Elvis Presley - Unchained Melody - Chord

Key C major – A minor Chords C, F, G7, Am, G, Ab, Em, C7 … Easy key G (capo 5)

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Capo 0

C      Am       F
Oh, my love, my darling
     G7                 C        Am           G   G7
I've hungered for  your touch, a long  lonely time
    C          Am      F          G7              C
And time  goes by, so slowly  and time  can do so much
    Am         G  G7
Are you, still mine
  C            G7  Ab    Am          Em
I need  your love,     I need   your love
     F                G7   C  C7
God speed  your love  to   me

F             G            F           Eb
Lonely rivers flow  to the sea, to the sea
F           G            C   C7
To the open arms  of the sea
F             G             F            Eb
Lonely rivers cry, wait for me, wait for me
F              G7             C
I'll be coming home, wait for me

       Am       F             G7                   C
Oh, my love, my darling, I've hungered   for  your touch
  Am           G   G7
A long, lonely time
    C           Am       F          G7              C
And time   goes by   so slowly  And time  can do so much
    Am        G   G7  
Are you still mine

  C           G    Ab    Am          Em
I need   your love,    I need   your love
     F                G7   C    Am    F  Fm  C
God speed your love   to   me

End of song Play again?

Elvis Presley - Unchained Melody Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Elvis Presley – Unchained Melody: key and chord analysis

The song opens on C and ends on C. 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 C major side because it both starts and finishes on C and C is heard 16 times against 11 for Am. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from A minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

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	14×
V7/IV	C7	Secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Fsecondary dominant	C · E · G · Bb	2×
ii	Dm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · A	—
bIII	Eb	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	Eb · G · Bb	2×
iii	Em	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	E · G · B	2×
V/vi	E	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	—
IV	F	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · A · C	13×
iv	Fm	Minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	F · Ab · C	1×
V7	G7	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D · F	12×
V	G	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	8×
bVI	Ab	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	Ab · C · Eb	2×
vi	Am	Relative minor — the melancholy side	A · C · E	11×
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	11×
ii°	Bdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F	—
III	C	Relative major — the bright side	C · E · G	14×
V7/VI	C7	Secondary dominant V/VI — leads to Fsecondary dominant	C · E · G · Bb	2×
iv	Dm	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F · A	—
#IV	Eb	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Eb · G · Bb	2×
v	Em	Minor dominant — soft pull	E · G · B	2×
V	E	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	E · G# · B	—
VI	F	Submediant — warm colour	F · A · C	13×
vi	Fm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F · Ab · C	1×
VII7	G7	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D · F	12×
VII	G	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D	8×
#VII	Ab	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · C · Eb	2×

Analysis

The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 10 different chords appear 67 times in total; 6 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. C7 acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. Ab, Eb, Fm are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

G7 C CV7 → Iauthentic cadence AmVII7 → III ×11
F G7 CIV → V7IV → V AmVI → VII7VI → VII ×7
F G CIV → VIV → V AmVI → VIIVI → VII ×3
C7 F CV7/IV → IVsecondary resolution AmV7/VI → VI ×2
G C CV → Iauthentic cadence AmVII → III ×1
Fm C Civ → Iminor plagal Amvi → III ×1

The move to watch is G7 → C, heard 11 times. From the C side it reads V7 → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home); from the Am side it is VII7 → III. 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 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.
Over G7, land on G, B, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
On Ab, follow the chord's notes (Ab · C · Eb) 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 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
3 semitones down · capo 3 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The first chord is C; the ear learns where home is within a second. C, F, G7, Am carry the song: I–IV–V7–vi relative to C, III–VI–VII7–i relative to Am. C7 adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/IV — leads to F. Keep an ear on G7 → C (V7 → I in C, VII7 → III in Am): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. Ending on C, the song seals C 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.

Elvis Presley - Unchained Melody Chords on Guitar, Ukulele and Piano

Hover over or tap a chord in the lyrics for its shapes, its degree in both keys and a listen button. Here you have every chord of the song side by side.

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