Madonna - Like A Prayer - Chord

Key F major – D minor Chords C, Bb, F, Dm, Gm, C/D, Am, C/E … Easy key G

Add to Repertoire

No ratings yet

or your user informations

Capo 0

Dm        C  Gm  Dm
Life is a my ste ry
Dm            C     Gm   Dm
Everyone must stand a - lone
Dm         C    Gm  F
I hear you call my name
Bb     F     C     Dm 
And it feels like home


F                 C
When you call my name
                      Bb 
It's like a little prayer
                 Am
I'm down on my knees
        Gm   C   F
I wanna take you there
F                C
In the midnight hour
                  Bb
I can feel your power
               Am
Just like a prayer
              Gm   C   Bb
You know I'll take you there


Bb           F
I hear your voice
C            Dm
It's like an angel sighing
Bb        F                  C       
I have no choice I hear your voice
C
Feels like flying
Bb           F
I close my eyes
C            Dm
Oh God I think I'm falling
Bb        F                  C       
Out of the sky I close my eyes
C
Heaven help me


F                 C
When you call my name
                      Bb 
It's like a little prayer
                 Am
I'm down on my knees
        Gm   C   F
I wanna take you there
F                C
In the midnight hour
                  Bb
I can feel your power
               Am
Just like a prayer
              Gm   C   Bb
You know I'll take you there


Bb           F
Like a child
C            Dm
You whisper softly to me
Bb        F                  C       
You're in control just like a child
C
Now I'm dancing
Bb           F
It's like a dream
C            Dm
No end and no beginning
Bb        F     
You're here with me it's like a dream
C
Let the choir sing


F                 C
When you call my name
                      Bb 
It's like a little prayer
                 Am
I'm down on my knees
        Gm   C   F
I wanna take you there
F                C
In the midnight hour
                  Bb
I can feel your power
               Am
Just like a prayer
              Gm   C   Bb
You know I'll take you there

Dm  C/D

Dm                 C/D
Life is a mystery
Dm                 C/D
Everyone must stand a   lone
Dm                C/E          Bb        F
I hear you call my name
Bb        C     Dm 
And it feels like home

Dm                 C/D
Just like a prayer, your voice can take me there
Dm                    C/D
Just like amuse to me, you are a mistery
Dm                C/E          Bb        F
Just like a dream, you are not what you seem
     Bb                C                             F
Just like a prayer, no choice your voice can take me there

F                        C             
Just like a prayer, I’ll take you there
Bb                   Am7          
it’s like a dream to me                

Dm               C/D
Just like prayer, your voice can take me there
Dm                    C/D
Just like amuse to me, you are a mistery
Dm                C/E          Bb        F
Just like a dream, you are not what you seem
     Bb              C                             Dm
Just like prayer, no choice your voice can take me there

F                      C
Just like prayer, I’ll take you there
Bb                   Am7
it’s like a dream to me

End of song Play again?

Madonna - Like A Prayer Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Madonna – Like A Prayer: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Dm and ends on Am7. Its chords belong to both F major and Dm, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

F major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

D minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Bb (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = C (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 F major and D minor because it opens on Dm and F is heard 25 times against 22 for Dm. 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 F or to Dm; 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 F major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	F	Tonic — home	F · A · C	25×
ii	Gm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G · Bb · D	9×
iii	Am	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	A · C · E	6×
iii7	Am7	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	A · C · E · G	2×
V/vi	A	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dmsecondary dominant	A · C# · E	—
IV	Bb	Subdominant — moves away from home	Bb · D · F	26×
V	C	Dominant — strongest pull home	C · E · G	32×
V	C/D	Dominant — strongest pull home	C · E · G	7×
V	C/E	Dominant — strongest pull home	C · E · G	3×
vi	Dm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	D · F · A	22×
vii°	Edim	Leading-tone chord — tension	E · G · Bb	—

Seen from D minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Dm	Tonic — home	D · F · A	22×
ii°	Edim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	E · G · Bb	—
III	F	Relative major — the bright side	F · A · C	25×
iv	Gm	Subdominant — moves away from home	G · Bb · D	9×
v	Am	Minor dominant — soft pull	A · C · E	6×
v7	Am7	Minor dominant — soft pull	A · C · E · G	2×
V	A	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	A · C# · E	—
VI	Bb	Submediant — warm colour	Bb · D · F	26×
VII	C	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	C · E · G	32×
VII	C/D	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	C · E · G	7×
VII	C/E	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	C · E · G	3×

Analysis

The key pair is F major and its relative D minor (1 flat). 9 different chords appear 132 times in total; 9 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

Bb F FIV → Iplagal cadence DmVI → III ×12
C Dm FV → videceptive cadence DmVII → iAeolian arrival ×7
C/D Dm FV → videceptive cadence DmVII → iAeolian arrival ×7
C F FV → Iauthentic cadence DmVII → III ×6
Gm C Fii → Vii → V Dmiv → VII ×6
Bb C FIV → VIV → V DmVI → VIIVI → VII ×3

The move to watch is Bb → F, heard 12 times. From the F side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the Dm side it is VI → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

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

Capo 1 + E shapes
Capo 3 + D shapes
Capo 5 + C shapes

With D minor shapes

No capo — open Dm shapes
Capo 5 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

2 semitones up
5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The opening Dm lays a solid floor for everything that follows. C, Bb, F, Dm carry the song: V–IV–I–vi relative to F, VII–VI–III–i relative to Dm. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Bb → F (IV → I in F, VI → III in Dm): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. It closes on Am7, letting the F 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.