Adele - Love In The Dark - Chord

Key C major – A minor Chords Am, C, F, Em, G7, G/C, F9, Cmaj7 … Easy key G (capo 5)

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Capo 0

Am  C  Em  F

  Am       C            Em          F
 Take your eyes off of me so I can leave
      Am     C             Em               F
 I'm far too ashamed to do it with you watching me
   Am          C                Em        F
 This is never ending, we have been here before
     Am                 C                   Em          F
 But I can't stay this time 'cause I don't love you anymore

           Am           Cmaj7
 Please, stay where you are
            Em    F
 Don't come any closer
         Am              Cmaj7
 Don't try to change my mind
             Em         F
 I'm being cruel to be kind

          F9   G7         Am G/C C G/C
 I can't love you in the dark
                     F9 G7  Am   G/C C G/C
 It feels like we're oceans apart
          F9              G7
 There's so much space between us
             Am        G/C C G/C
 Maybe we're already defeated
 F9  G7
Ehhh
Am     Cmaj7 C C9
 Everything changed me

  Am             C                Em              F
 You have given me something that I cant live without
      Am        C                 Em             F
 You mustn't underestimate that when you are in doubt
     Am            C           Em             F
 But I don't want to carry on like everything is fine
      Am          C               Em                F
 The longer we ignore it all the more that we will fight

         Am          Cmaj7
 Please don't fall apart
          Em                 F
 I can't face your breaking heart
       Am           Cmaj7
 I'm trying to be brave
      Em             F
 Stop asking me to stay

               F9   G7         Am G/C C G/C
 I can't love you in the dark
                     F9 G7  Am   G/C C G/C
 It feels like we're oceans apart
          F9              G7
 There's so much space between us
             Am        G/C C G/C
 Maybe we're already defeated
 F9  G7
Ehhh
Am     Cmaj7 C C9
 Everything changed me

                F
 We are not the only ones
          G7
 I don't regret a thing
        Em
 Every word I said
               Am
 You know I'll always mean
            F
 It is the world to me
              G7
 That you are in my life
        Dm
 But I want to live and not just survive

                     F    G7         Am  C
 That's why I can't love you in the dark
                     F  G7  Am    C
 It feels like we're oceans apart
          F                G7
 There's so much space between us
             Am       C
 Maybe we're already defeated
        F  G7
 'Cause ehhh
              Am     Em  C
 Everything changed me
     F
 And I
 G7                     Am   Am
 I don't think you can save me

End of song Play again?

Adele - Love In The Dark Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Adele – Love In The Dark: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Am and ends on Am. 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 A minor side because it both starts and finishes on Am and C is heard 29 times against 28 for Am. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from C major, and switching between the two views is exactly where the practice value lies.

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	21×
Imaj7	Cmaj7	Tonic — home	C · E · G · B	6×
V7/IV	C9	Secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Fsecondary dominant	C · E · G · Bb · D	2×
ii	Dm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · A	1×
iii	Em	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	E · G · B	15×
V/vi	E	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	—
IV	F	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · A · C	20×
IV7	F9	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F · A · C · Eb · G	8×
V7	G7	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D · F	15×
V	G/C	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	12×
vi	Am	Relative minor — the melancholy side	A · C · E	28×
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	28×
ii°	Bdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F	—
III	C	Relative major — the bright side	C · E · G	21×
IIImaj7	Cmaj7	Relative major — the bright side	C · E · G · B	6×
V7/VI	C9	Secondary dominant V/VI — leads to Fsecondary dominant	C · E · G · Bb · D	2×
iv	Dm	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F · A	1×
v	Em	Minor dominant — soft pull	E · G · B	15×
V	E	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	E · G# · B	—
VI	F	Submediant — warm colour	F · A · C	20×
VI7	F9	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F · A · C · Eb · G	8×
VII7	G7	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D · F	15×
VII	G/C	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D	12×

Analysis

The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 10 different chords appear 128 times in total; 8 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. C9 acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

G7 Am CV7 → videceptive cadence AmVII7 → iAeolian arrival ×13
F Am CIV → vi AmVI → iVI → i ×11
F9 G7 CIV7 → V7IV → V AmVI7 → VII7VI → VII ×8
F G7 CIV → V7IV → V AmVI → VII7VI → VII ×7
G/C C CV → Iauthentic cadence AmVII → III ×6
C9 F CV7/IV → IVsecondary resolution AmV7/VI → VI ×1

The move to watch is G7 → Am, heard 13 times. From the Am side it is VII7 → i (Aeolian arrival: rises a whole tone into home); from the C side it reads V7 → vi (deceptive cadence: expected C, lands on Am). 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 Am, land on A, C, E — 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.
Over F, land on F, A, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.

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

The song's harmonic story

The opening Am lays a solid floor for everything that follows. Am, C, F, Em carry the song: vi–I–IV–iii relative to C, i–III–VI–v relative to Am. C9 adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/IV — leads to F. Keep an ear on G7 → Am (V7 → vi in C, VII7 → i in Am): Aeolian arrival — rises a whole tone into home. It closes on Am, letting the Am side have the last word.

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.