True Colors by Cyndi Lauper

Overview

Key: C major · Chords used: 13 · Sections: 10

Form: Intro → Verse → Chorus → Transition → Verse → Chorus → Transition → Verse → Chorus → Transition

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

Intro

• Am7 – G/B – Cmaj7 – F (×2)
  vi7 – V⁶ – Imaj7 – IV

Verse 1

• Am7 – G/B – C – C/E – Fadd9 – F – Am – G – C – Dm – C/E – F – Am – G – F/C – C
  vi7 – V⁶ – I – I⁶ – IVadd9 – IV – vi – V – I – ii – I⁶ – IV – vi – V – IV⁶₄ – I

Chorus 1

• F – C – Gsus4 – G – F – C/E – F – G – F – C – F – Am
  IV – I – Vsus4 – V – IV – I⁶ – IV – V – IV – I – IV – vi
• F/C – C (×2)
  IV⁶₄ – I
• Gsus4
  Vsus4

Transition 1

• Am7 – G/B – Cmaj7 – F (×2)
  vi7 – V⁶ – Imaj7 – IV

Verse 2

Same chords as Verse 1.

Chorus 2

Same chords as Chorus 1.

Transition 2

Same chords as Transition 1.

Verse 3

Same chords as Verse 1.

Chorus 3

• F – C – Gsus4 – G – F – C/E – F – G – F – C – F – Am
  IV – I – Vsus4 – V – IV – I⁶ – IV – V – IV – I – IV – vi
• F/C – C (×3)
  IV⁶₄ – I
• Gsus4 – G – F – C – F – Gsus4 – G – F – C – Em7 – Am
  Vsus4 – V – IV – I – IV – Vsus4 – V – IV – I – iii7 – vi
• F/C – C (×2)
  IV⁶₄ – I
• Gsus4
  Vsus4

Transition 3

• Am7 – G/B – Cmaj7 – F
  vi7 – V⁶ – Imaj7 – IV

Chord vocabulary

Sources & accuracy

• Chords and sections: the McGill Billboard Project (Burgoyne, Wild & Fujinaga, 2011). Expert transcription by trained musicians (song 0803, CC0), via ChoCo.
• Not verified: only one expert transcription of this song is available so far.
• 3 chords were simplified to the closest symbol our player supports (for example, an unusual added tone dropped).
• Rhythm and chord durations aren't shown; each step is one chord change.