Major view
Bb major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = A (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Eb (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Taylor Swift - Call It What You Want - Chord
Key Bb major – G minor Chords D, Em, C, G Difficulty already in its easiest key
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Key: Bb | Gm
Capo: 0
C G D Em D
C
My castle crumbled overnight
Em
I brought a knife to a gunfight
G D
They took the crown but it's alright
C
All the liars are calling me one
Em
Nobody's heard from me for months
G D
I'm doing better than I ever was, cause
C
My baby's fit like a daydream
G
Walking with his head down
D
I'm the one he's walking to
Em D
So call it what you want, yeah
Call it what you want to
C
My baby's fly like a jet stream
G
High above the whole scene
D
Loves me like I'm brand new
Em D
So call it what you want, yeah
Call it what you want to
C
All my flowers grew back as thorns
Em
Windows boarded up after the storm
G D
He built a fire just to keep me warm
C
All the drama queens taking swings
Em
All the jokers dressing up as kings
G D
They fade to nothing when I look at him
C
And I know I make the same mistakes every time
G
Bridges burn, I never learn
D
At least I did one thing right
Em D
I did one thing right
C
I'm laughing with my lover
Making forts under covers
G
Trust him like a brother
D
Yeah, you know I did one thing right
Em D
Starry eyes sparking up my darkest night, cause
C
My baby's fit like a daydream
G
Walking with his head down
D
I'm the one he's walking to
Em D
So call it what you want, yeah
Call it what you want to
C
My baby's fly like a jet stream
G
High above the whole scene
D
Loves me like I'm brand new
Em D
So call it what you want, yeah
Call it what you want to
C D Em
I want to wear his initial on a chain round my neck
Em
Chain round my neck
C D
Not because he owns me
Em
But 'cause he really knows me
Which is more than they can say, I
C D Em
I recall late November, holding my breath
Em C D
Slowly I said, "You don't need to save me
Em
But would you run away with me?"
Yes
Cause
C
My baby's fit like a daydream
G
Walking with his head down
D
I'm the one he's walking to
Em D
So call it what you want, yeah
Call it what you want to
C
My baby's fly like a jet stream
G
High above the whole scene
D
Loves me like I'm brand new
Em D
So call it what you want, yeah
Call it what you want to
Em D
Call it what you want, yeah
C
Call it what you want to
End of song Play again?
Taylor Swift - Call It What You Want Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Taylor Swift – Call It What You Want: key and chord analysis
The song opens on C and ends on C. Its chords belong to both Bb major and Gm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
G minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Eb (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = F (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = F# (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 G minor side because the major V chord points straight at Gm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Bb 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 Bb or to Gm; 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 | Bb | Tonic — home | Bb · D · F | — |
| ii | Cm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | C · Eb · G | — |
| II | C | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C · E · G | 18× |
| iii | Dm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | D · F · A | — |
| V/vi | D | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Gmsecondary dominant | D · F# · A | 27× |
| IV | Eb | Subdominant — moves away from home | Eb · G · Bb | — |
| #iv | Em | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | E · G · B | 20× |
| V | F | Dominant — strongest pull home | F · A · C | — |
| vi | Gm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | G · Bb · D | — |
| V/ii | G | Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Cmsecondary dominant | G · B · D | 13× |
| vii° | Adim | Leading-tone chord — tension | A · C · Eb | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Gm | Tonic — home | G · Bb · D | — |
| V/iv | G | Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Cmsecondary dominant | G · B · D | 13× |
| ii° | Adim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | A · C · Eb | — |
| III | Bb | Relative major — the bright side | Bb · D · F | — |
| iv | Cm | Subdominant — moves away from home | C · Eb · G | — |
| IV | C | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | C · E · G | 18× |
| v | Dm | Minor dominant — soft pull | D · F · A | — |
| V | D | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | D · F# · A | 27× |
| VI | Eb | Submediant — warm colour | Eb · G · Bb | — |
| #vi | Em | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | E · G · B | 20× |
| VII | F | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | F · A · C | — |
Analysis
The key pair is Bb major and its relative G minor (2 flats). 4 different chords appear 78 times in total; 0 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Gm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from Bb, the same D is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Gm. G acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.
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
- Bb major pentatonic and G minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Bb – C – D – F – G): start from Bb for a brighter phrase, from G for a bluesier one.
- Over D, land on D, F#, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Em, land on E, G, B — 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.
- When D comes, swap the scale's F for F#: 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 Bb major shapes
- Capo 1 + A shapes
- Capo 3 + G shapes
- Capo 6 + E shapes
With G minor shapes
- Capo 3 + Em shapes
- Capo 5 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is C; the ear learns where home is within a second. The backbone is D, Em, C, G — V/vi–#iv–II–V/ii from the Bb side, V–#vi–IV–V/iv from the Gm side. D is the interesting twist: in Bb it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Gm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. It closes on C, letting the Bb 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.
Taylor Swift - Call It What You Want 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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