Major view
Ab major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = G (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Db (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Lana Del Rey - Brooklyn Baby - Chord
Key Ab major – F minor Chords Db, Gb, Fm, Ab, Bbm Easy key D (capo 6)
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Key: Ab | Fm
Capo: 0
Db Fm Db Fm
Ab
They say I'm too young to love you
Fm
I don't know what I need
Db
They think I don't understand
Ab Gb
The Freedomland of the seventies
Ab
I think I'm too cool to know ya
Fm
You say I'm like the ice I freeze
Db
I'm churning out novels like
Ab Gb Fm
Beat poetry on Amphetamines
Db Fm Gb
I say I say
Db Ab
Well, my boyfriend's in the band
Gb Db
He plays guitar while I sing Lou Reed
Gb Db
I've got feathers in my hair
Gb Fm
I get down to Beat poetry
Db Ab
And my jazz collection's rare
Gb Db
I can play almost anything
Gb Db
I'm a Brooklyn baby
Gb Fm
I'm a Brooklyn baby
Db Fm Db Fm
Ab
They say I'm too young to love you
Fm
They say I'm too dumb to see
Db
They judge me like a picture book
Ab Gb
By the colors like they forgot to read
Ab
I think we're like fire and water
Fm
I think we're like the wind and sea
Db
You're burning up, I'm cooling down
Bbm
You're up, I'm down
Fm
You're blind, I see
Db Fm Gb
But I'm free I'm free
Db Ab
Well, my boyfriend's in the band
Gb Db
He plays guitar while I sing Lou Reed
Gb Db
I've got feathers in my hair
Gb Fm
I get down to Beat poetry
Db Ab
And my jazz collection's rare
Gb Db
I can play almost anything
Gb Db
I'm a Brooklyn baby
Gb Fm
I'm a Brooklyn baby
Db
I'm talking about my generation
Fm
Talking about that newer nation
Ab
And if you don't like it
Bbm
You can beat it, beat it, baby
Db
You never liked the way I said it
Fm
If you don't get it, then forget it
Ab Bbm
Cause I don't have to fucking explain it
Db Ab
And my boyfriend's in the band
Gb Db
He plays guitar while I sing Lou Reed
Gb Db
I've got feathers in my hair
Gb Fm
I get igh on hydroponic weed
Db Ab
And my jazz collection's rare
Gb Db
I get down to beat poetry
Gb Db
I'm a Brooklyn baby
Gb Fm
I'm a Brooklyn baby
Db Ab Gb Db Gb Db Gb Fm
Db Ab
Yeah my boyfriend's really cool
Gb Db
But he's not as cool as me
Gb Db
Cause I'm a Brooklyn baby
Gb Fm
I'm a Brooklyn baby
Db Ab Gb Db Gb Db Gb Fm
Db Fm Db Fm
End of song Play again?
Lana Del Rey - Brooklyn Baby Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Lana Del Rey – Brooklyn Baby: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Db and ends on Fm. Its chords belong to both Ab major and Fm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
F minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Db (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = Eb (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the F minor side because it comes to rest on Fm and Fm is heard 25 times against 18 for Ab. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Ab major, and switching between the two views is exactly where the practice value lies.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to Ab or to Fm; 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 | Ab | Tonic — home | Ab · C · Eb | 18× |
| ii | Bbm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | Bb · Db · F | 3× |
| iii | Cm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | C · Eb · G | — |
| V/vi | C | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Fmsecondary dominant | C · E · G | — |
| IV | Db | Subdominant — moves away from home | Db · F · Ab | 41× |
| V | Eb | Dominant — strongest pull home | Eb · G · Bb | — |
| vi | Fm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | F · Ab · C | 25× |
| bVII | Gb | bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord | Gb · Bb · Db | 32× |
| vii° | Gdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | G · Bb · Db | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Fm | Tonic — home | F · Ab · C | 25× |
| bII | Gb | Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord | Gb · Bb · Db | 32× |
| ii° | Gdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G · Bb · Db | — |
| III | Ab | Relative major — the bright side | Ab · C · Eb | 18× |
| iv | Bbm | Subdominant — moves away from home | Bb · Db · F | 3× |
| v | Cm | Minor dominant — soft pull | C · Eb · G | — |
| V | C | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | C · E · G | — |
| VI | Db | Submediant — warm colour | Db · F · Ab | 41× |
| VII | Eb | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | Eb · G · Bb | — |
Analysis
The key pair is Ab major and its relative F minor (4 flats). 5 different chords appear 119 times in total; 4 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Gb is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
Chord movement
- Db Ab AbIV → Iplagal cadence FmVI → III ×12
- Db Fm AbIV → vi FmVI → iVI → i ×10
- Gb Ab AbbVII → IbVII → I FmbII → III ×2
- Bbm Fm Abii → vi Fmiv → iminor plagal ×1
The move to watch is Db → Ab, heard 12 times. From the Fm side it is VI → III; from the Ab side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- Ab major pentatonic and F minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Ab – Bb – C – Eb – F): start from Ab for a brighter phrase, from F for a bluesier one.
- Over Db, land on Db, F, Ab — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Gb, land on Gb, Bb, Db — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Fm, land on F, Ab, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- On Gb, follow the chord's notes (Gb · Bb · Db) 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 Ab major shapes
- Capo 1 + G shapes
- Capo 4 + E shapes
- Capo 6 + D shapes
With F minor shapes
- Capo 1 + Em shapes
- Capo 3 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 6 semitones up · capo 6 keeps the original pitch
- 1 semitone down · capo 1 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is Db; the ear learns where home is within a second. Db, Gb, Fm, Ab carry the song: IV–bVII–vi–I relative to Ab, VI–bII–i–III relative to Fm. Gb briefly darkens the picture: bvii — borrowed (mixolydian / parallel minor). Keep an ear on Db → Ab (IV → I in Ab, VI → III in Fm): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. It closes on Fm, letting the Fm 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.
Lana Del Rey - Brooklyn Baby 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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