy side | Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb | 4× |
| bVII | A | bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord | A · C# · E | 2× |
| vii° | A#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | A# · C# · E | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i7 | Abm7 | Tonic — home | Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb | 4× |
| bII | A | Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord | A · C# · E | 2× |
| ii° | A#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | A# · C# · E | — |
| III | B | Relative major — the bright side | B · D# · F# | 7× |
| iv | Dbm | Subdominant — moves away from home | Db · Fb · Ab | 8× |
| IV | Db | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | Db · F · Ab | 5× |
| #IV | D | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | D · F# · A | 2× |
| v | D#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | D# · F# · A# | — |
| V | D# | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | D# · G · A# | — |
| VI | E | Submediant — warm colour | E · G# · B | 18× |
| VI | E5 | Submediant — warm colour | E · B | 7× |
| VII | Gb | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | Gb · Bb · Db | 34× |
| VII | Gb5 | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | Gb · Db | 7× |
The key pair is B major and its relative G# minor (5 sharps). 10 different chords appear 94 times in total; 7 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Db acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. A, D are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
The move to watch is E → Gb, heard 10 times. From the B side it reads IV → V (IV → V: the lift that builds tension before home); from the G#m side it is VI → VII (VI → VII: the rising step that heads for the tonic). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Empty slices are chords the song doesn't use.
The first chord is B; the ear learns where home is within a second. Gb, E, Dbm, B carry the song: V–IV–ii–I relative to B, VII–VI–iv–III relative to G#m. Db adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/V — leads to Gb. Keep an ear on E → Gb (IV → V in B, VI → VII in G#m): IV → V — the lift that builds tension before home. It closes on Dbm, letting the B 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.
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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