Bruno Mars - Perm - Chord

Key G major – E minor Chords Em, B7, A, Am, C Difficulty already in its easiest key

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Capo 0

Em
It's my birthday
Em
No it's not
Em
But I still look good though
Em
High comb hot
Em
I bet you want an autograph
Em
For you and your friends
Em
Gotta do it in the penthouse
B7
That's where I keep my pen

               Am               C
What you can't dance? Ain't got rhythm
              Em
What you got a man? I don't see you with him
         Am          C
Put your phone down, let's get it
           Em
Forget your Instagram and your Twitter
           Am     C
Got me like woah, wait a minute
Em
You need to take a minute
Am         C
Loosen them shoulders up
B7
Pour it up, let's work

           Em
Throw some perm on your attitude
               Em
Girl you gotta relax, ooh
Em
Let me show you what you got to do
Em
You gotta lay it back
                B7                           A
Matter of fact? Band, show her how to lay it back!
                       A
Show her how to lay it back
                       A
Show her how to lay it back
                       A   
Show her how to lay it back
B7
Alright

Em
Come on baby I love you
Em
No you don't
Em
You never know, I might though
Em
Can't say I won't, ah
Em
There's that smile I'm looking for
Em
Was that so hard
Em                                   B7
If you ever need to smile again girl, take my card

        Am           C
Razzle dazzle, never gon' stop
         Em
What you want is what I got
              Am                  C
You wanna get down? You gotta get up
         Em
Don't be stingy with your big ol' butt
Em
You got a booty like
Am    C
Woah, wait a minute
Em
I'm just playing with you
Am         C
Loosen them shoulders up
B7
Pour it up, let's work

           Em
Throw some perm on your attitude
               Em
Girl you gotta relax, ooh
Em
Let me show you what you got to do
Em
You gotta lay it back
                B7                           A
Matter of fact? Band, show her how to lay it back!
                       A
Show her how to lay it back
                       A
Show her how to lay it back
                       A   
Show her how to lay it back
B7
Alright

B7
Aye, now you got it baby. You tryna have some fun tonight,

you just try to follow these simple instructions, you ready

Em
You need activate your sexy 
Em
Silky, smooth and snap 
Em
Now lean with it , throw a lil sheen in it 
                             B7
Then pat, pat, pat 'til it's flat
Em
One more time, you need activate your sexy 
Em
Silky, smooth and snap 
Em
Now lean with it , throw a lil sheen in it 
Em                           B7
Then pat, pat, pat 'til it's flat

B7
I say it again
           Em
Throw some perm on your attitude
               Em
Girl you gotta relax, ooh
Em
Let me show you what you got to do
Em
You gotta lay it back
                B7                           A
Matter of fact? Band, show her how to lay it back!
                       A
Show her how to lay it back
                       A
Show her how to lay it back
                       A   
Show her how to lay it back
B7
Alright
B7

End of song Play again?

Bruno Mars - Perm Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Bruno Mars – Perm: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Em and ends on B7. 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)
#7 = D# (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 E minor side because it opens on Em, Em is heard 40 times while G never appears and the major V chord points straight at Em. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from G 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 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	—
ii	Am	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · E	8×
II	A	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C# · E	12×
iii	Bm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	B · D · F#	—
V7/vi	B7	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F# · A	15×
IV	C	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · E · G	8×
V	D	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	—
vi	Em	Relative minor — the melancholy side	E · G · B	40×
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	40×
ii°	F#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F# · A · C	—
III	G	Relative major — the bright side	G · B · D	—
iv	Am	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C · E	8×
IV	A	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	A · C# · E	12×
v	Bm	Minor dominant — soft pull	B · D · F#	—
V7	B7	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	B · D# · F# · A	15×
VI	C	Submediant — warm colour	C · E · G	8×
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). 5 different chords appear 83 times in total; 3 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Em brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from G, the same B7 is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Em. A step outside the scale as colour chords.

Chord movement

B7 Em GV7/vi → visecondary resolution EmV7 → iharmonic-minor cadence ×6
C Em GIV → vi EmVI → iVI → i ×6

The move to watch is B7 → Em, heard 6 times. From the Em side it is V7 → i (harmonic-minor cadence: the major V resolves dramatically); from the G side it reads V7/vi → vi (secondary resolution: B7 resolves a fourth up to Em). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

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 Em, land on E, G, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over B7, land on B, D#, F# — 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 B7 comes, swap the scale's D for D#: 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 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

The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.

The song's harmonic story

Starting on Em, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is Em, B7, A, Am — vi–V7/vi–II–ii from the G side, i–V7–IV–iv from the Em side. B7 is the interesting twist: in G it is a chromatic chord (V7/vi), while in Em it becomes the dominant (V7) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on B7 → Em (V7/vi → vi in G, V7 → i in Em): harmonic-minor cadence — the major V resolves dramatically. The final chord is B7; the ear comes to rest in G.

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.