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 - Part Time Lover - Chord
Key Db major – Bb minor Chords Fm7, Ab, Bbm, Ebm7, Gbmaj7, Abm, Db9, Gb … Easy key G (capo 6)
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Key: Db | A#m | Bbm
Capo: 0
Bbm Ab Gbmaj7 Fm7 Ebm7 Fm7 Ab Bbm
Bbm
Call up, ring once, hang up the phone
Ab Gbmaj7
To let me know you made it home
Fm7 Ebm7 Fm7 Ab Bbm
Don't want nothing to be wrong with my part-time lover
Fm7 Bbm
If she's with me I'll blink the lights
Ab Gbmaj7
To let you know tonight's the night
Fm7 Ebm7 Fm7 Ab Bbm
For me and you, my part-time lover
Abm Db9 Gb Db
We are undercover passion on the run
D#m7 Fm7 Gbmaj7 G# Bbm7
Chasing love up against the suuuuuuuuuuuuuuun
G#m C#9 F# C#
We are strangers by day, lovers by night
Ebm7 Fsus4
Knowing it's so wrong, but feeling so right
Fm7 Bbm
If I'm with friends and we should meet
Ab Gbmaj7
Just pass me by, don't even speak
Fm7 Ebm7 Fm7 Ab Bbm
Know the word's "discreet" when part-time lovers
But if there's some emergency
Ab Gbmaj7
Have a male friend to ask for me
Fm7 Ebm7 Fm7 Ab Bbm
So then she won't peek its really you, my part-time lover
Abm Db9 Gb Db
We are undercover passion on the run
Ebm7 Fm7 Gbmaj7 G# Bbm7
Chasing love up against the sun
Abm Db9 Gb Db
We are strangers by day, lovers by night
Ebm7 Fsus4
Knowing it's so wrong, but feeling so right
Bbm Ab Gbmaj7 Fm7 Ebm7 Fm7 Ab Bbm
Abm Db9 Gb Db
We are undercover passion on the run
Ebm7 Fm7 F#maj7 G# Bbm7
Chasing love up against the sun
Abm Db9 Gb Db
We are strangers by day, lovers by night
Ebm7 Fsus4
Knowing it's so wrong, but feeling so right
Fm7 Bbm
I've got something that I must tell
Ab Gbmaj7
Last night someone rang our doorbell
Fm7 Ebm7 Fm7 Ab Bbm
And it was not you, my part-time lover
Fm7 Bbm
And then a man called our exchange
Ab Gbmaj7
But didn't want to leave his name
Fm7 Ebm7
I guess that two can play the game
Fm7 Ab Bbm
Of part-time lovers
Ebm7 Fm7 Ab Bbm
You and me, part-time lovers
Fm7 Ebm7 Fm7 Ab Bbm
But, she and he, part-time lovers
Bbm Ab Gbmaj7 Fm7 Ebm7 Fm7 Ab Bbm
End of song Play again?
Stevie Wonder - Part Time Lover Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Stevie Wonder – Part Time Lover: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Bbm and ends on Bbm. 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)
- #7 = A (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 Bb minor side because it both starts and finishes on Bbm, Bbm is heard 22 times against 12 for Db and the major V chord points straight at Bbm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Db 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 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 | Db | Tonic — home | Db · F · Ab | 5× |
| I | C# | Tonic — home | C# · E# · G# | 1× |
| V7/IV | Db9 | Secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Gbsecondary dominant | Db · F · Ab · Cb · Eb | 5× |
| V7/IV | C#9 | Secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Gbsecondary dominant | C# · E# · G# · B · D# | 1× |
| ii7 | Ebm7 | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | Eb · Gb · Bb · Db | 16× |
| ii7 | D#m7 | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | D# · F# · A# · C# | 1× |
| iii7 | Fm7 | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | F · Ab · C · Eb | 28× |
| IIIsus4 | Fsus4 | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | F · Bb · C | 3× |
| V/vi | F | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant | F · A · C | — |
| IVmaj7 | Gbmaj7 | Subdominant — moves away from home | Gb · Bb · Db · F | 11× |
| IV | Gb | Subdominant — moves away from home | Gb · Bb · Db | 5× |
| IV | F# | Subdominant — moves away from home | F# · A# · C# | 1× |
| IVmaj7 | F#maj7 | Subdominant — moves away from home | F# · A# · C# · E# | 1× |
| V | Ab | Dominant — strongest pull home | Ab · C · Eb | 20× |
| V | G# | Dominant — strongest pull home | G# · B# · D# | 3× |
| v | Abm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Ab · Cb · Eb | 5× |
| v | G#m | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | G# · B · D# | 1× |
| vi | Bbm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | Bb · Db · F | 19× |
| vi7 | Bbm7 | Relative minor — the melancholy side | Bb · Db · F · Ab | 3× |
| vii° | Cdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | C · Eb · Gb | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Bbm | Tonic — home | Bb · Db · F | 19× |
| i7 | Bbm7 | Tonic — home | Bb · Db · F · Ab | 3× |
| ii° | Cdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | C · Eb · Gb | — |
| III | Db | Relative major — the bright side | Db · F · Ab | 5× |
| III | C# | Relative major — the bright side | C# · E# · G# | 1× |
| V7/VI | Db9 | Secondary dominant V/VI — leads to Gbsecondary dominant | Db · F · Ab · Cb · Eb | 5× |
| V7/VI | C#9 | Secondary dominant V/VI — leads to Gbsecondary dominant | C# · E# · G# · B · D# | 1× |
| iv7 | Ebm7 | Subdominant — moves away from home | Eb · Gb · Bb · Db | 16× |
| iv7 | D#m7 | Subdominant — moves away from home | D# · F# · A# · C# | 1× |
| v7 | Fm7 | Minor dominant — soft pull | F · Ab · C · Eb | 28× |
| Vsus4 | Fsus4 | Minor dominant — soft pull | F · Bb · C | 3× |
| V | F | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | F · A · C | — |
| VImaj7 | Gbmaj7 | Submediant — warm colour | Gb · Bb · Db · F | 11× |
| VI | Gb | Submediant — warm colour | Gb · Bb · Db | 5× |
| VI | F# | Submediant — warm colour | F# · A# · C# | 1× |
| VImaj7 | F#maj7 | Submediant — warm colour | F# · A# · C# · E# | 1× |
| VII | Ab | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | Ab · C · Eb | 20× |
| VII | G# | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | G# · B# · D# | 3× |
| vii | Abm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Ab · Cb · Eb | 5× |
| vii | G#m | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | G# · B · D# | 1× |
Analysis
The key pair is Db major and its relative Bb minor (5 flats). 18 different chords appear 129 times in total; 14 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Bbm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull. Db9, C#9 act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.
Chord movement
- Ab Bbm DbV → videceptive cadence BbmVII → iAeolian arrival ×11
- Gb Db DbIV → Iplagal cadence BbmVI → III ×5
- Db9 Gb DbV7/IV → IVsecondary resolution BbmV7/VI → VI ×5
- Fm7 Bbm Dbiii7 → vi Bbmv7 → inatural-minor cadence ×4
- G# Bbm7 DbV → vi7deceptive cadence BbmVII → i7Aeolian arrival ×3
- Ebm7 Fsus4 Dbii7 → IIIsus4 Bbmiv7 → Vsus4iv → V ×3
The move to watch is Ab → Bbm, heard 11 times. From the Bbm side it is VII → i (Aeolian arrival: rises a whole tone into home); from the Db side it reads V → vi (deceptive cadence: expected Db, lands on Bbm). 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 Fm7, land on F, Ab, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Ab, land on Ab, C, Eb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Bbm, land on Bb, Db, F — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When Fsus4 comes, swap the scale's Ab for A: 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 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 Bbm, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The chords that keep coming back are Fm7, Ab, Bbm, Ebm7; read them as iii7–V–vi–ii7 in Db or v7–VII–i–iv7 in Bbm. Db9 is the interesting twist: in Db it is a chromatic chord (V7/IV), while in Bbm it becomes the dominant (V7/VI) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Ab → Bbm (V → vi in Db, VII → i in Bbm): Aeolian arrival — rises a whole tone into home. Ending on Bbm, the song seals Bbm 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 - Part Time Lover 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.
- Fm7 chord shapes
- Ab chord shapes
- Bbm chord shapes
- Ebm7 chord shapes
- Gbmaj7 chord shapes
- Abm chord shapes
- Db9 chord shapes
- Gb chord shapes
- Db chord shapes
- G# chord shapes
- Bbm7 chord shapes
- Fsus4 chord shapes
- D#m7 chord shapes
- G#m chord shapes
- C#9 chord shapes
- F# chord shapes
- C# chord shapes
- F#maj7 chord shapes
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