Madonna - Like A Virgin - Chord

Key Gb major – Eb minor Chords Gb, Abm, Ebm, Db, Ab, Dbsus4, Dbsus2 Easy key G

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Capo 0

          Gb
I made it through the wilderness, somehow I made it through
Abm
Didn't know how lost I was
      Gb
Until I found you

      Gb
I was beat, incomplete, I'd been had, I was sad and blue
        Abm        Ebm
But you made me feel
          Abm     Ebm
Yeah, you made me feel
          Dbsus4   Db   Dbsus2   Db
Shiny and new

       Gb
Like a virgin, touched for the very first time
       Abm
Like a virgin
          Gb
When your heart beats next to mine

               Gb
Gonna give you all my love, boy, my fear is fading fast
Abm
Been saving it all for you
           Gb
Cause only love can last

          Gb
You're so fine and you're mine, make me strong, yeah you make me bold
        Abm            Ebm
Oh your love thawed out
           Abm         Ebm
Yeah, your love thawed out
                    Dbsus4  Db  Dbsus2  Db
What was scared and cold

       Gb
Like a virgin, hey, touched for the very first time
       Abm
Like a virgin
          Gb
With your heartbeat
            Ab
Next to mine

Ebm    Ab  Ebm     Ab  Ebm     Ab  Db
Ooooooh,    oooooooh,   oooooooh

          Gb
You're so fine and you're mine, I'll be yours 'till the end of time
           Abm         Ebm
'Cause you made me feel
          Abm     Ebm
Yeah, you made me feel
                Dbsus4  Db  Dbsus2  Db
I've nothing to hide

       Gb
Like a virgin, hey, touched for the very first time
       Abm
Like a virgin
          Gb
With your heartbeat next to mine

       Gb
Like a virgin, oooh, ooooh, like a virgin
              Abm
Feels so good inside
                      Gb
When you hold me, and your heart beats, and you love me

End of song Play again?

Madonna - Like A Virgin Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Madonna – Like A Virgin: key and chord analysis

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

Major view

Gb major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

Eb minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Cb (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = Db (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the Gb major side because it both starts and finishes on Gb and Gb is heard 15 times against 9 for Ebm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from Eb minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to Gb or to Ebm; 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 Gb major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Gb	Tonic — home	Gb · Bb · Db	15×
ii	Abm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Ab · Cb · Eb	12×
V/V	Ab	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Dbsecondary dominant	Ab · C · Eb	4×
iii	Bbm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	Bb · Db · F	—
V/vi	Bb	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Ebmsecondary dominant	Bb · D · F	—
IV	Cb	Subdominant — moves away from home	Cb · Eb · Gb	—
V	Db	Dominant — strongest pull home	Db · F · Ab	7×
Vsus4	Dbsus4	Dominant — strongest pull home	Db · Gb · Ab	3×
Vsus2	Dbsus2	Dominant — strongest pull home	Db · Eb · Ab	3×
vi	Ebm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Eb · Gb · Bb	9×
vii°	Fdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	F · Ab · Cb	—

Seen from Eb minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Ebm	Tonic — home	Eb · Gb · Bb	9×
ii°	Fdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F · Ab · Cb	—
III	Gb	Relative major — the bright side	Gb · Bb · Db	15×
iv	Abm	Subdominant — moves away from home	Ab · Cb · Eb	12×
IV	Ab	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	Ab · C · Eb	4×
v	Bbm	Minor dominant — soft pull	Bb · Db · F	—
V	Bb	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	Bb · D · F	—
VI	Cb	Submediant — warm colour	Cb · Eb · Gb	—
VII	Db	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Db · F · Ab	7×
VIIsus4	Dbsus4	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Db · Gb · Ab	3×
VIIsus2	Dbsus2	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Db · Eb · Ab	3×

Analysis

The key pair is Gb major and its relative Eb minor (6 flats). 7 different chords appear 53 times in total; 6 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Ab acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

Abm Ebm Gbii → vi Ebmiv → iminor plagal ×6
Db Gb GbV → Iauthentic cadence EbmVII → III ×4

The move to watch is Abm → Ebm, heard 6 times. From the Gb side it reads ii → vi; from the Ebm side it is iv → i (minor plagal: deep and melancholic). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

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

Capo 2 + E shapes
Capo 4 + D shapes
Capo 6 + C shapes

With Eb minor shapes

Capo 1 + Dm shapes
Capo 6 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

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

The song's harmonic story

Starting on Gb, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The chords that keep coming back are Gb, Abm, Ebm, Db; read them as I–ii–vi–V in Gb or III–iv–i–VII in Ebm. Ab adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/V — leads to Db. Keep an ear on Abm → Ebm (ii → vi in Gb, iv → i in Ebm): minor plagal — deep and melancholic. The final chord is Gb; the ear comes to rest in Gb.

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.