Major view
Ab major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = G (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Db (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Robbie Williams - Strong - Chord
Key Ab major – F minor Chords Ab, Eb, Bb, Fm7, Fm, Bbm, F7, Cm … Easy key C
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Key: Ab | Fm
Capo: 0
Eb Ab Fm Bb
Eb F7 Ab Bb
Eb
My breath smells of a thousand fags
Ab
And when I'm drunk I dance like me Dad
Fm7 Bb
I've started to dress a bit like him
Eb
And early morning when I wake up
Ab
I look like Kiss but without the make up
Fm7 Bb
And that's a good line to take it to the bridge
Fm Cm
And you know, and you know 'cause my life's a mess
Fm Bb
And I'm trying to grow, so before I'm old I'll confess
Eb Ab Fm7 Bb
You think that I'm strong, you're wrong, you're wrong
Eb Ab Fm7 Bb
I'll sing my song, my song, my song
My bed's full of takeaways, a fantasies of easy lays
The pause button's broke on my video.
And is this real? 'Cause I feel fake, Oprah Winfrey, Ricki Lake
Teach me things I don't need to know
Bbm
If I did it all again I'd be a nun
Ab
The rain was never cold when I was young
Fm C
I'm still young, we're still young
Bbm
Life's too short to be afraid
Ab Fm7 Eb
Step inside the sun
Eb Fm7
Life's too short to be afraid, take a pill to numb the pain
Ab Bb
You don't have to take the blame
End of song Play again?
Robbie Williams - Strong Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Robbie Williams – Strong: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Eb and ends on Bb. Its chords belong to both Ab major and Fm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
F minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Db (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = Eb (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = E (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 F minor side because Fm is heard 10 times against 9 for Ab and the major V chord points straight at Fm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Ab 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 Ab or to Fm; 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.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Ab | Tonic — home | Ab · C · Eb | 9× |
| ii | Bbm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | Bb · Db · F | 2× |
| V/V | Bb | Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Ebsecondary dominant | Bb · D · F | 8× |
| iii | Cm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | C · Eb · G | 1× |
| V/vi | C | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Fmsecondary dominant | C · E · G | 1× |
| IV | Db | Subdominant — moves away from home | Db · F · Ab | — |
| V | Eb | Dominant — strongest pull home | Eb · G · Bb | 8× |
| vi7 | Fm7 | Relative minor — the melancholy side | F · Ab · C · Eb | 6× |
| vi | Fm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | F · Ab · C | 4× |
| V7/ii | F7 | Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant | F · A · C · Eb | 1× |
| vii° | Gdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | G · Bb · Db | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i7 | Fm7 | Tonic — home | F · Ab · C · Eb | 6× |
| i | Fm | Tonic — home | F · Ab · C | 4× |
| V7/iv | F7 | Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant | F · A · C · Eb | 1× |
| ii° | Gdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G · Bb · Db | — |
| III | Ab | Relative major — the bright side | Ab · C · Eb | 9× |
| iv | Bbm | Subdominant — moves away from home | Bb · Db · F | 2× |
| IV | Bb | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | Bb · D · F | 8× |
| v | Cm | Minor dominant — soft pull | C · Eb · G | 1× |
| V | C | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | C · E · G | 1× |
| VI | Db | Submediant — warm colour | Db · F · Ab | — |
| VII | Eb | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | Eb · G · Bb | 8× |
Analysis
The key pair is Ab major and its relative F minor (4 flats). 9 different chords appear 40 times in total; 6 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Fm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from Ab, the same C is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Fm. Bb, F7 act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.
Chord movement
- Eb Ab AbV → Iauthentic cadence FmVII → III ×5
- Eb Fm7 AbV → vi7deceptive cadence FmVII → i7Aeolian arrival ×1
- Cm Fm Abiii → vi Fmv → inatural-minor cadence ×1
The move to watch is Eb → Ab, heard 5 times. From the Fm side it is VII → III; from the Ab side it reads V → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- Ab major pentatonic and F minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Ab – Bb – C – Eb – F): start from Ab for a brighter phrase, from F for a bluesier one.
- Over Ab, land on Ab, C, Eb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Eb, land on Eb, G, Bb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Bb, land on Bb, D, F — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When C comes, swap the scale's Eb for E: 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 Ab major shapes
- Capo 1 + G shapes
- Capo 4 + E shapes
- Capo 6 + D shapes
With F minor shapes
- Capo 1 + Em shapes
- Capo 3 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 4 semitones up
- 1 semitone down · capo 1 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is Eb; the ear learns where home is within a second. The chords that keep coming back are Ab, Eb, Bb, Fm7; read them as I–V–V/V–vi7 in Ab or III–VII–IV–i7 in Fm. F7 is the interesting twist: in Ab it is a chromatic chord (V7/ii), while in Fm it becomes the dominant (V7/iv) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Eb → Ab (V → I in Ab, VII → III in Fm): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. It closes on Bb, letting the Ab 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.
Robbie Williams - Strong Chords on Guitar, Ukulele and Piano
Hover over or tap a chord in the lyrics for its shapes, its degree in both keys and a listen button. Here you have every chord of the song side by side.
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