Lana Del Rey - Summertime Sadness - Chord

Key E major – C# minor Chords A, B, Dbm, Gbm Easy key G

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Capo 0

A Dbm B


A                       Dbm
Kiss me hard before you go
B               A
Summertime sadness
A                     Dbm
I just wanted you to know
      B               A
That baby you're the best


          A               Dbm
I got my red dress on tonight
                B                     A
Dancing in the dark in the pale moonlight
                 A                     Dbm
Got my hair up real big beauty queen style
            B                  A
High heels off, I'm feeling alive


A              Dbm
Oh, my God, I feel it in the air
            B                A
Telephone wires above all sizzling like your stare
       A             Dbm
Honey I'm on fire I feel it everywhere
         B            A
Nothing scares me anymore


A                       Dbm
Kiss me hard before you go
B               A
Summertime sadness
A                     Dbm
I just wanted you to know
      B               A
That baby you're the best


A                         Dbm
I've got that summertime, summertime sadness
B               A
S-s-summertime, summertime sadness
A                    Dbm               
Got that summertime, summertime sadness 
B              A
Oh oh oh oh oh oh


             A           Dbm
I'm feelin' electric tonight
                   B              A
Cruising down the coast goin' by 99
            A                   Dbm
Got my bad baby by my heavenly side
              B                    A
And now if I go, I'll be happy tonight


A              Dbm
Oh, my God, I feel it in the air
            B                A
Telephone wires above all sizzling like your stare
       A             Dbm
Honey I'm on fire I feel it everywhere
         B            A
Nothing scares me anymore


A                       Dbm
Kiss me hard before you go
B               A
Summertime sadness
A                     Dbm
I just wanted you to know
      B               A
That baby you're the best


A                         Dbm
I've got that summertime, summertime sadness
B               A
S-s-summertime, summertime sadness
A                    Dbm               
Got that summertime, summertime sadness 
B               A
Oh, oh oh oh oh oh


B                        Dbm  
I think I'll miss you forever
           A                        Gbm
Like the stars miss the sun in the morning skies
B                    Dbm
Late is better than never
     A                        Gbm        B    A      B
Even if you're gone I'm gonna dri-i-i-i-ive, dri-i-i-ive


A                         Dbm
I've got that summertime, summertime sadness
B               A
S-s-summertime, summertime sadness
A                    Dbm               
Got that summertime, summertime sadness 
B              A
Oh oh oh oh oh oh


A                       Dbm
Kiss me hard before you go
B               A
Summertime sadness
A                     Dbm
I just wanted you to know
      B               A
That baby you're the best


A                         Dbm
I've got that summertime, summertime sadness
B               A
S-s-summertime, summertime sadness
A                    Dbm               
Got that summertime, summertime sadness 
B              A
Oh oh oh oh oh oh

End of song Play again?

Lana Del Rey - Summertime Sadness Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Lana Del Rey – Summertime Sadness: key and chord analysis

The song opens on A and ends on A. Its chords belong to both E major and C#m, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

E major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

C# minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = A (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = B (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the C# minor side because C#m is heard 27 times while E never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from E 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 E or to C#m; 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 E major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	E	Tonic — home	E · G# · B	—
ii	Gbm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Gb · A · Db	2×
iii	G#m	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	G# · B · D#	—
V/vi	G#	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dbmsecondary dominant	G# · B# · D#	—
IV	A	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C# · E	52×
V	B	Dominant — strongest pull home	B · D# · F#	29×
vi	Dbm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Db · Fb · Ab	27×
vii°	D#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	D# · F# · A	—

Seen from C# minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Dbm	Tonic — home	Db · Fb · Ab	27×
ii°	D#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D# · F# · A	—
III	E	Relative major — the bright side	E · G# · B	—
iv	Gbm	Subdominant — moves away from home	Gb · A · Db	2×
v	G#m	Minor dominant — soft pull	G# · B · D#	—
V	G#	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	G# · B# · D#	—
VI	A	Submediant — warm colour	A · C# · E	52×
VII	B	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	B · D# · F#	29×

Analysis

The key pair is E major and its relative C# minor (4 sharps). 4 different chords appear 110 times in total; 4 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

A Dbm EIV → vi C#mVI → iVI → i ×25
B Dbm EV → videceptive cadence C#mVII → iAeolian arrival ×2
A B EIV → VIV → V C#mVI → VIIVI → VII ×2
Gbm B Eii → Vii → V C#miv → VII ×2

The move to watch is A → Dbm, heard 25 times. From the C#m side it is VI → i (VI → i: falls a half step into home); from the E side it reads IV → vi. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

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

No capo — open E shapes
Capo 2 + D shapes
Capo 4 + C shapes

With C# minor shapes

Capo 4 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

3 semitones up
2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The opening A lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The chords that keep coming back are A, B, Dbm, Gbm; read them as IV–V–vi–ii in E or VI–VII–i–iv in C#m. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on A → Dbm (IV → vi in E, VI → i in C#m): VI → i — falls a half step into home. The final chord is A; the ear comes to rest in E.

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.