Bruno Mars - Calling All My Lovelies - Chord

Key E major – C# minor Chords Dbm7, Gbm7, B7, Abm7, Amaj7, Ab7, Eb7, Emaj7 … Easy key C (capo 4)

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Capo 0

Dbm7  Gbm7  Dbm7  B7

      Dbm7                              Gbm7
I got too many girls on hold for you to be so bold
Dbm7                        B7
Too many on my team for you to act so mean
    Dbm7                                              Gbm7 
You say you wanna go and have fun, well you ain't the only one
        Dbm7                              B7
If I ring, don't let it ring too long or I'm gone
        Gbm7           Abm7
I got Alicia waitin', Aisha waitin'
 B7                     Dbm7
All the eesha's waitin' on me
           Gbm7           Abm7
So why you contemplatin', playa hatin'
   Eb7                Ab7
If this is how it's gonna be

    Dbm7                   Gbm7
I'm calling all my lovelies 
                              Dbm7  B7
'Cause I can't get a hold of yoooooooooouuu
       Dbm7                    Gbm7
Since you ain't thinking of me 
                            Dbm7  B7
Oh, look what you making me dooooooooooo ooo
Dbm7                                 Gbm7
Honey pie, I'm far too fly to be on standing by
Dbm7                                 B7
Sendin' me straight to voicemail, suga, what the hell
Dbm7                                       Gbm7
Oh, you ought to be ashamed, playin' these childish games
  Dbm7                                     B7
I don't get down like that, tell me where you at, hit me back
        Gbm7           Abm7
I got Alicia waitin', Aisha waitin'
 B7                     Dbm7
All the eesha's waitin' on me
           Gbm7           Abm7
So why you contemplatin', playa hatin'
   Eb7                Ab7
If this is how it's gonna be

    Dbm7                   Gbm7
I'm calling all my lovelies 
                              Dbm7    B7
'Cause I can't get a hold of yoooooooooouuu
       Dbm7                    Gbm7
Since you ain't thinking of me 
                            Dbm7      B7
Oh, look what you making me dooooooooooo ooo

Amaj7  
Pick up the phone, pick up the phone
       Amaj7   Abm7   Gbm7     B7   Emaj7          Eb7 Ab7
'Cause all   this   loving   needs a hoooome oooh eeee eeehhhh
Gbm7   Gbm7    Abm7
       Oh        no  look at what you started, baby
Gbm7    Gbm7     Abm7
       Now        I'm  left here brokenhearted, baby
Dm7                      Em7
There's a pain in my chest I cannot explain
  Cmaj7                           Am7 
I told myself I wasn't gon' cryyyy 
     F#m7                            B4     Amaj7   G#7
Then somebody's gotta come dry these eeeyes 


Hi, you've reached Halle Berry
Sorry, I can't get to the phone right now, but if you leave your name and number I'll get right back to you
Ab7
Damn, damn, damn

    Dbm7                                        Gbm7
I'm calling, calling, calling, calling all my lovelies
                              Dbm7  B7
'Cause I can't get a hold of yoooooooooouuu
          Dbm7
Oh, since you ain't thinking of me 

                         Dbm7  B7
Fuck, what you making me dooooooooooo ooo
Amaj7 
Pick up the phone, pick up the phone
       Amaj7   G#m7   F#m7     B7   Emaj7    D#7     G#7
'Cause all   this   loving   needs a  hooome  ho o oome

End of song Play again?

Bruno Mars - Calling All My Lovelies Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Bruno Mars – Calling All My Lovelies: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Dbm7 and ends on G#7. 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)
#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 it opens on C#m, C#m is heard 24 times against 2 for E and the major V chord points straight at C#m. 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
Imaj7	Emaj7	Tonic — home	E · G# · B · D#	2×
i7	Em7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G · B · D	1×
ii7	Gbm7	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Gb · A · Db · Fb	19×
ii7	F#m7	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F# · A · C# · E	2×
iii7	Abm7	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb	7×
iii7	G#m7	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	G# · B · D# · F#	1×
V7/vi	Ab7	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dbmsecondary dominant	Ab · C · Eb · Gb	4×
V7/vi	G#7	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dbmsecondary dominant	G# · B# · D# · F#	2×
IVmaj7	Amaj7	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C# · E · G#	5×
iv7	Am7	Minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	A · C · E · G	1×
V7	B7	Dominant — strongest pull home	B · D# · F# · A	15×
V	B4	Dominant — strongest pull home	B · D# · F#	1×
bVImaj7	Cmaj7	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	C · E · G · B	1×
vi7	Dbm7	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Db · Fb · Ab · Cb	24×
bvii7	Dm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	D · F · A · C	1×
vii°	D#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	D# · F# · A	—
V7/iii	Eb7	Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Abmsecondary dominant	Eb · G · Bb · Db	3×
V7/iii	D#7	Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Abmsecondary dominant	D# · G · A# · C#	1×

Seen from C# minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i7	Dbm7	Tonic — home	Db · Fb · Ab · Cb	24×
bii7	Dm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	D · F · A · C	1×
ii°	D#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D# · F# · A	—
V7/v	Eb7	Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Abmsecondary dominant	Eb · G · Bb · Db	3×
V7/v	D#7	Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Abmsecondary dominant	D# · G · A# · C#	1×
IIImaj7	Emaj7	Relative major — the bright side	E · G# · B · D#	2×
iii7	Em7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G · B · D	1×
iv7	Gbm7	Subdominant — moves away from home	Gb · A · Db · Fb	19×
iv7	F#m7	Subdominant — moves away from home	F# · A · C# · E	2×
v7	Abm7	Minor dominant — soft pull	Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb	7×
v7	G#m7	Minor dominant — soft pull	G# · B · D# · F#	1×
V7	Ab7	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	Ab · C · Eb · Gb	4×
V7	G#7	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	G# · B# · D# · F#	2×
VImaj7	Amaj7	Submediant — warm colour	A · C# · E · G#	5×
vi7	Am7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C · E · G	1×
VII7	B7	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	B · D# · F# · A	15×
VII	B4	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	B · D# · F#	1×
#VIImaj7	Cmaj7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · E · G · B	1×

Analysis

The key pair is E major and its relative C# minor (4 sharps). 17 different chords appear 90 times in total; 9 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of C#m brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from E, the same Ab7 / G#7 is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for C#m. Eb7, D#7 act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. Cmaj7, Am7 are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

Gbm7 Dbm7 Eii7 → vi7 C#miv7 → i7minor plagal ×10
B7 Dbm7 EV7 → vi7deceptive cadence C#mVII7 → i7Aeolian arrival ×9
Ab7 Dbm7 EV7/vi → vi7secondary resolution C#mV7 → i7harmonic-minor cadence ×3
Eb7 Ab7 EV7/iii → V7/visecondary resolution C#mV7/v → V7 ×3
B7 Emaj7 EV7 → Imaj7authentic cadence C#mVII7 → IIImaj7 ×2
Gbm7 B7 Eii7 → V7ii → V C#miv7 → VII7 ×1

The move to watch is Gbm7 → Dbm7, heard 10 times. From the C#m side it is iv7 → i7 (minor plagal: deep and melancholic); from the E side it reads ii7 → vi7. 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 Dbm7, land on Db, Fb, Ab — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Gbm7, land on Gb, A, Db — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over B7, land on B, D#, F# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When Ab7 comes, swap the scale's B for B#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
On Cmaj7, follow the chord's notes (C · E · G · B) rather than the key's scale — it's a borrowed colour.

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

4 semitones down · capo 4 keeps the original pitch
3 semitones up

The song's harmonic story

The opening Dbm7 lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The chords that keep coming back are Dbm7, Gbm7, B7, Abm7; read them as vi7–ii7–V7–iii7 in E or i7–iv7–VII7–v7 in C#m. Ab7 is the interesting twist: in E it is a chromatic chord (V7/vi), while in C#m it becomes the dominant (V7) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Gbm7 → Dbm7 (ii7 → vi7 in E, iv7 → i7 in C#m): minor plagal — deep and melancholic. It closes on G#7, letting the E 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.