Major view
Eb major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = D (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Ab (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Bon Jovi - You Give Love A Bad Name - Chord
Key Eb major – C minor Chords Cm, A#, G#, D#, F, G Easy key G
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Key: Eb | Cm
Capo: 0
Intro
e|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
b|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
g|10b12-10v-8-10b12r10-8----------|10b12-10v-8-10b12r10p8----------|
d|-----------------------10v-8-10-|-----------------------10v------|
a|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
e|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
e|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
b|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
g|10b12-10v-8-10b12r10-8----------|10b12-10v-----------------------|
d|-----------------------10v-8-10-|--------------------------------|
a|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
e|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
Riff
e|----------------|---------------|----------------|-----------------|
b|----------------|---------------|----------------|8\/8\/8\/8\------|
g|----------------|---------------|----------------|8\/8\/8\/8\------|
d|--------1-1-----|--------1-1----|--------1-1-----|8\/8\/8\/8\------|
a|3---1-3-----3-1-|3---1-3-----3v-|3---1-3-----3-1-|-----------------|
e|--3-------------|--3------------|--3-------------|-----------------|
Shot through the heart, and you're to blame, darlin' you give love a bad name
Cm G# A# Cm G# A# D# Cm Cm G# A# Cm G# A#
Cm Cm
An angel's smile is what you sell, you promise me heaven, then put me through hell
Cm Cm
Chains of love got a hold on me, when passion's a prison, you can't break free
F Cm A#
Oh you're a loaded gun yeah, oh there's nowhere to run
F G
No one can save me, the damage is done
Cm G# A# Cm G# A# D# Cm
Shot through the heart, and you're to blame, you give love a bad name (bad name)
Cm G# A# Cm
I play my part and you play your game
G# A# D# Cm G# A# Cm
You give love a bad name (bad name), you give love a bad name
Cm Cm
Paint your smile on your lips, blood red nails on your fingertips
Cm Cm
A school boy's dream, you act so shy, your very first kiss was your first kiss goodbye
F Cm A#
Oh you're a loaded gun yeah, oh there's nowhere to run
F G
No one can save me, the damage is done
Cm G# A# Cm G# A# D# Cm
Shot through the heart, and you're to blame, you give love a bad name (bad name)
Cm G# A# Cm
I play my part and you play your game
G# A# D# Cm G# A# Cm
You give love a bad name (bad name), you give love a bad name
Cm G# A# Cm G# A# D# Cm
Shot through the heart, and you're to blame, you give love a bad name (bad name)
Cm G# A# Cm
I play my part and you play your game
G# A# D# Cm
You give love a bad name (bad name)
End of song Play again?
Bon Jovi - You Give Love A Bad Name Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Bon Jovi – You Give Love A Bad Name: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Cm and ends on Cm. Its chords belong to both Eb major and Cm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
C minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Ab (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = Bb (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = B (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 C minor side because it both starts and finishes on Cm, Cm is heard 35 times against 7 for Eb and the major V chord points straight at Cm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Eb 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 Eb or to Cm; 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 | D# | Tonic — home | D# · G · A# | 7× |
| ii | Fm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | F · Ab · C | — |
| V/V | F | Secondary dominant V/V — leads to A#secondary dominant | F · A · C | 4× |
| iii | Gm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | G · Bb · D | — |
| V/vi | G | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Cmsecondary dominant | G · B · D | 2× |
| IV | G# | Subdominant — moves away from home | G# · B# · D# | 18× |
| V | A# | Dominant — strongest pull home | A# · D · E# | 20× |
| vi | Cm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | C · Eb · G | 35× |
| vii° | Ddim | Leading-tone chord — tension | D · F · Ab | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Cm | Tonic — home | C · Eb · G | 35× |
| ii° | Ddim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | D · F · Ab | — |
| III | D# | Relative major — the bright side | D# · G · A# | 7× |
| iv | Fm | Subdominant — moves away from home | F · Ab · C | — |
| IV | F | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | F · A · C | 4× |
| v | Gm | Minor dominant — soft pull | G · Bb · D | — |
| V | G | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | G · B · D | 2× |
| VI | G# | Submediant — warm colour | G# · B# · D# | 18× |
| VII | A# | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | A# · D · E# | 20× |
Analysis
The key pair is Eb major and its relative C minor (3 flats). 6 different chords appear 86 times in total; 4 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Cm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from Eb, the same G is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Cm. F acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.
Chord movement
- G# A# EbIV → VIV → V CmVI → VIIVI → VII ×18
- A# Cm EbV → videceptive cadence CmVII → iAeolian arrival ×11
- A# D# EbV → Iauthentic cadence CmVII → III ×7
- G Cm EbV/vi → vi CmV → iharmonic-minor cadence ×2
The move to watch is G# → A#, heard 18 times. From the Cm side it is VI → VII (VI → VII: the rising step that heads for the tonic); from the Eb side it reads IV → V (IV → V: the lift that builds tension before home). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- Eb major pentatonic and C minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Eb – F – G – Bb – C): start from Eb for a brighter phrase, from C for a bluesier one.
- Over Cm, land on C, Eb, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over A#, land on A#, D, E# — 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.
- When G comes, swap the scale's Bb for B: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
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 Eb major shapes
- Capo 1 + D shapes
- Capo 3 + C shapes
- Capo 6 + A shapes
With C minor shapes
- Capo 3 + Am shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 4 semitones up
- 3 semitones down · capo 3 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The opening Cm lays a solid floor for everything that follows. Cm, A#, G#, D# carry the song: vi–V–IV–I relative to Eb, i–VII–VI–III relative to Cm. G is the interesting twist: in Eb it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Cm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on G# → A# (IV → V in Eb, VI → VII in Cm): VI → VII — the rising step that heads for the tonic. It closes on Cm, letting the Cm 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.
Bon Jovi - You Give Love A Bad Name 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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