Rihanna - Needed Me - Chord

Key Eb major – C minor Chords Em, G, C Difficulty already in its easiest key

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Capo 0

Em  G  C

      Em                                   G
I was good on my own, that's the way it was, that's the way it was
        C
You was good on the low for a faded fuck, on some faded love
Em                                      G
Shit, what the fuck you complaining for? Feeling jaded huh
        C
Used to trip off that shit I was kickin' to you
Had some fun on the run though I give it to you

     Em                G
But baby, don't get it twisted
                     C
You was just another nigga on the hit list
Tryna fix your inner issues with a bad bitch
                          Em
Didn't they tell you that I was a savage
                G
Fuck your white horse and a carriage
        C
Bet you never could imagine
Never told you you could have it

    Em   G        C
You nee deeded me
          Em   G        C
Oooh, you nee deeded me
           Em                      G
To feel a little more, and give a little less
                      C
Know you're here to confess
                  Em   G        C
But baby who, you nee deeded me

         Em                                  G
You been rollin' around, shit I'm rollin up
Light and roll it up
         C
Break it down like a pound, shit was never us
Shit was never us
           Em                                 G
That's the real on the real, are you serious
How you feel, how you feel
        C
Used to trip off that shit I was kickin' to ya
Had some fun on the run though, I give it to ya

     Em                G
But baby, don't get it twisted
                     C
You was just another nigga on the hit list
Tryna fix your inner issues with a bad bitch
                          Em
Didn't they tell you that I was a savage
                G
Fuck your white horse and a carriage
        C
Bet you never could imagine
Never told you you could have it

    Em   G        C
You nee deeded me
          Em   G        C
Oooh, you nee deeded me
           Em                      G
To feel a little more, and give a little less
                      C
Know you're here to confess
                  Em   G        C
But baby who, you nee deeded me

Em G C

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Rihanna - Needed Me Tabs

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Harmony analysis

Rihanna – Needed Me: key and chord analysis

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

Major view

Eb major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = D (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = Ab (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

C minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Ab (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = Bb (natural-minor colour)
#7 = B (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 C minor side because the major V chord points straight at Cm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Eb 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 Eb or to Cm; 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 Eb major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Eb	Tonic — home	Eb · G · Bb	—
bii	Em	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G · B	18×
ii	Fm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F · Ab · C	—
iii	Gm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	G · Bb · D	—
V/vi	G	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Cmsecondary dominant	G · B · D	18×
IV	Ab	Subdominant — moves away from home	Ab · C · Eb	—
V	Bb	Dominant — strongest pull home	Bb · D · F	—
vi	Cm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	C · Eb · G	—
VI	C	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · E · G	18×
vii°	Ddim	Leading-tone chord — tension	D · F · Ab	—

Seen from C minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Cm	Tonic — home	C · Eb · G	—
I	C	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · E · G	18×
ii°	Ddim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · Ab	—
III	Eb	Relative major — the bright side	Eb · G · Bb	—
#iii	Em	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G · B	18×
iv	Fm	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · Ab · C	—
v	Gm	Minor dominant — soft pull	G · Bb · D	—
V	G	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	G · B · D	18×
VI	Ab	Submediant — warm colour	Ab · C · Eb	—
VII	Bb	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Bb · D · F	—

Analysis

The key pair is Eb major and its relative C minor (3 flats). 3 different chords appear 54 times in total; 0 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Cm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from Eb, the same G is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Cm. Em, C step outside the scale as colour chords.

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

Eb major pentatonic and C minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Eb – F – G – Bb – C): start from Eb for a brighter phrase, from C for a bluesier one.
Over Em, land on E, G, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
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.
When G comes, swap the scale's Bb for B: 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 Eb major shapes

Capo 1 + D shapes
Capo 3 + C shapes
Capo 6 + A shapes

With C minor shapes

Capo 3 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

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

The song's harmonic story

The opening Em lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The backbone is Em, G, C — bii–V/vi–VI from the Eb side, #iii–V–I from the Cm side. G is the interesting twist: in Eb it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Cm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Ending on C, the song seals Eb 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.