Chords + Lyrics | Havana
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 Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning Camila Cabello‘s Havana. I’ve used stem separation to extract the guitar while keeping the drums, bass, keys, horns, and vocals intact.
After studying the chords and TAB, use my backing tracks to prepare for playing this tune with a band.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
I like to think of Havana‘s chords as the ending of a minor blues, similar to The Thrill Is Gone.
The home chord is Aeolian/Natural Minor, which I call VI, following the natural flow of Roman numerals. This places the other two chords as IV (Lydian) and IIIx (Phrygian Dominant). In the key of Gm, the progression looks like this:
||: Gm7 (VI) Eb (IV) | D7 (IIIx) D7b9 :||
The D7b9 is added and removed in various ways throughout. You could also experiment with a D7#5, or even blend them. Altered chords like these offer plenty of room for creativity—try different variations!
The Eb chord could be extended to Ebmaj7, and sometimes playing Gm7 as a straight Gm adds a nice touch.
For soloing, the G minor scale works well, with added b5 and maj7 tones for extra colour. In my minor scales course, I refer to this combination as the Conspirian scale. Try it along with the backing tracks.
Scale formula: 1 – 2 – b3 – 4 – b5 – 5 – b6 – b7 – 7
In Gm: G – A – Bb – C – Db – D – Eb – F – F#.
Havana is a great addition to a setlist for a working band or duo. The simple chords allow more focus on dynamics, solos, and breakdowns—letting you shape the song musically rather than getting caught up in a complex arrangement.
If no one in the band wants to rap, just solo instead!
For ideas in TAB about playing the main riff, keep scrolling down this guitar lesson.
Once you’re comfortable with Havana’s chords, a simple chord chart may be helpful—here’s one I made for you.
Havana Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
As you can see, my chord chart 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 | TAB
There’s so much music in just these three chords, let’s explore some TAB to uncover what’s going on!
Learn these patterns first, then start combining and improvising using them as a foundation. Here’s idea 1:
We start with a Gm7 (chord VI), then move to chord IV (Eb), playing chord IIIx (D7) early. Beat 1 of bar two is rested, then we arpeggiate up to a dom7b9 before returning to D7.
In the second half, the Eb chord shifts function—its 5th doubles as the m3rd of Gm. Since there’s no clear chord, we label it Eb5.
The D7 then reappears, again resting on beat 1, this time extended to a D7#5 instead of D7b9.
Make sure you can play this confidently before moving on to idea 2:
Here we play Gm an octave up, mimicking the original piano part. The Eb and D7 stay the same as idea 1, and the next D7 is a simple arpeggio.
In the second half, we play a Gm7, with the b7 arriving late—almost suggesting Gm/F. The Eb is also delayed and feels more like an extension: Ebmaj7 or possibly Eb/D.
The final bar uses the D7b9 in a new, temporary way. Take it slowly—yes, you’ll be improvising soon, but not quite yet.
Here’s the final example—this one’s tricky:
As before, the b7 is delayed in bar 1. The Eb is straightforward, and the D7b9 lasts just an 8th note before returning to D7.
Bar 3 introduces a Gm(maj7)—very Latin!—leading chromatically to the Eb chord. The final D7 features a long bass line that walks us back to Gm. Practise slowly and precisely.
Once you’ve got this under your fingers, it’s time to improvise to the backing tracks—this tune is awesome!
Havana Chords: Continue Learning
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