Beautiful | Chords + Lyrics (capo 1)
Intro
||: D5/A | C | Bm | Bb :||
Don’t look at me.
Verse 1
||: D5/A | C | Bm | Bb :||
Every day is so wonderful, then suddenly, it’s hard to breathe.
Now and then I get insecure, from all the pain, I’m so ashamed.
Chorus 1
||: G | Em | D/A C | Bm :||
I am beautiful no matter what they say, words can’t bring me down.
I am beautiful in every single way, yes words can’t bring me down, oh no.
| Em |
So don’t you bring me down today.
Instrumental
| D5/A | C | Bm | Bb |
Verse 2
To all your friends you’re delirious, so consumed in all your doom.
Trying hard to fill the emptiness, the pieces gone, left the puzzle undone. Is that the way it is?
Chorus 2
You are beautiful no matter what they say, words can’t bring you down, oh no.
You are beautiful in every single way, yes words can’t bring you down, oh no.
So don’t you bring me down today.
Middle 8
| D | C |
No matter what we do (No matter what we do). No matter what we say.
| Bm | Bb |
(No matter what we say). We’re the song inside the tune (Yeah). Full of beautiful mistakes.
| D | C |
And everywhere we go (And everywhere we go). The sun will always shine
| Bm | Bb |
(The sun will always, always shine). And tomorrow we might wake on the other side.
Chorus 3
‘Cause we are beautiful no matter what they say, yes words won’t bring us down, no, no.
We are beautiful in every single way, yes words can’t bring us down, oh, no.
So don’t you bring me down today.
Outro (as verse)
| D | C | Bm | Bb |
Ooh-oh-oh, yeah. Don’t you bring me down today. Yeah, ooh.
| N.C | D | D |
Don’t you bring me down. Ooh, today.
Beautiful Chords: Dive into the Unconventional Progressions in D and G
When I encounter a tune in an awkward guitar key, I often use a capo to simplify playing a nice arrangement.
For Beautiful, I could have easily placed a capo on the first fret, thinking in the key of D. The verse chords would then be:
| D5/A (I/5) | C (bVIIx) | Bm (VI) | Bb (#V) |
As you can see, the Roman numerals are I – bVIIx – VI – #V. Two of the chords are outside the key, creating serious tension, especially the Bb!
Alternatively, we could think of it in the key of G, which would give us these Roman numerals:
| D5/A (V/5) | C (IV) | Bm (III) | Bb (bIIIx) |
Now the Bb is a bIIIx, and that still creates a lot of tension.
Neither key features diatonic chords, it’s the interplay between these keys that generates the tension in the progression—quite clever!
The chorus chords for Beautiful, in the key of D, would look like this:
| G (IV) | Em (II) | D/A (I) | C (bVIIx) | Bm (VI) |
If we think in the key of G, these chords are now diatonic:
| G (I) | Em (VI) | D/A (V) | C (IV) | Bm (III) |
You might think the chorus is clearly in G, but if you listen closely, that first G feels more like the IV chord. Again, it’s the combination of these two options that creates the distinctive sound.
There is TAB available for how to play Beautiful using these chords, as well as for my version, thinking in the keys of Eb and/or Ab. Here’s a link: Beautiful – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Below is a video of me playing Beautiful’s chords without a capo in the key of Eb—or is it Ab?
Beautiful | Chords + Lyrics (no capo)
Intro
||: Eb | Db | Cm | B5 :||
Don’t look at me.
Verse 1
||: Eb | Db | Cm | B5 :||
Every day is so wonderful, then suddenly, it’s hard to breathe.
Now and then I get insecure, from all the pain, I’m so ashamed.
Chorus 1
||: Ab5 | F5 | Eb Db | Cm :||
I am beautiful no matter what they say, words can’t bring me down.
I am beautiful in every single way, yes words can’t bring me down, oh no.
| F5 |
So don’t you bring me down today.
Instrumental
| Eb | Db | Cm | B5 |
Verse 2
To all your friends you’re delirious, so consumed in all your doom.
Trying hard to fill the emptiness, the pieces gone, left the puzzle undone. Is that the way it is?
Chorus 2
You are beautiful no matter what they say, words can’t bring you down, oh no.
You are beautiful in every single way, yes words can’t bring you down, oh no.
So don’t you bring me down today.
Middle 8
| 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
‘Cause we are beautiful no matter what they say, yes words won’t bring us down, no, no.
We are beautiful in every single way, yes words can’t bring us down, oh, no.
So don’t you bring me down today.
Outro (as verse)
||: 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 Chords: A Deep Dive into the Eb and Ab Key Transitions
The intro, verse, instrumental, m8, and outro sections are as follows:
| Eb (I or V) | Db (bVIIx or IV) | Cm (VI or III) | B5 (#V or bIIIx) |
The chorus starts on chord I, if you think of it in the key of Ab. It starts on chord IV if you think of it in the key of Eb.
These are the chords for the chorus in Eb/Ab:
| Ab (IV or I) | Fm (II or VI) | Eb (I or V) Db (bVIIx or IV) | Cm (VI or III) |
It can be tricky to fret chords in keys like Eb and Ab without using a capo. All of these chords will need to be played as barre chords. I personally only play Ab5 and F5 for ease.
To give my fingers a break, I use a C-shaped Eb chord. Since the Eb chord contains a G, I can use the open G string. I also added my little finger on string 1, which 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 major or minor chord, so it becomes 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 we have a 3rd on the third string. The open E string makes this a Badd4 chord.
For the best results, try playing Beautiful using a capo on the first fret and mostly open-position chords, and play without a capo (as I do in the video), using mostly barre chords.
Once you’ve tried both, decide what works best for you.
Here’s a chord chart I made for you, which will be very helpful once you’ve worked through all the TAB.
Beautiful Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
My chord chart is in the key of Eb, as I played it in the video.
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Beautiful chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Beautiful chord chart iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
If you want to play using a capo on fret 1 in the key of D, that particular feature will certainly come in handy.
Beautiful was recorded in a single vocal take.
Written by Linda Perry, best known for her massive hit What’s Going On with her band 4 Non Blondes, Linda refused to play Beautiful for anyone, convinced it would be a huge hit and saving it for the right artist.
Not only did she write the song, but she also produced it with Christina Aguilera on vocals. During the recording, Linda insisted on keeping the first take of Christina’s vocal, as 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 No. 1 in most countries worldwide. The song won the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 2004, proving Linda was right; that first vocal take was truly special.
At the same ceremony, Beautiful was also nominated for Song of the Year and Best Remixed Album.
The music video for Beautiful was directed by Swedish filmmaker Jonas Åkerlund, who has also directed videos for Madonna, The Cardigans, and Lady Gaga.
As with most worldwide hits, it’s not just about having a great tune—it’s about the perfect vocal, interesting chords, and a captivating music video. All of these elements came together in Beautiful.
Beautiful Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Beautiful (Christina Aguilera) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy: