Elton John - Nikita - Chord

Key G major – E minor Chords G, C, D, Bm, G7, D7, Dm, F … Easy key D (capo 5)

Add to Repertoire

No ratings yet

or your user informations

Capo 0

G  Bm  C  C#  C/D

G         Bm              C  F  C                     G           C
    Hey Nikita is it cold       in your little corner of the world
G                    D               G
    You could roll around the globe
D                           G             C
    And never find a warmer soul to know
G7                            C  Dm  F  C                          G         Am
    Oh I saw you by the wall              ten of your tin soldiers in a row
G                              D            G
    With eyes that looked like ice on fire
D7                             G           C
    The human heart a captive in the snow

G7                      C           Dm  C            G
     Oh Nikita you will never know         anything about my home
G7                                         D         G  D7          G            C
     I'll never know how good it feels to hold you        Nikita I need you so
G7                    C          Dm  C              G             C
     Oh Nikita is the other side       of any given line in time

G                             D
Couting ten tin soldiers in a row

Em  D7               G           Bm  Bm7  C  C#    D4    D
Oh  no Nikita you'll never know

G           Bm                C  F   C                           G             C
     Do you ever dream of me         Do you ever see the letters that I write

G                                 D     G
     When you look up through the wire
D                            G               C
    Nikita do you count the stars at night
G7                       C     Dm  F  C                          G
    And if there comes a time           guns and gates no longer hold you in
G                                D       G
    And if you're free to make a choice
D7                                 G               C
    Just look towards the west and find a friend

G7                      C           Dm  C             G
     Oh Nikita you will never know          anything about my home
G7                                         D
     I'll never know how good it feels to hold you
Em  D7                  G           Bm  Bm7  C  C#  D4   D
Oh  no!   Nikita you'll never know

Bm  Bm7   C
        Nikita
Am               D7            G
Counting ten tin soldiers in a row
Bm  Bm7     C
Uuuuuhu   nikita
Am               D7            G
Counting ten tin soldiers in a row

End of song Play again?

Elton John - Nikita Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Elton John – Nikita: key and chord analysis

The song opens on G and ends on G. Its chords belong to both G major and Em, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

G major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

E minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = C (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = D (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the G major side because it both starts and finishes on G and G is heard 36 times against 2 for Em. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from E minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to G or to Em; 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 G major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	G	Tonic — home	G · B · D	29×
V7/IV	G7	Secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Csecondary dominant	G · B · D · F	7×
ii	Am	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · E	3×
iii	Bm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	B · D · F#	7×
iii7	Bm7	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	B · D · F# · A	4×
V/vi	B	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	—
IV	C	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · E · G	27×
IV	C/D	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · E · G	1×
#IV	C#	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C# · E# · G#	3×
V	D	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	11×
V7	D7	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A · C	7×
V	D4	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	2×
v	Dm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	D · F · A	5×
vi	Em	Relative minor — the melancholy side	E · G · B	2×
bVII	F	bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord	F · A · C	4×
vii°	F#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	F# · A · C	—

Seen from E minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Em	Tonic — home	E · G · B	2×
bII	F	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	F · A · C	4×
ii°	F#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F# · A · C	—
III	G	Relative major — the bright side	G · B · D	29×
V7/VI	G7	Secondary dominant V/VI — leads to Csecondary dominant	G · B · D · F	7×
iv	Am	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C · E	3×
v	Bm	Minor dominant — soft pull	B · D · F#	7×
v7	Bm7	Minor dominant — soft pull	B · D · F# · A	4×
V	B	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	B · D# · F#	—
VI	C	Submediant — warm colour	C · E · G	27×
VI	C/D	Submediant — warm colour	C · E · G	1×
#VI	C#	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C# · E# · G#	3×
VII	D	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	11×
VII7	D7	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A · C	7×
VII	D4	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	2×
vii	Dm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	D · F · A	5×

Analysis

The key pair is G major and its relative E minor (1 sharp). 14 different chords appear 112 times in total; 10 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. G7 acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. F is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

C G GIV → Iplagal cadence EmVI → III ×10
D G GV → Iauthentic cadence EmVII → III ×8
D7 G GV7 → Iauthentic cadence EmVII7 → III ×7
C G7 GIV → V7/IVplagal cadence EmVI → V7/VI ×5
G7 C GV7/IV → IVsecondary resolution EmV7/VI → VI ×5
D Em GV → videceptive cadence EmVII → iAeolian arrival ×2

The move to watch is C → G, heard 10 times. From the G side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the Em side it is VI → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

G major pentatonic and E minor pentatonic are the same five notes (G – A – B – D – E): start from G for a brighter phrase, from E for a bluesier one.
Over G, land on G, B, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over C, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over D, land on D, F#, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
On F, follow the chord's notes (F · A · C) 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 G major shapes

No capo — open G shapes
Capo 3 + E shapes
Capo 5 + D shapes

With E minor shapes

No capo — open Em shapes
Capo 2 + Dm shapes
Capo 7 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

Starting on G, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. G, C, D, Bm carry the song: I–IV–V–iii relative to G, III–VI–VII–v relative to Em. G7 adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/IV — leads to C. Keep an ear on C → G (IV → I in G, VI → III in Em): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. Ending on G, the song seals G 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.