Chords + Lyrics | Take On Me
Intro
||: N.C | N.C :||
||: Bm9 :|| x4
||: Bm | E | A | D C#m :||
| Bm | E | Bm | E |
Verse 1
| Bm | E | A | D C#m |
We’re talking away, no, I don’t know what I’m to say,
| Bm | E | A | D C#m |
I’ll say it anyway, today’s another day to find you,
| Bm | E | F#m | D |
shying away. I’ll be coming for your love, okay?
Chorus 1
| A | E/G# | F#m | D |
Take on me (take on me).
| A | E/G# | F#m | D |
Take me on (take on me).
| A | E/G# | F#m | D | (half time)
I’ll be gone,
| A | E/G# | D | E | (original count)
in a day.
Verse 2
So needless to say, I’m odds and ends but I’ll be,
stumbling away, slowly learning that life is okay.
Say after me, it’s no better to be safe than sorry.
Chorus 2
Take on me (take on me).
Take me on (take on me).
I’ll be gone,
in a day.
Solo
||: C#m | C#m | G | G :||
| Bm | Bm | E | E |
| Bm | E | Bm | E | (half riff repeated)
||: Bm | E | A | D C#m :||
| Bm | E | Bm | E |
Verse 3
Oh, the things that you say, yeah, is it life or just to play my,
worries away? You’re all the things I’ve got to remember,
you’re shying away, I’ll be coming for you anyway.
Chorus 3
||: A | E/G# | F#m | D :||
Take on me (take on me).
Take me on (take on me).
I’ll be gone,
in a day. (take on me, take on me)
(take me on, take on me)
I’ll be gone (take on me, take on me)
In a day (take me on, take on me)
(Take on me, take on me)
(Take me on, take on me)
(Take on me)
Take On Me Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning Take On Me. I’ve used stem separation to extract the guitar while keeping the drums, bass, keys, and vocals intact.
Even though there was guitar on the original recording, it’s not a part to learn and use in a working band, instead, work on the melody hook and chords. To accommodate for this philosophy, I’ve scaled back the production a bit, even making one of the backing tracks completely without keyboards.
After studying the chords and TAB, use my backing tracks to prepare for playing this tune with a band.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
Surprisingly, Take On Me is great fun to play on guitar. I’ve tabbed out that iconic intro and main riff, which you’ll need to get just right to impress keyboard players. Find said TAB further down this guitar lesson.
Let’s break down each section using Roman numerals so we can understand how Take On Me’s chords work.
Intro
In the key of A, the intro looks like this:
||: Bm (II) | E (V) | A (I) | D (IV) C#m (III) :||
Starting on chord II with the I chord in the middle of the progression gives it a feeling of continuous motion—very clever songwriting.
Chorus
The chorus, by contrast, feels like it slows down, partly due to the melody and the beat but also the chord progression, which is more settled as it follows I – V/3 – VI – IV. This progression feels more resolved as the I chord begins the journey:
| A (I) | E/G# (V/3) | F#m (VI) | D (IV) |
On my top ten chord progression list, this is #3, the safe bet for modern hits.
After repeating this twice, we slow down on the third iteration, playing at half tempo.
The final line of the chorus ends with a IV – V, like this:
| A | E/G# | D | E |
When the verse returns, we feel revitalised and ready for what comes next.
Solo
Let’s tackle the most unusual part of the song: the solo section. It starts with C#m (III), then transitions to G, which functions as a bVIIx.
Following this, we repeat a II – V progressions before returning to the riff. Here’s Take On Me’s solo progression:
||: C#m (III) | C#m | G (bVIIIx) | G :||
| Bm (II) | Bm | E (V) | E |
| Bm | E | Bm | E | (half riff repeated)
||: Bm | E | A (I) | D (IV) C#m (III) :||
| Bm | E | Bm | E |
Here’s a chord chart with all the sections and structure. Bring this to your gig, and make sure you’ve got the TAB you practised memorised!
Take On Me Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Take On Me chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Take On Me iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
Take On Me | TAB
Let’s learn that iconic intro melody!
The opening chord is Bm9, followed by the intervals 9 – b7. We then get some funky Bm7 arpeggio notes before the main riff kicks in.
The riff itself is mostly based on the B minor pentatonic scale, although there’s a natural 6 in there, which puts us in Dorian territory.
I really enjoy playing Take On Me—especially in a trio setting, where you have to create guitar parts for lines originally played on synths. Using long, sweeping chords for all the other sections gives a great contrast to that fast, intricate instrumental melody you saw above.
When you can play this TAB, try it out using the backing tracks with only the chord chart as your guide.
Take On Me Chords: Continue Learning
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