Beautiful | Chords + Lyrics
Intro (0:00)
||: Eb | Db | Cm | B5 :||
Don’t look at me.
Verse 1 (0:34)
| Eb | Db | Cm | B5 |
Every day is so wonderful, then suddenly, it’s hard to breathe.
| Eb | Db | Cm | B5 |
Now and then I get insecure, from all the pain, I’m so ashamed.
Chorus 1 (1:02)
| Ab | Fm | Eb Db | Cm |
I am beautiful no matter what they say, words can’t bring me down.
| Ab | Fm | Eb Db | Cm |
I am beautiful in every single way, yes words can’t bring me down, oh no.
| Fm | Eb | Db | Cm | B5 |
So don’t you bring me down today.
Verse 2 (1:50)
| Eb | Db | Cm | B5 |
To all your friends you’re delirious, so consumed in all your doom.
| Eb | Db | Cm | B5 |
Trying hard to fill the emptiness, the pieces gone, left the puzzle undone. Is that the way it is?
Chorus 2 (2:19)
| Ab | Fm | Eb Db | Cm |
You are beautiful no matter what they say, words can’t bring you down, oh no.
| Ab | Fm | Eb Db | Cm |
You are beautiful in every single way, yes words can’t bring you down, oh no.
| Fm |
So don’t you bring me down today.
Middle 8 (2:51)
| Eb | Db |
No matter what we do (No matter what we do). No matter what we say.
| Cm | B5 |
(No matter what we say). We’re the song inside the tune (Yeah). Full of beautiful mistakes.
| Eb | Db |
And everywhere we go (And everywhere we go). The sun will always shine
| Cm | Badd4 |
(The sun will always, always shine). And tomorrow we might wake on the other side.
Chorus 3 (3:20)
| Ab | Fm | Eb Db | Cm |
‘Cause we are beautiful no matter what they say, yes words won’t bring us down, no, no.
| Ab | Fm | Eb Db | Cm |
We are beautiful in every single way, yes words can’t bring us down, oh, no.
| Fm |
So don’t you bring me down today.
Outro (3:52)
||: Eb | Db | Cm | B5 :||
Ooh-oh-oh, yeah. Don’t you bring me down today. Yeah, ooh.
| N.C | Eb | Eb |
Don’t you bring me down. Ooh, today.
Beautiful’s chords and progressions
Linda Perry‘s composition Beautiful has some very interesting chords. They could be seen as if played in either the key of Eb or Ab. Depending on which you choose, the roman numerals will be different.
Once translated to letters, this is what the chords become for the intro/verse/instrumental/m8 and outro sections:
| Eb | Db | Cm | B5 |
The chorus starts on chord I, if you think of it as if it’s in the key of Ab. It starts on chord IV, if you think of it as if it’s in the key of Eb.
These are the chords for the chorus.
| Ab | Fm | Eb Db | Cm | x2 | Fm |
Beautiful chords, shapes, and extensions
It’s tricky to fret chords in keys such as Eb and Ab when you don’t play with a capo. All chords will have to be barre chords.
To get some relief, I use a C-shaped Eb chord. Because the chord Eb has a G inside it, we can use the open G string. I also add the little finger on string 1. This adds a 5th to the top of the chord shape.
For the B chord, I use the open B string. Since it’s played in an A shape we lose the ability to make it a minor or major chord. It becomes just a 5 chord (a chord with no 3rd).
During the M8, a new shape is introduced for the B chord. This time it’s in an E shape. We still use the open B but now have a 3rd on the third string. The open E string makes this B chord a Badd4.
Playing a piano song on the guitar
Originally performed on the piano, it would have been tempting to use a capo when arranging it for one acoustic guitar since the song uses chords like Eb, Ab, and Fm.
This time, I didn’t go for the capo, instead, we use only barre chords throughout which does make it difficult for the fretting hand.
Some relief happens over the Eb chord which is in a C shape and can use the open G string. This doesn’t give the chord any strange extensions as it’s just the 3rd of the chord.
In the video lesson above, you’ll see how to play all chords for Beautiful from beginning to end.
Once completed, all you need is a singer that can sing it as well as Christina Aguilera did.
Beautiful was done in one vocal take
Originally written by Linda Perry, best known for her massive hit What’s Going On with her band Four Non Blondes, Linda wrote Beautiful and refused to play it to anyone, claiming she knew it was going to be a huge hit and purposely saved it for the right artist.
Linda ended up not just writing but also producing the song with Christina Aguilera on vocals. During the recording of the song, she insisted on keeping the first take of Christina’s vocal since, as she said, it was exactly what she was looking for. It wasn’t perfect, but it was beautiful, just like the message of the song.
Possibly Christina Aguilera’s biggest hit, Beautiful charted at #1 in most countries worldwide. The song got the Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 2004 Grammy Awards, so Linda was clearly right, that first vocal take was something special.
At the same ceremony, Beautiful was nominated for Song Of The Year and Best Remixed Album.
The music video for Beautiful was directed by Swedish Jonas Akerlund, who also made videos for Madonna, Cardigans, and Lady GaGa.
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Christina Aguilera
Starting out alongside Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake on the legendary TV show The Mickey Mouse Club, Christina Aguilera has reached worldwide fame.
Possibly her biggest hit, Beautiful, was written and produced by Linda Perry.
Christina Aguilera on the web
Linda Perry
Best known for worldwide hit What’s Up with her band 4 Non Blondes, singer-songwriter Linda Perry has plenty more strings to her bow.
As a writer and producer, she also penned Beautiful for Christina Aguilera and Get The Party Started for Pink.
Linda Perry on the web
