Beyonce - Pretty Hurts - Chord

Key B major – G# minor Chords B, Dbm, Abm, Gb Easy key C

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Capo 0

B  Dbm  Abm  Gb

B       Dbm
  Mama said: you're a pretty girl
Abm                 Gb
    What's in your head, it doesn't matter
B             Dbm
  Brush your hair, fix your teeth
Abm           Gb
    What you wear is all that matters

B        Dbm         Abm              Gb
  Just another stage,    pageant the pain away
B                Dbm     
  This time I'm gonna take the crown
Abm                        Gb
    Without falling down, down, down

B         Dbm   Abm
  Pretty hurts,    we shine the 
             Gb
Light on whatever's worse
B               Dbm             Abm
  Perfection is a disease of a nation
                Gb
Pretty hurts, pretty hurts

B         Dbm   Abm
  Pretty hurts,    we shine the 
             Gb
Light on whatever's worse
B                                  Dbm
  Trying to fix something but you can't fix 
          Abm
What you can't see
                    Gb
It's the soul that needs the surgery

B              Dbm
  Blonder hair,    flat chest
Abm    Gb
   TV says bigger is better
B             Dbm
  South beach,    sugar free
Abm            Gb
    Vogue says    thinner is better

B        Dbm         Abm              Gb
  Just another stage,    pageant the pain away
B                Dbm     
  This time I'm gonna take the crown
Abm                        Gb
    Without falling down, down, down

B         Dbm   Abm
  Pretty hurts,    we shine the 
             Gb
Light on whatever's worse
B               Dbm             Abm
  Perfection is a disease of a nation
                Gb
Pretty hurts, pretty hurts

B         Dbm   Abm
  Pretty hurts,    we shine the 
             Gb
Light on whatever's worse
B                                  Dbm                              
  Trying to fix something but you can't fix 
          Abm
What you can't see
                    Gb
It's the soul that needs the surgery

Dbm
Ain't got no doctor or pill 

That can take the pain away
Abm
    The pain's inside and nobody 

Frees you from your body
B
  It's the soul, it's the soul 
                 Gb
That needs surgery 

(It's my soul that needs surgery)

Dbm
   Plastic smiles and denial 

Can only take you so far
Abm
    Then you break when the fake 

Façade leaves you in the dark
B
  You left with shattered mirrors 
                     Gb
And the shards of a beautiful past

B         Dbm   Abm
  Pretty hurts,    we shine the 
             Gb
Light on whatever's worse
B               Dbm             Abm
  Perfection is a disease of a nation
                Gb
Pretty hurts, pretty hurts

B         Dbm   Abm
  Pretty hurts,    we shine the 
             Gb
Light on whatever's worse
B                                  Dbm
  Trying to fix something but you can't fix 
          Abm
What you can't see
                    
It's the soul that needs the surgery

              B               Dbm
When you're alone all by yourself
                 Abm         Gb
And you're lying in your bed
             B                Dbm
Reflection stares right into you
                    Abm     Gb
Are you happy with yourself
               B             Dbm
You stripped away the masquerade
                  Abm      Gb
The illusion has been shed
               B             Dbm
Are you happy with yourself
            Abm         Gb
Are you happy with yourself

Yes

End of song Play again?

Beyonce - Pretty Hurts Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Beyonce – Pretty Hurts: key and chord analysis

The song opens on B and ends on Gb. Its chords belong to both B major and G#m, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

B major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

G# minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = E (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = F# (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the B major side because it opens on B. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from G# minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to B or to G#m; 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 B major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	B	Tonic — home	B · D# · F#	27×
ii	Dbm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Db · Fb · Ab	27×
iii	D#m	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	D# · F# · A#	—
V/vi	D#	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Abmsecondary dominant	D# · G · A#	—
IV	E	Subdominant — moves away from home	E · G# · B	—
V	Gb	Dominant — strongest pull home	Gb · Bb · Db	26×
vi	Abm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Ab · Cb · Eb	27×
vii°	A#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	A# · C# · E	—

Seen from G# minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Abm	Tonic — home	Ab · Cb · Eb	27×
ii°	A#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A# · C# · E	—
III	B	Relative major — the bright side	B · D# · F#	27×
iv	Dbm	Subdominant — moves away from home	Db · Fb · Ab	27×
v	D#m	Minor dominant — soft pull	D# · F# · A#	—
V	D#	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	D# · G · A#	—
VI	E	Submediant — warm colour	E · G# · B	—
VII	Gb	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Gb · Bb · Db	26×

Analysis

The key pair is B major and its relative G# minor (5 sharps). 4 different chords appear 107 times in total; 4 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Everything stays inside one scale, which is why the song is easy to follow by ear.

Chord movement

Dbm Abm Bii → vi G#miv → iminor plagal ×27
Gb B BV → Iauthentic cadence G#mVII → III ×23

The move to watch is Dbm → Abm, heard 27 times. From the B side it reads ii → vi; from the G#m side it is iv → i (minor plagal: deep and melancholic). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

B major pentatonic and G# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (B – C# – D# – F# – G#): start from B for a brighter phrase, from G# for a bluesier one.
Over B, land on B, D#, F# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Dbm, land on Db, Fb, Ab — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Abm, land on Ab, Cb, Eb — 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 B major shapes

Capo 2 + A shapes
Capo 4 + G shapes
Capo 7 + E shapes

With G# minor shapes

Capo 4 + Em shapes
Capo 6 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

1 semitone up
4 semitones down · capo 4 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The first chord is B; the ear learns where home is within a second. The chords that keep coming back are B, Dbm, Abm, Gb; read them as I–ii–vi–V in B or III–iv–i–VII in G#m. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Dbm → Abm (ii → vi in B, iv → i in G#m): minor plagal — deep and melancholic. It closes on Gb, letting the B 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.