Major view
C major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = B (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = F (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Opus - Life Is Life - Chord
Key C major – A minor Chords Am, Dm, G, Gsus4, F Easy key G (capo 5)
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Key: C | Am
Capo: 0
Am Dm Gsus4 G
Nanananana
Am Dm Gsus4 G
Life (nanananana)
Am Dm Gsus4 G
Life is life (nanananana)
Am Dm G
Labadab dab dab life (nanananana)
Am Dm G
Liiiiiiiife (nanananana)
Am F
When we all give the power
Dm G
We all give the best
Am F
Every minute of an hour
Dm G
Don't think about the rest
Am F
And you all get the power
Dm G
You all get the best
Am Dm
When everyone gets everything
F G
And every song everybody sings
Am Dm Gsus4 G
Life is life when we all feel the power
Am Dm Gsus4 G
Life is life come on, stand up and dance
Am Dm Gsus4 G
Life is life when the feeling of the people
Am Dm Gsus4 G
Life is life is the feeling of the band
Am F
When we all give the power
Dm G
We all give the best
Am F
Every minute of an hour
Dm G
Don't think about the rest
Am F
And you all get the power
Dm G
You all get the best
Am Dm
When everyone gets everything
F G
And every song everybody sings
Am Dm Gsus4 G
Life is life when we all feel the power
Am Dm Gsus4 G
Life is life come on, stand up and dance
Am Dm Gsus4 G
Life is life when the feeling of the people
Am Dm Gsus4 G
Life is life is the feeling of the band
Life (nanananana)
Am Dm Gsus4 G
Life is life when we all feel the power
Am Dm Gsus4 G
Life is life come on, stand up and dance
Am Dm Gsus4 G
Life is life when the feeling of the people
Am Dm Gsus4 G
Life is life is the feeling of the band
Am F
And you call when it's over
Dm G
You call it should last
Am F
Every minute of the future
Dm G
Is a memory of the past
Am F
Cause we all gave the power
Dm G
We all gave the best
Am F
And everyone gave everything
Dm G
And every song everybody sang
Am
Life is life
End of song Play again?
Opus - Life Is Life Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Opus – Life Is Life: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Am and ends on Am. Its chords belong to both C major and Am, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
A minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = F (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = G (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the A minor side because it both starts and finishes on Am and Am is heard 30 times while C never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from C 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 C or to Am; 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 | C | Tonic — home | C · E · G | — |
| ii | Dm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | D · F · A | 29× |
| iii | Em | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | E · G · B | — |
| V/vi | E | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant | E · G# · B | — |
| IV | F | Subdominant — moves away from home | F · A · C | 12× |
| V | G | Dominant — strongest pull home | G · B · D | 29× |
| Vsus4 | Gsus4 | Dominant — strongest pull home | G · C · D | 15× |
| vi | Am | Relative minor — the melancholy side | A · C · E | 30× |
| vii° | Bdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | B · D · F | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Am | Tonic — home | A · C · E | 30× |
| ii° | Bdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F | — |
| III | C | Relative major — the bright side | C · E · G | — |
| iv | Dm | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F · A | 29× |
| v | Em | Minor dominant — soft pull | E · G · B | — |
| V | E | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | E · G# · B | — |
| VI | F | Submediant — warm colour | F · A · C | 12× |
| VII | G | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | G · B · D | 29× |
| VIIsus4 | Gsus4 | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | G · C · D | 15× |
Analysis
The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 5 different chords appear 115 times in total; 5 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
- G Am CV → videceptive cadence AmVII → iAeolian arrival ×29
- Dm Gsus4 Cii → Vsus4ii → V Amiv → VIIsus4 ×15
- Dm G Cii → Vii → V Amiv → VII ×12
- F G CIV → VIV → V AmVI → VIIVI → VII ×2
The move to watch is G → Am, heard 29 times. From the Am side it is VII → i (Aeolian arrival: rises a whole tone into home); from the C side it reads V → vi (deceptive cadence: expected C, lands on Am). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- C major pentatonic and A minor pentatonic are the same five notes (C – D – E – G – A): start from C for a brighter phrase, from A for a bluesier one.
- Over Am, land on A, C, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Dm, land on D, F, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over G, land on G, B, D — 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 C major shapes
- No capo — open C shapes
- Capo 3 + A shapes
- Capo 5 + G shapes
With A minor shapes
- No capo — open Am shapes
- Capo 5 + Em shapes
- Capo 7 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The opening Am lays a solid floor for everything that follows. Am, Dm, G, Gsus4 carry the song: vi–ii–V–Vsus4 relative to C, i–iv–VII–VIIsus4 relative to Am. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on G → Am (V → vi in C, VII → i in Am): Aeolian arrival — rises a whole tone into home. The final chord is Am; the ear comes to rest in Am.
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.
Opus - Life Is Life 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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