As by Stevie Wonder

Overview

Key: B major · Chords used: 16 · Sections: 9

Form: Intro → A Section → A Section → B Section → C Section → A Section → Interlude → Vamp → Vamp

Where these chords come from: a chord chart of this song written by a musician and shared on the iReal Pro forums, archived in the iReal Pro forum charts archived in ChoCo (de Berardinis et al., 2023). It's one musician's reading of the song, not a transcription checked against the recording. This page shows that chart 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

• Bmaj7 – B7 – Emaj13 (×2)
  Imaj7 – I7 – IVmaj13

A Section 1

• Bmaj7 – B7 – Emaj13 – Bmaj7 – Amaj7 – Bmaj7 – B7 – Emaj13 – G♯m7 – D♯9sus4/A♯ – D♯7 – G♯m7 – G♯m6 – C♯m7 – F♯13
  Imaj7 – I7 – IVmaj13 – Imaj7 – bVIImaj7 – Imaj7 – I7 – IVmaj13 – vi7 – III9sus4 (bass A♯) – III7 – vi7 – vi6 – ii7 – V13

A Section 2

• Bmaj7 – B7 – Emaj13 – Bmaj7 – Amaj7 – Bmaj7 – B7 – Emaj13 – G♯m7 – D♯9sus4/A♯ – D♯7
  Imaj7 – I7 – IVmaj13 – Imaj7 – bVIImaj7 – Imaj7 – I7 – IVmaj13 – vi7 – III9sus4 (bass A♯) – III7

B Section

• G♯m7 – D♯7/A♯ – G♯m7/B – C♯9 (×3)
  vi7 – III⁴₃ – vi⁶₅ – II9
• G♯m7 – D♯7/A♯ – G♯m7/B – F13
  vi7 – III⁴₃ – vi⁶₅ – bV13

C Section

• Emaj13 – Bmaj7 – Emaj13 – Dmaj13 – Emaj13 – Bmaj7 – C♯m7
  IVmaj13 – Imaj7 – IVmaj13 – bIIImaj13 – IVmaj13 – Imaj7 – ii7

A Section 3

Same chords as A Section 2.

Interlude

• G♯m7 – D♯7/A♯ – G♯m7/B – C♯7 – G♯m7 – D♯7/A♯
  vi7 – III⁴₃ – vi⁶₅ – II7 – vi7 – III⁴₃

Vamp 1

• G♯m7/B – C♯7 – G♯m7 – D♯7/A♯ (×2)
  vi⁶₅ – II7 – vi7 – III⁴₃

Vamp 2

• G♯m7/B – C♯7
  vi⁶₅ – II7

Chord vocabulary

Chord	Roman numeral	Role	Heard in
Bmaj7	Imaj7	Home chord (tonic)	Intro, A Section, C Section
B7	I7	Secondary dominant (V/IV)	Intro, A Section
Emaj13	IVmaj13	In the key	Intro, A Section, C Section
Amaj7	bVIImaj7	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section
G♯m7	vi7	In the key	A Section, B Section, Interlude, Vamp
D♯9sus4/A♯	III9sus4 (bass A♯)	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section
D♯7	III7	Secondary dominant (V/vi)	A Section
G♯m6	vi6	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section
C♯m7	ii7	In the key	A Section, C Section
F♯13	V13	In the key	A Section
D♯7/A♯	III⁴₃	Secondary dominant (V/vi)	B Section, Interlude, Vamp
G♯m7/B	vi⁶₅	In the key	B Section, Interlude, Vamp
C♯9	II9	Outside the key (chromatic)	B Section
F13	bV13	Outside the key (chromatic)	B Section
Dmaj13	bIIImaj13	Borrowed from B minor	C Section
C♯7	II7	Outside the key (chromatic)	Interlude, Vamp

Harmonic highlights

• Dmaj13 (bIIImaj13) is borrowed from the parallel key, B minor.
• B7 acts as V/IV: it resolves to Emaj13.
• D♯7 acts as V/vi: it resolves to G♯m7.
• D♯7/A♯ acts as V/vi: it resolves to G♯m7/B.

Sources & accuracy

• Chords: the iReal Pro forum charts archived in ChoCo (de Berardinis et al., 2023). Community chord chart “As” (credited “Wonder Stevie”, style Rock Pop) from the forum file linked here, CC BY 4.0 via ChoCo. Performer/songwriter confirmed from Wikidata.
• Section names: from the chart's own markings: section names written on the chart (Intro, Verse, Chorus…) are kept, and rehearsal letters are shown as “A Section”, “B Section” and so on (the B of an AABA song is called the Bridge).
• Cross-check: the iReal Pro forum charts archived in ChoCo (de Berardinis et al., 2023). Community chord chart “As” (credited “Wonder Stevie”, style Pop) from the forum file linked here, CC BY 4.0 via ChoCo. Performer/songwriter confirmed from Wikidata. A separately posted chart of the same song; its chords match this page's closely when both are read in the same key (similarity 84%).
• Chord charts are often written in a key that suits a particular singer or band, so this may not be the key of the original recording.
• The chart's D.S./D.C./coda jumps have been written out in playing order.
• About the song: Wikipedia.
• Verified: two community charts of this song, posted in different forum threads, agree on its harmony. They're still charts, not transcriptions checked against the recording.
• Rhythm and chord durations aren't shown; each step is one chord change.