Rihanna - California King Bed - Chord

Key G major – E minor Chords G, C, D, Em, Bm Difficulty already in its easiest key

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Capo 0

Chest to chest,Nose to nose,Palm to palm
We were always just that close

Wrist to wrist, Toe to toe
Lips that felt just like the inside of a rose

So How come when I reach out my finger

It feels like more than distance between us

        G          D
In this california king bed
         Em             C
Were ten thousand miles apart
          G           D              Em
I've been california wishing on the stars
                C
For your heart on me
                G
My california king
Eye to eye, Cheek to cheek, side by side
You were sleeping next to me

Arm in arm, Dusk to dawn, With the curtains drawn
And a little last night on these sheets

So how come when I reach out my fingers

It feels like more than distance between us

        G          D
In this california king bed
         Em             C
Were ten thousand miles apart
          G           D              Em
I've been california wishing on the stars
                C
For your heart on me
                G
My california king

G                                   D
Just when I felt like hiving u on us
                                             Bm
You turned around and gave me one last touch
           C
That made everything feel better
Em                     D
And even then my eyes got wetter
C
So confused when I asked you if you love me
                            
But I don't wanna seen so weak
Bm    C          G     D      C
Maybe I've been California dreaming

        G          D
In this california king bed
         Em             C
Were ten thousand miles apart
 G           D              Em
California wishing on the stars
                C
For your heart on me
               G  D  Em  C
My california king
                G  D  Em  C
My California King

        G          D
In this california king bed
         Em             C
Were ten thousand miles apart
          G           D              Em
I've been california wishing on the stars
                  C
For your heart on me
                G
My california king

End of song Play again?

Rihanna - California King Bed Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Rihanna – California King Bed: key and chord analysis

The song opens on G 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 both starts and finishes on G and G is heard 15 times against 11 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	15×
ii	Am	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · E	—
iii	Bm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	B · D · F#	2×
V/vi	B	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	—
IV	C	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · E · G	14×
V	D	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	13×
vi	Em	Relative minor — the melancholy side	E · G · B	11×
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	11×
ii°	F#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F# · A · C	—
III	G	Relative major — the bright side	G · B · D	15×
iv	Am	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C · E	—
v	Bm	Minor dominant — soft pull	B · D · F#	2×
V	B	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	B · D# · F#	—
VI	C	Submediant — warm colour	C · E · G	14×
VII	D	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	13×

Analysis

The key pair is G major and its relative E minor (1 sharp). 5 different chords appear 55 times in total; 5 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

C G GIV → Iplagal cadence EmVI → III ×12
D Em GV → videceptive cadence EmVII → iAeolian arrival ×10
C Em GIV → vi EmVI → iVI → i ×1

The move to watch is C → G, heard 12 times. From the G side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the Em side it is VI → III. 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 C, land on C, E, G — 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

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

The song's harmonic story

The first chord is G; the ear learns where home is within a second. G, C, D, Em carry the song: I–IV–V–vi relative to G, III–VI–VII–i relative to Em. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on C → G (IV → I in G, VI → III in Em): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. It closes on G, letting the G 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.