I Ain't Gonna Stand for It by Stevie Wonder

Overview

Key: A major · Chords used: 11 · Sections: 20

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

A Section 1

• Aadd9 – C♯m7 – D6 – E9sus4
  Iadd9 – iii7 – IV6 – V9sus4

A Section 2

• Aadd9 – C♯m7 – D6 – E9sus4 – C♯7/F
  Iadd9 – iii7 – IV6 – V9sus4 – III⁶₅

B Section 1

• F♯m – Faug – A/E – D♯m7♭5 (×3)
  vi – bVI+ – I⁶₄ – #ivø7
• D6 – C♯7/F
  IV6 – III⁶₅

B Section 2

• F♯m – Faug – A/E – D♯m7♭5 (×3)
  vi – bVI+ – I⁶₄ – #ivø7
• D6 – E6
  IV6 – V6

A Section 3

Same chords as A Section 2.

B Section 3

Same chords as B Section 2.

C Section 1

• A – C♯m7 – D6 – E9sus4
  I – iii7 – IV6 – V9sus4

C Section 2

• A – C♯m7 – D6 – E9sus4 – C♯7/F
  I – iii7 – IV6 – V9sus4 – III⁶₅

B Section 4

• F♯m – Faug – A/E – D♯m7♭5 (×3)
  vi – bVI+ – I⁶₄ – #ivø7

Vamp 1

• D6 – C♯7/F
  IV6 – III⁶₅

B Section 5

Same chords as B Section 4.

Vamp 2

Same chords as Vamp 1.

B Section 6

Same chords as B Section 4.

Vamp 3

Same chords as Vamp 1.

B Section 7

Same chords as B Section 4.

Vamp 4

Same chords as Vamp 1.

B Section 8

Same chords as B Section 4.

Vamp 5

Same chords as Vamp 1.

B Section 9

Same chords as B Section 4.

Vamp 6

Same chords as Vamp 1.

Chord vocabulary

Chord	Roman numeral	Role	Heard in
Aadd9	Iadd9	Home chord (tonic)	A Section
C♯m7	iii7	In the key	A Section, C Section
D6	IV6	In the key	A Section, B Section, C Section, Vamp
E9sus4	V9sus4	In the key	A Section, C Section
C♯7/F	III⁶₅	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section, B Section, C Section, Vamp
F♯m	vi	In the key	B Section
Faug	bVI+	Outside the key (chromatic)	B Section
A/E	I⁶₄	Home chord (tonic)	B Section
D♯m7♭5	#ivø7	Outside the key (chromatic)	B Section
E6	V6	In the key	B Section
A	I	Home chord (tonic)	C Section

Sources & accuracy

• Chords: the iReal Pro forum charts archived in ChoCo (de Berardinis et al., 2023). Community chord chart “I Ain't Gonna Stand For It” (credited “Wonder Stevie”, style RnB) from the forum file linked here, CC BY 4.0 via ChoCo. Performer confirmed from the Billboard year-end charts.
• 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 “I Ain't Gonna Stand For It” (credited “Wonder Stevie”, style RnB) from the forum file linked here, CC BY 4.0 via ChoCo. Performer confirmed from the Billboard year-end charts. A separately posted chart of the same song; its chords match this page's closely when both are read in the same key (similarity 80%).
• 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.