Chords + Lyrics | Isn’t She Lovely
Intro
| C#m7 | F#9 | B11 B9 | E |
Chorus 1
||: C#m7 | F#9 | B11 B9 | E :||
Isn’t she lovely? Isn’t she wonderful?
Isn’t she precious? Less than one minute old.
Verse 1
| Amaj7 | G#7#5 |
I never thought through love we’d be.
| C#m7 | F#9 |
Making one as lovely as she.
| B11 | B9 | E N.C | E N.C G#7 |
But isn’t she lovely made from love?
Chorus 2
Isn’t she pretty? Truly the angel’s best.
Boy, I’m so happy We have been Heaven-blessed.
Verse 2
I can’t believe what God has done.
Through us, He’s given life to one.
But isn’t she lovely made from love?
Solo 1
| C#m7 | F#9 | B11 | E |
| C#m7 | F#9 | B11 | E |
| Amaj7 | G#7#5 | C#m7 | F#9 |
| B11 | B9 | E N.C | E N.C G#7 |
Chorus 3
Isn’t she lovely? Life and love are the same.
Life is Aisha. The meaning of her name.
Verse 3
Londie, it could have not been done.
Without you who conceived the one.
That’s so very lovely made from love. Hey!
Solo 2
||: C#m7 | F#9 | B11 | E |
| C#m7 | F#9 | B11 | E |
| Amaj7 | G#7#5 | C#m7 | F#9 |
| B11 | B9 | E N.C | E N.C G#7 :||
Isn’t She Lovely Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning Isn’t She Lovely. I’ve used stem-seperation to extract the guitar, strings, and harmonica while keeping the drums, bass, keys, 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?
In the key of E, Isn’t She Lovely uses chords that remain close to the tonic, making it a relatively straightforward tune to navigate. Let’s break down each section, starting with the chorus.
Chorus
The chorus progression is:
| C#m7 (VI) | F#9 (IIx) | B11 B9 (V) | E (I) |
Using Roman numerals, this spells out VI – IIx – V – I. Placing the I chord at the end creates a natural loop that pulls you effortlessly back. The only chord outside the key is the IIx, which would normally be minor.
To get 12 TAB ideas for how to play these chords, whether in a band with keyboards or not, check the TAB lesson here: Isn’t She Lovely – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Verse
The verse begins on chord IV:
| Amaj7 (IV) | G#7#5 (IIIx) | C#m7 (VI) | F#9 (IIx) |
| B11 (V) | B9 | E (I) | E G#7 |
The G#7#5 functions as IIIx, with its #5 (or b13) adding tension. This points to the Phrygian Dominant mode rather than a diatonic Phrygian scale. After the opening two chords, we move through the same progression used in the chorus, simply extending the final two chords — a subtle but brilliant touch.
The final scale played after the stop is an E major scale without the 4th, starting on the 5th.
Here’s a chord chart to help you play through Isn’t She Lovely.
Isn’t She Lovely Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Download this classic tune as a simple PDF, or in the more flexible iReal Pro format.
Isn’t She Lovely | TAB
To play this well, you must improvise — that’s the style here. To get there, it’s a great idea to practise several concepts rigidly first and then let go of them once you feel comfortable.
With that in mind, I’ve come up with six ideas, all adapted for the chorus.
Chorus ideas 1-6
The first concept is to simply play the chords one at a time. Use a tremolo effect and let the keyboard player handle the rhythmic work.
Next, we add a triplet, then hold the final note with the chord.
Now we start strumming in a swing feel. I’ve added B9 and E6 here.
Here’s an adaptation of the keyboard part. I couldn’t decide how to end it, so I made three options for you. The more I play this, the less I like the 6 extension in general.
Next, we move to a picked line.
And finally, we blend picking with strumming.
Verse
Let’s run all these concepts over the verse chords and then play that scale at the end — an E major scale without the 4th, starting on the 5th.
I’m varying the E chord shape in the next example.
Here we return to the first E chord shape and keep moving between them from now on.
The next idea is the most difficult approach again.
Here’s what idea 5 looks like for the verse.
Here’s what idea 6 looks like over the verse.
When you can play all this TAB, see if you can play the tune in an improvised way using only the chord chart and backing tracks above for reference.
The Heartwarming Story Behind the Song
Isn’t She Lovely? is one of the most cherished tracks from Stevie Wonder’s landmark album Songs In The Key of Life.
Interestingly, it was never released as a single at the time. Stevie refused to shorten it to meet radio-play requirements, which was standard practice in the ’70s. Despite this, the song became hugely popular anyway, thanks to constant radio rotation and word of mouth. Over the years it has grown into a modern standard, instantly recognisable from its first notes.
Stevie’s extraordinary musicianship is on full display, as he produced the track and played almost every instrument himself. The only additional contributions came from keyboardist Greg Phillinganes and, most memorably, his daughter Aisha Morris. Her playful sounds – recorded while she was in the bath – add a charming, authentic touch to a song written in celebration of her birth.
The album itself is packed with classics, including Sir Duke, I Wish, and As, cementing Songs In The Key of Life as one of the most important records in popular music.
Isn’t She Lovely Chords: Continue Learning
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