Stevie Wonder - Happy Birthday - Chord

Key C major – A minor Chords C, F, G, Db, Bb, Am, F#, C# … Easy key D

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Capo 0

C  Bb  Am  G  F 

             C
You know it doesn't make much sense
               Bb
There ought to be a law against
   Am
Anyone who takes offense
   G         F
At a day in your celebration
         C
Cause we all know in our minds
           Bb
That there ought to be a time
     Am
That we can set aside
     G            F       
To show just how much we love you
         F
And I'm sure you would agree
             G
It couldn't fit more perfectly
         F                         G
Than to have a world party on the day you came to be

       C
Happy birthday to you
       C
Happy birthday to you
       F    C
Happy birthday
       C
Happy birthday to you
       C
Happy birthday to you
       F    C
Happy birthday

        C
I just never understood
       Bb
How a man who died for good
           Am
Could not have a day that would
    G                 F
Be set aside for his recognition
        C
Because it should never be
        Bb
Just because some cannot see
      Am
The dream as clear as he
       G                    F
that they should make it become an illusion
       F
And we all know everything
          G
That he stood for time will bring
        F
For in peace our hearts will sing
           G
Thanks to Martin Luther King

       C
Happy birthday to you
       C
Happy birthday to you
       F    C
Happy birthday
       C
Happy birthday to you
       C
Happy birthday to you
       F    C
Happy birthday

Bridge:
Dm                          Am
Why has there never been a holiday
Dm
Where peace is celebrated
Ab         Bb       C
all throughout the world

     C
The time is overdue
        Bb
For people like me and you
      Am
Who know the way to truth
    G                F
Is love and unity to all God's children
                 C
It should never be a great event
          Bb
And the whole day should be spent
    Am
In full remembrance
     G                              F
Of those who lived and died for the oneness of all people
    F
So let us all begin
     G
We know that love can win
       F
Let it out don't hold it in
         G           Ab
Sing it loud as you can

       Db
Happy birthday to you
       Db
Happy birthday to you
       F#  C#
Happy birthday
       Db
Happy birthday to you
       Db
Happy birthday to you
       F#  C#
Happy birthday
       Db
Happy birthday to you
       Db
Happy birthday to you
       F#  C#
Happy birthday
       Db
Happy birthday to you
       Db
Happy birthday to you
       F# C#
Happy birthday

Db         B
Happy     birthday
           Bbm
Happy     birthday
       Ab
Happy birthday

End of song Play again?

Stevie Wonder - Happy Birthday Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Stevie Wonder – Happy Birthday: key and chord analysis

The song opens on C and ends on Ab. Its chords belong to both C major and Am, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

C major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

A minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

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

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the C major side because it opens on C and C is heard 20 times against 8 for Am. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from A minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to C or to Am; 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 C major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	C	Tonic — home	C · E · G	20×
bII	Db	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	Db · F · Ab	9×
bII	C#	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	C# · E# · G#	4×
ii	Dm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · A	2×
iii	Em	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	E · G · B	—
V/vi	E	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	—
IV	F	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · A · C	17×
#IV	F#	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F# · A# · C#	4×
V	G	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	13×
bVI	Ab	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	Ab · C · Eb	3×
vi	Am	Relative minor — the melancholy side	A · C · E	8×
bVII	Bb	bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord	Bb · D · F	8×
bvii	Bbm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Bb · Db · F	1×
vii°	Bdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	B · D · F	—
VII	B	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D# · F#	1×

Seen from A minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Am	Tonic — home	A · C · E	8×
bII	Bb	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	Bb · D · F	8×
bii	Bbm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Bb · Db · F	1×
ii°	Bdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F	—
II	B	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D# · F#	1×
III	C	Relative major — the bright side	C · E · G	20×
#III	Db	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Db · F · Ab	9×
#III	C#	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C# · E# · G#	4×
iv	Dm	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F · A	2×
v	Em	Minor dominant — soft pull	E · G · B	—
V	E	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	E · G# · B	—
VI	F	Submediant — warm colour	F · A · C	17×
#VI	F#	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F# · A# · C#	4×
VII	G	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D	13×
#VII	Ab	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · C · Eb	3×

Analysis

The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 12 different chords appear 90 times in total; 5 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Db, Bb, C#, Ab are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

F C CIV → Iplagal cadence AmVI → III ×8
F G CIV → VIV → V AmVI → VIIVI → VII ×6
G C CV → Iauthentic cadence AmVII → III ×2
Dm Am Cii → vi Amiv → iminor plagal ×1
Bb C CbVII → IbVII → I AmbII → III ×1

The move to watch is F → C, heard 8 times. From the C side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the Am side it is VI → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

C major pentatonic and A minor pentatonic are the same five notes (C – D – E – G – A): start from C for a brighter phrase, from A for a bluesier one.
Over C, land on C, E, G — 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.
Over G, land on G, B, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
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 C major shapes

No capo — open C shapes
Capo 3 + A shapes
Capo 5 + G shapes

With A minor shapes

No capo — open Am shapes
Capo 5 + Em shapes
Capo 7 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

2 semitones up
5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The opening C lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The backbone is C, F, G, Db — I–IV–V–bII from the C side, III–VI–VII–#III from the Am side. Db briefly darkens the picture: neapolitan bii — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonic. Keep an ear on F → C (IV → I in C, VI → III in Am): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. Ending on Ab, the song seals C as home.

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.