Ellie Goulding - Burn - Chord

Key Db major – Bb minor Chords Bbm, Gb, Db, Ab Easy key G (capo 6)

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Capo 0

Bbm  Gb  Db  Ab

Bbm   Gb                             Db   Ab
We, we don't have to worry 'bout nothing
                    Bbm            Gb                   Db        Ab
'Cause we got the fire, and we're burning one hell of a something
Bbm    Gb                        Db         Ab
  They, they gonna see us from outer space, outer space
        Bbm Gb                            Db         Ab
Light it up, like we're the stars of the human race, human race

           Bbm           Gb                  Db           Ab
When the light's turning down, they don't know what they heard
          Bbm            Gb             Db         Ab
Strike the match, play it loud, giving love to the world
           Bbm           Gb          Db       Ab
We'll be raising our hands, shining up to the sky
                  Bbm          Gb
'Cause we got the fire, fire, fire
                  Db         Ab
Yeah we got the fire, fire, fire
 
                    Bbm          Gb
And we gonna let it burn, burn, burn, burn
                Db          Ab
We gonna let it burn, burn, burn, burn
              Bbm        Gb
Gonna let it burn, burn, burn, burn
                Db          Ab
We gonna let it burn, burn, burn, burn

                  Bbm  Gb                Db                    Ab
We don't wanna leave, no, we just wanna be right now,r-r-right now
             BbmGb                       Db                       Ab
And what we see, is everybody's on the floor acting crazy getting loco til the lights out
Bbm             Gb             Db                   Ab
Music's on, I'm waking up, we stop the vibe, and we bump it up
         Bbm           Gb                       Db             Ab
And it's over now, we got the love, there's no secret now, no secret now

           Bbm           Gb                  Db           Ab
When the light's turning down, they don't know what they heard
          Bbm            Gb             Db         Ab
Strike the match, play it loud, giving love to the world
           Bbm           Gb          Db       Ab
We'll be raising our hands, shining up to the sky
                  Bbm          Gb
'Cause we got the fire, fire, fire
                  Db         Ab
Yeah we got the fire, fire, fire
 
                    Bbm          Gb
And we gonna let it burn, burn, burn, burn
                Db          Ab
We gonna let it burn, burn, burn, burn
              Bbm        Gb
Gonna let it burn, burn, burn, burn
                Db          Ab
We gonna let it burn, burn, burn, burn

          Bbm              Gb             Db             Ab
When the light's turning down, they don't know what they heard
           Bbm             Gb           Db          Ab
Strike the match, play it loud, giving love to the world
                Bbm        Gb
We gonna let it burn burn burn burn
Db              Ab
Burn burn
 
Bbm       Gb
Burn burn burn burn
Db            Ab
Burn burn
 
                Bbm     Gb
We can light it up, up, up
                     Db        Ab
So they can't put it out, out, out
                Bbm     Gb
We can light it up, up, up
                     Db        Ab
So they can't put it out, out, out
                Bbm     Gb
We can light it up, up, up
                     Db        Ab
So they can't put it out, out, out
                Bbm     Gb
We can light it up, up, up
                     Db        Ab
So they can't put it out, out, out

           Bbm           Gb                  Db           Ab
When the light's turning down, they don't know what they heard
          Bbm            Gb             Db         Ab
Strike the match, play it loud, giving love to the world
           Bbm           Gb          Db       Ab
We'll be raising our hands, shining up to the sky
                  Bbm          Gb
'Cause we got the fire, fire, fire
                  Db         Ab
Yeah we got the fire, fire, fire
 
                    Bbm          Gb
And we gonna let it burn, burn, burn, burn
                Db          Ab
We gonna let it burn, burn, burn, burn
              Bbm        Gb
Gonna let it burn, burn, burn, burn
                Db          Ab
We gonna let it burn, burn, burn, burn
 
           Bbm           Gb                  Db           Ab
When the light's turning down, they don't know what they heard
          Bbm            Gb             Db         Ab
Strike the match, play it loud, giving love to the world
           Bbm           Gb          Db       Ab
We'll be raising our hands, shining up to the sky
                  Bbm          Gb
'Cause we got the fire, fire, fire
                  Db         Ab
Yeah we got the fire, fire, fire
                      Bbm
And we gonna let it burn

End of song Play again?

Ellie Goulding - Burn Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Ellie Goulding – Burn: key and chord analysis

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

Major view

Db major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

Bb minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Gb (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = Ab (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the Bb minor side because it both starts and finishes on Bbm and Bbm is heard 39 times against 38 for Db. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Db major, and switching between the two views is exactly where the practice value lies.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to Db or to Bbm; 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 Db major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Db	Tonic — home	Db · F · Ab	38×
ii	Ebm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Eb · Gb · Bb	—
iii	Fm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	F · Ab · C	—
V/vi	F	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant	F · A · C	—
IV	Gb	Subdominant — moves away from home	Gb · Bb · Db	38×
V	Ab	Dominant — strongest pull home	Ab · C · Eb	38×
vi	Bbm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Bb · Db · F	39×
vii°	Cdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	C · Eb · Gb	—

Seen from Bb minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Bbm	Tonic — home	Bb · Db · F	39×
ii°	Cdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	C · Eb · Gb	—
III	Db	Relative major — the bright side	Db · F · Ab	38×
iv	Ebm	Subdominant — moves away from home	Eb · Gb · Bb	—
v	Fm	Minor dominant — soft pull	F · Ab · C	—
V	F	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	F · A · C	—
VI	Gb	Submediant — warm colour	Gb · Bb · Db	38×
VII	Ab	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Ab · C · Eb	38×

Analysis

The key pair is Db major and its relative Bb minor (5 flats). 4 different chords appear 153 times in total; 4 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

Gb Db DbIV → Iplagal cadence BbmVI → III ×38
Ab Bbm DbV → videceptive cadence BbmVII → iAeolian arrival ×38

The move to watch is Gb → Db, heard 38 times. From the Bbm side it is VI → III; from the Db side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

Db major pentatonic and Bb minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Db – Eb – F – Ab – Bb): start from Db for a brighter phrase, from Bb for a bluesier one.
Over Bbm, land on Bb, Db, F — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Gb, land on Gb, Bb, Db — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Db, land on Db, F, Ab — 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 Db major shapes

Capo 1 + C shapes
Capo 4 + A shapes
Capo 6 + G shapes

With Bb minor shapes

Capo 1 + Am shapes
Capo 6 + Em shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

6 semitones up · capo 6 keeps the original pitch
1 semitone down · capo 1 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

Starting on Bbm, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is Bbm, Gb, Db, Ab — vi–IV–I–V from the Db side, i–VI–III–VII from the Bbm side. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Gb → Db (IV → I in Db, VI → III in Bbm): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. Ending on Bbm, the song seals Bbm 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.

Ellie Goulding - Burn 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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