Major view
Ab major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = G (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Db (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Phil Collins - Easy Lover - Chord
Key Ab major – F minor Chords Fm, C#, D#, A#m, Cm, D#6, F# Easy key G (capo 1)
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Key: Ab | Fm
Capo: 0
Fm
Easy lover
C# D# Fm C#
She'll get a hold on you believe it
D# Fm
Like no other
C# D# Fm C#
Before you know it you'll be on your knees
D# Fm
She's an easy lover
C# D# Fm C#
She'll take your heart but you won't feel it
D# Fm
She's like no other
C# D# Fm
And I'm just trying to make you see
C#
She's the kind of girl you dream of
C#
Dream of keeping hold of
C# D# D#6 Fm
You'd better forget it
You'll never get it
C#
She will play around and leave you
C#
Leave you and deceive you
C# D# D#6 Fm
Better forget it
Oh you'll regret it
A#m Cm Fm
No you'll never change her, so leave it, leave it
A#m Cm Fm
Get out quick cos seeing is believing
A#m Cm
It's the only way
Fm F#
You'll ever know
Fm
Easy lover
C# D# Fm C#
She'll get a hold on you believe it
D# Fm
Like no other
C# D# Fm C#
Before you know it you'll be on your knees
D# Fm
She's an easy lover
C# D# Fm C#
She'll take your heart but you won't feel it
D# Fm
She's like no other
C# D# Fm
And I'm just trying to make you see
C#
You're the one that wants to hold her
C#
Hold her and control her
C# D# D#6 Fm
You'd better forget it
You'll never get it
C#
For she'll say there's no other
C#
Till she finds another
C# D# D#6 Fm
You'd better forget it
You'll never get it
A#m Cm Fm
And don't try to change her, just leave it, leave it
A#m Cm Fm
You're not the only one, ooh seeing is believing
A#m Cm
It's the only way
Fm F#
You'll ever know, oh
A#m Cm Fm
No don't try to change her, just leave it, leave it
A#m Cm Fm
You're not the only one, ooh seeing is believing
A#m Cm
It's the only way
Fm F#
You'll ever know, oh
Fm
Easy lover
C# D# Fm C#
She'll get a hold on you believe it
D# Fm
Like no other
C# D# Fm C#
Before you know it you'll be on your knees
D# Fm
She's an easy lover
C# D# Fm C#
She'll take your heart but you won't feel it
D# Fm
She's like no other
C# D# Fm
And I'm just trying to make you see
End of song Play again?
Phil Collins - Easy Lover Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Phil Collins – Easy Lover: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Fm and ends on Fm. Its chords belong to both Ab major and Fm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
F minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Db (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = Eb (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the F minor side because it both starts and finishes on Fm and Fm is heard 37 times while Ab never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Ab 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 Ab or to Fm; 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 | Ab | Tonic — home | Ab · C · Eb | — |
| ii | A#m | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | A# · C# · E# | 9× |
| iii | Cm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | C · Eb · G | 9× |
| V/vi | C | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Fmsecondary dominant | C · E · G | — |
| IV | C# | Subdominant — moves away from home | C# · E# · G# | 33× |
| V | D# | Dominant — strongest pull home | D# · G · A# | 25× |
| V6 | D#6 | Dominant — strongest pull home | D# · G · A# · B# | 4× |
| vi | Fm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | F · Ab · C | 37× |
| bVII | F# | bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord | F# · A# · C# | 3× |
| vii° | Gdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | G · Bb · Db | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Fm | Tonic — home | F · Ab · C | 37× |
| bII | F# | Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord | F# · A# · C# | 3× |
| ii° | Gdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G · Bb · Db | — |
| III | Ab | Relative major — the bright side | Ab · C · Eb | — |
| iv | A#m | Subdominant — moves away from home | A# · C# · E# | 9× |
| v | Cm | Minor dominant — soft pull | C · Eb · G | 9× |
| V | C | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | C · E · G | — |
| VI | C# | Submediant — warm colour | C# · E# · G# | 33× |
| VII | D# | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | D# · G · A# | 25× |
| VII6 | D#6 | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | D# · G · A# · B# | 4× |
Analysis
The key pair is Ab major and its relative F minor (4 flats). 7 different chords appear 120 times in total; 6 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. F# is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
Chord movement
- C# D# AbIV → VIV → V FmVI → VIIVI → VII ×25
- D# Fm AbV → videceptive cadence FmVII → iAeolian arrival ×21
- Cm Fm Abiii → vi Fmv → inatural-minor cadence ×9
- D#6 Fm AbV6 → videceptive cadence FmVII6 → iAeolian arrival ×4
The move to watch is C# → D#, heard 25 times. From the Fm side it is VI → VII (VI → VII: the rising step that heads for the tonic); from the Ab side it reads IV → V (IV → V: the lift that builds tension before home). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- Ab major pentatonic and F minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Ab – Bb – C – Eb – F): start from Ab for a brighter phrase, from F for a bluesier one.
- Over Fm, land on F, Ab, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over C#, land on C#, E#, G# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over D#, land on D#, G, A# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- On F#, follow the chord's notes (F# · A# · C#) 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 Ab major shapes
- Capo 1 + G shapes
- Capo 4 + E shapes
- Capo 6 + D shapes
With F minor shapes
- Capo 1 + Em shapes
- Capo 3 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 1 semitone down · capo 1 keeps the original pitch
- 4 semitones up
The song's harmonic story
The opening Fm lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The backbone is Fm, C#, D#, A#m — vi–IV–V–ii from the Ab side, i–VI–VII–iv from the Fm side. F# briefly darkens the picture: bvii — borrowed (mixolydian / parallel minor). Keep an ear on C# → D# (IV → V in Ab, VI → VII in Fm): VI → VII — the rising step that heads for the tonic. The final chord is Fm; the ear comes to rest in Fm.
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.
Phil Collins - Easy Lover 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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