Dua Lipa - Houdini - Chord

Key Eb major – C minor Chords Bm, Gbm, Em, A, G Easy key C# (capo 2)

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Capo 0

Bm  Gbm  Bm
Okay
    Bm  Gbm  Bm  Gbm

Bm           Em
I come and I go
Gbm
Tell me all the ways you need me
Bm               Em
I'm not here for long
Gbm           Bm
Catch me or I go, Houdini
Bm           Em
I come and I go
Gbm               Bm
Prove you got the right to please me
Bm        Em
Everybody knows
Gbm           Bm
Catch me or I go, Houdini

Bm
Time is passin' like a solar eclipse
Bm
 See you watchin' then you blow me
A kiss
Bm
It's your moment, baby, don't let it
Slip
Bm
Comin' closer, are you readin' my
Lips

         Bm           Em
They say I come and I go
Gbm
Tell me all the ways you need me
Bm               Em
I'm not here for long
Gbm           Bm
Catch me or I go, Houdini
Bm           Em
I come and I go
Gbm               Bm
Prove you got the right to please me
Bm        Em
Everybody knows
Gbm           Bm
Catch me or I go, Houdini

Bm        Em                  Gbm
If you're good enough, you'll find a
Bm
Way
Bm      Em                Gbm
 Maybe you could cause a girl
 Bm
To change 
       Em             Gbm       Bm
Do you think about it night and day
Bm      Em               N.C
 Maybe you could be the one to
Make me stay

Bm
 Everything you say is soundin'
So sweet 
Bm
 But do you practice everything
That you preach? 
Bm
 I need something that'll make
Me believe 
Bm
  If you got it, baby, give it to me

         Bm           Em
They say I come and I go
Gbm
Tell me all the ways you need me
Bm               Em
I'm not here for long
Gbm           Bm
Catch me or I go, Houdini
Bm           Em
I come and I go 
Gbm               Bm
Prove you got the right to please me
Bm        Em
Everybody knows (I’m not here for
Long)
Gbm           Bm
Catch me or I go, Houdini

Bm        Em                  Gbm
If you're good enough, you'll find a
Bm
Way
Bm      Em                Gbm
 Maybe you could cause a girl
 Bm
To change 
       Em             Gbm       Bm
Do you think about it night and day
Bm      Em
 Maybe you could be the one to
    G    A Gbm
Make me stay

   G
Oh oh
A Gbm A
Ooh

G
I come and I go
               A
Tell me all the ways you need me

Gbm
I'm not here for long

Catch me or I go, Houdini
G
I come and I go 
                  A
Prove you got the right to please me
Gbm
Everybody knows (I’m not here for
Long)
A                         Bm
Catch me or I go, Houdini

        Bm
Houdini
Bm
Catch me or I go, Houdini

End of song Play again?

Dua Lipa - Houdini Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Dua Lipa – Houdini: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Bm and ends on Bm. Its chords belong to both Eb major and Cm, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

Eb major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

C minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Ab (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = Bb (natural-minor colour)
#7 = B (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 C minor side because the major V chord points straight at Cm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Eb 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 Eb or to Cm; 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 Eb major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Eb	Tonic — home	Eb · G · Bb	—
bii	Em	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G · B	19×
ii	Fm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F · Ab · C	—
biii	Gbm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Gb · A · Db	25×
iii	Gm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	G · Bb · D	—
III	G	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	G · B · D	4×
IV	Ab	Subdominant — moves away from home	Ab · C · Eb	—
#IV	A	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C# · E	6×
V	Bb	Dominant — strongest pull home	Bb · D · F	—
bvi	Bm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D · F#	47×
vi	Cm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	C · Eb · G	—
vii°	Ddim	Leading-tone chord — tension	D · F · Ab	—

Seen from C minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Cm	Tonic — home	C · Eb · G	—
ii°	Ddim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · Ab	—
III	Eb	Relative major — the bright side	Eb · G · Bb	—
#iii	Em	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G · B	19×
iv	Fm	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · Ab · C	—
#iv	Gbm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Gb · A · Db	25×
v	Gm	Minor dominant — soft pull	G · Bb · D	—
V	G	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	G · B · D	4×
VI	Ab	Submediant — warm colour	Ab · C · Eb	—
#VI	A	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C# · E	6×
VII	Bb	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Bb · D · F	—
#vii	Bm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D · F#	47×

Analysis

The key pair is Eb major and its relative C minor (3 flats). 5 different chords appear 101 times in total; 0 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Cm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull. Bm, Gbm, Em, A step outside the scale as colour chords.

Chord movement

There's no textbook cadence here; the chords circle around each other in a loop, so the song feels more like a groove than a series of arrivals.

Improvisation tips

Eb major pentatonic and C minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Eb – F – G – Bb – C): start from Eb for a brighter phrase, from C for a bluesier one.
Over Bm, land on B, D, F# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Gbm, land on Gb, A, Db — 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.
When G comes, swap the scale's Bb for B: 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 Eb major shapes

Capo 1 + D shapes
Capo 3 + C shapes
Capo 6 + A shapes

With C minor shapes

Capo 3 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch
5 semitones up · capo 7 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The first chord is Bm; the ear learns where home is within a second. Bm, Gbm, Em, A carry the song: bvi–biii–bii–#IV relative to Eb, #vii–#iv–#iii–#VI relative to Cm. G is the interesting twist: in Eb it is a chromatic chord (III), while in Cm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. It closes on Bm, letting the Eb 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.

Dua Lipa - Houdini 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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