Madonna - Nothing Fails - Chord

Key Bb major – G minor Chords Em, D, C, G Difficulty already in its easiest key

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Capo 0

Em   D   C   G 

       Em             D
I'm in love with you, you silly thing
C          G
Anyone can see
        Em           D
What is it with you, you silly thing
C                 G
Just take it from me

       Em
It was not a chance meeting
D
Feel my heart beating
C          G
You're the one

Em D C G

          Em             D
You could take all this, take it away
C                 G
I'd still have it all
                          Em
'Cause I've climbed the tree of life,
D
And that is why
C                     G
No longer scared if I fall

           Em
When I get lost in space
        D
I can return to this place
C                  G
'Cause, you're the one

Em                D
Nothing fails    No more fears
C                G
Nothing fails    You washed away my tears
Em               D
Nothing fails    No more fears
C                G
Nothing fails    Nothing fails

Em                 D
I'm not religious, But I feel so moved
C                      G
Makes me want to pray, Pray you'll always be here
Em                 D
I'm not religious, But I feel such love
C
Makes me want to pray

           Em
When I get lost in space
        D
I can return to this place
       C          G
'Cause you're the one

Em D C G

 Em        D
[I'm not religious]
 C             G
[But I feel so moved, mmm]
 Em          D
[I'm not religious]
 C              G
[Makes me wanna pray]



I'm not religious [I'm not religious]
But I feel so moved
Makes me want to pray [But I feel so moved, mmm]
Pray you'll always be here
I'm not religious [I'm not religious]
But I feel such love
Makes me want to pray [Makes me wanna pray]

[I'm not religious] I'm not religious, but it makes me wanna pray
[But I feel so moved, mmm] Makes me wanna pray
[I'm not religious] I'm not religious, but it makes me wanna pray
[Makes me wanna pray] Makes me wanna pray

[I'm not religious]
[But I feel so moved, mmm] Makes me wanna pray
[I'm not religious]
[Makes me wanna pray] Makes me wanna

Nothing fails  /  No more fears

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Madonna - Nothing Fails Tabs

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Harmony analysis

Madonna – Nothing Fails: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Em and ends on G. Its chords belong to both Bb major and Gm, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

Bb major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

G minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Eb (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = F (natural-minor colour)
#7 = F# (harmonic-minor leading tone from the V chord)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the G minor side because the major V chord points straight at Gm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Bb 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 Bb or to Gm; 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 Bb major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Bb	Tonic — home	Bb · D · F	—
ii	Cm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	C · Eb · G	—
II	C	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · E · G	16×
iii	Dm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	D · F · A	—
V/vi	D	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Gmsecondary dominant	D · F# · A	16×
IV	Eb	Subdominant — moves away from home	Eb · G · Bb	—
#iv	Em	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G · B	16×
V	F	Dominant — strongest pull home	F · A · C	—
vi	Gm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	G · Bb · D	—
V/ii	G	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Cmsecondary dominant	G · B · D	15×
vii°	Adim	Leading-tone chord — tension	A · C · Eb	—

Seen from G minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Gm	Tonic — home	G · Bb · D	—
V/iv	G	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Cmsecondary dominant	G · B · D	15×
ii°	Adim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · Eb	—
III	Bb	Relative major — the bright side	Bb · D · F	—
iv	Cm	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · Eb · G	—
IV	C	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	C · E · G	16×
v	Dm	Minor dominant — soft pull	D · F · A	—
V	D	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	D · F# · A	16×
VI	Eb	Submediant — warm colour	Eb · G · Bb	—
#vi	Em	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G · B	16×
VII	F	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	F · A · C	—

Analysis

The key pair is Bb major and its relative G minor (2 flats). 4 different chords appear 63 times in total; 0 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Gm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from Bb, the same D is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Gm. G acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

There's no textbook cadence here; the chords circle around each other in a loop, so the song feels more like a groove than a series of arrivals.

Improvisation tips

Bb major pentatonic and G minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Bb – C – D – F – G): start from Bb for a brighter phrase, from G for a bluesier one.
Over Em, land on E, G, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over D, land on D, F#, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over C, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When D comes, swap the scale's F for F#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.

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 Bb major shapes

Capo 1 + A shapes
Capo 3 + G shapes
Capo 6 + E shapes

With G minor shapes

Capo 3 + Em shapes
Capo 5 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.

The song's harmonic story

Starting on Em, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is Em, D, C, G — #iv–V/vi–II–V/ii from the Bb side, #vi–V–IV–V/iv from the Gm side. D is the interesting twist: in Bb it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Gm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. The final chord is G; the ear comes to rest in Bb.

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.