Major view
Bb major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = A (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Eb (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Billie Eilish - Bad Guy - Chord
Key Bb major – G minor Chords Gm, Cm, D Easy key C
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Key: Bb | Gm
Capo: 0
Gm Gm Cm D
Gm
White shirt now red, my bloody nose, sleepin', you're on your tippy toes
Cm D
Creepin' around like no one knows, think you're so criminal
Gm
Bruises on both my knees for you, don't say thank you or please, I do
Cm D
What I want when I'm wanting to, my soul so cynical
Gm
So you're a tough guy, like it really rough guy
Just can't get enough guy, chest always so puffed guy
Cm
I'm that bad type, make your mama sad type
D
Make your girlfriend mad tight, might seduce your dad type
I'm the bad guy, duh
Gm Cm D
I'm the bad guy
Gm
I like it when you take control, even if you know that you don't
Cm D
Own me, I'll let you play the role, I'll be your animal
Gm
My mommy likes to sing along with me, but she won't sing this song
Cm D
If she reads all the lyrics, she'll pity the men I know
Gm
So you're a tough guy, like it really rough guy
Just can't get enough guy, chest always so puffed guy
Cm
I'm that bad type, make your mama sad type
D
Make your girlfriend mad tight, might seduce your dad type
I'm the bad guy, duh
Gm Cm D
I'm the bad guy, duh
Gm Cm D
I'm only good at bein' bad, bad
Gm
I like when you get mad
Gm
I guess I'm pretty glad that you're alone
Gm
You said she's scared of me, I mean
I don't see what she sees but maybe it's 'cause I'm wearing your cologne
Gm
I'm a bad guy
Gm
I'm a bad guy
Gm
Bad guy, bad guy, I'm a bad
End of song Play again?
Billie Eilish - Bad Guy Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Billie Eilish – Bad Guy: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Gm and ends on Gm. Its chords belong to both Bb major and Gm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
G minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Eb (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = F (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = F# (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 G minor side because it both starts and finishes on Gm, Gm is heard 17 times while Bb never appears and the major V chord points straight at Gm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Bb 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 Bb or to Gm; 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 | Bb | Tonic — home | Bb · D · F | — |
| ii | Cm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | C · Eb · G | 10× |
| iii | Dm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | D · F · A | — |
| V/vi | D | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Gmsecondary dominant | D · F# · A | 10× |
| IV | Eb | Subdominant — moves away from home | Eb · G · Bb | — |
| V | F | Dominant — strongest pull home | F · A · C | — |
| vi | Gm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | G · Bb · D | 17× |
| vii° | Adim | Leading-tone chord — tension | A · C · Eb | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Gm | Tonic — home | G · Bb · D | 17× |
| ii° | Adim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | A · C · Eb | — |
| III | Bb | Relative major — the bright side | Bb · D · F | — |
| iv | Cm | Subdominant — moves away from home | C · Eb · G | 10× |
| v | Dm | Minor dominant — soft pull | D · F · A | — |
| V | D | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | D · F# · A | 10× |
| VI | Eb | Submediant — warm colour | Eb · G · Bb | — |
| VII | F | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | F · A · C | — |
Analysis
The key pair is Bb major and its relative G minor (2 flats). 3 different chords appear 37 times in total; 2 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Gm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from Bb, the same D is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Gm.
Chord movement
- D Gm BbV/vi → vi GmV → iharmonic-minor cadence ×10
- Cm D Bbii → V/vi Gmiv → Viv → V ×10
The move to watch is D → Gm, heard 10 times. From the Gm side it is V → i (harmonic-minor cadence: the major V resolves dramatically); from the Bb side it reads V/vi → vi. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- Bb major pentatonic and G minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Bb – C – D – F – G): start from Bb for a brighter phrase, from G for a bluesier one.
- Over Gm, land on G, Bb, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Cm, land on C, Eb, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over D, land on D, F#, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When D comes, swap the scale's F for F#: 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 Bb major shapes
- Capo 1 + A shapes
- Capo 3 + G shapes
- Capo 6 + E shapes
With G minor shapes
- Capo 3 + Em shapes
- Capo 5 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 2 semitones up
- 3 semitones down · capo 3 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is Gm; the ear learns where home is within a second. Gm, Cm, D carry the song: vi–ii–V/vi relative to Bb, i–iv–V relative to Gm. D is the interesting twist: in Bb it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Gm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on D → Gm (V/vi → vi in Bb, V → i in Gm): harmonic-minor cadence — the major V resolves dramatically. Ending on Gm, the song seals Gm 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.
Billie Eilish - Bad Guy 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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