Adele - To Be Loved - Chord

Key Ab major – F minor Chords Db, Ab, Cm9, Fm7, Eb, Ab/Eb, Bbm7, Db/Eb … Easy key G (capo 1)

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Capo 0

Cm9
I built a house for love     to grow
Eb/G                Fm7
     I was so young     that it was hard to know
Db                      Ab/C
   I'm as lost now as I      was back then
Bbm7                       Db/Eb
     Always make a mess of       everything
Ab                           Cm9 
  It's about time that I face    myself
Eb/G                   Fm7
     All I do is bleed     into someone else
Db                            Ab/C
   Painting walls with all my      secret tears
Bbm7                           Db/Eb
     Filling rooms with all my       hopes and fears

      Ab   Eb/G     Fm7 Eb
But oh  my,    oh my
                    Db          Ab/C
I'll never learn if I never leap
                  Bbm7             Db/Eb
I'll always yearn if  I never speak

Ab         Cm9         Db
To be loved    and love  at the highest count
Eb       Fm           Ab/Eb          Db
Means to lose all the things I can't live without
    Edim7              Ab     Cm9           Db
Let it   be known that I will choose to lose
Page 1/3
                     Eb Fm              Ab/Eb
It's a sacrifice but I  can't live a lie
          Db         Dbm                Ab   Cm9 
Let it be known, let it be known that I tried

Db   Ab                   Cm9 
  I'm  so afraid but I'm open wide
Eb/G               Fm7
    I'll be the one   to catch myself this time
Db                       Ab/C
  Trying to learn to lean    in to it all
Bbm7                      Db/Eb
    Ain't it funny how the     mighty fall
Ab                           Cm9 
  Looking back I don't regret    a thing
Eb/G                           Fm7
    Yeah, I took some bad turns   that I am owning
Db                             Ab/C
  I'll stand still and let the storm pass by
Bbm7                            Db/Eb
    Keep my heart safe 'til the time feels right

    Ab    Eb/G     Fm7 Eb
But oh my,    oh my
                    Db          Ab/C
I'll never learn if I never leap
                     Bbm7           Db/Eb
I'll always yearn if I   never speak

Ab         Cm9         Db                          Eb
To be loved    and love  at the highest count Means
   Fm           Ab/Eb          Db
To lose all the things I can't live without
    Edim7              Ab     Cm9 
Let it   be known that I will choose to lose
Db                     Eb Fm              Ab/Eb
  It's a sacrifice but I  can't live a lie
               Db
Let it be known
    Dbm                Fm7  Edim7
Let it be known that I cried     for you

             Ab/Eb Bb7/D
Even started lying     to you
       Bbm7       Cm9 
What a thing to do
   Db         Db/Eb
All  because I     wanted

  Ab        Cm9         Db
To  be loved    and love  at the highest count
Eb       Fm7          Ab/Eb          Db
Means to lose all the things I can't live without
    Edim7
Let it   be known, known, known
     Ab     Cm9                Db
That I will choose, I will lose
                     Eb Fm7             Ab/Eb
It's a sacrifice but I  can't live a lie
          Db
Let it be known

    Dbm                Ab    Cm9  Db Eb       Fm   Ab/Eb Db
Let it be known that I tried,          that I tried
    Dbm                     Ab
Let it be known that I tried

End of song Play again?

Adele - To Be Loved Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Adele – To Be Loved: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Cm9 and ends on Ab. Its chords belong to both Ab major and Fm, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

Ab major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

F minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Db (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = Eb (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the Ab major side because it comes to rest on Ab and Ab is heard 28 times against 14 for Fm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from F minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to Ab or to Fm; 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 Ab major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Ab	Tonic — home	Ab · C · Eb	14×
I	Ab/Eb	Tonic — home	Ab · C · Eb	8×
I	Ab/C	Tonic — home	Ab · C · Eb	6×
ii7	Bbm7	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Bb · Db · F · Ab	7×
V7/V	Bb7/D	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Ebsecondary dominant	Bb · D · F · Ab	1×
iii7	Cm9	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	C · Eb · G · Bb · D	13×
V/vi	C	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Fmsecondary dominant	C · E · G	—
IV	Db	Subdominant — moves away from home	Db · F · Ab	22×
IV	Db/Eb	Subdominant — moves away from home	Db · F · Ab	7×
iv	Dbm	Minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	Db · Fb · Ab	4×
V	Eb	Dominant — strongest pull home	Eb · G · Bb	9×
V	Eb/G	Dominant — strongest pull home	Eb · G · Bb	6×
vii°7/vi	Edim7	Secondary leading-tone chord vii°7/vi — leads to Fmsecondary dominant	E · G · Bb · Db	4×
vi7	Fm7	Relative minor — the melancholy side	F · Ab · C · Eb	9×
vi	Fm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	F · Ab · C	5×
vii°	Gdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	G · Bb · Db	—

Seen from F minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i7	Fm7	Tonic — home	F · Ab · C · Eb	9×
i	Fm	Tonic — home	F · Ab · C	5×
ii°	Gdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G · Bb · Db	—
III	Ab	Relative major — the bright side	Ab · C · Eb	14×
III	Ab/Eb	Relative major — the bright side	Ab · C · Eb	8×
III	Ab/C	Relative major — the bright side	Ab · C · Eb	6×
iv7	Bbm7	Subdominant — moves away from home	Bb · Db · F · Ab	7×
IV7	Bb7/D	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	Bb · D · F · Ab	1×
v7	Cm9	Minor dominant — soft pull	C · Eb · G · Bb · D	13×
V	C	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	C · E · G	—
VI	Db	Submediant — warm colour	Db · F · Ab	22×
VI	Db/Eb	Submediant — warm colour	Db · F · Ab	7×
vi	Dbm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Db · Fb · Ab	4×
VII	Eb	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Eb · G · Bb	9×
VII	Eb/G	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Eb · G · Bb	6×
#vii°7	Edim7	Leading-tone chord (harmonic minor)harmonic minor	E · G · Bb · Db	4×

Analysis

The key pair is Ab major and its relative F minor (4 flats). 14 different chords appear 115 times in total; 11 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Bb7/D acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. Dbm is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

Db/Eb Ab AbIV → Iplagal cadence FmVI → III ×7
Db Eb AbIV → VIV → V FmVI → VIIVI → VII ×7
Eb/G Fm7 AbV → vi7deceptive cadence FmVII → i7Aeolian arrival ×6
Db Ab/C AbIV → Iplagal cadence FmVI → III ×6
Eb Fm AbV → videceptive cadence FmVII → iAeolian arrival ×5
Dbm Ab Abiv → Iminor plagal Fmvi → III ×3

The move to watch is Db/Eb → Ab, heard 7 times. From the Ab side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the Fm side it is VI → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

Ab major pentatonic and F minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Ab – Bb – C – Eb – F): start from Ab for a brighter phrase, from F for a bluesier one.
Over Db, land on Db, F, Ab — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Ab, land on Ab, C, Eb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Cm9, land on C, Eb, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
On Dbm, follow the chord's notes (Db · Fb · Ab) 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 Ab major shapes

Capo 1 + G shapes
Capo 4 + E shapes
Capo 6 + D shapes

With F minor shapes

Capo 1 + Em shapes
Capo 3 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

1 semitone down · capo 1 keeps the original pitch
4 semitones up

The song's harmonic story

Starting on Cm9, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. Db, Ab, Cm9, Fm7 carry the song: IV–I–iii7–vi7 relative to Ab, VI–III–v7–i7 relative to Fm. Edim7 adds a moment of surprise: secondary leading-tone chord vii°7/vi — leads to Fm. Keep an ear on Db/Eb → Ab (IV → I in Ab, VI → III in Fm): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. Ending on Ab, the song seals Ab as home.

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.