Stevie Wonder - Lately - Chord

Key Gb major – Eb minor Chords Db, Ebm7, Ab7, Bbm7, Fm7, Bb7, Db7, Ebm … Easy key C (capo 6)

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Capo 0

Db  Bbm7  Ebm7  Ab7

 Db              Bbm7
Lately I've had the strangest feeling
 Ebm7                 Ab7
With no vivid reason here to find
Ebm            Ebmmaj7             Ebm7  Ab7
Yet the thought of losing you's been hanging
     Db Db/Ab  Db
Round my mind
 Db                     Bbm7
Far more frequently you're wearing perfume
 Ebm7                    Ab7
With you say 'No special place to go'
 Ebm         Ebmmaj7            Ebm7     Ab7
But when I ask, will you be coming back soon
      Db    Db/Ab         Db7
You don't know,        never know
   Gb6
Well, I'm a man of many wishes
  Gbm6
I hope my premonition misses
 Fm7
But what I really feel
 Bb7         Bb7
My eyes won't let me hide

     Ebm7    Fm7   Gbm7      Ab7   Db  Bb7
Cuz they allllways start   to   cry
      Ebm7    Fm7   Gbm7  Ab7  Db
Cuz this time  could mean goodbye

 Db                    Bbm7
Lately I've been staring in the mirror
 Ebm7              Ab7
Very slowly picking me apart
 Ebm            Ebmmaj7        Ebm7    Ab7
Trying to tell myself I had no reason
       Db  Db/Ab Db
With your heart
 Db                        Bbm7
Just the other night while you were sleeping
Ebm7                       Ab7
I vaguely heard you whisper someone's name
 Ebm         Ebmmaj7                Ebm7    Ab7
But, when I ask you of the thoughts your keeping
      Db   Db/Ab            Db7
You just say        'Nothing's changed'
   Gb6
Well, I'm a man of many wishes
  Gbm6
I hope my premonition misses
 Fm7
But what I really feel
 Bb7         Bb7
My eyes won't let me hide

     Ebm7    Fm7   Gbm7      Ab7   Db Bb7
Cuz they allllways start   to   cry
      Ebm7    Fm7   Gbm7  Abm7  Amaj7  Bm7  Dbm7  Gb7
Cuz this time  could mean goodbye

 B6
Well, I'm a man of many wishes
  Bm6
I hope my premonition misses
 Bbm7
What I really feel
 Eb7         Eb7
My eyes won't let me hide

     Abm7    Bbm7    Bm7    Db7  Gb Eb7
Cuz they allllways  start to  cry
      Abm7   Bbm7   Bm7  Db7   Gb  Ebm7 Abm7  Db7  Eb6
Cuz this time could mean goodbye

End of song Play again?

Stevie Wonder - Lately Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Stevie Wonder – Lately: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Db and ends on Eb6. Its chords belong to both Gb major and Ebm, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

Gb major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

Eb minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Cb (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = Db (natural-minor colour)
#7 = D (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 Eb minor side because Ebm is heard 22 times against 5 for Gb and the major V chord points straight at Ebm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Gb 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 Gb or to Ebm; 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 Gb major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I6	Gb6	Tonic — home	Gb · Bb · Db · Eb	2×
I	Gb	Tonic — home	Gb · Bb · Db	2×
i7	Gbm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Gb · A · Db · Fb	4×
i6	Gbm6	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Gb · A · Db · Eb	2×
V7/IV	Gb7	Secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Bsecondary dominant	Gb · Bb · Db · Fb	1×
ii7	Abm7	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb	4×
V7/V	Ab7	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Dbsecondary dominant	Ab · C · Eb · Gb	12×
bIIImaj7	Amaj7	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	A · C# · E · G#	1×
iii7	Bbm7	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	Bb · Db · F · Ab	8×
V7/vi	Bb7	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Ebmsecondary dominant	Bb · D · F · Ab	6×
IV6	B6	Subdominant — moves away from home	B · D# · F# · G#	1×
iv7	Bm7	Minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	B · D · F# · A	3×
iv6	Bm6	Minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	B · D · F# · G#	1×
V	Db	Dominant — strongest pull home	Db · F · Ab	14×
V7	Db7	Dominant — strongest pull home	Db · F · Ab · Cb	5×
V	Db/Ab	Dominant — strongest pull home	Db · F · Ab	4×
v7	Dbm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Db · Fb · Ab · Cb	1×
vi7	Ebm7	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Eb · Gb · Bb · Db	14×
vi	Ebm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Eb · Gb · Bb	4×
vimaj7	Ebmmaj7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Eb · Gb · Bb · D	4×
V7/ii	Eb7	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Abmsecondary dominant	Eb · G · Bb · Db	3×
V/ii	Eb6	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Abmsecondary dominant	Eb · G · Bb · C	1×
vii°	Fdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	F · Ab · Cb	—
vii7	Fm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F · Ab · C · Eb	6×

Seen from Eb minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i7	Ebm7	Tonic — home	Eb · Gb · Bb · Db	14×
i	Ebm	Tonic — home	Eb · Gb · Bb	4×
imaj7	Ebmmaj7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Eb · Gb · Bb · D	4×
V7/iv	Eb7	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Abmsecondary dominant	Eb · G · Bb · Db	3×
V/iv	Eb6	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Abmsecondary dominant	Eb · G · Bb · C	1×
ii°	Fdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F · Ab · Cb	—
ii7	Fm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F · Ab · C · Eb	6×
III6	Gb6	Relative major — the bright side	Gb · Bb · Db · Eb	2×
III	Gb	Relative major — the bright side	Gb · Bb · Db	2×
iii7	Gbm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Gb · A · Db · Fb	4×
iii6	Gbm6	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Gb · A · Db · Eb	2×
V7/VI	Gb7	Secondary dominant V/VI — leads to Bsecondary dominant	Gb · Bb · Db · Fb	1×
iv7	Abm7	Subdominant — moves away from home	Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb	4×
IV7	Ab7	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	Ab · C · Eb · Gb	12×
#IVmaj7	Amaj7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C# · E · G#	1×
v7	Bbm7	Minor dominant — soft pull	Bb · Db · F · Ab	8×
V7	Bb7	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	Bb · D · F · Ab	6×
VI6	B6	Submediant — warm colour	B · D# · F# · G#	1×
vi7	Bm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D · F# · A	3×
vi6	Bm6	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D · F# · G#	1×
VII	Db	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Db · F · Ab	14×
VII7	Db7	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Db · F · Ab · Cb	5×
VII	Db/Ab	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Db · F · Ab	4×
vii7	Dbm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Db · Fb · Ab · Cb	1×

Analysis

The key pair is Gb major and its relative Eb minor (6 flats). 23 different chords appear 103 times in total; 10 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Ebm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from Gb, the same Bb7 is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Ebm. Ab7, Eb7, Gb7, Eb6 act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. Bm7, Amaj7, Bm6 are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

Ab7 Db GbV7/V → Vsecondary resolution EbmIV7 → VII ×8
Bbm7 Ebm7 Gbiii7 → vi7 Ebmv7 → i7natural-minor cadence ×5
Bb7 Ebm7 GbV7/vi → vi7secondary resolution EbmV7 → i7harmonic-minor cadence ×4
Db7 Gb6 GbV7 → I6authentic cadence EbmVII7 → III6 ×2
Db7 Gb GbV7 → Iauthentic cadence EbmVII7 → III ×2
Eb7 Abm7 GbV7/ii → ii7secondary resolution EbmV7/iv → iv7 ×2

The move to watch is Ab7 → Db, heard 8 times. From the Ebm side it is IV7 → VII; from the Gb side it reads V7/V → V (secondary resolution: Ab7 resolves a fourth up to Db). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

Gb major pentatonic and Eb minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Gb – Ab – Bb – Db – Eb): start from Gb for a brighter phrase, from Eb for a bluesier one.
Over Db, land on Db, F, Ab — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Ebm7, land on Eb, Gb, Bb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Ab7, land on Ab, C, Eb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When Bb7 comes, swap the scale's Db for D: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
On Bm7, follow the chord's notes (B · D · F# · A) 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 Gb major shapes

Capo 2 + E shapes
Capo 4 + D shapes
Capo 6 + C shapes

With Eb minor shapes

Capo 1 + Dm shapes
Capo 6 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

6 semitones up · capo 6 keeps the original pitch
1 semitone up

The song's harmonic story

The opening Db lays a solid floor for everything that follows. Db, Ebm7, Ab7, Bbm7 carry the song: V–vi7–V7/V–iii7 relative to Gb, VII–i7–IV7–v7 relative to Ebm. Bb7 is the interesting twist: in Gb it is a chromatic chord (V7/vi), while in Ebm it becomes the dominant (V7) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Ab7 → Db (V7/V → V in Gb, IV7 → VII in Ebm): secondary resolution — Ab7 resolves a fourth up to Db. It closes on Eb6, letting the Gb 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.

Stevie Wonder - Lately 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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