Adele - Baby It's You - Chord

Key Bb major – G minor Chords G, Em, C, D, Am Difficulty already in its easiest key

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Capo 0

G                   Em
Sha la la la la la la la
G                   Em
Sha la la la la la la la
G                   Em
Sha la la la la la la la
G                   Em  
Sha la la la la la la la
             C
Sha la la la la

C                                          G
It's not the way you smile that touched my heart
              C
Sha la la la la
C                                         G
It's not the way you kiss that tears me apart

Em
Oh Many, Many, Many nights go by

Am                                  G
I sit alone at home and I cry over you
           Em
What can I do
C              D
Can't help myself 

                  G
'cause baby it's you
                   Em
Sha la la la la la la la
          G
Baby it's you
             Em
Sha la la la la la

C                                   G
You should hear what they say about you

Em
It doesn't matter what they say
Am
I know I'm gonna love you any old way
           G            Em
What can I do when it's true
C            D
Don't want nobody                      
Nobody 

                  G
'cause baby it's you
                   Em
Sha la la la la la la la
          G
Baby it's you
             Em
Sha la la la la la

C  D  G

Em
Oh Many, Many, Many nights go by

Am                                  G
I sit alone at home and I cry over you
           Em
What can I do
C              D
Can't help myself 

          G
Baby it's you
              Em

          G
Baby it's you
              Em

          G
Baby it's you
              Em

          G
Baby it's you
              Em

          G
Baby it's you
              Em

End of song Play again?

Adele - Baby It's You Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Adele – Baby It's You: key and chord analysis

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

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)

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.

Seen from Bb major
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	9×
iii	Dm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	D · F · A	—
V/vi	D	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Gmsecondary dominant	D · F# · A	4×
IV	Eb	Subdominant — moves away from home	Eb · G · Bb	—
#iv	Em	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G · B	19×
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	20×
vii°	Adim	Leading-tone chord — tension	A · C · Eb	—
vii	Am	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C · E	3×

Seen from G minor
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	20×
ii°	Adim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · Eb	—
ii	Am	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C · E	3×
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	9×
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	4×
VI	Eb	Submediant — warm colour	Eb · G · Bb	—
#vi	Em	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G · B	19×
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). 5 different chords appear 55 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 G, land on G, B, D — 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

Starting on G, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The chords that keep coming back are G, Em, C, D; read them as V/ii–#iv–II–V/vi in Bb or V/iv–#vi–IV–V in Gm. G is the interesting twist: in Bb it is a chromatic chord (V/ii), while in Gm it becomes the dominant (V/iv) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Ending on Em, the song seals Bb as home.

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.