PianoChords.studio

Sunshine Superman by Donovan

Piano chords, voicings & structure breakdown · 13 steps · 3 unique chords · 1960s

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.
Verse 1Step 1 of 13

D♭7

LeftD♭2, A♭2RightC♭4, F4, A♭4
C4C♭4F4D♭2A♭2A♭4
Left hand Right hand Middle C (C4)

Harmonic Analysis & Structure

Overview

Key: D♭ major · Chords used: 3 · Sections: 13

Form: Verse → Chorus → Verse → Chorus → Verse → Chorus ×2 → Solo → Solo → Verse → Chorus ×2 → Outro

Where these chords come from: an expert transcription of the original recording made for the McGill Billboard Project (Burgoyne, Wild & Fujinaga, 2011). 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

Verse 1

  • D♭7 – G♭7 – D♭7
    I7 – IV7 – I7

Chorus 1

  • A♭7 – G♭7 – D♭7
    V7 – IV7 – I7

Verse 2

Same chords as Verse 1.

Chorus 2

Same chords as Chorus 1.

Verse 3

Same chords as Verse 1.

Chorus 3

Same chords as Chorus 1.

Chorus 4

Same chords as Chorus 1.

Solo 1

  • D♭7 – G♭7 – D♭7
    I7 – IV7 – I7

Solo 2

  • A♭7 – G♭7 – D♭7
    V7 – IV7 – I7

Verse 4

Same chords as Verse 1.

Chorus 5

Same chords as Chorus 1.

Chorus 6

Same chords as Chorus 1.

Outro

  • D♭7
    I7

Chord vocabulary

ChordRoman numeralRoleHeard in
D♭7I7Outside the key (chromatic)Verse, Chorus, Solo, Outro
G♭7IV7Outside the key (chromatic)Verse, Chorus, Solo
A♭7V7In the keyChorus, Solo

Sources & accuracy

  • Chords and sections: the McGill Billboard Project (Burgoyne, Wild & Fujinaga, 2011). Expert transcription by trained musicians (song 0383, CC0), via ChoCo.
  • Not verified: only one expert transcription of this song is available so far.
  • 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
1Verse 1D♭7D♭2, A♭2C♭4, F4, A♭4—
2Verse 1G♭7G♭2, D♭3D♭4, F♭4, B♭4—
3Verse 1D♭7D♭2, A♭2C♭4, F4, A♭4—
4Chorus 1A♭7A♭2, E♭3C4, E♭4, G♭4—
5Chorus 1G♭7G♭2, D♭3D♭4, F♭4, B♭4—
6Chorus 1D♭7D♭2, A♭2C♭4, F4, A♭4—
7Solo 1D♭7D♭2, A♭2C♭4, F4, A♭4—
8Solo 1G♭7G♭2, D♭3D♭4, F♭4, B♭4—
9Solo 1D♭7D♭2, A♭2C♭4, F4, A♭4—
10Solo 2A♭7A♭2, E♭3C4, E♭4, G♭4—
11Solo 2G♭7G♭2, D♭3D♭4, F♭4, B♭4—
12Solo 2D♭7D♭2, A♭2C♭4, F4, A♭4—
13OutroD♭7D♭2, A♭2C♭4, F4, A♭4—