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)
Chic - A Warm Summer Night - Chord
Key F major – D minor Chords Dm, Am, F, C, Em, G, Bb, Db … Easy key C (capo 5)
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Key: F | Dm
Capo: 0
Em G Bb F Db
Dm F G Ab Am
Papi could you love me tonight
Dm
On a warm summer night
F Dm Am Em Am Dm
It would be so nice tonight
F
Te quiero papi
Dm C Am
Could you love me tonight
Dm
On a warm summer night
F C Dm
It would be so nice
F Dm Am Em Am
Papi could you love me tonight
Dm
On a warm summer night
F Dm Am Em Am Dm
It would be so nice tonight
F
Te quiero papi
Am Dm Am
Could you love me tonight
Dm
On a warm summer night
F C Dm
It would be so nice
F Am C Dm C Am
Papi could you love me tonight
Dm
On a warm summer night
F Dm A Em A Dm
It would be so nice tonight
Gm Bb F Bb Db Dm C G
F Dm Am
Papi could you love me tonight
Dm
On a warm summer night
F Dm Am Em Am Dm
It would be so nice tonight
F
Te quiero papi
Dm C Am
could you love me tonight
Dm
On a warm summer night
F Am F Dm Am Dm
It would be so nice tonight
F
Te quiero papi
Dm C Am
could you love me tonight
Dm
On a warm summer night
F Dm Am
It would be so nice tonight
Te quiero papi
End of song Play again?
Chic - A Warm Summer Night Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Chic – A Warm Summer Night: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Em and ends on Am. Its chords belong to both F major and Dm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
D minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Bb (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = C (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = C# (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 D minor side because Dm is heard 30 times against 19 for F and the major V chord points straight at Dm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from F 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 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.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | F | Tonic — home | F · A · C | 19× |
| ii | Gm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G · Bb · D | 1× |
| V/V | G | Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Csecondary dominant | G · B · D | 3× |
| bIII | Ab | Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord | Ab · C · Eb | 1× |
| iii | Am | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | A · C · E | 20× |
| V/vi | A | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dmsecondary dominant | A · C# · E | 2× |
| IV | Bb | Subdominant — moves away from home | Bb · D · F | 3× |
| V | C | Dominant — strongest pull home | C · E · G | 8× |
| bVI | Db | Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord | Db · F · Ab | 2× |
| vi | Dm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | D · F · A | 30× |
| vii° | Edim | Leading-tone chord — tension | E · G · Bb | — |
| vii | Em | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | E · G · B | 6× |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Dm | Tonic — home | D · F · A | 30× |
| ii° | Edim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | E · G · Bb | — |
| ii | Em | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | E · G · B | 6× |
| III | F | Relative major — the bright side | F · A · C | 19× |
| iv | Gm | Subdominant — moves away from home | G · Bb · D | 1× |
| IV | G | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | G · B · D | 3× |
| #IV | Ab | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Ab · C · Eb | 1× |
| v | Am | Minor dominant — soft pull | A · C · E | 20× |
| V | A | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | A · C# · E | 2× |
| VI | Bb | Submediant — warm colour | Bb · D · F | 3× |
| VII | C | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | C · E · G | 8× |
| #VII | Db | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Db · F · Ab | 2× |
Analysis
The key pair is F major and its relative D minor (1 flat). 11 different chords appear 95 times in total; 6 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Dm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from F, the same A is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Dm. G acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. Db, Ab are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
Chord movement
- Am Dm Fiii → vi Dmv → inatural-minor cadence ×13
- C Dm FV → videceptive cadence DmVII → iAeolian arrival ×3
- Bb F FIV → Iplagal cadence DmVI → III ×2
- A Dm FV/vi → vi DmV → iharmonic-minor cadence ×1
The move to watch is Am → Dm, heard 13 times. From the Dm side it is v → i (natural-minor cadence: gentle, modal arrival); from the F side it reads iii → vi. 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 Dm, land on D, F, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Am, land on A, C, E — 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.
- When A comes, swap the scale's C for C#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
- On Db, follow the chord's notes (Db · F · Ab) rather than the key's scale — it's a borrowed colour.
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 first chord is Em; the ear learns where home is within a second. The backbone is Dm, Am, F, C — vi–iii–I–V from the F side, i–v–III–VII from the Dm side. A is the interesting twist: in F it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Dm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Am → Dm (iii → vi in F, v → i in Dm): natural-minor cadence — gentle, modal arrival. The final chord is Am; 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.
Chic - A Warm Summer Night 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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