Robbie Williams - Somethin' Stupid - Chord

Key F major – D minor Chords F, C7, F7, Bb Easy key G

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Capo 0

  F
I know I stand in line, until you think you have the time
            C7
To spend an evening with me

And if we go someplace to dance, I know that there's a chance
               F
You won't be leaving with me
      F7
And afterwards we drop into a quiet little place
            Bb
And have a drink or two
    C7
And then I go and spoil it all, by saying something stupid
         F
Like: "I love you"

      F7
I can see it in your eyes, that you despise the same old lies
     Bb
You heard the night before
     C7
And though it's just a line to you, for me it's true
                F7
It never seemed so right before

I practice every day to find some clever lines to say
To make the meaning come through
But then I think I'll wait until the evening gets late
And I'm alone with you

The time is right your perfume fills my head, the stars get red
And oh the night's so blue
And then I go and spoil it all, by saying something stupid
Like: I love you

End of song Play again?

Robbie Williams - Somethin' Stupid Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Robbie Williams – Somethin' Stupid: key and chord analysis

The song opens on F and ends on F7. 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 it both starts and finishes on F and F is heard 6 times while Dm never appears. 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	3×
V7/IV	F7	Secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Bbsecondary dominant	F · A · C · Eb	3×
ii	Gm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G · Bb · D	—
iii	Am	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	A · C · E	—
III	A	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C# · E	—
IV	Bb	Subdominant — moves away from home	Bb · D · F	2×
V7	C7	Dominant — strongest pull home	C · E · G · Bb	3×
vi	Dm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	D · F · A	—
vii°	Edim	Leading-tone chord — tension	E · G · Bb	—

Seen from D minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Dm	Tonic — home	D · F · A	—
ii°	Edim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	E · G · Bb	—
III	F	Relative major — the bright side	F · A · C	3×
V7/VI	F7	Secondary dominant V/VI — leads to Bbsecondary dominant	F · A · C · Eb	3×
iv	Gm	Subdominant — moves away from home	G · Bb · D	—
v	Am	Minor dominant — soft pull	A · C · E	—
V	A	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	A · C# · E	—
VI	Bb	Submediant — warm colour	Bb · D · F	2×
VII7	C7	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	C · E · G · Bb	3×

Analysis

The key pair is F major and its relative D minor (1 flat). 4 different chords appear 11 times in total; 3 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. F7 acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

C7 F FV7 → Iauthentic cadence DmVII7 → III ×2
F7 Bb FV7/IV → IVsecondary resolution DmV7/VI → VI ×2
Bb C7 FIV → V7IV → V DmVI → VII7VI → VII ×2
C7 F7 FV7 → V7/IVauthentic cadence DmVII7 → V7/VI ×1

The move to watch is C7 → F, heard 2 times. From the F side it reads V7 → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home); from the Dm side it is VII7 → 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 F, land on F, A, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over C7, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over F7, land on F, A, C — 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

2 semitones up
3 semitones down · capo 3 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

Starting on F, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The chords that keep coming back are F, C7, F7, Bb; read them as I–V7–V7/IV–IV in F or III–VII7–V7/VI–VI in Dm. F7 adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Bb. Keep an ear on C7 → F (V7 → I in F, VII7 → III in Dm): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. The final chord is F7; the ear comes to rest in F.

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.