Chords + Lyrics | Easy
Intro
| Ab Cm7 | Bbm7 Eb11 |
| Ab Cm7 | Bbm7 (A) |
Verse 1
||: Ab Cm7 | Bbm7 Eb11 :||
Know it sounds funny but I just can’t stand the pain.
Girl, I’m leaving you tomorrow.
Seems to me, girl, you know I’ve done all I can.
| Ab Cm7 | Bbm7 | Eb11 |
You see, I begged, stole, and I borrowed, yeah, ooh.
Chorus 1
| Ab Cm7 | Bbm7 Eb11 | Ab Cm7 | Bbm7 Eb11 |
That’s why I’m easy, I’m easy like Sunday morning.
| Ab Cm7 | Bbm7 Eb11 | Gb Db/F Eb11 | Ab |
That’s why I’m easy, I’m easy like Sunday morning.
Verse 2
Why in the world would anybody put chains on me, yeah?
I’ve paid my dues to make it.
Everybody wants me to be, what they want me to be.
I’m not happy when I try to fake it, no, ooh.
Chorus 2
| Ab Cm7 | Bbm7 Eb11 | Ab Cm7 | Bbm7 Eb11 |
That’s why I’m easy (yeah). I’m easy like Sunday morning, yeah.
| Ab Cm7 | Bbm7 Eb11 | Gb Db/F Eb11 | Ab (Absus4) |
That’s why I’m easy, I’m easy like Sunday morning.
Middle 8
| Gb (Fm7) | Ebm7 Ab11 (Fm7) |
I wanna be high, so high, I wanna be,
| Gb (Fm7) | Ebm7 Ab11 (Fm7) |
free to know the things I do are right, I wanna be,
| Gb (Fm7) | Ebm7 Ab11 | B Gb | Bb/Eb Db | 2/4 Db |
free, just me, oh babe, Ooh.
Solo
||: 4/4 Ab Cm7 | Bbm7 Eb11 :|| x3
| Ab Cm7 | Bbm7 |
Chorus 3
| Ab Cm7 | Bbm7 Eb11 | Ab Cm7 | Bbm7 Eb11 |
That’s why I’m easy, I’m easy like Sunday morning, yeah.
| Ab Cm7 | Bbm7 Eb11 | Ab Cm7 | Bbm7 Bm7 N.C E11 |
That’s why I’m easy, I’m easy like Sunday morning, whoa.
Outro
||: A C#m7 | Bm7 E11 | A C#m7 | Bm7 E11 :||
‘Cause I’m easy, woo, easy like Sunday morning, yeah.
‘Cause I’m easy, easy like Sunday morning, whoa.
Easy Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning Easy. I’ve used stem separation to extract the guitar while keeping the drums, bass, keys, horns, strings, and vocals intact.
After studying the chords and TAB, use my backing tracks to prepare for playing this tune with a band.
Should you want to play along with the original recording instead, you need to tune your guitar sharp to 442Hz. In the backing tracks, I’ve done this job for you by tuning it to 440Hz.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
Easy is a masterclass in simple yet effective chord progressions—its title couldn’t be more fitting! The key of Ab may make it seem more complex than it is, but at its core, the song follows a straightforward I – III – II – V progression. Compare Easy with Let’s Get It On, and you’ll notice only one chord differs.
In Ab, the main progression is:
||: Ab Cm7 | Bbm7 Eb11 :||
At the end of the verse, Bbm7 and Eb11 are each given a full bar—there’s nothing more to it!
The chorus introduces a slight variation. The first time, it resolves with:
| Gb Db/F Eb11 | Ab |
The second time, it extends with:
| Gb Db/F Eb11 | Ab (Absus4 Ab) |
This is a modal interchange, yet since it leads back to Ab, it feels completely natural.
The middle eight builds on this idea:
||: Gb (Fm7) | Ebm7 Ab11 (Fm7) :||
| Gb (Fm7) | Ebm7 Ab11 |
| B Gb | Bb/Eb Db | 2/4 Db |
The final line shifts the key back to Ab, setting the stage for the legendary guitar solo which you should learn note-for-note.
I’ve got TAB for the solo and all other section available further down this guitar lesson.
After the solo, Easy returns to the chorus before modulating up a semitone with:
| Bbm7 Bm7 N.C E11 |
This leads into the final chorus in A major.
Lionel Richie truly knocked it out of the park with this one. While The Commodores had other hits like Brick House and Too Hot ta Trot, Easy has left the most lasting legacy. Also worth checking out is Faith No More’s well-known cover of the song.
Here’s a chord chart to guide you through.
Easy Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
You can download my chord chart as a PDF and/or in the iReal Pro format:
Easy | TAB
Let’s go through all of Easy‘s sections using TAB. First up is the piano intro adapted to the guitar. Notice the play on 16th notes becoming triplets, very subtle!
That last A chord takes us into the verse.
Verse
It’s important to play a smaller, more compact part once the singing starts, When you can play as the TAB feel free to start varying the part.
Chorus
The chorus uses the same chords, but we’re back playing more like the intro. The last two beats is the bass line. It’s an Ab major pentatonic, I really like how it ends on an F, taking us to Ab in the verse again.
Middle 8
This part is completely genius. We start with Gb, then play Fm7 which can be played in a shape that looks like that Gb but a tone up.
The Ebm7 is held as the bass changes to Ab, giving us an Ab11. The second time, we join in with the horns rhythmically.
Next, move up to higher strings playing the Gb as a D shape. Moving down, we play Dm shapes, again, the Ebm7 becomes Ab11 by the bass changing, we hold the chord.
Finally, we start setting up the solo.
Solo
This solo is iconic (as the kids like to say), you should play it note-for-note.
Outro
The outro is a semitone up. I’ve made some variations here between shapes and rhythms.
When you can play all the TAB, scroll back up to the backing tracks and chord chart. You can improvise using all the ideas gained here.
Easy Chords: Continue Learning
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