Lady Gaga - Paparazzi - Chord

Key G major – E minor Chords G, Em, D, C, Bm Difficulty already in its easiest key

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Capo 0

Bm
We are the crowd
We're c_coming out
got my flash on, it's true
need that picture of you
         G
It's so magical
                 Bm
We'd be so fantastical

Bm
Leather and jeans
garage glamorous
Not sure what it means
but this photo of us
          G
it don't have a price
                 Em
Ready for those flashing lights
'Cause you know that, baby, I

G
I'm your biggest fan
     D                          Em
I'll follow you until you love me
        C
Papa_Paparazzi
G                              D
Baby there's no other superstar
                      Em
you know that I'll be your
         C
Papa_Paparazzi
G                   D
Promise I'll be kind
                   Em                  C
But I won't stop until that boy is mine
G
Baby you'll be famous
D                                    Em
Chase you down until you love me
        C
Papa_Paparazzi

Bm
I'll be your girl backstage at your show
Volvet ropes and guitars, yeah
'cause you're my rockstar
G
in between the sets, eyeliner and cigarettes
Bm
Shadow is burnt, yellow dance and return
My lashes are dry, purple teardrops I cry
G
It don't have a price
               Em
Loving you is Cherry Pie
'Cause you know that baby I

G
I'm your biggest fan
     D                          Em
I'll follow you until you love me
        C
Papa_Paparazzi
G                              D
Baby there's no other superstar
                      Em
you know that I'll be your
         C
Papa_Paparazzi
G                   D
Promise I'll be kind
                   Em                  C
But I won't stop until that boy is mine
G
Baby you'll be famous
D                                    Em
Chase you down until you love me
        C
Papa_Paparazzi

Bm
Real good, we're dancing in the studio
Snap, snap to that shit on the radio
Don't stop, for anyone
We're plastic but we still have fun

G
I'm your biggest fan
     D                          Em
I'll follow you until you love me
        C
Papa_Paparazzi
G                              D
Baby there's no other superstar
                      Em
you know that I'll be your
         C
Papa_Paparazzi
G                   D
Promise I'll be kind
                   Em                  C
But I won't stop until that boy is mine
G
Baby you'll be famous
D                                    Em
Chase you down until you love me
        C
Papa_Paparazzi

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Lady Gaga - Paparazzi Tabs

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Harmony analysis

Lady Gaga – Paparazzi: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Bm and ends on C. 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 G major side because G is heard 16 times against 14 for Em. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from E minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

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	16×
ii	Am	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · E	—
iii	Bm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	B · D · F#	6×
V/vi	B	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	—
IV	C	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · E · G	12×
V	D	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	12×
vi	Em	Relative minor — the melancholy side	E · G · B	14×
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	14×
ii°	F#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F# · A · C	—
III	G	Relative major — the bright side	G · B · D	16×
iv	Am	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C · E	—
v	Bm	Minor dominant — soft pull	B · D · F#	6×
V	B	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	B · D# · F#	—
VI	C	Submediant — warm colour	C · E · G	12×
VII	D	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	12×

Analysis

The key pair is G major and its relative E minor (1 sharp). 5 different chords appear 60 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

D Em GV → videceptive cadence EmVII → iAeolian arrival ×12
C G GIV → Iplagal cadence EmVI → III ×9

The move to watch is D → Em, heard 12 times. From the G side it reads V → vi (deceptive cadence: expected G, lands on Em); from the Em side it is VII → i (Aeolian arrival: rises a whole tone into home). 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 G, land on G, B, D — 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 D, land on D, F#, A — 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

The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.

The song's harmonic story

The first chord is Bm; the ear learns where home is within a second. The chords that keep coming back are G, Em, D, C; read them as I–vi–V–IV in G or III–i–VII–VI in Em. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on D → Em (V → vi in G, VII → i in Em): deceptive cadence — expected G, lands on Em. The final chord is C; the ear comes to rest in G.

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.