Sam Smith - La La La - Chord

Key A major – F# minor Chords Bm7, Gbm, E Easy key G (capo 2)

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Capo 0

Gbm         E
Hush, don't speak
           Bm7
When you spit your venom, keep it shut I hate it
          Gbm          E
When you hiss and preach
            Bm7
About your new messiah 'cause your theories catch fire

Gbm                  E
I can't find those silver linings
Bm7
I don't mean to judge
     Gbm                 E
But when you read your speech, it's tiring
Bm7
Enough is enough

    Gbm                       E
I'm covering my ears like a kid
            Bm7
When your words mean nothing, I go la la la
    Gbm                                 E
I'm turning up the volume when you speak
             Bm7
Cause if my heart can't stop it, I find a way to block it
I go
   Gbm 
La la, la la la
   E 
La la, la la la
   Bm7 
La la, la la la
   Bm7 
I find a way to block it
I go
   Gbm 
La la, la la la
   E 
La la, la la la
   Bm7 
La la, la la la

         Gbm                     E
Yes our love is running out of time
         Bm7
I won't count the hours, rather be a coward
           Gbm        E
When our worlds collide
           Bm7
I'm gonna drown you out before I lose my mind

Gbm                  E
I can't find those silver linings
Bm7
I don't mean to judge
     Gbm                 E
But when you read your speech, it's tiring
Bm7
Enough is enough

    Gbm                       E
I'm covering my ears like a kid
            Bm7
When your words mean nothing, I go la la la
    Gbm                                 E
I'm turning up the volume when you speak
             Bm7
Cause if my heart can't stop it, I find a way to block it
I go
   Gbm 
La la, la la la
   E 
La la, la la la
   Bm7 
La la, la la la
   Bm7 
I find a way to block it
I go
   Gbm 
La la, la la la
   E 
La la, la la la
   Bm7 
La la, la la la

End of song Play again?

Sam Smith - La La La Tabs

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Harmony analysis

Sam Smith – La La La: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Gbm and ends on Bm7. Its chords belong to both A major and F#m, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

A major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

F# minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = D (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = E (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 opens on F#m and F#m is heard 16 times while A never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from A 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 A or to F#m; 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 A major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	A	Tonic — home	A · C# · E	—
ii7	Bm7	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F# · A	18×
iii	C#m	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	C# · E · G#	—
V/vi	C#	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Gbmsecondary dominant	C# · E# · G#	—
IV	D	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F# · A	—
V	E	Dominant — strongest pull home	E · G# · B	16×
vi	Gbm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Gb · A · Db	16×
vii°	G#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	G# · B · D	—

Seen from F# minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Gbm	Tonic — home	Gb · A · Db	16×
ii°	G#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G# · B · D	—
III	A	Relative major — the bright side	A · C# · E	—
iv7	Bm7	Subdominant — moves away from home	B · D · F# · A	18×
v	C#m	Minor dominant — soft pull	C# · E · G#	—
V	C#	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	C# · E# · G#	—
VI	D	Submediant — warm colour	D · F# · A	—
VII	E	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	E · G# · B	16×

Analysis

The key pair is A major and its relative F# minor (3 sharps). 3 different chords appear 50 times in total; 3 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Everything stays inside one scale, which is why the song is easy to follow by ear.

Chord movement

Bm7 Gbm Aii7 → vi F#miv7 → iminor plagal ×15

The move to watch is Bm7 → Gbm, heard 15 times. From the F#m side it is iv7 → i (minor plagal: deep and melancholic); from the A side it reads ii7 → vi. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

A major pentatonic and F# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (A – B – C# – E – F#): start from A for a brighter phrase, from F# for a bluesier one.
Over Bm7, land on B, D, F# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Gbm, land on Gb, A, Db — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over E, land on E, G#, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.

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 A major shapes

No capo — open A shapes
Capo 2 + G shapes
Capo 5 + E shapes

With F# minor shapes

Capo 2 + Em shapes
Capo 4 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch
3 semitones up

The song's harmonic story

Starting on Gbm, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The chords that keep coming back are Bm7, Gbm, E; read them as ii7–vi–V in A or iv7–i–VII in F#m. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Bm7 → Gbm (ii7 → vi in A, iv7 → i in F#m): minor plagal — deep and melancholic. It closes on Bm7, letting the A 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.