Eric Clapton - Old Love - Chord

Key C major – A minor Chords Am7, Dm7, G4, G, F, E7, Am, D7 Easy key G (capo 5)

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Capo 0

Am7

Am7  Dm7                   G4  G
     I can feel your body
Am7  Dm7                   G4  G 
     When I`m lying in bed
Am7  Dm7                  G4  G
     There's too much confusion
Am7  Dm7          G4             G
     Going around through my head
     
     F                        E7
     And it makes me so angry
                                  Am  Am7  D7
     To know that the flame still burns
     F                     E7
     Why can't I get over
                      F      E7 
     When will I ever learn
                 Am7  Dm7  G4  G      Am7  Dm7  G4  G
     Old love,         leave me alone
         Am7  Dm7  G4  G        Am7  Dm7  G4  G
     Old love,         go on home
     
Am7  Dm7                 G4  G
     I can see your face
Am7  Dm7                        G4  G
     But I know that it's not real
Am7  Dm7                  G4  G
     It's just an illusion
Am7  Dm7                        G4  G
     Caused by how I used to feel
     
     F                        E7
     And it makes me so angry
                                        Am  Am7  D7
     To know that the flame will always burn
     F                    E7
     I'll never get over
                                F      E7 
     I know now that I'll never learn
     
         Am7  Dm7  G4  G           Am7  Dm7  G4  G
     Old love,         leave me alone
         Am7  Dm7  G4  G        Am7  Dm7  G4  G
     Old love,         go on home

End of song Play again?

Eric Clapton - Old Love Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Eric Clapton – Old Love: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Am7 and ends on G. 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)
#7 = G# (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 A minor side because it opens on Am, Am is heard 21 times while C never appears and the major V chord points straight at 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	—
ii7	Dm7	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · A · C	16×
V7/V	D7	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Gsecondary dominant	D · F# · A · C	2×
iii	Em	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	E · G · B	—
V7/vi	E7	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B · D	6×
IV	F	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · A · C	6×
V	G4	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	16×
V	G	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	16×
vi7	Am7	Relative minor — the melancholy side	A · C · E · G	19×
vi	Am	Relative minor — the melancholy side	A · C · E	2×
vii°	Bdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	B · D · F	—

Seen from A minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i7	Am7	Tonic — home	A · C · E · G	19×
i	Am	Tonic — home	A · C · E	2×
ii°	Bdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F	—
III	C	Relative major — the bright side	C · E · G	—
iv7	Dm7	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F · A · C	16×
IV7	D7	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	D · F# · A · C	2×
v	Em	Minor dominant — soft pull	E · G · B	—
V7	E7	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	E · G# · B · D	6×
VI	F	Submediant — warm colour	F · A · C	6×
VII	G4	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D	16×
VII	G	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D	16×

Analysis

The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 8 different chords appear 83 times in total; 6 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Am brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from C, the same E7 is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Am. D7 acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

Dm7 G4 Cii7 → Vii → V Amiv7 → VII ×16
G Am7 CV → vi7deceptive cadence AmVII → i7Aeolian arrival ×13
E7 Am CV7/vi → visecondary resolution AmV7 → iharmonic-minor cadence ×2
E7 Am7 CV7/vi → vi7secondary resolution AmV7 → i7harmonic-minor cadence ×2

The move to watch is Dm7 → G4, heard 16 times. From the Am side it is iv7 → VII; from the C side it reads ii7 → V (ii → V: the classic preparation of the dominant). 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 Am7, land on A, C, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Dm7, land on D, F, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over G4, land on G, B, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When E7 comes, swap the scale's G for G#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.

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

Starting on Am7, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. Am7, Dm7, G4, G carry the song: vi7–ii7–V–V relative to C, i7–iv7–VII–VII relative to Am. E7 is the interesting twist: in C it is a chromatic chord (V7/vi), while in Am it becomes the dominant (V7) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Dm7 → G4 (ii7 → V in C, iv7 → VII in Am): ii → V — the classic preparation of the dominant. It closes on G, letting the C 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.