Lady Gaga - A Star Is Born - Always Remember Us This Way - Chord

Key C major – A minor Chords F, G, C, Am, Bb Easy key G (capo 5)

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Capo 0

Am                  F
That Arizona sky burning in your eyes
    C                                      G
You look at me and, babe, I wanna catch on fire
                  Am                   F
It’s buried in my soul like California gold
    C                                     G
You found the light in me that I couldn’t find

            F                                  C
So when I'm all choked up and I can't find the words
      Am                           G
Every time we say goodbye baby, it hurts
         F   G    Am              F   G     C
When the sun goes down   And the band won't play
     F       G               C
I'll always remember us this way

              Am                    F
Lovers in the night poets trying to write
   C                                   G
We don't know how to rhyme but damn we try
                 Am                        F
But all I really know you're where I wanna go
    C                                G
The part of me that's you will never die

            F                                  C
So when I'm all choked up and I can't find the words
      Am                           G
Every time we say goodbye baby, it hurts
         F   G    Am              F   G     C
When the sun goes down   And the band won't play
     F        G              Bb         Bb
I'll always remember us this way   Oh, yeah

F                                     C
I don't wanna be just a memory, baby, yeah
C
Hoo oo oo, hoo oo oo, oo   oo.
Bb
Hoo oo oo, hoo oo oo, oo   oo.
F                              G
Hoo oo oo, hoo oo oo, oo       oo.

            F                                  C
So when I'm all choked up and I can't find the words
      Am                           G
Every time we say goodbye baby, it hurts
         F   G    Am           F    G     C
When the sun goes down and the band won't play
     F       G               Am
I'll always remember us this way – Wo o yeah

         F    G  Am         F     G     C
When you look at me and the whole world fades
     F       G                   F   Bb  F  C
I'll always remember us this way

End of song Play again?

Lady Gaga - A Star Is Born - Always Remember Us This Way Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Lady Gaga – A Star Is Born - Always Remember Us This Way: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Am and ends on C. Its chords belong to both C major and Am, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

C major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = B (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = F (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

A minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = F (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = G (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the C major side because it comes to rest on C, it opens on Am and C is heard 15 times against 12 for Am. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from A minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to C or to Am; comparing both readings is a practice of its own.

Every chord of the key, listed 1 to 7 separately for each key. Chords played in the song show how often they appear; chords from outside the scale sit next to their own degree.

Seen from C major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	C	Tonic — home	C · E · G	15×
ii	Dm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · A	—
iii	Em	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	E · G · B	—
V/vi	E	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	—
IV	F	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · A · C	23×
V	G	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	20×
vi	Am	Relative minor — the melancholy side	A · C · E	12×
bVII	Bb	bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord	Bb · D · F	4×
vii°	Bdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	B · D · F	—

Seen from A minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Am	Tonic — home	A · C · E	12×
bII	Bb	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	Bb · D · F	4×
ii°	Bdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F	—
III	C	Relative major — the bright side	C · E · G	15×
iv	Dm	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F · A	—
v	Em	Minor dominant — soft pull	E · G · B	—
V	E	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	E · G# · B	—
VI	F	Submediant — warm colour	F · A · C	23×
VII	G	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D	20×

Analysis

The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 5 different chords appear 74 times in total; 4 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Bb is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

F G CIV → VIV → V AmVI → VIIVI → VII ×13
F C CIV → Iplagal cadence AmVI → III ×9
G Am CV → videceptive cadence AmVII → iAeolian arrival ×7
G C CV → Iauthentic cadence AmVII → III ×5

The move to watch is F → G, heard 13 times. From the C side it reads IV → V (IV → V: the lift that builds tension before home); from the Am side it is VI → VII (VI → VII: the rising step that heads for the tonic). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

C major pentatonic and A minor pentatonic are the same five notes (C – D – E – G – A): start from C for a brighter phrase, from A for a bluesier one.
Over F, land on F, A, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over G, land on G, B, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over C, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
On Bb, follow the chord's notes (Bb · D · F) rather than the key's scale — it's a borrowed colour.

The song on the circle of fifths

Played in the song — chord of the key
Played — the minor's harmonic V or a secondary dominant
Played — borrowed or outside chord
Home region: IV–I–V and ii–vi–iii

Empty slices are chords the song doesn't use.

Capo and easier keys

With C major shapes

No capo — open C shapes
Capo 3 + A shapes
Capo 5 + G shapes

With A minor shapes

No capo — open Am shapes
Capo 5 + Em shapes
Capo 7 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch
2 semitones up

The song's harmonic story

The first chord is Am; the ear learns where home is within a second. The backbone is F, G, C, Am — IV–V–I–vi from the C side, VI–VII–III–i from the Am side. Bb briefly darkens the picture: bvii — borrowed (mixolydian / parallel minor). Keep an ear on F → G (IV → V in C, VI → VII in Am): IV → V — the lift that builds tension before home. The final chord is C; the ear comes to rest in C.

This analysis is generated from the song's chords by akorculuk's harmony engine using consistent rules. When you change key, the degrees stay the same; only the chord names change.