A Natural Woman | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
|6/8 N.C F/C Bb/C F/C |
Verse 1
||: C | G/B | Bb | F C/E Dm :||
Looking out on the morning rain, I used to feel so uninspired.
And when I knew I had to face another day. Lord, it made me feel so tired.
Bridge 1
| Dm7 Em7 | Dm7 Em7 |
Before the day I met you, life was so unkind.
| Dm7 Em7 | Dm7 G11 |
But you’re the key to my peace of mind, ’cause you make me feel.
Chorus 1
| C F /A | C F /A |
You make me feel. You make me
| (C A G E D C) | Gsus4/D F C/E Dm |
feel like a natural woman (woman).
Verse 2
When my soul was in the lost and found, you came along to claim it.
I didn’t know just what was wrong with me. ’Til your kiss helped me name it.
Bridge 2
Now I’m no longer doubtful, of what I’m living for.
And if I make you happy I don’t need to do more, ’cause you make me feel.
Chorus 2
You make me feel. You make me
feel like a natural woman (woman).
Middle 8
| C | Gm9 |
Oh, baby, what you’ve done to me (what you’ve done to me).
| C | Gm9 |
You make me feel so good inside (good inside).
| Fmaj7 | Cm7 |
And I just want to be (want to be).
| Fmaj7 C/E | Dm7 G11 |
Close to you, you make me feel so alive.
Chorus 3
You make me feel. You make me feel.
You make me feel like a natural woman (woman).
Chorus 4
You make me feel. You make me feel.
You make me feel like a natural woman (woman).
| C F /A | C F /A |
You make me feel. You make me feel.
A Natural Woman Chords: Explore Chromatic Progressions and Slash Chords
In the key of C, we move chromatically down from the I chord, using the 3rd of the V chord, to the bVIIx. C–G/B–Bb.
This is followed by chord IV, and then a similar chromatic idea using the 3rd of chord I, down to chord II. F–C/E–Dm.
These two movements are the core of (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman‘s chords. Here’s the basic verse chord progression:
| C (I) | G/B (V/3) | Bb (bVIIx) | F (IV) C/E (I/3) Dm (II) |
If played on just one acoustic guitar, try incorporating open strings to create more voice-leading. I’ve got some TAB detailing this, here’s a link: (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
If you play (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman‘s chords on the electric guitar in a band, simple stabs using the chords of the basic progression are probably a better idea.
The bridge moves between chords II – III, Dm7–Em7, and finishes off on a G11, like this:
| Dm7 (II) Em7 (III) | Dm7 Em7 |
| Dm7 Em7 | Dm7 G11 (V) |
There’s TAB for the bridge and all other sections as well (follow the link above).
The chorus has more slash chords. Start with chords I – IV, and then chord IV with the 3rd in the bass. C–F–F/A. Since the last A is late, I find it better to write F /A than F/A, like this:
| C (I) F (IV) /A | C F /A |
A Natural Woman Chords: Delve into Descending Bass Lines and the Rare Vm Chord
This is followed by more descending bass line work. Although as we go down to a C, if you play this on one guitar, we have to start so high it doesn’t feel like a bass line.
I could have written this as chord extensions, but it felt a bit pretentious, so I just put the notes in brackets, like this:
| (C A G E D C) | Gsus4/D F C/E Dm |
As there is a case to be made for writing this as intervals instead, I did that for the chord chart below. The final bar had to be done as chords and could potentially have been explained as having a G in the bass throughout, as the bass player would play only a G.
Finally, (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman‘s middle 8 uses the extremely rare Vm chord. C–Gm9 is so unusual it makes us sit up and pay attention. This is then moved to Fmaj7–Cm7; this is the same idea in a new key.
The final line of the middle 8 brings us a modified version of an earlier chord progression as we go Fmaj7–C/E–Dm7–G11. Here’s the complete chord progression for the middle 8.
| C (I) | Gm9 (Vm) | C | Gm9 | (key of C)
| Fmaj7 (I) | Cm7 (Vm) | (key of F)
| Fmaj7 (IV) C/E (I/3) | Dm7 (II) G11 (V) | (key of C)
If you are an aspiring songwriter, you should study all chord progressions in (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.
As a guitarist, you should play it both on the acoustic alone and electric in a band, as the two require almost opposite treatment, you’ll learn so much from doing this.
Once you have been through this deep dive into (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman‘s chords, a simple chord chart is all you need to remind you how to play this epic tune. Here’s one I made for you.
A Natural Woman Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: A Natural Woman chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro. Here’s a link to that file: A Natural Woman chord chart iReal Pro. You can change the key using this and the iRealPro app.
Carole King wrote (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman!
(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman was written by lyricist Gerry Goffin and his famous wife, Carole King.
Initially released in 1967 by Aretha Franklin, it was destined to become one of her most famous hits. The song made history in the U.K. when it entered the charts over 50 years later, as Aretha passed away.
Carole King herself recorded it a year later for her legendary album Tapestry (1968). Since then, many other artists have covered it, including Celine Dion and Mary J. Blige.
And let’s not forget the millions of pro and semi-pro soul singers who sing (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman every weekend at a private party, in a bar or a club somewhere in the world.
A Natural Woman Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: A Natural Woman (Aretha Franklin) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy: