Major view
E major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = D# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = A (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Rachel O'Sullivan - Valerie - Chord
Key E major – C# minor Chords F#m, E, G#m, A, B, Emaj7 Easy key C (capo 4)
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Key: E | Dbm | C#m
Capo: 0
E F#m E F#m
E F#m
Well sometimes I go out by myself and I look across the water
E F#m
And I think of all the things, what you're doing and in my head I paint a picture
A G#m
'Cos since I've come on home, well my body's been a mess
A G#m
And I've missed your ginger hair and the way you like to dress
A G#m B
Won't you come on over, stop making a fool out of me
G#m B E
Why don't you come on over Valerie
F#m E F#m
Valerie, Valerie, Valerie
E F#m
Did you have to go to jail, put your house on up for sale, did you get a good lawyer
E F#m
I hope you didn't catch a tan, I hope you found the right man who'll fix it for ya
E F#m
Are you shoppin' anywhere, changed the colour of your hair, are you busy?
E F#m
And did you have to pay that fine you was dodging all the time are you still dizzy
F#m
still dizzy?
A G#m
'Cos since I've come on home, well my body's been a mess
A G#m
And I've missed your ginger hair and the way you like to dress
A G#m B
Won't you come on over, stop making a fool out of me
G#m B E
Why don't you come on over Valerie
F#m E F#m
Valerie, Valerie, Valerie
E F#m
Well sometimes I go out by myself and I look across the water
E F#m
And I think of all the things, what you're doing and in my head I paint a picture
A G#m
'Cos since I've come on home, well my body's been a mess
A G#m
And I've missed your ginger hair and the way you like to dress
A G#m B
Won't you come on over, stop making a fool out of me
G#m B E
Why don't you come on over Valerie
F#m E F#m
Valerie, Valerie, Valerie
E F#m E F#m
Valerie, Valerie, Valerie, Valerie
Emaj7
Why dont you come on over Valerie
End of song Play again?
Rachel O'Sullivan - Valerie Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Rachel O'Sullivan – Valerie: key and chord analysis
The song opens on E and ends on Emaj7. Its chords belong to both E major and C#m, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
C# minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = A (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = B (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the E major side because it both starts and finishes on E and E is heard 19 times while C#m never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from C# minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to E or to C#m; comparing both readings is a practice of its own.
Every chord of the key, listed 1 to 7 separately for each key. Chords played in the song show how often they appear; chords from outside the scale sit next to their own degree.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | E | Tonic — home | E · G# · B | 18× |
| Imaj7 | Emaj7 | Tonic — home | E · G# · B · D# | 1× |
| ii | F#m | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | F# · A · C# | 19× |
| iii | G#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | G# · B · D# | 12× |
| III | G# | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | G# · B# · D# | — |
| IV | A | Subdominant — moves away from home | A · C# · E | 9× |
| V | B | Dominant — strongest pull home | B · D# · F# | 6× |
| vi | C#m | Relative minor — the melancholy side | C# · E · G# | — |
| vii° | D#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | D# · F# · A | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | C#m | Tonic — home | C# · E · G# | — |
| ii° | D#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | D# · F# · A | — |
| III | E | Relative major — the bright side | E · G# · B | 18× |
| IIImaj7 | Emaj7 | Relative major — the bright side | E · G# · B · D# | 1× |
| iv | F#m | Subdominant — moves away from home | F# · A · C# | 19× |
| v | G#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | G# · B · D# | 12× |
| V | G# | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | G# · B# · D# | — |
| VI | A | Submediant — warm colour | A · C# · E | 9× |
| VII | B | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | B · D# · F# | 6× |
Analysis
The key pair is E major and its relative C# minor (4 sharps). 6 different chords appear 65 times in total; 6 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Everything stays inside one scale, which is why the song is easy to follow by ear.
Chord movement
- B E EV → Iauthentic cadence C#mVII → III ×3
The move to watch is B → E, heard 3 times. From the E side it reads V → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home); from the C#m side it is VII → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- E major pentatonic and C# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (E – F# – G# – B – C#): start from E for a brighter phrase, from C# for a bluesier one.
- Over F#m, land on F#, A, C# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over E, land on E, G#, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over G#m, land on G#, B, D# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
The song on the circle of fifths
- Played in the song — chord of the key
- Played — the minor's harmonic V or a secondary dominant
- Played — borrowed or outside chord
- Home region: IV–I–V and ii–vi–iii
Empty slices are chords the song doesn't use.
Capo and easier keys
With E major shapes
- No capo — open E shapes
- Capo 2 + D shapes
- Capo 4 + C shapes
With C# minor shapes
- Capo 4 + Am shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 4 semitones down · capo 4 keeps the original pitch
- 2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
Starting on E, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. F#m, E, G#m, A carry the song: ii–I–iii–IV relative to E, iv–III–v–VI relative to C#m. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on B → E (V → I in E, VII → III in C#m): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. It closes on Emaj7, letting the E side have the last word.
This analysis is generated from the song's chords by akorculuk's harmony engine using consistent rules. When you change key, the degrees stay the same; only the chord names change.
Rachel O'Sullivan - Valerie Chords on Guitar, Ukulele and Piano
Hover over or tap a chord in the lyrics for its shapes, its degree in both keys and a listen button. Here you have every chord of the song side by side.
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