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)
Drake - Hotline Bling - Chord
Key F major – D minor Chords Am7, Bbmaj7, Bb, Dm, C Easy key C (capo 5)
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Key: F | Dm
Capo: 0
Bbmaj7
You used to call me on my cell phone
Am7
Late night when you need my love
Bbmaj7
Call me on my cell phone
Am7
Late night when you need my love
Bbmaj7
And I know when that hotline bling
Am7
That can only mean one thing
Bbmaj7
I know when that hotline bling
Am7
That can only mean one thing
Bbmaj7
Ever since I left the city you
Am7
Got a reputation for yourself now
Bbmaj7
Everybody knows and I feel left out
Girl you got me down
Am7
You got me stressed out
Cause ever since
Bbmaj7
I left the city, you
Am7
Started wearing less and goin' out more
Glasses of champagne out
Bbmaj7
On the dance floor
Hangin' with some girls
Am7
I've never seen before
Bbmaj7
You used to call me on my cell phone
Am7
Late night when you need my love
Bbmaj7
Call me on my cell phone
Am7
Late night when you need my love
Bbmaj7
And I know when that hotline bling
Am7
That can only mean one thing
Bbmaj7
I know when that hotline bling
Am7
That can only mean one thing
Ever since I left the city
Bbmaj7
You, you, you
Am7
You and me, we just don't get along
Bbmaj7
You make me feel like I did you wrong
Am7
Going places where you don't belong
Bbmaj7
Ever since I left the city, you
Am7
You got exactly what you asked for
Bbmaj7
Running out of pages in your passport
Hangin' with some girls
Am7
I've never seen before
Bbmaj7
You used to call me on my cell phone
Am7
Late night when you need my love
Bbmaj7
Call me on my cell phone
Am7
Late night when you need my love
Bbmaj7
And I know when that hotline bling
Am7
That can only mean one thing
Bbmaj7
I know when that hotline bling
Am7
That can only mean one thing
Am7
These days, all I do is
Bb
Wonder if you're bendin' over backwards
For someone else
Dm
Wonder if you're rolling up a backwoods
For someone else
C
Doing things I taught you, gettin'
Nasty for someone else
You don't need no one else
You don't need nobody else
Bb
No, why you never alone
Dm
Why you always touching road
Used to always stay at home
Be a good girl
C
You was in the zone, yeah
You should just be yourself
Right now, you're someone else
Bbmaj7
You used to call me on my cell phone
Am7
Late night when you need my love
Bbmaj7
Call me on my cell phone
Am7
Late night when you need my love
Bbmaj7
And I know when that hotline bling
Am7
That can only mean one thing
Bbmaj7
I know when that hotline bling
Am7
That can only mean one thing
Ever since I left the city
End of song Play again?
Drake - Hotline Bling Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Drake – Hotline Bling: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Bbmaj7 and ends on Am7. 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)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the D minor side because Dm is heard 2 times while F never appears. 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 | — |
| ii | Gm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G · Bb · D | — |
| iii7 | Am7 | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | A · C · E · G | 25× |
| V/vi | A | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dmsecondary dominant | A · C# · E | — |
| IVmaj7 | Bbmaj7 | Subdominant — moves away from home | Bb · D · F · A | 24× |
| IV | Bb | Subdominant — moves away from home | Bb · D · F | 2× |
| V | C | Dominant — strongest pull home | C · E · G | 2× |
| vi | Dm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | D · F · A | 2× |
| vii° | Edim | Leading-tone chord — tension | E · G · Bb | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Dm | Tonic — home | D · F · A | 2× |
| ii° | Edim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | E · G · Bb | — |
| III | F | Relative major — the bright side | F · A · C | — |
| iv | Gm | Subdominant — moves away from home | G · Bb · D | — |
| v7 | Am7 | Minor dominant — soft pull | A · C · E · G | 25× |
| V | A | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | A · C# · E | — |
| VImaj7 | Bbmaj7 | Submediant — warm colour | Bb · D · F · A | 24× |
| VI | Bb | Submediant — warm colour | Bb · D · F | 2× |
| VII | C | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | C · E · G | 2× |
Analysis
The key pair is F major and its relative D minor (1 flat). 5 different chords appear 55 times in total; 5 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
- Bb Dm FIV → vi DmVI → iVI → i ×2
The move to watch is Bb → Dm, heard 2 times. From the Dm side it is VI → i (VI → i: falls a half step into home); from the F side it reads IV → 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 Am7, land on A, C, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Bbmaj7, land on Bb, D, F — 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.
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
- 2 semitones up
The song's harmonic story
The opening Bbmaj7 lays a solid floor for everything that follows. Am7, Bbmaj7, Bb, Dm carry the song: iii7–IVmaj7–IV–vi relative to F, v7–VImaj7–VI–i relative to Dm. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Bb → Dm (IV → vi in F, VI → i in Dm): VI → i — falls a half step into home. Ending on Am7, the song seals F 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.
Drake - Hotline Bling 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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