Ed Sheeran - Beautiful People (Khalid) - Chord

Key Eb major – C minor Chords Ab, Cm, Eb, Gm Easy key G

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Capo 0

Eb                      Cm  Eb  Ab  Ab  Gm
We are, we are, we are

  Cm                                  Eb
L.A. on a Saturday night in the summer
                          Ab
Sundown and they all come out

Lamborginis and their rented Hummers
                Gm                     Cm
The party's on, so they're headin' downtown
                                 Eb
Everybody's lookin' for a come up
                                 Ab
And they wanna know what you're about

Me in the middle with the one I'm lovin'
           Gm                      Cm
We're just tryna figure everything out

Cm                    Eb
We don't fit in well 'cause we are just ourselves
Ab                                            Gm
I could use some help gettin' out of this conversation, yeah
Cm                      Eb
You look stunning, dear, so don't ask that question here
Ab
This is my only fear, that we become

          Cm
Beautiful people

Drop top, designer clothes
Eb
Front row at fashion shows
Ab
"What d'you do?" and "Who d'you know?"
                  Gm            Cm
Inside the world of beautiful people

Champagne and rolled-up notes
Eb
Prenups and broken homes
Ab
Surrounded, but still alone
                    Gm
Let's leave the party

           Cm              Eb
That's not who we are (We are, we are, we are)
           Ab        Ab  Gm
We are not beautiful
                 Cm              Eb
Yeah, that's not who we are (We are, we are, we are)
           Ab        Ab  Gm
We are not beautiful

  Cm                   Eb                                   Ab
L.A., mmm, drove for hours last night and we made it nowhere
                                    Gm         Cm
I see stars in your eyes when we're halfway there (All night)
          Eb                                    Ab
I'm not fazed by all them lights and flashin' cameras
                                Gm                 Cm
'Cause with my arms around you, there's no need to care

Cm                    Eb
We don't fit in well 'cause we are just ourselves
Ab                                            Gm
I could use some help gettin' out of this conversation, yeah
Cm                      Eb
You look stunning, dear, so don't ask that question here
Ab
This is my only fear, that we become

          Cm
Beautiful people

Drop top, designer clothes
Eb
Front row at fashion shows
Ab
"What d'you do?" and "Who d'you know?"
                  Gm            Cm
Inside the world of beautiful people

Champagne and rolled-up notes
Eb
Prenups and broken homes
Ab
Surrounded, but still alone
                    Gm
Let's leave the party

           Cm              Eb
That's not who we are (We are, we are, we are)
           Ab        Ab  Gm
We are not beautiful
                 Cm              Eb
Yeah, that's not who we are (We are, we are, we are)
           Ab        Ab  Gm
We are not beautiful

Cm       Eb
     We are, we are, we are
           Ab
We are not beautiful

End of song Play again?

Ed Sheeran - Beautiful People (Khalid) Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Ed Sheeran – Beautiful People (Khalid): key and chord analysis

The song opens on Eb and ends on Ab. 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)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: we can't honestly pick a side here — the song moves freely between Eb major and C minor because it opens on Eb and Cm is heard 20 times against 19 for Eb. Try reading the chords both ways and see which feels more like home to you.

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	19×
ii	Fm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F · Ab · C	—
iii	Gm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	G · Bb · D	15×
V/vi	G	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Cmsecondary dominant	G · B · D	—
IV	Ab	Subdominant — moves away from home	Ab · C · Eb	23×
V	Bb	Dominant — strongest pull home	Bb · D · F	—
vi	Cm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	C · Eb · G	20×
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	20×
ii°	Ddim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · Ab	—
III	Eb	Relative major — the bright side	Eb · G · Bb	19×
iv	Fm	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · Ab · C	—
v	Gm	Minor dominant — soft pull	G · Bb · D	15×
V	G	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	G · B · D	—
VI	Ab	Submediant — warm colour	Ab · C · Eb	23×
VII	Bb	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Bb · D · F	—

Analysis

The key pair is Eb major and its relative C minor (3 flats). 4 different chords appear 77 times in total; 4 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

Gm Cm Ebiii → vi Cmv → inatural-minor cadence ×15
Ab Cm EbIV → vi CmVI → iVI → i ×2

The move to watch is Gm → Cm, heard 15 times. From the Eb side it reads iii → vi; from the Cm side it is v → i (natural-minor cadence: gentle, modal arrival). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

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 Ab, land on Ab, C, Eb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Cm, land on C, Eb, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Eb, land on Eb, G, Bb — 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 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

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

The song's harmonic story

The first chord is Eb; the ear learns where home is within a second. Ab, Cm, Eb, Gm carry the song: IV–vi–I–iii relative to Eb, VI–i–III–v relative to Cm. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Gm → Cm (iii → vi in Eb, v → i in Cm): natural-minor cadence — gentle, modal arrival. It closes on Ab, 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.