Katy Perry - Unconditionally - Chord

Key G major – E minor Chords G, Em7, C9, D4, Em, C Difficulty already in its easiest key

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Capo 0

Em7  C9  G

Em7    C9            G
Oh no, did I get too close?  Oh,
D4           Em7        C9            G
Did I almost see what's really on the inside

Em7      C9      G
All your insecurities
    D4            Em7
All the dirty laundry
  C9                G
Never made me blink one time

         Em7  C9      G     D4
Unconditional, unconditionally
            Em7   C9        G
I will love you unconditionally
            Em7     C9
There is no fear now
           G       D4
Let go and just be free
            Em7   C9        G
I will love you unconditionally

Em7       C9            G
Come just as you are to me
      D4        Em7
Don't need apologies
     C9           G
Know that you are worthy

Em7            C9                 G
I'll take your bad days with your good
     D4                   Em7
Walk through this storm I would
          C9            G
I'd do it all because I love you,
  Em7      G  once
I love you

         Em7  C9      G     D4
Unconditional, unconditionally
            Em7   C9        G
I will love you unconditionally
            Em7     C9
There is no fear now
           G       D4
Let go and just be free
            Em7   C9        G
I will love you unconditionally

               Em                     C
So open up your heart and just let it begin
             Em                      G
Open up your heart, and just let it begin
             Em                      C
Open up your heart, and just let it begin
             G
Open up your heart

  Em7      C9            G 
Acceptance is the key to be
D4          Em7 
To be truly free
C9                   G 
Will you do the same for me

         Em7  C9      G     D4
Unconditional, unconditionally
            Em7   C9        G
I will love you unconditionally
            Em7     C9
There is no fear now
           G       D4
Let go and just be free
            Em7   C9        G
I will love you unconditionally(oh, yeah)
Em7 C9  G

            Em7    C9        G
I will love you (unconditionally)
            Em7   C9        G
I will love you
            Em7   C9        G
I will love you unconditionally

End of song Play again?

Katy Perry - Unconditionally Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Katy Perry – Unconditionally: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Em7 and ends on G. Its chords belong to both G major and Em, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

G major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

E minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = C (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = D (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: we can't honestly pick a side here — the song moves freely between G major and E minor because it comes to rest on G, it opens on Em and Em is heard 30 times against 29 for G. Try reading the chords both ways and see which feels more like home to you.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to G or to Em; 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 G major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	G	Tonic — home	G · B · D	29×
ii	Am	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · E	—
iii	Bm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	B · D · F#	—
V/vi	B	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	—
IV	C	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · E · G	2×
IV7	C9	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · E · G · Bb · D	27×
V	D4	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	11×
vi7	Em7	Relative minor — the melancholy side	E · G · B · D	27×
vi	Em	Relative minor — the melancholy side	E · G · B	3×
vii°	F#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	F# · A · C	—

Seen from E minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i7	Em7	Tonic — home	E · G · B · D	27×
i	Em	Tonic — home	E · G · B	3×
ii°	F#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F# · A · C	—
III	G	Relative major — the bright side	G · B · D	29×
iv	Am	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C · E	—
v	Bm	Minor dominant — soft pull	B · D · F#	—
V	B	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	B · D# · F#	—
VI	C	Submediant — warm colour	C · E · G	2×
VI7	C9	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · E · G · Bb · D	27×
VII	D4	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	11×

Analysis

The key pair is G major and its relative E minor (1 sharp). 6 different chords appear 99 times in total; 5 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. C9 step outside the scale as colour chords.

Chord movement

C9 G GIV7 → Iplagal cadence EmVI7 → III ×27
D4 Em7 GV → vi7deceptive cadence EmVII → i7Aeolian arrival ×11
C G GIV → Iplagal cadence EmVI → III ×1
C Em GIV → vi EmVI → iVI → i ×1

The move to watch is C9 → G, heard 27 times. From the G side it reads IV7 → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the Em side it is VI7 → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

G major pentatonic and E minor pentatonic are the same five notes (G – A – B – D – E): start from G for a brighter phrase, from E for a bluesier one.
Over G, land on G, B, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Em7, land on E, G, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over C9, land on C, E, G — 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 G major shapes

No capo — open G shapes
Capo 3 + E shapes
Capo 5 + D shapes

With E minor shapes

No capo — open Em shapes
Capo 2 + Dm shapes
Capo 7 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

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

The song's harmonic story

Starting on Em7, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is G, Em7, C9, D4 — I–vi7–IV7–V from the G side, III–i7–VI7–VII from the Em side. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on C9 → G (IV7 → I in G, VI7 → III in Em): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. It closes on G, letting the G 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.