Elton John – The Show Must Go On Piano & Ukulele Chord Progression

Elton John – The Show Must Go On Piano & Ukulele Chord Progression

ChordsAmAsus2Asus4FGadd#11Dm/FDm7Dm6Esus4EDmDdim7F/GAm/GG#11EmBmBsus2Bsus4GAadd#11Em/GEm7Em6

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This is the chords of The Show Must Go On by Elton John on Piano, Ukulele, Guitar and Keyboard.

[Intro]
Am Asus2 Asus4 Am
F Gadd#11 Dm/F F
Dm7 Dm6 Esus4 E
Dm Ddim7

[Verse 1]
Am                 Asus2            Asus4
Empty spaces, what are we living for?
Am         F         Gadd#11                 Dm/F         F
Abandoned places, I guess we know the score,
Dm7
On and on
Dm6         Esus4         E         Dm         Ddim7
Does anybody know what we are looking for?

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[Verse 2]
Am                 Asus2         Asus4
Another hero, another mindless crime
Am         F         Gadd#11         Dm/F         F
Behind the curtain, in the pantomime
Dm7
Hold the line
Dm6         Esus4         E         Dm
Does anybody want to take it anymore?

[Chorus]
F/G F Am Asus2 Asus4
The show must go on
Am Am/G F G#11 Dm/F
The show must go on, yeah
F Dm7 Dm6
Inside my heart is breaking
Esus4 E
My makeup may be flaking
Dm Ddim7 Am
But my smile, still, stays on

[Verse 3]
Em Bm Bsus2 Bsus4
Whatever happens, I’ll leave it all to chance
Bm G Aadd#11 Em/G G
Another heartache, another failed romance,
Em7
On and on
Em6 F#sus4 F# Em Edim7
Does anybody know what we are living for?

[Verse 4]
Em                 Bm         Bsus2         Bsus4
I guess I’m learning I must be warmer now
Bm G Aadd#11 Em/G G
I’ll soon be turning, round the corner now
Em7 Em6
Outside the dawn is breaking
F#sus4 F# Em
But inside in the dark I’m aching to be free

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[Chorus]
Dm Am Asus2 Asus4
The show must go on
Am Am/G F
The show must go on
Dm7 Dm6
Inside my heart is breaking
Esus4 E
My makeup may be flaking
Dm Ddim7
But my smile, still, stays on

Am Asus2 Asus4 Am
F Gadd#11 Dm/F F
Yeah Yeah
Dm7 Dm6 Esus4 E
Ooh Ooh Ooh
Dm Ddim7

[Bridge]
D#         F         Dm                 Gm                 A#maj7
My soul is painted like the wings of butterflies
D# F Dm7 Gm
Fairy tales of yesterday, grow but never die
Bm G7 Csus4 C
I can fly, my friends

[Chorus]
Am Asus2 Asus4
The show must go on,yeah
Am F Gadd#11 Dm/F
The show must go on
F Dm7 Dm6
I’ll face it with a grin
Esus4
I’m never giving in
E Dm Ddim7
On with the show
Am Asus2 Asus4 Am
F Gadd#11 Dm/F F

[Outro]
Dm7 Dm6
I’ll top the bill I’ll overkill
Esus4 E
I have to find the will to carry on
Dm Dm7 Dm6 Ddim7 Dm7 Dm6
On with the show
Am
Show must go on
Show must go on

How to play The Show Must Go: key, chords and progression

The Show Must Go by Elton John is centred on D minor (one flat: B♭). The song uses 29 chords: Am, Asus2, Asus4, Dm7, Dm6, Esus4, E, Dm, Ddim7, F/G, F and Am/G and 17 more.

The backbone of the song is Dm7 – Dm6 – Esus4 – E (i7 – i6 – IIsus4 – II in D minor). Practise these 4 changes until they feel natural and you can play most of it.

Good to know: Dm6, Ddim7, F/G, F and G#11 are the tricky part on guitar (barre or movable shapes). Slow the change down until it is clean; on piano and ukulele they are simpler.

Chord diagrams

Am chord on guitar (x02210)
AmA C E
Asus2 chord on guitar (x02200)
Asus2A B E
Asus4 chord on guitar (x02230)
Asus4A D E
Dm7 chord on guitar (xx0211)
Dm7D F A C
Dm6 chord on guitar (x57767)
Dm6D F A B
Esus4 chord on guitar (022200)
Esus4E A B
E chord on guitar (022100)
EE G♯ B
Dm chord on guitar (xx0231)
DmD F A
Ddim7 chord on guitar (xx0101)
Ddim7D F A♭ B
F chord on guitar (133211)
FF A C
G#11 chord on guitar (444644)
G♯11G♯ D♯ F♯ A♯ C♯
Em chord on guitar (022000)
EmE G B
Bm chord on guitar (x24432)
BmB D F♯
Bsus2 chord on guitar (x24422)
Bsus2B C♯ F♯
Bsus4 chord on guitar (x24452)
Bsus4B E F♯
Em7 chord on guitar (020000)
Em7E G B D
Em6 chord on guitar (022020)
Em6E G B C♯
F#sus4 chord on guitar (244422)
F♯sus4F♯ B C♯
F# chord on guitar (244322)
F♯F♯ A♯ C♯
Edim7 chord on guitar (012020)
Edim7E G B♭ C♯
D# chord on guitar (x68886)
D♯D♯ G A♯
Gm chord on guitar (355333)
GmG B♭ D
A#maj7 chord on guitar (x13231)
A♯maj7A♯ D E♯ A
G7 chord on guitar (320001)
G7G B D F
Csus4 chord on guitar (x33010)
Csus4C F G
C chord on guitar (x32010)
CC E G

Need another chord or a different shape? Feel free to use our free Chord Shape Generator.

The Show Must Go chords: questions

What key is The Show Must Go in?

The Show Must Go by Elton John is centred on D minor (one flat: B♭).

What chords are in The Show Must Go?

The Show Must Go uses 29 chords: Am, Asus2, Asus4, Dm7, Dm6, Esus4, E, Dm, Ddim7, F/G, F, Am/G and 17 more.

What is the chord progression of The Show Must Go?

The main progression is Dm7 – Dm6 – Esus4 – E (i7 – i6 – IIsus4 – II).

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