Bad Day by Daniel Powter is played in the key of C at a beginner difficulty level, originally released in the 2000s. It uses 4 chords — C G Am F — arranged in the I-V-vi-IV progression.
About the I-V-vi-IV progression
The I-V-vi-IV pattern is the most common chord progression in modern pop. It moves from the tonic home chord to the dominant (V), drops to the relative minor (vi) for emotional weight, then resolves through the subdominant (IV) back to home. Hundreds of hit songs are built on this shape, from "Let It Be" and "Don't Stop Believin'" to nearly every four-chord Top 40 song of the past thirty years.
Playing in the key of C
C major is the theoretical home key of Western music: all natural notes, no sharps or flats. On guitar, C, Am, Em, F, and G are the working chords. The one wrinkle is F, which as the IV chord requires either a barre or a partial shape — the first "difficult" chord most beginners meet.
Related songs
More songs in the key of C
More songs using the I-V-vi-IV progression
Learn to play Bad Day by Daniel Powter on guitar. It sits in the key of C and uses the I-V-vi-IV progression with the chords C G Am F.