Billie Eilish - Lovely - Chord

Key G major – E minor Chords Cmaj7, Em, Bm Easy key C (capo 7)

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Capo 0

Cmaj7  Em  Bm

Cmaj7
Thought I found a way
Em                       Bm
Thought I found a way, out (out)
    Cmaj7
But you never go away (never go away)
     Em                  Bm
So I guess I gotta stay now

                Cmaj7            Em     Bm
Oh, I hope some day I'll make it out of here
           Cmaj7                Em      Bm
Even if it takes all night or a hundred years
                Cmaj7             Em       Bm
Need a place to hide, but I can't find one near
            Cmaj7               Em       Bm
Wanna feel alive, outside I can fight my fear

Cmaj7
Isn't it lovely, all alone
Em                      Bm
Heart made of glass, my mind of stone
Cmaj7
Tear me to pieces, skin to bone
Em      Bm           Cmaj7
 Hello, welcome home

Cmaj7
Walkin' out of time
Em                           Bm
Lookin' for a better place (lookin' for a better place)
Cmaj7
Something's on my mind
Em                      Bm
Always in my headspace

                Cmaj7                Em     Bm
But I know some day I'll make it out of here
           Cmaj7                Em      Bm
Even if it takes all night or a hundred years
                Cmaj7             Em       Bm
Need a place to hide, but I can't find one near
            Cmaj7               Em       Bm
Wanna feel alive, outside I can fight my fear

Cmaj7
Isn't it lovely, all alone
Em                      Bm
Heart made of glass, my mind of stone
Cmaj7
Tear me to pieces, skin to bone
Em      Bm           Cmaj7
 Hello, welcome home

Cmaj7     Em        Bm
     Woah-oah, yeah-yeah, ah
Cmaj7                Em
Yeahhhh, oh-oh-oh-oh-ohhh-ohhh
Bm
Woah, woah
 
Cmaj7  Em  Bm
 
Cmaj7  Em        Bm             Cmaj7
          Hello, welcome hooooooome

End of song Play again?

Billie Eilish - Lovely Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Billie Eilish – Lovely: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Cmaj7 and ends on Cmaj7. Its chords belong to both G major and Em, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

G major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = F# (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = C (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

E minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = C (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = D (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the E minor side because Em is heard 21 times while G never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from G 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 G or to Em; 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 G major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	G	Tonic — home	G · B · D	—
ii	Am	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · E	—
iii	Bm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	B · D · F#	21×
V/vi	B	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	—
IVmaj7	Cmaj7	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · E · G · B	24×
V	D	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	—
vi	Em	Relative minor — the melancholy side	E · G · B	21×
vii°	F#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	F# · A · C	—

Seen from E minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Em	Tonic — home	E · G · B	21×
ii°	F#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F# · A · C	—
III	G	Relative major — the bright side	G · B · D	—
iv	Am	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C · E	—
v	Bm	Minor dominant — soft pull	B · D · F#	21×
V	B	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	B · D# · F#	—
VImaj7	Cmaj7	Submediant — warm colour	C · E · G · B	24×
VII	D	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	—

Analysis

The key pair is G major and its relative E minor (1 sharp). 3 different chords appear 66 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

Cmaj7 Em GIVmaj7 → vi EmVImaj7 → iVI → i ×21

The move to watch is Cmaj7 → Em, heard 21 times. From the Em side it is VImaj7 → i (VI → i: falls a half step into home); from the G side it reads IVmaj7 → vi. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

G major pentatonic and E minor pentatonic are the same five notes (G – A – B – D – E): start from G for a brighter phrase, from E for a bluesier one.
Over Cmaj7, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Em, land on E, G, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Bm, land on B, D, F# — 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 G major shapes

No capo — open G shapes
Capo 3 + E shapes
Capo 5 + D shapes

With E minor shapes

No capo — open Em shapes
Capo 2 + Dm shapes
Capo 7 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

5 semitones up · capo 7 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The opening Cmaj7 lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The backbone is Cmaj7, Em, Bm — IVmaj7–vi–iii from the G side, VImaj7–i–v from the Em side. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Cmaj7 → Em (IVmaj7 → vi in G, VImaj7 → i in Em): VI → i — falls a half step into home. Ending on Cmaj7, the song seals G 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.