Rihanna - We Found Love - Chord

Key Gb major – Eb minor Chords Am, F, C, G Easy key C# (capo 5)

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Capo 0

Am               F
Yellow diamonds in the light 
C                  G
And we're standing side by side 
Am             F
As your shadow crosses mine 
C                G        Am   F
What it takes to come aliiiivvveee..

C                        G             Am   F
It's the way I'm feeling I just can't denyyyy 
C                      G
But I've gotta let it go 



Am                  F
We found love in a hopeless place 
C                  G
We found love in a hopeless place 
Am                 F
We found love in a hopeless place 
C                  G
We found love in a hopeless place 



Am               F
Shine a light through an open door 
C                  G
Love and life I will divide 
Am             F
Turn away cause I need you more 
C                G        Am   F
Feel the heartbeat in my mind 

C                        G             Am   F
It's the way I'm feeling I just can't denyyyy 
C                      G
But I've gotta let it go 



Am                  F
We found love in a hopeless place 
C                  G
We found love in a hopeless place 
Am                 F
We found love in a hopeless place 
C                  G
We found love in a hopeless place

End of song Play again?

Rihanna - We Found Love Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Rihanna – We Found Love: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Am and ends on G. Its chords belong to both Gb major and Ebm, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

Gb major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = F (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = Cb (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

Eb minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Cb (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = Db (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: we can't honestly pick a side here — the song moves freely between Gb major and Eb minor. Try reading the chords both ways and see which feels more like home to you.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to Gb or to Ebm; 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.

Seen from Gb major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Gb	Tonic — home	Gb · Bb · Db	—
bII	G	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	G · B · D	12×
ii	Abm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Ab · Cb · Eb	—
biii	Am	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C · E	12×
iii	Bbm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	Bb · Db · F	—
III	Bb	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Bb · D · F	—
IV	Cb	Subdominant — moves away from home	Cb · Eb · Gb	—
#IV	C	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · E · G	12×
V	Db	Dominant — strongest pull home	Db · F · Ab	—
vi	Ebm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Eb · Gb · Bb	—
vii°	Fdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	F · Ab · Cb	—
VII	F	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F · A · C	12×

Seen from Eb minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Ebm	Tonic — home	Eb · Gb · Bb	—
ii°	Fdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F · Ab · Cb	—
II	F	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F · A · C	12×
III	Gb	Relative major — the bright side	Gb · Bb · Db	—
#III	G	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	G · B · D	12×
iv	Abm	Subdominant — moves away from home	Ab · Cb · Eb	—
#iv	Am	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C · E	12×
v	Bbm	Minor dominant — soft pull	Bb · Db · F	—
V	Bb	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	Bb · D · F	—
VI	Cb	Submediant — warm colour	Cb · Eb · Gb	—
#VI	C	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · E · G	12×
VII	Db	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Db · F · Ab	—

Analysis

The key pair is Gb major and its relative Eb minor (6 flats). 4 different chords appear 48 times in total; 0 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. G is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

There's no textbook cadence here; the chords circle around each other in a loop, so the song feels more like a groove than a series of arrivals.

Improvisation tips

Gb major pentatonic and Eb minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Gb – Ab – Bb – Db – Eb): start from Gb for a brighter phrase, from Eb for a bluesier one.
Over Am, land on A, C, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over F, land on F, A, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over C, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
On G, follow the chord's notes (G · B · D) rather than the key's scale — it's a borrowed colour.

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 Gb major shapes

Capo 2 + E shapes
Capo 4 + D shapes
Capo 6 + C shapes

With Eb minor shapes

Capo 1 + Dm shapes
Capo 6 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

Starting on Am, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. Am, F, C, G carry the song: biii–VII–#IV–bII relative to Gb, #iv–II–#VI–#III relative to Ebm. G briefly darkens the picture: neapolitan bii — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonic. It closes on G, letting the Gb 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.