Lady Gaga - Telephone - Chord

Key Eb major – C minor Chords Em, G, A, C, Db5 Difficulty already in its easiest key

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Capo 0

Intro:
       Em               G                 A                Em

Em                    G
Hello, hello, baby you called, I cant hear a thing
A                  Em
I have got no service in the club, you see, see
 Em                    G
Wha Wha What did you say, huh? youre breaking up on me
A                   Em
Sorry, I cannot hear you, I'm kinda busy.
  Em         G
K kinda busy, K kinda busy
A                   Em
Sorry, I cannot hear you, I'm kinda busy
 Em                    G
Just a second, its my favorite song theyre gonna play
  A                   Em
And I cannot text you with a drink in my hand, eh
    Em                    G
You shoulda made some plans with me, you knew that I was free.
  A                   Em
And now you wont stop calling me; I'm kinda busy.

)
 Em                 G
Stop callin, stop callin, I dont wanna think anymore
A               Em
 I left my head and my heart on the dance floor
 Em                 G
Stop callin, stop callin, I dont wanna talk anymore
A               Em
 I left my head and my heart on the dance floor

 Em                G
Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh
          A              Em
Stop telephonin me! Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh
     Em                G
I'm busy! Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh
          A              Em
Stop telephonin me! Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh

  Em                                    G
Can call all you want, but theres no one home, and youre not gonna reach my telephone
    A                                   Em
Cuz I'm out in the club,and I'm sippin that bubb, and youre not gonna reach my telephone
 Em                                 G
Call when you want, but theres no one home, and youre not gonna reach my telephone
A                                   Em
Out in the club, and I'm sippin that bubb, and youre not gonna reach my telephone

                         G
Boy, the way you blowin up my phone wont make me leave no faster
Db5             Em
Put my coat on faster, leave my girls no faster
                       G
I shoulda left my phone at home, cuz this is a disaster
                  Em
Callin like a collector, sorry, I cannot answer

Em                          G
Not that I dont like you, I'm just at a party
  A                Em
And I am sick and tired of my phone r ringing
  Em                         G
Sometimes I feel likeI live in Grand Central Station
 A                        Em
Tonight I'm not takin no calls, cause I'll be dancin

   Em                 G
Cause I'll be dancin cause I'll be dancin
 A                        G
Tonight I'm not takin no calls, cause I'll be dancin

 Em                 G
Stop callin, stop callin, I dont wanna think anymore
A              Em
 I left my head and my heart on the dance floor
 Em                 G
Stop callin, stop callin, I dont wanna talk anymore
A               Em
 I left my head and my heart on the dance floor

 Em                 G
Stop callin, stop callin, I dont wanna think anymore
A              Em
 I left my head and my heart on the dance floor
 Em                 G
Stop callin, stop callin, I dont wanna talk anymore
A               Em
 I left my head and my heart on the dance floor

Em                 G
Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh
          A              Em
Stop telephonin me! Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh
     Em                G
I'm busy! Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh
          A              Em
Stop telephonin me! Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh

Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh
          A              Em
Stop telephonin me! Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh
                   G
I'm busy! Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh
          A              Em
Stop telephonin me! Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh

  Em                                    G
Can call all you want, but theres no one home, and youre not gonna reach my telephone
     A                                 Em
Cuz I'm out in the club,and I'm sippin that bubb, and youre not gonna reach my telephone
 Em                                 G
Call when you want, but theres no one home, and youre not gonna reach my telephone
A                                   Em
Out in the club, and I'm sippin that bubb, and youre not gonna reach my telephone

C       G
My telephone! M m my telephone
     A                                  Em
Cuz I'm out in the club, and I'm sippin that bubb, and youre not gonna reach my telephone
C       G
My telephone! M m my telephone
    A                                    Em
Cuz I'm out in the club, and I'm sippin that bubb, and youre not gonna reach my telephone

Em G  A Em
We're sorry the number you have reached is not in service at this time

End of song Play again?

Lady Gaga - Telephone Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Lady Gaga – Telephone: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Em and ends on Em. Its chords belong to both Eb major and Cm, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

Eb major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

C minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Ab (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = Bb (natural-minor colour)
#7 = B (harmonic-minor leading tone from the V chord)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the C minor side because the major V chord points straight at Cm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Eb 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 Eb or to Cm; 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 Eb major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Eb	Tonic — home	Eb · G · Bb	—
bii	Em	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G · B	53×
ii	Fm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F · Ab · C	—
iii	Gm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	G · Bb · D	—
V/vi	G	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Cmsecondary dominant	G · B · D	30×
IV	Ab	Subdominant — moves away from home	Ab · C · Eb	—
#IV	A	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C# · E	28×
V	Bb	Dominant — strongest pull home	Bb · D · F	—
vi	Cm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	C · Eb · G	—
VI	C	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · E · G	2×
bVII	Db5	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Db · Ab	1×
vii°	Ddim	Leading-tone chord — tension	D · F · Ab	—

Seen from C minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Cm	Tonic — home	C · Eb · G	—
I	C	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · E · G	2×
bII	Db5	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Db · Ab	1×
ii°	Ddim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · Ab	—
III	Eb	Relative major — the bright side	Eb · G · Bb	—
#iii	Em	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G · B	53×
iv	Fm	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · Ab · C	—
v	Gm	Minor dominant — soft pull	G · Bb · D	—
V	G	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	G · B · D	30×
VI	Ab	Submediant — warm colour	Ab · C · Eb	—
#VI	A	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C# · E	28×
VII	Bb	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Bb · D · F	—

Analysis

The key pair is Eb major and its relative C minor (3 flats). 5 different chords appear 114 times in total; 0 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Cm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from Eb, the same G is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Cm. Em, A, C, Db5 step outside the scale as colour chords.

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

Eb major pentatonic and C minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Eb – F – G – Bb – C): start from Eb for a brighter phrase, from C for a bluesier one.
Over Em, land on E, G, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over G, land on G, B, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over A, land on A, C#, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When G comes, swap the scale's Bb for B: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.

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 Eb major shapes

Capo 1 + D shapes
Capo 3 + C shapes
Capo 6 + A shapes

With C minor shapes

Capo 3 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.

The song's harmonic story

Starting on Em, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is Em, G, A, C — bii–V/vi–#IV–VI from the Eb side, #iii–V–#VI–I from the Cm side. G is the interesting twist: in Eb it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Cm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. It closes on Em, letting the Eb 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.