Katy Perry - Never Really Over - Chord

Key Ab major – F minor Chords Eb, Db, Ab, Fm, Cm Easy key G (capo 1)

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Capo 0

Ab              Eb      Db    Eb
  I'm losing my self control
Ab                         Eb           Db  Eb
  Yeah, you're starting to trickle back in
Ab                    Eb          Db          Eb
  But I don't wanna fall down the rabbit hole
Ab                        Eb     Db    Eb
  Cross my heart, I won't do it again

  Fm                                      Eb       Db
I tell myself, tell myself, tell myself, "draw the line"
            Eb
And I do, I do
    Fm                                Eb        Db
But once in a while, I trip up, and I cross the line
             Eb
And think of you

Ab                     Eb
  Two years and just like that
Db                     Eb
  My head still takes me back
Fm                     Cm
  Thought it was done but I
Db                 Eb
  Guess it's never really over
Ab                  Eb
  Oh, we were such a mess
Db                Eb
  But wasn't it the best?
Fm                     Cm
  Thought it was done but I

Guess it's never really over

     Ab                                         Eb
Just because it's over doesn't mean it's really over
     Db                                        Eb      Fm
And if I think it over, maybe you'll be coming over again
                              Cm          Db    Eb
And I'll have to get over you all over again
     Ab                                         Eb
Just because it's over doesn't mean it's really over
     Db                                        Eb      Fm
And if I think it over, maybe you'll be coming over again
                              Cm          Db  Eb
And I'll have to get over you all over again

Ab                Eb       Db      Eb
  I guess I could try hypnotherapy
Ab          Eb        Db     Eb
  I gotta rewire this brain
Ab                   Eb        Db       Eb
 'Cause I can't even go on the internet
Ab             Eb            Db    Eb
  Without even checking your name

  Fm                                      Eb       Db
I tell myself, tell myself, tell myself, "draw the line"
            Eb
And I do, I do
    Fm                                Eb        Db
But once in a while, I trip up, and I cross the line
             Eb
And think of you

Ab                     Eb
  Two years and just like that
Db                     Eb
  My head still takes me back
Fm                     Cm
  Thought it was done but I
Db                 Eb
  Guess it's never really over
Ab                  Eb
  Oh, we were such a mess
Db                Eb
  But wasn't it the best?
Fm                     Cm
  Thought it was done but I

Guess it's never really over

     Ab                                         Eb
Just because it's over doesn't mean it's really over
     Db                                        Eb      Fm
And if I think it over, maybe you'll be coming over again
                              Cm          Db  Eb
And I'll have to get over you all over again
     Ab                                         Eb
Just because it's over doesn't mean it's really over
     Db                                        Eb      Fm
And if I think it over, maybe you'll be coming over again
                              Cm          Db  Eb
And I'll have to get over you all over again

Ab                     Eb
  Thought we kissed goodbye
Db                    Eb
  Thought we meant this time
Fm                 Cm    Db                    Eb
  Was the last, but I guess it's never really over
Ab                  Eb
  Thought we drew the line
Db                    Eb
  Right through you and I
Fm                      Cm    Db                    Eb
  Can't keep going back, I guess it's never really over

Ab  Eb  Db  Eb  Fm  Cm  Db  Eb   
 
Ab                     Eb
  Two years and just like that
Db                     Eb
  My head still takes me back
Fm                     Cm
  Thought it was done but I

Guess it's never really over

     Ab                                          Eb
Just because it's over doesn't mean it's really over
     Db                                         Eb      Fm
And if I think it over, maybe you'll be coming over again
                              Cm          Db
And I'll have to get over you all over again
                                   Eb
(And I'll have to get over you all over again)
     Ab                                         Eb
Just because it's over doesn't mean it's really over
     Db                                        Eb      Fm
And if I think it over, maybe you'll be coming over again
                              Cm          Db
And I'll have to get over you all over again
                   Eb
(Over you all over again)

Ab                     Eb
  Thought we kissed goodbye
Db                    Eb
  Thought we meant this time
Fm                 Cm    Db                   Eb
  Was the last, but I guess it's never really over
Ab                  Eb
  Thought we drew the line
Db                    Eb
  Right through you and I
Fm                      Cm    Db                   Eb
  Can't keep going back, I guess it's never really over

Ab  Eb  Db  Eb  Fm  Cm  Db  Eb

End of song Play again?

Katy Perry - Never Really Over Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Katy Perry – Never Really Over: key and chord analysis

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

Major view

Ab major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

F minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Db (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = Eb (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the Ab major side because it opens on Ab and Ab is heard 25 times against 21 for Fm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from F minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to Ab or to Fm; 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 Ab major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Ab	Tonic — home	Ab · C · Eb	25×
ii	Bbm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Bb · Db · F	—
iii	Cm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	C · Eb · G	17×
V/vi	C	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Fmsecondary dominant	C · E · G	—
IV	Db	Subdominant — moves away from home	Db · F · Ab	43×
V	Eb	Dominant — strongest pull home	Eb · G · Bb	72×
vi	Fm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	F · Ab · C	21×
vii°	Gdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	G · Bb · Db	—

Seen from F minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Fm	Tonic — home	F · Ab · C	21×
ii°	Gdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G · Bb · Db	—
III	Ab	Relative major — the bright side	Ab · C · Eb	25×
iv	Bbm	Subdominant — moves away from home	Bb · Db · F	—
v	Cm	Minor dominant — soft pull	C · Eb · G	17×
V	C	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	C · E · G	—
VI	Db	Submediant — warm colour	Db · F · Ab	43×
VII	Eb	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Eb · G · Bb	72×

Analysis

The key pair is Ab major and its relative F minor (4 flats). 5 different chords appear 178 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

Db Eb AbIV → VIV → V FmVI → VIIVI → VII ×43
Eb Ab AbV → Iauthentic cadence FmVII → III ×21
Eb Fm AbV → videceptive cadence FmVII → iAeolian arrival ×21

The move to watch is Db → Eb, heard 43 times. From the Ab side it reads IV → V (IV → V: the lift that builds tension before home); from the Fm side it is VI → VII (VI → VII: the rising step that heads for the tonic). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

Ab major pentatonic and F minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Ab – Bb – C – Eb – F): start from Ab for a brighter phrase, from F for a bluesier one.
Over Eb, land on Eb, G, Bb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Db, land on Db, F, Ab — 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.

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 Ab major shapes

Capo 1 + G shapes
Capo 4 + E shapes
Capo 6 + D shapes

With F minor shapes

Capo 1 + Em shapes
Capo 3 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

1 semitone down · capo 1 keeps the original pitch
4 semitones up

The song's harmonic story

The first chord is Ab; the ear learns where home is within a second. Eb, Db, Ab, Fm carry the song: V–IV–I–vi relative to Ab, VII–VI–III–i relative to Fm. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Db → Eb (IV → V in Ab, VI → VII in Fm): IV → V — the lift that builds tension before home. The final chord is Eb; the ear comes to rest in Ab.

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.