Katy Perry - Harleys In Hawaii - Chord

Key Db major – Bb minor Chords Bbm, Ebm, Fm Easy key C (capo 1)

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Capo 0

Bbm  Ebm  Fm  Bbm  Ebm  Fm

Bbm                  Ebm       Fm    Bbm
Boy, tell me can you take my breath away 
                Ebm          Fm
Cruising down a heart shaped highway
Bbm                      Ebm
Got you swerving lane to lane
      Fm        Bbm
Don’t hit the brakes
                   Ebm     Fm
‘Cause i’m feeling so safe 

             Bbm       Ebm
I’ll be your baby on a Sunday
Fm  Bbm                     Ebm  Fm
Ohh why don’t we get out of town 
             Bbm
Call me your baby
       Ebm
On the same wave
Fm  Bbm                      Ebm  Fm
Ohh no no there’s no slowing down 

Bbm        Ebm
You and I I
       Fm           Bbm
Riding Harleys in Hawaii-ai
Ebm        Fm               Bbm
I’m on the back i’m holding tight-ai
Ebm          Fm            Bbm    Ebm  Fm
 Want you to take me for a ride, ride
       Bbm  
When I hula hula, hula
Ebm             Fm             Bbm                  Ebm
 So good you’ll take me to the jeweler, jeweler, jeweler 
                 Fm             Bbm
There’s pink and purple in the sky
Ebm           Fm           Bbm  Ebm  Fm
 We’re riding Harleys in Hawaii 

Bbm                   Ebm          Fm    Bbm
Let me run my fingers through your salty hair
           Ebm       Fm
Go ahead explore the island
Bbm                        Ebm     Fm     Bbm
Vibes so real that you can feel it in the air
                    Ebm    Fm
I’m revving up your engine

             Bbm       Ebm
I’ll be your baby on a Sunday
Fm  Bbm                     Ebm  Fm
Ohh why don’t we get out of town 
             Bbm
Call me your baby
       Ebm
On the same wave
Fm  Bbm                      Ebm  Fm
Ohh no no there’s no slowing down 

Bbm        Ebm
You and I I
       Fm           Bbm
Riding Harleys in Hawaii-ai
Ebm        Fm               Bbm
I’m on the back i’m holding tight-ai
Ebm          Fm            Bbm    Ebm  Fm
 Want you to take me for a ride, ride
       Bbm  
When I hula hula, hula
Ebm             Fm             Bbm                  Ebm
 So good you’ll take me to the jeweler, jeweler, jeweler 
                 Fm             Bbm
There’s pink and purple in the sky
Ebm           Fm
 We’re riding Harleys in Hawaii 

Oooooooo
No, no
Oooooooo
(you and I)

Bbm        Ebm
You and I I
       Fm           Bbm
Riding Harleys in Hawaii-ai
Ebm        Fm               Bbm
I’m on the back i’m holding tight-ai
Ebm          Fm            Bbm    Ebm  Fm
 Want you to take me for a ride, ride
       Bbm  
When I hula hula, hula
Ebm             Fm             Bbm                  Ebm
 So good you’ll take me to the jeweler, jeweler, jeweler 
                 Fm             Bbm
There’s pink and purple in the sky
Ebm           Fm
 We’re riding Harleys in Hawaii 

I’ll be your baby on a Sunday 
Oh Oh
Call me your baby
Catch the same wave
Oh Oh
We’re riding Harleys in Hawaii

End of song Play again?

Katy Perry - Harleys In Hawaii Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Katy Perry – Harleys In Hawaii: key and chord analysis

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

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)

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 Bb minor side because it opens on Bbm and Bbm is heard 40 times while Db never appears. 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.

Seen from Db major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Db	Tonic — home	Db · F · Ab	—
ii	Ebm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Eb · Gb · Bb	40×
iii	Fm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	F · Ab · C	40×
V/vi	F	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant	F · A · C	—
IV	Gb	Subdominant — moves away from home	Gb · Bb · Db	—
V	Ab	Dominant — strongest pull home	Ab · C · Eb	—
vi	Bbm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Bb · Db · F	40×
vii°	Cdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	C · Eb · Gb	—

Seen from Bb minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Bbm	Tonic — home	Bb · Db · F	40×
ii°	Cdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	C · Eb · Gb	—
III	Db	Relative major — the bright side	Db · F · Ab	—
iv	Ebm	Subdominant — moves away from home	Eb · Gb · Bb	40×
v	Fm	Minor dominant — soft pull	F · Ab · C	40×
V	F	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	F · A · C	—
VI	Gb	Submediant — warm colour	Gb · Bb · Db	—
VII	Ab	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Ab · C · Eb	—

Analysis

The key pair is Db major and its relative Bb minor (5 flats). 3 different chords appear 120 times in total; 3 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

Fm Bbm Dbiii → vi Bbmv → inatural-minor cadence ×39

The move to watch is Fm → Bbm, heard 39 times. From the Bbm side it is v → i (natural-minor cadence: gentle, modal arrival); from the Db side it reads iii → vi. 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 Bbm, land on Bb, Db, F — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Ebm, land on Eb, Gb, Bb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Fm, land on F, Ab, C — 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 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

1 semitone down · capo 1 keeps the original pitch
6 semitones up · capo 6 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

Starting on Bbm, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. Bbm, Ebm, Fm carry the song: vi–ii–iii relative to Db, i–iv–v relative to Bbm. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Fm → Bbm (iii → vi in Db, v → i in Bbm): natural-minor cadence — gentle, modal arrival. It closes on Fm, letting the Db 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.