Maniac by Michael Sembello

Overview

Key: E♭ minor · Chords used: 17 · Sections: 12

Form: Intro → Verse → Pre-Chorus → Chorus → Verse → Pre-Chorus → Chorus → Interlude → Solo → Pre-Chorus → Outro → Outro

Where these chords come from: an expert transcription of the original recording made for the McGill Billboard Project (Burgoyne, Wild & Fujinaga, 2011). This page shows that transcription as-is: the analysis below is generated directly from it by code, not written by AI. Consecutive repeats of a chord are shown once, and the piano voicings are our playable arrangement of each chord symbol, not a note-for-note transcription.

Section by section

Intro

• C♭maj7♯11 – D♭11 – E♭m7 – E♭m11 (×2)
  bVImaj7#11 – bVII11 – i7 – i11

Verse 1

• E♭m – E♭m6 – E♭m7 – E♭maj9 – C♭ – D♭/C♭ – C♭ – B♭sus4 – B♭ (×2)
  i – i6 – i7 – Imaj9 – bVI – bVII (bass C♭) – bVI – Vsus4 – V

Pre-Chorus 1

• A♭7 – B♭aug – C♭ – B♭sus4 – B♭
  IV7 – V+ – bVI – Vsus4 – V

Chorus 1

• C♭maj7♯11 – D♭11 – E♭m7 – E♭m11 (×3)
  bVImaj7#11 – bVII11 – i7 – i11
• C♭maj7♯11 – D♭11 – A♭m
  bVImaj7#11 – bVII11 – iv

Verse 2

Same chords as Verse 1.

Pre-Chorus 2

Same chords as Pre-Chorus 1.

Chorus 2

Same chords as Chorus 1.

Interlude

• G♭add11 – Fsus4(no5) – B♭7(no3)/F – E♭m7 (×4)
  bIIIadd11 – IIsus4(no5) – V7(no3) (bass F) – i7

Solo

• E♭m – E♭m6 – E♭m7 – E♭maj9 – C♭ – D♭/C♭ – C♭ – B♭sus4 – B♭ (×2)
  i – i6 – i7 – Imaj9 – bVI – bVII (bass C♭) – bVI – Vsus4 – V

Pre-Chorus 3

Same chords as Pre-Chorus 1.

Outro 1

• C♭maj7♯11 – D♭11 – E♭m7 – E♭m11 (×3)
  bVImaj7#11 – bVII11 – i7 – i11
• C♭maj7♯11 – D♭11 – A♭m
  bVImaj7#11 – bVII11 – iv

Outro 2

• C♭maj7♯11 – D♭11 – E♭m7 – E♭m11 (×3)
  bVImaj7#11 – bVII11 – i7 – i11

Chord vocabulary

Harmonic highlights

• E♭maj9 (Imaj9) is borrowed from the parallel key, E♭ major.

Sources & accuracy

• Chords and sections: the McGill Billboard Project (Burgoyne, Wild & Fujinaga, 2011). Expert transcription by trained musicians (song 0553, CC0), via ChoCo.
• Not verified: only one expert transcription of this song is available so far.
• 7 chords were simplified to the closest symbol our player supports (for example, an unusual added tone dropped).
• Rhythm and chord durations aren't shown; each step is one chord change.