Tonight, Tonight, Tonight by Genesis

Overview

Key: D minor · Chords used: 32 · Sections: 17

Form: Instrumental → Verse → Chorus → Instrumental → Verse → Chorus → Pre-Chorus → Chorus → Interlude → Bridge → Instrumental → Verse → Chorus → Bridge → Chorus → Chorus → Chorus

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

Instrumental 1

• B♭ – Asus4(no5) – D5 (×2)
  bVI – Vsus4(no5) – I5

Verse 1

• B♭ – Asus4(no5) – D5 (×2)
  bVI – Vsus4(no5) – I5
• B♭ – C – D7
  bVI – bVII – I7

Chorus 1

• G7sus4 – Am/G (×2)
  IV7sus4 – v (bass G)

Instrumental 2

• B♭ – Asus4(no5) – D5
  bVI – Vsus4(no5) – I5

Verse 2

Same chords as Verse 1.

Chorus 2

Same chords as Chorus 1.

Pre-Chorus

• Gm7 – C (×2)
  iv7 – bVII
• F
  bIII
• Gm7 – C (×2)
  iv7 – bVII
• D
  I

Chorus 3

Same chords as Chorus 1.

Interlude

• Dm – B♭(no5) – C – Gm – Dm – B♭ – C – Asus4 – Gm – Dm7 – B♭/D – G/D – C/D – Dm7 – B♭add9/D – C/D – Dm7 – Gm7/D – G7 – C – Dm – Gm7 – C – D7sus4 – D5 – D7sus4 – Daug(no3) – D5
  i – bVI(no5) – bVII – iv – i – bVI – bVII – Vsus4 – iv – i7 – bVI⁶ – IV⁶₄ – bVII (bass D) – i7 – bVIadd9 (bass D) – bVII (bass D) – i7 – iv⁴₃ – IV7 – bVII – i – iv7 – bVII – I7sus4 – I5 – I7sus4 – Iaug(no3) – I5

Bridge 1

• B♭ – Am – F – Dm – Gsus4 – G (×2)
  bVI – v – bIII – i – IVsus4 – IV
• B♭ – Am – F – Dm – G – B♭ – Am – F – Dm
  bVI – v – bIII – i – IV – bVI – v – bIII – i
• G7sus4/C – Am7/C (×4)
  IV7sus4 (bass C) – v⁶₅
• D7
  I7

Instrumental 3

• B♭ – Asus4(no5) – D
  bVI – Vsus4(no5) – I

Verse 3

• B♭ – Asus4(no5) – D (×2)
  bVI – Vsus4(no5) – I
• B♭ – C – D7
  bVI – bVII – I7

Chorus 4

• G7sus4 – G6 (×2)
  IV7sus4 – IV6

Bridge 2

• C7sus4 – C6 (×4)
  bVII7sus4 – bVII6

Chorus 5

• Dm7 – Em/D (×2)
  i7 – ii (bass D)

Chorus 6

Same chords as Chorus 5.

Chorus 7

• Dm7 – Em/D (×5)
  i7 – ii (bass D)

Chord vocabulary

Harmonic highlights

• D (I) is borrowed from the parallel key, D major.
• G/D (IV⁶₄) is borrowed from the parallel key, D major.
• G (IV) is borrowed from the parallel key, D major.
• G6 (IV6) is borrowed from the parallel key, D major.
• Em/D (ii (bass D)) is borrowed from the parallel key, D major.
• G7 acts as V/bVII: it resolves to C.

Sources & accuracy

• Chords and sections: the McGill Billboard Project (Burgoyne, Wild & Fujinaga, 2011). Expert transcription by trained musicians (song 0236, 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.