Major view
Bb major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = A (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Eb (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Elton John - Rocket Man - Chord
Key Bb major – G minor Chords Bb, Eb, C7, Gm, Cm, F, F7 Easy key G (capo 3)
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Key: Bb | Gm
Capo: 0
Gm C7
She packed my bags last night, pre flight
Gm C7 Bb
Zero hour, nine a.m.
Eb Bb Cm Cm
And I'm gonna be hiiiiiiigh
F
As a kite by then
Gm C7
I miss the earth so much, I miss my wife
Gm C7 Bb
It's lonely out in space
Eb Bb Cm Cm F F7
On such a tiiiiiiimeless flight
Bb Eb
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
Bb
Till touchdown brings me round again to find
Eb
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Bb C7
Oh no, no, no, I'm a Rocket Man
Eb Bb Eb
Rocket Man, burning out a fuse up here alone
Bb Eb
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
Bb
Till touchdown brings me round again to find
Eb
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Bb C7
Oh no, no, no, I'm a Rocket Man
Eb Bb Eb
Rocket Man, burning out a fuse up here alone
Gm C7
Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids
Gm C7 Bb
In fact its cold as hell
Eb Bb Cm Cm
And there's no one there to raise them
F
If you did
Gm C7
And all this science, I don't understand
Gm C7
It's just my job 5 days a week
Bb Eb Bb Cm Cm F
A Rocket maaaaaaaaaaaan, Rocket man
Bb Eb
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
Bb
Till touchdown brings me round again to find
Eb
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Bb C7
Oh no, no, no, I'm a Rocket Man
Eb Bb Eb
Rocket Man, burning out a fuse up here alone
Bb Eb
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
Bb
Till touchdown brings me round again to find
Eb
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Bb C7
Oh no, no, no, I'm a Rocket Man
Eb Bb Eb
Rocket Man, burning out a fuse up here alone
Bb Eb
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
Bb Eb
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
End of song Play again?
Elton John - Rocket Man Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Elton John – Rocket Man: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Gm and ends on Eb. Its chords belong to both Bb major and Gm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
G minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Eb (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = F (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: we can't honestly pick a side here — the song moves freely between Bb major and G minor because it opens on Gm and Bb is heard 26 times against 8 for Gm. Try reading the chords both ways and see which feels more like home to you.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to Bb or to Gm; 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 | Bb | Tonic — home | Bb · D · F | 26× |
| ii | Cm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | C · Eb · G | 8× |
| V7/V | C7 | Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Fsecondary dominant | C · E · G · Bb | 12× |
| iii | Dm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | D · F · A | — |
| V/vi | D | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Gmsecondary dominant | D · F# · A | — |
| IV | Eb | Subdominant — moves away from home | Eb · G · Bb | 22× |
| V | F | Dominant — strongest pull home | F · A · C | 4× |
| V7 | F7 | Dominant — strongest pull home | F · A · C · Eb | 1× |
| vi | Gm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | G · Bb · D | 8× |
| vii° | Adim | Leading-tone chord — tension | A · C · Eb | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Gm | Tonic — home | G · Bb · D | 8× |
| ii° | Adim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | A · C · Eb | — |
| III | Bb | Relative major — the bright side | Bb · D · F | 26× |
| iv | Cm | Subdominant — moves away from home | C · Eb · G | 8× |
| IV7 | C7 | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | C · E · G · Bb | 12× |
| v | Dm | Minor dominant — soft pull | D · F · A | — |
| V | D | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | D · F# · A | — |
| VI | Eb | Submediant — warm colour | Eb · G · Bb | 22× |
| VII | F | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | F · A · C | 4× |
| VII7 | F7 | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | F · A · C · Eb | 1× |
Analysis
The key pair is Bb major and its relative G minor (2 flats). 7 different chords appear 81 times in total; 6 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. C7 acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.
Chord movement
- Eb Bb BbIV → Iplagal cadence GmVI → III ×20
- Cm F Bbii → Vii → V Gmiv → VII ×4
- F Gm BbV → videceptive cadence GmVII → iAeolian arrival ×2
- F7 Bb BbV7 → Iauthentic cadence GmVII7 → III ×1
- F Bb BbV → Iauthentic cadence GmVII → III ×1
- Eb Gm BbIV → vi GmVI → iVI → i ×1
The move to watch is Eb → Bb, heard 20 times. From the Bb side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the Gm side it is VI → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- Bb major pentatonic and G minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Bb – C – D – F – G): start from Bb for a brighter phrase, from G for a bluesier one.
- Over Bb, land on Bb, D, F — 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.
- Over C7, land on C, E, G — 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 Bb major shapes
- Capo 1 + A shapes
- Capo 3 + G shapes
- Capo 6 + E shapes
With G minor shapes
- Capo 3 + Em shapes
- Capo 5 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 3 semitones down · capo 3 keeps the original pitch
- 4 semitones up
The song's harmonic story
The opening Gm lays a solid floor for everything that follows. Bb, Eb, C7, Gm carry the song: I–IV–V7/V–vi relative to Bb, III–VI–IV7–i relative to Gm. C7 adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/V — leads to F. Keep an ear on Eb → Bb (IV → I in Bb, VI → III in Gm): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. The final chord is Eb; the ear comes to rest in Bb.
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.
Elton John - Rocket Man 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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