Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Head Over Heels on piano
By The Go-Go's
- D major
- 2/2
- 154 BPM
- 1984
- Medium
Learn Head Over Heels in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: D – A – E – B
Head Over Heels sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; A is A, C# and E; E is E, G# and B; B is B, D# and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DIAVEIIBVI- DD · F# · A
- AA · C# · E
- EE · G# · B
- BB · D# · F#
- 2
Left hand: Heartbeat octaves
Low, high, low, high: a bouncing heartbeat. Musicians call it rocking octaves (rocking octaves), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Ticking clock
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 154 BPM
Put the two hands together over the loop. Start at half speed with the player's speed control, and bring it up once every change is easy.
- 5
Ending: G – A – D
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GAD- GG · B · D
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Questions about Head Over Heels
What chords are in Head Over Heels?
The loop is D – A – E – B (I – V – II – VI) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.
What key is Head Over Heels in?
D major, at about 154 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Head Over Heels?
Heartbeat octaves: rocking octaves, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Head Over Heels easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.