Havana | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
||: Gm7 Eb | D7 (D7b9) :||
Hey
Chorus 1
||: Gm7 Eb | D7 (D7b9) :||
Havana, ooh na-na (ayy), half of my heart is in,
Havana, ooh na-na (ayy, ayy). He took me back to,
East Atlanta, na-na-na, ah. Oh, but my heart is in,
| Gm7 Eb | N.C |
Havana (ayy), there’s somethin’ ’bout his manners (uh-huh). Havana, ooh-na-na (uh).
Verse 1
||: Gm7 Eb | D7 (D7b9) :||
He didn’t walk up with that “how you doin’?” (uh). When he came in the room.
He said there’s a lot of girls I can do with (uh). But I can’t without you.
I knew him forever in a minute (hey). That summer night in June.
And Papa says he got malo in him (uh). He got me feelin’ like…
Bridge 1
| Gm7 Eb | D7 |
Ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh (ayy).
| Gm7 Eb | D7 (D7b9) |
I knew it when I met him, I loved him when I left him.
| Gm7 Eb | D7 (D7b9) |
Got me feelin’ like, ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh.
| Gm7 Eb | N.C |
And then I had to tell him, I had to go. Oh-na-na-na-na-na (woo).
Chorus 2
||: Gm7 Eb | D7 (D7b9) :||
Havana, ooh na-na (ayy, ayy), half of my heart is in,
Havana, ooh na-na (ayy, ayy). He took me back to,
East Atlanta, na-na-na (uh huh).
Oh, but my heart is in Havana, my heart is in Havana, Havana, ooh-na-na.
Verse (rap)
||: Gm7 Eb | D7 :||
Jeffery, just graduated, fresh on campus, hmmm.
Fresh out East Atlanta with no manners, damn.
(Fresh out East Atlanta) Bump on her bumper like a traffic jam.
Hey, I was quick to pay that girl like Uncle Sam (here you go, ayy).
Back it on me (back it up). Shawty cravin’ on me, get to eatin’ on me (on me).
She waited on me (then what?). Shawty cakin’ on me, got the bacon on me (wait up)
This is history in the makin’, on me (on me). Point blank, close range, that B.
If it cost a million, that’s me (that’s me), I was gettin’ mula, baby.
Chorus 3 (as chorus 2)
Havana, ooh na-na (ayy, ayy). Half of my heart is in,
Havana, ooh na-na (oh, ayy, ayy). He took me back (uh huh) to,
East Atlanta, na-na-na (oh, no). Oh, but my heart is in Havana (ayy).
My heart is in Havana (ayy), Havana, ooh-na-na.
Bridge 2
||: Gm7 Eb | D7 (D7b9) :||
Ooh-na-na, oh-na-na-na (ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh). Take me back, back, back like.
Ooh-na-na, oh-na-na-na (yeah, babe). Take me back, back, back like.
Ooh-na-na, oh-na-na-na (yeah, yeah). Take me back, back, back like.
Ooh-na-na, oh-na-na-na (yeah, babe). Take me back, back, back.
Instrumental 1
||: Gm7 Eb | D7 (D7b9) :||
Hey, hey, hey.
Hey, hey, hey.
Ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh (hey, hey)
Ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh (hey, hey)
Take me back to my Havana.
Chorus 4 (as chorus 1)
Havana, ooh na-na (hey). Half of my heart is in,
Havana, ooh na-na (oh, yeah). He took me back to,
East Atlanta, (ayy, ayy) na-na-na. Oh, but my heart is in Havana.
My heart is in Havana (ayy). Havana, ooh-na-na.
Outro (as chorus 1)
Uh-huh. Oh, na-na-na (oh, na, yeah)
Oh, na-na-na (hey).
Oh, na-na-na (no, no, no, take me back)
Oh, na-na-na. Havana, ooh-na-na.
Havana Chords: Learn the progressions
I like to think of Havana’s chords as the end of a minor blues. For example, like The Thrill Is Gone.
The home chord is Aeolian/Natural Minor. I like to call this chord VI, staying with the Roman Numerals as they naturally play out.
This makes the other two chords IV (Lydian) and IIIx (Phrygian Dominant). In the key of Gm, this creates this chord progression:
||: Gm7 (VI) Eb (IV) | D7 (IIIx) D7b9 :||
That D7b9 is added and taken away in different ways throughout. You could also experiment with a D7#5, even combine all three. Chords with b9‘s and #5‘s can be called altered as an umbrella term for a reason, experiment!
You could also extend the Eb chord to an Ebmaj7 and perhaps play Gm7 as just a straight Gm chord sometimes.
To solo over this chord progression could be done with just the G minor scale, perhaps adding a b5 and maj7. In my minor scales course, I call this a Conspirian scale, combined with Aeolian.
Try it now along with the original recording, the full-scale formula is: 1 2 b3 4 b5 5 b6 b7 7. In the key of Gm this is G – A – Bb – C – Db – D – Eb – F – F#.
I feel Havana is a great addition to the set list for the working band or duo as the chords are so simple we can focus on dynamics, solos, and breakdowns. I.e., make music with the tune, rather than desperately try to follow a complicated arrangement.
Should you not have anyone in the band who wants to rap, you could solo instead!
For some ideas in TAB, check that part of the lesson here: Havana – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
When you feel comfortable playing Havana, a simple chord chart may be helpful, here’s one I made for you.
Havana Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
As you can see, my chord chart simply lists the different sections, and then uses text to describe the form. When a tune is this simple, I prefer this to Segno and coda signs.
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Havana Chord Chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Havana iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
Havana was Camila Cabello’s breakthrough single!
When Cabello released Havana, she was already famous. Having spent almost half a decade in the singing competition X Factor and with the band she formed there, Fifth Harmony.
She’d also collaborated with other teenage pop stars, Shawn Mendes and Machine Gun Kelly.
All this was the perfect platform to launch an international hit to set up the debut album in 2017.
Havana, which is also where she was born, delivered in buckets as it won 9 Awards, topped the charts in 23 countries and sold 19 million digital copies.
Camila Cabello went from famous to superstar, seemingly overnight but it took Simon Cowell 5 years.
Five years may seem like a long time, but it’s not, in most cases it takes 10 years to create an overnight success, as long as you have a hit tune that is…
Havana Chords | Related Pages
Havana | Guitar Lesson + TAB
In this lesson, you get three pieces of TAB for how to play Havana‘s seemingly simple chord progression. Example 3 is very complex.
| Gm7 Eb | D7 |
Havana, ooh na-na (ayy), half of my heart is in…
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
- I Heard It Through The Grapevine chords by Marvin Gaye
- Killing Me Softly With His Song chords by Roberta Flack
- Señorita chords by Camila Cabello
- Shape of You chords by Ed Sheeran
- Watermelon Sugar chords by Harry Styles
Camila Cabello tunes
Following in Harry Styles’s footsteps, Camila Cabello came to fame through the TV show X Factor and the girl band Fifth Harmony.
Her best tunes include Crying In The Club, Havana, Sangria Wine, Señorita, and Bam Bam.
Camila Cabello on the web
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was a guitar lesson about Havana chords, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and how you can learn guitar with Spytunes.
Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not practising scales, and studying theory in isolation.
