Rihanna - Take a Bow - Chord

Key G major – E minor Chords G, A, D, Bm, C, D/F#, Em Easy key C (capo 7)

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Capo 0

D A Bm
    Ohh How about
  G          D
A round of applause
A     Bm
  Yeah
 G        D     A
Standing ovation
Bm      G
Ooh wooh yeah
     D    A    C
Yeah yeah yeah yeah

Verse 1
D          A             Bm  G
  You look so dumb right now
D          A          Bm   G
  Standing outside my house
D          A
Trying to apologize
Bm             G
You’re so ugly when you cry
D            A      C
Please, just cut it out

D
Don’t tell me you’re
A                  Bm G
Sorry cause you’re not
            D
Baby when I know you’re
     A             C
Only sorry you got caught

Chorus
D              A
But you put on quite a show
Bm            G
Really had me going
    D                A
But now it’s time to go
Bm               G
Curtains finally closing
D                A
That was quite a show
Bm        G
Very entertaining
Em       D/F# G
But it’s over now
G         D/F#   C
Go on and take a bow

D           A               Bm
  Grab your clothes and get gone
G                  D
  You better hurry up
            A              Bm G
Before the sprinklers come on
               D
Talking about ‘girl I love you’
 A
‘You’re the one’
Bm                   G
This just looks like the re run
D            A       C
Please, what else is on

D
Don’t tell me you’re
A                  Bm G
Sorry cause you’re not
            D
Baby when I know you’re
     A             C
Only sorry you got caught

        D              A
But you put on quite a show
Bm            G
Really had me going
    D                A
But now it’s time to go
Bm               G
Curtains finally closing
D                A
That was quite a show
Bm        G
Very entertaining
Em       D/F# G
But it’s over now
G         D/F#   C
Go on and take a bow

Ooh
G        A
And the award for the
Bm               C
Best lie goes to you
       G
For making me believe that
A                 Em
You could be faithful to me
      C
Let's hear your speech

D             A          Bm    G
  How about a round of applause
D  A        C
  Standing ovation

        D              A
But you put on quite a show
Bm            G
Really had me going
    D                A
But now it’s time to go
Bm               G
Curtains finally closing
D                A
That was quite a show
Bm        G
Very entertaining
Em       D/F# G
But it’s over now
G         D/F#   C
Go on and take a bow

Em       D/F# G
But it’s over now

End of song Play again?

Rihanna - Take a Bow Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Rihanna – Take a Bow: key and chord analysis

The song opens on D and ends on G. 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: to us the song feels closer to the G major side because it comes to rest on G and G is heard 30 times against 5 for Em. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from E minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

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	30×
ii	Am	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · E	—
V/V	A	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Dsecondary dominant	A · C# · E	29×
iii	Bm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	B · D · F#	22×
V/vi	B	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	—
IV	C	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · E · G	11×
V	D	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	27×
V	D/F#	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	7×
vi	Em	Relative minor — the melancholy side	E · G · B	5×
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	5×
ii°	F#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F# · A · C	—
III	G	Relative major — the bright side	G · B · D	30×
iv	Am	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C · E	—
IV	A	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	A · C# · E	29×
v	Bm	Minor dominant — soft pull	B · D · F#	22×
V	B	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	B · D# · F#	—
VI	C	Submediant — warm colour	C · E · G	11×
VII	D	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	27×
VII	D/F#	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	7×

Analysis

The key pair is G major and its relative E minor (1 sharp). 7 different chords appear 131 times in total; 6 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. A acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

C D GIV → VIV → V EmVI → VIIVI → VII ×8
D/F# G GV → Iauthentic cadence EmVII → III ×4
C G GIV → Iplagal cadence EmVI → III ×2
C Em GIV → vi EmVI → iVI → i ×1

The move to watch is C → D, heard 8 times. From the G side it reads IV → V (IV → V: the lift that builds tension before home); from the Em side it is VI → VII (VI → VII: the rising step that heads for the tonic). 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 G, land on G, B, D — 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.
Over D, land on D, F#, A — 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 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

5 semitones up · capo 7 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The first chord is D; the ear learns where home is within a second. The chords that keep coming back are G, A, D, Bm; read them as I–V/V–V–iii in G or III–IV–VII–v in Em. A adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/V — leads to D. Keep an ear on C → D (IV → V in G, VI → VII in Em): IV → V — the lift that builds tension before home. The final chord is G; the ear comes to rest in G. The lyric sheet marks 2 section types, so the same chord pattern returns in a clear, predictable order.

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.