Major view
E major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = D# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = A (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Elton John - Candle in The Wind - Chord
Key E major – C# minor Chords A, E, B, E/G#, B7, Dbm, F#m Easy key G
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Key: E | Dbm | C#m
Capo: 0
E A
Goodbye Norma Jean, Though I never knew you at all
E/G# A
You had the grace to hold yourself, While those around you crawled
E A
They crawled out of the woodwork, And they whispered into your brain
E/G# A
They set you on the treadmill, And they made you change your name
B B7 E A
"And it seems to me you lived your life, Like a candle in the wind
E B
Never knowing who to cling to, When the rain set in
A Dbm
And I would have liked to have known you, But I was just a kid
B A
Your candle burned out long before, your legend ever will
A E/G# F#m E B7 A E/G# F#m E B7)
E A
Loneliness was tough, The toughest role you ever played
E A
Hollywood created a superstar, And pain was the price you paid
E A
Even when you died, Oh the press still hounded you
E A
All the papers had to say, Was that Marilyn was found in the nude
B B7 E A
"And it seems to me you lived your life, Like a candle in the wind
E B
Never knowing who to cling to, When the rain set in
A Dbm
And I would have liked to have known you, But I was just a kid
B A
Your candle burned out long before, your legend ever did
A E/G# F#m E
E A
Goodbye Norma Jean, Though I never knew you at all
E/G# A
You had the grace to hold yourself, While those around you crawled
E A
Goodbye Norma Jean, From the young man in the 22nd row
E A
Who sees you as something as more than sexual, More than just our Marilyn Monroe
B B7 E A
"And it seems to me you lived your life, Like a candle in the wind
E B
Never knowing who to cling to, When the rain set in
A Dbm
And I would have liked to have known you, But I was just a kid
B A
Your candle burned out long before, your legend ever did
A E/G# F#m E
B A
Your candle burned out long before, Your legend ever did
End of song Play again?
Elton John - Candle in The Wind Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Elton John – Candle in The Wind: key and chord analysis
The song opens on E and ends on A. Its chords belong to both E major and C#m, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
C# minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = A (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = B (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the E major side because it opens on E and E is heard 22 times against 3 for C#m. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from C# minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to E or to C#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 | E | Tonic — home | E · G# · B | 17× |
| I | E/G# | Tonic — home | E · G# · B | 5× |
| ii | F#m | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | F# · A · C# | 2× |
| iii | G#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | G# · B · D# | — |
| V/vi | G# | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dbmsecondary dominant | G# · B# · D# | — |
| IV | A | Subdominant — moves away from home | A · C# · E | 24× |
| V | B | Dominant — strongest pull home | B · D# · F# | 10× |
| V7 | B7 | Dominant — strongest pull home | B · D# · F# · A | 3× |
| vi | Dbm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | Db · Fb · Ab | 3× |
| vii° | D#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | D# · F# · A | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Dbm | Tonic — home | Db · Fb · Ab | 3× |
| ii° | D#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | D# · F# · A | — |
| III | E | Relative major — the bright side | E · G# · B | 17× |
| III | E/G# | Relative major — the bright side | E · G# · B | 5× |
| iv | F#m | Subdominant — moves away from home | F# · A · C# | 2× |
| v | G#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | G# · B · D# | — |
| V | G# | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | G# · B# · D# | — |
| VI | A | Submediant — warm colour | A · C# · E | 24× |
| VII | B | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | B · D# · F# | 10× |
| VII7 | B7 | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | B · D# · F# · A | 3× |
Analysis
The key pair is E major and its relative C# minor (4 sharps). 7 different chords appear 64 times in total; 7 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
- A E EIV → Iplagal cadence C#mVI → III ×10
- A E/G# EIV → Iplagal cadence C#mVI → III ×5
- B7 E EV7 → Iauthentic cadence C#mVII7 → III ×3
- A B EIV → VIV → V C#mVI → VIIVI → VII ×3
- A Dbm EIV → vi C#mVI → iVI → i ×3
The move to watch is A → E, heard 10 times. From the E side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the C#m side it is VI → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- E major pentatonic and C# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (E – F# – G# – B – C#): start from E for a brighter phrase, from C# for a bluesier one.
- Over A, land on A, C#, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over E, land on E, G#, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over B, land on B, D#, F# — 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 E major shapes
- No capo — open E shapes
- Capo 2 + D shapes
- Capo 4 + C shapes
With C# minor shapes
- Capo 4 + Am shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 3 semitones up
- 2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The opening E lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The chords that keep coming back are A, E, B, E/G#; read them as IV–I–V–I in E or VI–III–VII–III in C#m. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on A → E (IV → I in E, VI → III in C#m): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. The final chord is A; the ear comes to rest in E.
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 - Candle in The Wind 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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