Sanctify Yourself by Simple Minds

Overview

Key: G major · Chords used: 11 · Sections: 15

Form: Intro → Verse → Bridge → Chorus → Interlude → Verse → Bridge → Chorus → Solo → Interlude → Verse → Bridge → Chorus ×2 → 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

• Gm7 – F/G – C/G (×4)
  i7 – bVII (bass G) – IV⁶₄

Verse 1

• G – G/F – C/E – F (×3)
  I – I (bass F) – IV⁶ – bVII

Bridge 1

• E♭ – F – E♭
  bVI – bVII – bVI

Chorus 1

• G – C (×4)
  I – IV

Interlude 1

• Gm7 – F/G – C/G (×4)
  i7 – bVII (bass G) – IV⁶₄

Verse 2

Same chords as Verse 1.

Bridge 2

Same chords as Bridge 1.

Chorus 2

• G – C (×2)
  I – IV
• G
  I

Solo

• Gm – C – G – B♭ – C
  i – IV – I – bIII – IV

Interlude 2

• Gm7 – F/G – C/G (×2)
  i7 – bVII (bass G) – IV⁶₄

Verse 3

Same chords as Verse 1.

Bridge 3

Same chords as Bridge 1.

Chorus 3

Same chords as Chorus 1.

Chorus 4

Same chords as Chorus 1.

Outro

• G – C (×10)
  I – IV

Chord vocabulary

Harmonic highlights

• Gm7 (i7) is borrowed from the parallel key, G minor.
• F/G (bVII (bass G)) is borrowed from the parallel key, G minor.
• F (bVII) is borrowed from the parallel key, G minor.
• E♭ (bVI) is borrowed from the parallel key, G minor.
• Gm (i) is borrowed from the parallel key, G minor.
• B♭ (bIII) is borrowed from the parallel key, G minor.
• G/F acts as V/IV: it resolves to C/E.

Sources & accuracy

• Chords and sections: the McGill Billboard Project (Burgoyne, Wild & Fujinaga, 2011). Expert transcription by trained musicians (song 0254, CC0), via ChoCo.
• Not verified: only one expert transcription of this song is available so far.
• Rhythm and chord durations aren't shown; each step is one chord change.