Shawn Mendes - Never Be Alone - Chord

Key Bb major – G minor Chords C, G, Em, G/F#, D, B7/D#, C/G, D9 … Difficulty already in its easiest key

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Capo 0

Em  C  G  G/F#

    Em
I promise that one day 
          C
I'll be around, I'll keep you safe
               G  
I'll keep you sound
G/F#         Em
      Right now it's pretty crazy
       C
And I don't know 
                        G
how to stop or slow it down

 C
Hey, I know there are some things 
            Em
We need to talk about
              C
And I can't stay just let me hold you 
              D
For a little longer now

 G                  C
Take a piece of my heart
                     G
And make it all your own
                 D9
So when we are apart
        B7/D#     Em
You'll never be alone
C                   G    G/F#
  You'll never be alone

              G/F#  Em
You'll never be   alone

Em                             C
   When you miss me close your eyes
                        G
I may be far but never gone

  G/F#     Em       
When you  fall asleep tonight 
        C
Just remember that we lay 
           G  
Under the same stars

 C
Hey, I know there are some things 
            Em
We need to talk about
              C
And I can't stay just let me hold you 
              D
For a little longer now

 G                  C
Take a piece of my heart
                     G
And make it all your own
                 D2
So when we are apart
        B7/D#     Em
You'll never be alone
C                   G
  You'll never be alone
C                   Em  C  G
  You'll never be alone
              G/F#  Em  C  G
You'll never be   alone
              G/F#  Em  C  G
You'll never be   alone
              G/F#  Em  C  G
You'll never be   alone

 G                  C/G
Take a piece of my heart
                     G
And make it all your own
                 D
So when we are apart
        B7/D#     Em
You'll never be alone
C/G                 G
  You'll never be alone

End of song Play again?

Shawn Mendes - Never Be Alone Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Shawn Mendes – Never Be Alone: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Em and ends on G. Its chords belong to both Bb major and Gm, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

Bb major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

G minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Eb (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = F (natural-minor colour)
#7 = F# (harmonic-minor leading tone from the V chord)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the G minor side because the major V chord points straight at Gm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Bb 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 Bb or to Gm; 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 Bb major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Bb	Tonic — home	Bb · D · F	—
bII7	B7/D#	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	B · D# · F# · A	3×
ii	Cm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	C · Eb · G	—
II	C	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · E · G	18×
II	C/G	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · E · G	2×
IIIsus2	D2	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	D · E · A	1×
iii	Dm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	D · F · A	—
V/vi	D	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Gmsecondary dominant	D · F# · A	3×
V7/vi	D9	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Gmsecondary dominant	D · F# · A · C · E	1×
IV	Eb	Subdominant — moves away from home	Eb · G · Bb	—
#iv	Em	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G · B	15×
V	F	Dominant — strongest pull home	F · A · C	—
vi	Gm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	G · Bb · D	—
V/ii	G	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Cmsecondary dominant	G · B · D	18×
V/ii	G/F#	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Cmsecondary dominant	G · B · D	8×
vii°	Adim	Leading-tone chord — tension	A · C · Eb	—

Seen from G minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Gm	Tonic — home	G · Bb · D	—
V/iv	G	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Cmsecondary dominant	G · B · D	18×
V/iv	G/F#	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Cmsecondary dominant	G · B · D	8×
ii°	Adim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · Eb	—
III	Bb	Relative major — the bright side	Bb · D · F	—
#III7	B7/D#	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D# · F# · A	3×
iv	Cm	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · Eb · G	—
IV	C	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	C · E · G	18×
IV	C/G	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	C · E · G	2×
Vsus2	D2	Minor dominant — soft pull	D · E · A	1×
v	Dm	Minor dominant — soft pull	D · F · A	—
V	D	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	D · F# · A	3×
V7	D9	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	D · F# · A · C · E	1×
VI	Eb	Submediant — warm colour	Eb · G · Bb	—
#vi	Em	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G · B	15×
VII	F	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	F · A · C	—

Analysis

The key pair is Bb major and its relative G minor (2 flats). 9 different chords appear 69 times in total; 1 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Gm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from Bb, the same D / D9 is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Gm. G, G/F# act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. B7/D# is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

B7/D# Em BbbII7 → #ivsecondary resolution Gm#III7 → #vi ×3

The move to watch is B7/D# → Em, heard 3 times. From the Gm side it is #III7 → #vi; from the Bb side it reads bII7 → #iv (secondary resolution: B7/D# resolves a fourth up to Em). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

Bb major pentatonic and G minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Bb – C – D – F – G): start from Bb for a brighter phrase, from G for a bluesier one.
Over C, land on C, E, G — 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 Em, land on E, G, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When D comes, swap the scale's F for F#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
On B7/D#, follow the chord's notes (B · D# · F# · A) 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 Bb major shapes

Capo 1 + A shapes
Capo 3 + G shapes
Capo 6 + E shapes

With G minor shapes

Capo 3 + Em shapes
Capo 5 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.

The song's harmonic story

The opening Em lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The backbone is C, G, Em, G/F# — II–V/ii–#iv–V/ii from the Bb side, IV–V/iv–#vi–V/iv from the Gm side. G is the interesting twist: in Bb it is a chromatic chord (V/ii), while in Gm it becomes the dominant (V/iv) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on B7/D# → Em (bII7 → #iv in Bb, #III7 → #vi in Gm): secondary resolution — B7/D# resolves a fourth up to Em. The final chord is G; the ear comes to rest in Bb.

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.