Major view
Db major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = C (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Gb (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Stevie Wonder - I Just Called To Say I Love You - Chord
Key Db major – Bb minor Chords D#m, G#, C#, F#, G, A, A#, A#m … Easy key G (capo 6)
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Key: Db | A#m | Bbm
Capo: 0
C# G# C# G#
No New Year`s day, to celebrate,
C# D#m
no chocolate covered candy hearts to give away.
D#m D#m D#m D#m
No first of spring, no song to sing,
D#m G# C#
in fact here`s just another ordinary day.
C# G# C# G#
No April rain, no flowers bloom,
C# D#m D#m
no wedding Saturday within the month of June.
Dm Dm Dm DmB
But what it is, is something true,
D#m G# C#
made up of these three words that I must say to you.
D#m G# C#
I just called to say I love you,
F# G# A#m
I just called to say how much I care.
D#m G# C#
I just called to say I love you,
F# G# C#
and I mean it from the bottom of my heart.
C# G# C# G#
No summer`s high, no warm July,
C# D#m D#m
no harvest moon to light one tender August night.
D#m D#m D#m D#m
No autumn breeze, no falling leaves,
D#m G# C#
not even time for birds to fly to southern skies.
C# G# C# G#
No Libra Sun, no Halloween,
C# D#m D#m
no giving thanks to all the Christmas joy you bring.
D#m D#m D#m D#m
But what it is, though old, so new.
D#m G# C#
to fill your heart like no three words could ever do.
D#m G# C#
I just called to say I love you,
F# G# A#m
I just called to say how much I care.
D#m G# A#m
I just called to say I love you,
F# G# C#
and I mean it from the bottom of my heart.
G A D
I just called, to say I love you.
G A Bm
I just called, to say how much I care.
G A Bm
I just called, to say I love you.
G A D
And I mean it from the bottom of my heart.
G# A# D#
I just called, to say I love you.
G# A# Cm
I just called, to say how much I care.
G# A# Cm
I just called, to say I love you.
G# A# D#
And I mean it from the bottom of my heart.
End of song Play again?
Stevie Wonder - I Just Called To Say I Love You Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Stevie Wonder – I Just Called To Say I Love You: key and chord analysis
The song opens on C# and ends on D#. Its chords belong to both Db major and Bbm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
Bb minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Gb (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = Ab (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the Db major side because it opens on Db and Db is heard 21 times against 3 for Bbm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from Bb minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to Db or to Bbm; 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 | C# | Tonic — home | C# · E# · G# | 21× |
| bII | D | Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord | D · F# · A | 2× |
| ii | D#m | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | D# · F# · A# | 27× |
| V/V | D# | Secondary dominant V/V — leads to G#secondary dominant | D# · G · A# | 2× |
| iii | Fm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | F · Ab · C | — |
| V/vi | F | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to A#msecondary dominant | F · A · C | — |
| IV | F# | Subdominant — moves away from home | F# · A# · C# | 4× |
| #IV | G | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | G · B · D | 4× |
| V | G# | Dominant — strongest pull home | G# · B# · D# | 24× |
| bVI | A | Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord | A · C# · E | 4× |
| vi | A#m | Relative minor — the melancholy side | A# · C# · E# | 3× |
| V/ii | A# | Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to D#msecondary dominant | A# · D · E# | 4× |
| bvii | Bm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | B · D · F# | 2× |
| vii° | Cdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | C · Eb · Gb | — |
| vii | Cm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C · Eb · G | 2× |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | A#m | Tonic — home | A# · C# · E# | 3× |
| V/iv | A# | Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to D#msecondary dominant | A# · D · E# | 4× |
| bii | Bm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | B · D · F# | 2× |
| ii° | Cdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | C · Eb · Gb | — |
| ii | Cm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C · Eb · G | 2× |
| III | C# | Relative major — the bright side | C# · E# · G# | 21× |
| #III | D | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | D · F# · A | 2× |
| iv | D#m | Subdominant — moves away from home | D# · F# · A# | 27× |
| IV | D# | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | D# · G · A# | 2× |
| v | Fm | Minor dominant — soft pull | F · Ab · C | — |
| V | F | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | F · A · C | — |
| VI | F# | Submediant — warm colour | F# · A# · C# | 4× |
| #VI | G | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | G · B · D | 4× |
| VII | G# | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | G# · B# · D# | 24× |
| #VII | A | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | A · C# · E | 4× |
Analysis
The key pair is Db major and its relative Bb minor (5 flats). 12 different chords appear 99 times in total; 5 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. A#, D# act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. A, D are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
Chord movement
- G# C# DbV → Iauthentic cadence BbmVII → III ×17
- D#m G# Dbii → Vii → V Bbmiv → VII ×8
- F# G# DbIV → VIV → V BbmVI → VIIVI → VII ×4
- G# A#m DbV → videceptive cadence BbmVII → iAeolian arrival ×3
The move to watch is G# → C#, heard 17 times. From the Db side it reads V → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home); from the Bbm side it is VII → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- Db major pentatonic and Bb minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Db – Eb – F – Ab – Bb): start from Db for a brighter phrase, from Bb for a bluesier one.
- Over D#m, land on D#, F#, A# — 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.
- Over C#, land on C#, E#, G# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- On A, follow the chord's notes (A · C# · E) 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 Db major shapes
- Capo 1 + C shapes
- Capo 4 + A shapes
- Capo 6 + G shapes
With Bb minor shapes
- Capo 1 + Am shapes
- Capo 6 + Em shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 6 semitones up · capo 6 keeps the original pitch
- 1 semitone down · capo 1 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
Starting on C#, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is D#m, G#, C#, F# — ii–V–I–IV from the Db side, iv–VII–III–VI from the Bbm side. A# adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/ii — leads to D#m. Keep an ear on G# → C# (V → I in Db, VII → III in Bbm): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. Ending on D#, the song seals Db 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.
Stevie Wonder - I Just Called To Say I Love You 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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