Sam Smith - Baby You Make Me Crazy - Chord

Key G major – E minor Chords Ab, Bbm, Db, Ab/C Easy key F# (capo 1)

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Capo 0

Ab  Bbm  Db

 Ab
You say that you're leaving
                         Bbm
But I don't think I can let go
  Db
When you put the phone down
             Ab
I began to cry
What are you to do
                                    Bbm
When the person that you love just says no
      Db
Boy, get yourself together
                   Ab
Move on with your life

                      Ab
So I'm gonna play my favourite rhythm
               Bbm
Got to get you out my system
           Db                           Ab
I would do anything to keep you off my mind
                                 Ab/C
I'm gonna have to call my sisters
              Bbm
Be around the ones who listen
Db                           Ab
Anything to drown you out tonight

 Ab
Baby
Bbm
You make me crazy
  Db                                  Ab
Why'd you have to fill my heart with sorrow
Save me
             Bbm
Make it all hazy
   Db                              Ab
So I don't think about you 'til tomorrow

Ab
It wasn't enough
                                  Bbm
But you could've had the guts to face me
               Db
It would have meant so much
                          Ab
If you'd looked me in the eye
                                       Ab/C    Bbm
Why do I always fall for the ones who have no courage
        Db                          Ab
I must see some kind of beauty in their eyes

                      Ab
So I'm gonna play my favourite rhythm
               Bbm
Got to get you out my system
           Db                           Ab
I would do anything to keep you off my mind
                                 Ab/C
I'm gonna have to call my sisters
              Bbm
Be around the ones who listen
Db                           Ab
Anything to drown you out tonight

 Ab
Baby
Bbm
You make me crazy
  Db                                  Ab
Why'd you have to fill my heart with sorrow
Save me
             Bbm
Make it all hazy
   Db                              Ab
So I don't think about you 'til tomorrow

 Ab
Baby
Bbm
You make me crazy
  Db                                  Ab
Why'd you have to fill my heart with sorrow
Save me
             Bbm
Make it all hazy
   Db                              Ab
So I don't think about you 'til tomorrow

End of song Play again?

Sam Smith - Baby You Make Me Crazy Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Sam Smith – Baby You Make Me Crazy: key and chord analysis

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

Major view

G major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

E minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = C (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = D (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: we can't honestly pick a side here — the song moves freely between G major and E minor. Try reading the chords both ways and see which feels more like home to you.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to G or to Em; 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 G major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	G	Tonic — home	G · B · D	—
bII	Ab	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	Ab · C · Eb	22×
bII	Ab/C	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	Ab · C · Eb	3×
ii	Am	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · E	—
biii	Bbm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Bb · Db · F	15×
iii	Bm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	B · D · F#	—
III	B	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D# · F#	—
IV	C	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · E · G	—
#IV	Db	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Db · F · Ab	15×
V	D	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	—
vi	Em	Relative minor — the melancholy side	E · G · B	—
vii°	F#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	F# · A · C	—

Seen from E minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Em	Tonic — home	E · G · B	—
ii°	F#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F# · A · C	—
III	G	Relative major — the bright side	G · B · D	—
#III	Ab	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · C · Eb	22×
#III	Ab/C	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · C · Eb	3×
iv	Am	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C · E	—
#iv	Bbm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Bb · Db · F	15×
v	Bm	Minor dominant — soft pull	B · D · F#	—
V	B	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	B · D# · F#	—
VI	C	Submediant — warm colour	C · E · G	—
#VI	Db	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Db · F · Ab	15×
VII	D	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	—

Analysis

The key pair is G major and its relative E minor (1 sharp). 4 different chords appear 55 times in total; 0 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Ab, Ab/C are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

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

G major pentatonic and E minor pentatonic are the same five notes (G – A – B – D – E): start from G for a brighter phrase, from E for a bluesier one.
Over Ab, land on Ab, C, Eb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Bbm, land on Bb, Db, F — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Db, land on Db, F, Ab — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
On Ab, follow the chord's notes (Ab · C · Eb) 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 G major shapes

No capo — open G shapes
Capo 3 + E shapes
Capo 5 + D shapes

With E minor shapes

No capo — open Em shapes
Capo 2 + Dm shapes
Capo 7 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

1 semitone down · capo 1 keeps the original pitch
6 semitones up · capo 6 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The first chord is Ab; the ear learns where home is within a second. The chords that keep coming back are Ab, Bbm, Db, Ab/C; read them as bII–biii–#IV–bII in G or #III–#iv–#VI–#III in Em. Ab briefly darkens the picture: neapolitan bii — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonic. Ending on Ab, the song seals G 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.