Major view
F major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = E (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Bb (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know (Kimbra) - Chord
Key F major – D minor Chords C, Dm, Bb Easy key G
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Key: F | Dm
Capo: 0
Dm C Dm C
Dm C Dm C Dm C Dm C
Now and then I think of when we were together
Dm C Dm C Dm C Dm C
Like when you said you felt so happy you could die
Dm C Dm C Dm C Dm C
Told myself that you were right for me
Dm C Dm C Dm C Dm C
But felt so lonely in your company
Dm C Dm C Dm C Dm C
But that was love and it's an ache I still remember
Dm C Dm C
Dm C Dm C Dm C Dm C
You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness
Dm C Dm C Dm C Dm C
Like resignation to the end
Dm C Dm C Dm C Dm C
Always the end
Dm C Dm C Dm C Dm C
So when we found that we could not make sense
Dm C Dm C Dm C Dm C
Well you said that we would still be friends
Dm C Dm C Dm C Dm C
But I'll admit that I was glad that it was over
Dm C Bb C
But you didn't have to cut me off
Dm C Bb
Make out like it never happened
C Dm
And that we were nothing
C Bb C
And I don't even need your love
Dm C
But you treat me like a stranger
Bb C
And that feels so rough
Dm C Bb C
You didn't have to stoop so low
Dm C Bb
Have your friends collect your records
C Dm
And then change your number
C Bb C
I guess that I don't need that though
Dm C
Now you're just somebody that I used to know
Dm C Dm C Dm C Dm C
Now and then I think of all the times you screwed me over
Dm C Bb C Dm C Dm C
But had me believing it was always something that I'd done
Bb Dm C
And I don't wanna live that way
Bb Dm C
Reading into every word you say
Bb Dm C
You said that you could let it go
Bb Dm C
And I wouldn't catch you hung up on somebody that you used to know
Dm C Bb C
But you didn't have to cut me off
Dm C Bb
Make out like it never happened
C Dm
And that we were nothing
C Bb C
And I don't even need your love
Dm C
But you treat me like a stranger
Bb C
And that feels so rough
Dm C Bb C
You didn't have to stoop so low
Dm C Bb
Have your friends collect your records
C Dm
And then change your number
C Bb C
I guess that I don't need that though
Dm C
Now you're just somebody that I used to know
Dm C Bb C
I used to know
Dm C Bb C
That I used to know
Dm C Bb C
That I used to know
Dm C Bb C
Somebody
End of song Play again?
Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know (Kimbra) Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Gotye – Somebody That I Used To Know (Kimbra): key and chord analysis
The song opens on Dm and ends on C. Its chords belong to both F major and Dm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
D minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Bb (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = C (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the D minor side because it opens on Dm and Dm is heard 79 times while F never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from F 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 F or to Dm; 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.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | F | Tonic — home | F · A · C | — |
| ii | Gm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G · Bb · D | — |
| iii | Am | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | A · C · E | — |
| V/vi | A | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dmsecondary dominant | A · C# · E | — |
| IV | Bb | Subdominant — moves away from home | Bb · D · F | 23× |
| V | C | Dominant — strongest pull home | C · E · G | 98× |
| vi | Dm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | D · F · A | 79× |
| vii° | Edim | Leading-tone chord — tension | E · G · Bb | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Dm | Tonic — home | D · F · A | 79× |
| ii° | Edim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | E · G · Bb | — |
| III | F | Relative major — the bright side | F · A · C | — |
| iv | Gm | Subdominant — moves away from home | G · Bb · D | — |
| v | Am | Minor dominant — soft pull | A · C · E | — |
| V | A | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | A · C# · E | — |
| VI | Bb | Submediant — warm colour | Bb · D · F | 23× |
| VII | C | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | C · E · G | 98× |
Analysis
The key pair is F major and its relative D minor (1 flat). 3 different chords appear 200 times in total; 3 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
- C Dm FV → videceptive cadence DmVII → iAeolian arrival ×74
- Bb C FIV → VIV → V DmVI → VIIVI → VII ×19
- Bb Dm FIV → vi DmVI → iVI → i ×4
The move to watch is C → Dm, heard 74 times. From the Dm side it is VII → i (Aeolian arrival: rises a whole tone into home); from the F side it reads V → vi (deceptive cadence: expected F, lands on Dm). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- F major pentatonic and D minor pentatonic are the same five notes (F – G – A – C – D): start from F for a brighter phrase, from D for a bluesier one.
- Over C, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Dm, land on D, F, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Bb, land on Bb, D, F — 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 F major shapes
- Capo 1 + E shapes
- Capo 3 + D shapes
- Capo 5 + C shapes
With D minor shapes
- No capo — open Dm shapes
- Capo 5 + Am shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 2 semitones up
- 5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is Dm; the ear learns where home is within a second. The chords that keep coming back are C, Dm, Bb; read them as V–vi–IV in F or VII–i–VI in Dm. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on C → Dm (V → vi in F, VII → i in Dm): Aeolian arrival — rises a whole tone into home. It closes on C, letting the F 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.
Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know (Kimbra) 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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