Major view
D major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = C# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = G (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Take That - Rule The World - Chord
Key D major – B minor Chords F#m, Bm, A, D, G, Em Easy key C (capo 2)
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Key: D | Bm
Capo: 0
Bm F#m Em F#m
You light the skies up above me
Bm F#m Em F#m
A star so bright, you blind me, yeah-i yeah
Em Bm
Don’t close your eyes
F#m
Don’t fade away
A
Don’t fade away, Ohhhhh
D Bm F#m
Yeah, you and me, we can ride on a star
G
If you stay with me, girl
A
We can rule the world
D Bm F#m
Yeah, you and me, we can light up the sky
G
If you stay by my side
A
We can rule the world
Bm F#m Em F#m
If walls break down I will comfort you
Bm F#m Em F#m
If angels cry, oh I’ll be there for you
Em Bm
You’ve saved my soul
F#m
Don’t leave me now
A
Don’t leave me now, Ohhhhh
D Bm F#m
Yeah, you and me, we can ride on a star
G
If you stay with me, girl
A
We can rule the world
D Bm F#m
Yeah, you and me, we can light up the sky
G
If you stay by my side
A
We can rule the world
D Bm F#m G A
Em
All the stars are coming out tonight
G D A
They’re lighting up the sky tonight for you, for you
Em
All the stars are coming out tonight
G D A
They’re lighting up the sky tonight for you, for you, Ohhhhhh
D Bm F#m
Yeah, you and me, we can ride on a star
G
If you stay with me, girl
A
We can rule the world
D Bm F#m
Yeah, you and me, we can light up the sky
G
If you stay by my side
A
We can rule the world
D
All the stars are coming out tonight
Bm F#m G A
They’re lighting up the sky tonight for you, for you
D
All the stars are coming out tonight
Bm F#m G A
They’re lighting up the sky tonight for you, for you
D
All the stars are coming out tonight
Bm F#m G A
They’re lighting up the sky tonight for you, for you
D
All the stars are coming out tonight
Bm F#m G A D
They’re lighting up the sky tonight for you, for you
End of song Play again?
Take That - Rule The World Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Take That – Rule The World: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Bm and ends on D. Its chords belong to both D major and Bm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
B minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = G (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = A (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 D major and B minor because it comes to rest on D, it opens on Bm and Bm is heard 17 times against 14 for D. 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 D or to Bm; 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 | D | Tonic — home | D · F# · A | 14× |
| ii | Em | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | E · G · B | 8× |
| iii | F#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | F# · A · C# | 21× |
| V/vi | F# | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bmsecondary dominant | F# · A# · C# | — |
| IV | G | Subdominant — moves away from home | G · B · D | 13× |
| V | A | Dominant — strongest pull home | A · C# · E | 15× |
| vi | Bm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | B · D · F# | 17× |
| vii° | C#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | C# · E · G | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Bm | Tonic — home | B · D · F# | 17× |
| ii° | C#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | C# · E · G | — |
| III | D | Relative major — the bright side | D · F# · A | 14× |
| iv | Em | Subdominant — moves away from home | E · G · B | 8× |
| v | F#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | F# · A · C# | 21× |
| V | F# | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | F# · A# · C# | — |
| VI | G | Submediant — warm colour | G · B · D | 13× |
| VII | A | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | A · C# · E | 15× |
Analysis
The key pair is D major and its relative B minor (2 sharps). 6 different chords appear 88 times in total; 6 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 D DV → Iauthentic cadence BmVII → III ×12
- G A DIV → VIV → V BmVI → VIIVI → VII ×11
- Em Bm Dii → vi Bmiv → iminor plagal ×2
- G D DIV → Iplagal cadence BmVI → III ×2
- F#m Bm Diii → vi Bmv → inatural-minor cadence ×2
- A Bm DV → videceptive cadence BmVII → iAeolian arrival ×1
The move to watch is A → D, heard 12 times. From the D side it reads V → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home); from the Bm side it is VII → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- D major pentatonic and B minor pentatonic are the same five notes (D – E – F# – A – B): start from D for a brighter phrase, from B for a bluesier one.
- Over F#m, land on F#, A, C# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Bm, land on B, D, F# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over A, land on A, C#, E — 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 D major shapes
- No capo — open D shapes
- Capo 2 + C shapes
- Capo 5 + A shapes
With B minor shapes
- Capo 2 + Am shapes
- Capo 7 + Em shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch
- 5 semitones up · capo 7 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The opening Bm lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The chords that keep coming back are F#m, Bm, A, D; read them as iii–vi–V–I in D or v–i–VII–III in Bm. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on A → D (V → I in D, VII → III in Bm): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. It closes on D, letting the D 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.
Take That - Rule The World 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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