Katy Perry - The One That Got Away - Chord

Key E major – C# minor Chords Dbm, E, A, Abm, B, C#m, Gbm7 Easy key G

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Capo 0

E  Abm  C#m  A

 E
Summer after high school 

When we first met
 Abm
We make out in you mustang to radio head
    Dbm                     
And on my eighteenth birthday 
                    A
We got matching tattoos

      E
Used to steal your parent's liquor 

And climb to the roof
 Abm
Talk about our future like we had a clue
 Dbm                                      A
Never planned that one day I'd be losing you

            E                    Abm
In another life I would be your girl
                  Dbm                       A
We keep all our promises be us against the world
            E  
In another life 
                   Abm
I would make you stay
                    Dbm
So I don't have to say you were 
                   A
The one that got away

The one that got away

E
I was June you were my johnny cash
      Abm
Never one without the other we made a pact
 Dbm                  
Sometimes when I miss you 
                    A
I put those records on woah
 E
Someone said you had 

Your tattoo removed
 Abm
Saw you down town singin' the blues
      Dbm              
It's time to face the music 
                    A
I'm no longer your muse

            E                    Abm
In another life I would be your girl
                  Dbm                       A
We keep all our promises be us against the world
            E  
In another life 
                   Abm
I would make you stay
                    Dbm        
So I don't have to say you were 
                   A
The one that got away

The one that got away

E             
  The one     
Abm       
    The one     
Dbm
    The one   
A
  The one that got away

B                               Dbm     
  All his money can't buy me a time machine no
B                           Dbm     Gbm7
  Can't replace you with a million rings no
B                              Dbm      A
  I shoulda told you what you meant to me woah
B
  Cause now I pay the price

            E                    Abm
In another life I would be your girl
                  Dbm          
We keep all our promises be us 
             A
Against the world
            E  
In another life 
                   Abm
I would make you stay
                    Dbm        
So I don't have to say you were 
                   A
The one that got away

The one that got away

E             
  The one     
Abm       
    The one     
      Dbm
The one   
      A
The one 

            E                      Abm
In another life I would make you stay
                    Dbm     
So I don't have to say you were 
                   A
The one that got away
                   E
The one that got away

End of song Play again?

Katy Perry - The One That Got Away Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Katy Perry – The One That Got Away: key and chord analysis

The song opens on E and ends on E. 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 E major side because it both starts and finishes on E and C#m is heard 17 times against 15 for E. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from C# minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

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	15×
ii7	Gbm7	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Gb · A · Db · Fb	1×
iii	Abm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	Ab · Cb · Eb	14×
V/vi	G#	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to C#msecondary dominant	G# · B# · D#	—
IV	A	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C# · E	15×
V	B	Dominant — strongest pull home	B · D# · F#	4×
vi	Dbm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Db · Fb · Ab	16×
vi	C#m	Relative minor — the melancholy side	C# · E · G#	1×
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	16×
i	C#m	Tonic — home	C# · E · G#	1×
ii°	D#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D# · F# · A	—
III	E	Relative major — the bright side	E · G# · B	15×
iv7	Gbm7	Subdominant — moves away from home	Gb · A · Db · Fb	1×
v	Abm	Minor dominant — soft pull	Ab · Cb · Eb	14×
V	G#	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	G# · B# · D#	—
VI	A	Submediant — warm colour	A · C# · E	15×
VII	B	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	B · D# · F#	4×

Analysis

The key pair is E major and its relative C# minor (4 sharps). 7 different chords appear 66 times in total; 7 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 E EIV → Iplagal cadence C#mVI → III ×13
Abm Dbm Eiii → vi C#mv → inatural-minor cadence ×13
B Dbm EV → videceptive cadence C#mVII → iAeolian arrival ×3
A B EIV → VIV → V C#mVI → VIIVI → VII ×2
B E EV → Iauthentic cadence C#mVII → III ×1
Abm C#m Eiii → vi C#mv → inatural-minor cadence ×1

The move to watch is A → E, heard 13 times. From the E side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the C#m side it is VI → III. 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 Dbm, land on Db, Fb, Ab — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over E, land on E, G#, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over A, land on A, C#, E — 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
4 semitones down · capo 4 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The first chord is E; the ear learns where home is within a second. The backbone is Dbm, E, A, Abm — vi–I–IV–iii from the E side, i–III–VI–v from the C#m side. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on A → E (IV → I in E, VI → III in C#m): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. Ending on E, the song seals E 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.