Robbie Williams - Sexed Up - Chord

Key F major – D minor Chords C, F, Em, G, Am, Fm, G7, E7 … Easy key C (capo 5)

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Capo 0

C  Em  F  G

C                 F
  Loose lips sunk ships
                 Am                    Em
  I'm getting to grips with what you said
C                    F
  No it's not in my head
                      Am
  I can't awaken the dead
          G7 G
  Day after day
F
  Why don't we talk about it
G                          Em                          Am
  Why do you always doubt that there can be a better way
      Dm                     G7
  It doesn't make me wanna stay

             C       Em
  Why don't we break up
          F               G
  There's nothing left to say
              C     Em
  I've got my eyes shut
   F                  G
  Praying they won't stray
              C     E7
  And we're not sexed up
   F                                Fm
  That's what makes the difference today
                   C
  I hope you blow away

C                         F
  You said we´re fatally flawed
                   Am              Em
  Well, I´m easily bored, is that okay
C                    F
  Write me off your list
                     Am               G4 G
  Make this the last kiss, I'll walk away
F
  Why don't we talk about it
G
  I'm only here don't shout it
Em                    Am
  Given time we'll forget
  Dm                       G7
  Let's pretend we never met

               C     Em
  Why don't we break up
          F               G
  There's nothing left to say
           C    Em
  I got my eyes shut
  F                   G
  Praying they won't stray
              C     E7
  And we're not sexed up
   F                                 Fm
  That's what makes the difference today
                       C
  I hope you blow away

 F       G     Em                Am
  Screw you, I didn't like your taste
        F          G
  Anyway, I chose you
    Em              Am                    Bb
  And that's all gone to wasted. It's Saturday
          Am
  I'll go out
       Fm
  And find another you

              C        Em   F    G
  Why don't we
               C     Em
  Why don't we break up
           F              G
  There's nothing left to say
           C    Em
  I got my eyes shut
  F                   G
  Praying they won't stray
              C      E7
  And we're not sexed up
  F                                  Fm
  That's what makes the difference today
                   C      Gm  C  Gm  C  Gm            C
   I hope you blow away                I hope you blow away

End of song Play again?

Robbie Williams - Sexed Up Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Robbie Williams – Sexed Up: key and chord analysis

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

Major view

F major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

D minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Bb (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = C (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the F major side because F is heard 19 times against 2 for Dm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from D minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to F or to Dm; 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 F major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	F	Tonic — home	F · A · C	19×
i	Fm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F · Ab · C	4×
ii	Gm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G · Bb · D	3×
V/V	G	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Csecondary dominant	G · B · D	14×
V7/V	G7	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Csecondary dominant	G · B · D · F	3×
V/V	G4	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Csecondary dominant	G · B · D	1×
iii	Am	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	A · C · E	9×
V/vi	A	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dmsecondary dominant	A · C# · E	—
IV	Bb	Subdominant — moves away from home	Bb · D · F	1×
V	C	Dominant — strongest pull home	C · E · G	21×
vi	Dm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	D · F · A	2×
vii°	Edim	Leading-tone chord — tension	E · G · Bb	—
vii	Em	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G · B	14×
V7/iii	E7	Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B · D	3×

Seen from D minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Dm	Tonic — home	D · F · A	2×
ii°	Edim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	E · G · Bb	—
ii	Em	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G · B	14×
V7/v	E7	Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B · D	3×
III	F	Relative major — the bright side	F · A · C	19×
iii	Fm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F · Ab · C	4×
iv	Gm	Subdominant — moves away from home	G · Bb · D	3×
IV	G	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	G · B · D	14×
IV7	G7	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	G · B · D · F	3×
IV	G4	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	G · B · D	1×
v	Am	Minor dominant — soft pull	A · C · E	9×
V	A	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	A · C# · E	—
VI	Bb	Submediant — warm colour	Bb · D · F	1×
VII	C	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	C · E · G	21×

Analysis

The key pair is F major and its relative D minor (1 flat). 12 different chords appear 94 times in total; 6 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. G, G7, E7, G4 act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

C F FV → Iauthentic cadence DmVII → III ×5
Gm C Fii → Vii → V Dmiv → VII ×3
Am Dm Fiii → vi Dmv → inatural-minor cadence ×2
G7 C FV7/V → Vsecondary resolution DmIV7 → VII ×2

The move to watch is C → F, heard 5 times. From the F side it reads V → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home); from the Dm side it is VII → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

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

Capo 1 + E shapes
Capo 3 + D shapes
Capo 5 + C shapes

With D minor shapes

No capo — open Dm shapes
Capo 5 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The opening C lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The backbone is C, F, Em, G — V–I–vii–V/V from the F side, VII–III–ii–IV from the Dm side. G adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/V — leads to C. Keep an ear on C → F (V → I in F, VII → III in Dm): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. It closes on C, letting the F 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.