PianoChords.studio

1999 by Prince

Piano chords, voicings & structure breakdown · 11 steps · 4 unique chords · 1980s

Expert transcription. These chords come from a published research transcription of the original recording by trained musicians. A second independent transcription to cross-check against isn't available (or differs in places), so this page isn't marked verified.
IntroStep 1 of 11

C7

LeftC2, G2RightB♭3, E4, G4
C4C2G2E4G4B♭3
Left hand Right hand Middle C (C4)

Harmonic Analysis & Structure

Overview

Key: F major · Chords used: 4 · Sections: 7

Form: Intro → Verse → Verse → Interlude → Verse → Interlude → Outro

Where these chords come from: an expert transcription of the original recording made for the Rock Corpus RS 200 (de Clercq & Temperley, 2011), analysis by Trevor de Clercq. This page shows that transcription as-is: the analysis below is generated directly from it by code, not written by AI. Consecutive repeats of a chord are shown once, and the piano voicings are our playable arrangement of each chord symbol, not a note-for-note transcription.

Section by section

Intro

  • C7 – F
    V7 – I

Verse 1

  • F – B♭ – Dm7 (×2)
    I – IV – vi7
  • F
    I

Verse 2

Same chords as Verse 1.

Interlude 1

  • F
    I

Verse 3

Same chords as Verse 1.

Interlude 2

  • B♭ – Dm7 – F (×4)
    IV – vi7 – I

Outro

  • F
    I

Chord vocabulary

ChordRoman numeralRoleHeard in
C7V7In the keyIntro
FIHome chord (tonic)Intro, Verse, Interlude, Outro
B♭IVIn the keyVerse, Interlude
Dm7vi7In the keyVerse, Interlude

Sources & accuracy

  • Chords and sections: the Rock Corpus RS 200 (de Clercq & Temperley, 2011), analysis by Trevor de Clercq. Expert by-ear harmonic analysis of the original recording, shown on this page.
  • Cross-check: the Rock Corpus RS 200 (de Clercq & Temperley, 2011), analysis by David Temperley. Independent by-ear analysis of the same recording. The two analysts agree on the chord (root and major/minor) for 62% of the song.
  • Not verified: the two RS 200 analysts differ in places (see their agreement above).
  • Rhythm and chord durations aren't shown; each step is one chord change.

Sources & Accuracy

Every chord on this page comes from the expert transcription listed first below. Piano voicings are our arrangement of the reported chord symbols, not a note-for-note transcription.

All Piano Voicings

#SectionChordLeft handRight handSources
1IntroC7C2, G2B♭3, E4, G4—
2IntroFF2, C3C4, F4, A4—
3Verse 1, part 1 (×2)FF2, C3C4, F4, A4—
4Verse 1, part 1 (×2)B♭B♭2, F3D4, F4, B♭4—
5Verse 1, part 1 (×2)Dm7D2, A2C4, F4, A4—
6Verse 1, part 2FF2, C3C4, F4, A4—
7Interlude 1FF2, C3C4, F4, A4—
8Interlude 2 (×4)B♭B♭2, F3D4, F4, B♭4—
9Interlude 2 (×4)Dm7D2, A2C4, F4, A4—
10Interlude 2 (×4)FF2, C3C4, F4, A4—
11OutroFF2, C3C4, F4, A4—