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)
Bruno Mars - Billionaire - Chord
Key A major – F# minor Chords Gbm, E, A, Db7, D, Bm, E/G# Easy key G (capo 2)
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Key: A | Gbm | F#m
Capo: 0
A
I wanna be a billionaire
Db7
So fucking bad
Gbm E
Buy all of the things I never had
A Db7
I wanna be on the cover of Forbes magazine
Gbm E
Smiling next to Oprah and the Queen
D E Gbm
Oh every time I close my eyes
D E Gbm
I see my name in shining lights
D E A E/G#
A different city every night oh
Gbm E D Db7
I, I swear the world better prepare
Gbm
For when I'm a billionaire
Yeah I would have
A
A show like Oprah
I would be the host
Db7
Of everyday Christmas
Give Travie a wish list
Gbm
I'd probably pull an
Angelina and Brad Pitt
E
And adopt a bunch of babies
That ain't never had sh t
A
Give away a few Mercedes like
Here lady have this
Db7
And last but not least
Grant somebody their last wish
Gbm
It's been a couple months
That I've been single so
E
You can call me Travie Claus minus the Ho Ho
A
Get it, I'd probably
Visit where Katrina hit
Db7
And damn sure do a lot
More than FEMA did
Gbm
Yeah can't forget about me stupid
E
Everywhere I go Imma have my own theme music
D E Gbm
Oh every time I close my eyes
D E Gbm
I see my name in shining lights
D E A E/G#
A different city every night oh
Gbm E D Db7
I, I swear the world better prepare
Gbm
For when I'm a billionaire
Bm
Ohoh ohoh for when
Gbm
I'm a billionaire
Bm
Ohoh ohoh
A
I'll be playing basketball
With the president
Dunking on his delegates
Db7
Then I compliment on his
Political etiquette
Gbm
Toss a couple milli in
The air just for the heck of it
E
But keep the fives, twentys
Tens, and bens completely separate
A
And yeah I'll be in
A whole new tax bracket
Db7
We in recession but let me
Take a crack at it
Gbm
I'll probably take whatevers
Left and just split it up
E
So everybody that
I love can have a couple bucks
A
And not a single tummy around me
Db7
Would know what hungry was
Eating good sleeping soundly
Gbm
I know we all have a similar dream
E
Go in your pocket pull out your wallet
And put it in the air and sing
A
I wanna be a billionaire
Db7
So fricking bad
Gbm E
Buy all of the things I never had
A Db7
Uh, I wanna be on the cover of Forbes magazine
Gbm E
Smiling next to Oprah and the Queen
D E Gbm
Oh every time I close my eyes
D E Gbm
I see my name in shining lights
D E A E/G#
A different city every night oh
Gbm E D Db7
I, I swear the world better prepare
Gbm
For when I'm a billionaire
Bm
Ohoh ohoh for when
Gbm
I'm a billionaire
Bm
Ohoh ohoh
A
I wanna be a billionaire
Db7
So frickin bad
End of song Play again?
Bruno Mars - Billionaire Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Bruno Mars – Billionaire: key and chord analysis
The song opens on A and ends on Db7. Its chords belong to both A major and F#m, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
F# minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = D (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = E (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = E# (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 F# minor side because it opens on A, F#m is heard 24 times against 14 for A and the major V chord points straight at F#m. 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.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | A | Tonic — home | A · C# · E | 14× |
| ii | Bm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F# | 4× |
| iii | C#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | C# · E · G# | — |
| V7/vi | Db7 | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Gbmsecondary dominant | Db · F · Ab · Cb | 14× |
| IV | D | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F# · A | 12× |
| V | E | Dominant — strongest pull home | E · G# · B | 22× |
| V | E/G# | Dominant — strongest pull home | E · G# · B | 3× |
| vi | Gbm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | Gb · A · Db | 24× |
| vii° | G#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | G# · B · D | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Gbm | Tonic — home | Gb · A · Db | 24× |
| ii° | G#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G# · B · D | — |
| III | A | Relative major — the bright side | A · C# · E | 14× |
| iv | Bm | Subdominant — moves away from home | B · D · F# | 4× |
| v | C#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | C# · E · G# | — |
| V7 | Db7 | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | Db · F · Ab · Cb | 14× |
| VI | D | Submediant — warm colour | D · F# · A | 12× |
| VII | E | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | E · G# · B | 22× |
| VII | E/G# | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | E · G# · B | 3× |
Analysis
The key pair is A major and its relative F# minor (3 sharps). 7 different chords appear 93 times in total; 6 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of F#m brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from A, the same Db7 is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for F#m.
Chord movement
- Db7 Gbm AV7/vi → visecondary resolution F#mV7 → iharmonic-minor cadence ×13
- E A AV → Iauthentic cadence F#mVII → III ×10
- D E AIV → VIV → V F#mVI → VIIVI → VII ×9
- E Gbm AV → videceptive cadence F#mVII → iAeolian arrival ×6
- E/G# Gbm AV → videceptive cadence F#mVII → iAeolian arrival ×3
- Bm Gbm Aii → vi F#miv → iminor plagal ×2
The move to watch is Db7 → Gbm, heard 13 times. From the F#m side it is V7 → i (harmonic-minor cadence: the major V resolves dramatically); from the A side it reads V7/vi → vi (secondary resolution: Db7 resolves a fourth up to Gbm). 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 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.
- Over A, land on A, C#, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When Db7 comes, swap the scale's E for E#: 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 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 A, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is Gbm, E, A, Db7 — vi–V–I–V7/vi from the A side, i–VII–III–V7 from the F#m side. Db7 is the interesting twist: in A it is a chromatic chord (V7/vi), while in F#m it becomes the dominant (V7) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Db7 → Gbm (V7/vi → vi in A, V7 → i in F#m): harmonic-minor cadence — the major V resolves dramatically. The final chord is Db7; the ear comes to rest in A.
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.
Bruno Mars - Billionaire 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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