Major view
D major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = C# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = G (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Elvis Presley - Love Me Tender - Chord
Key D major – B minor Chords D, E7, A7, E/G#, D/A, A/C#, Gb, Bm … Easy key C (capo 2)
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Key: D | Bm
Capo: 0
D D/A E7 E/G# Love me tender, love me sweet A7 A/C# D Never let me go D D/A E7 E/G# You have made my life complete A7 A/C# D And I love you so D Gb Bm D7 Love me tender, love me true G Gm6 D All my dreams fulfilled D B7 E7 E/G# For my darling I love you A7 A/C# D And I always will D D/A E7 E/G# Love me tender,love me long A7 A/C# D Take me to your heart D D/A E7 E/G# For it's there that I belong A7 A7/E D And we'll never part D Gb Bm D7 Love me tender, love me true G Gm6 D All my dreams fulfilled D B7 E7 E/G# For my darling I love you A7 A/C# D And I always will D D/A E7 E7/B Love me tender,love me dear A7 A7/E D Tell me you are mine D D/A E7 E7/B I'll be yours through all the years A7 A7/E D Till the end of time D Gb Bm D7 Love me tender, love me true G Gm6 D All my dreams fulfilled D B7 E7 E/G# For my darling I love you A7 A/C# D And I always will
End of song Play again?
Elvis Presley - Love Me Tender Tabs
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Harmony analysis
Elvis Presley – Love Me Tender: key and chord analysis
The song opens on D and ends on D. Its chords belong to both D major and Bm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
B minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = G (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = A (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = A# (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 D major side because it both starts and finishes on D, D is heard 33 times against 3 for Bm and the major V chord points straight at Bm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from B minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to D or to Bm; 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.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | D | Tonic — home | D · F# · A | 24× |
| I | D/A | Tonic — home | D · F# · A | 6× |
| V7/IV | D7 | Secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Gsecondary dominant | D · F# · A · C | 3× |
| ii | Em | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | E · G · B | — |
| V7/V | E7 | Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Asecondary dominant | E · G# · B · D | 9× |
| V/V | E/G# | Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Asecondary dominant | E · G# · B | 7× |
| V7/V | E7/B | Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Asecondary dominant | E · G# · B · D | 2× |
| iii | F#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | F# · A · C# | — |
| V/vi | Gb | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bmsecondary dominant | Gb · Bb · Db | 3× |
| IV | G | Subdominant — moves away from home | G · B · D | 3× |
| iv6 | Gm6 | Minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord | G · Bb · D · E | 3× |
| V7 | A7 | Dominant — strongest pull home | A · C# · E · G | 9× |
| V | A/C# | Dominant — strongest pull home | A · C# · E | 6× |
| V7 | A7/E | Dominant — strongest pull home | A · C# · E · G | 3× |
| vi | Bm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | B · D · F# | 3× |
| V7/ii | B7 | Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Emsecondary dominant | B · D# · F# · A | 3× |
| vii° | C#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | C# · E · G | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Bm | Tonic — home | B · D · F# | 3× |
| V7/iv | B7 | Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Emsecondary dominant | B · D# · F# · A | 3× |
| ii° | C#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | C# · E · G | — |
| III | D | Relative major — the bright side | D · F# · A | 24× |
| III | D/A | Relative major — the bright side | D · F# · A | 6× |
| V7/VI | D7 | Secondary dominant V/VI — leads to Gsecondary dominant | D · F# · A · C | 3× |
| iv | Em | Subdominant — moves away from home | E · G · B | — |
| IV7 | E7 | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | E · G# · B · D | 9× |
| IV | E/G# | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | E · G# · B | 7× |
| IV7 | E7/B | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | E · G# · B · D | 2× |
| v | F#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | F# · A · C# | — |
| V | Gb | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | Gb · Bb · Db | 3× |
| VI | G | Submediant — warm colour | G · B · D | 3× |
| vi6 | Gm6 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | G · Bb · D · E | 3× |
| VII7 | A7 | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | A · C# · E · G | 9× |
| VII | A/C# | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | A · C# · E | 6× |
| VII7 | A7/E | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | A · C# · E · G | 3× |
Analysis
The key pair is D major and its relative B minor (2 sharps). 14 different chords appear 84 times in total; 7 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Bm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from D, the same Gb is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Bm. E7, E/G#, D7, B7, E7/B act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. Gm6 is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
Chord movement
- A/C# D DV → Iauthentic cadence BmVII → III ×6
- Gb Bm DV/vi → vi BmV → iharmonic-minor cadence ×3
- A7/E D DV7 → Iauthentic cadence BmVII7 → III ×3
- Gm6 D Div6 → Iminor plagal Bmvi6 → III ×3
- D7 G DV7/IV → IVsecondary resolution BmV7/VI → VI ×3
- B7 E7 DV7/ii → V7/Vsecondary resolution BmV7/iv → IV7 ×3
The move to watch is A/C# → D, heard 6 times. From the D side it reads V → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home); from the Bm side it is VII → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- D major pentatonic and B minor pentatonic are the same five notes (D – E – F# – A – B): start from D for a brighter phrase, from B for a bluesier one.
- Over D, land on D, F#, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over E7, land on E, G#, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over A7, land on A, C#, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When Gb comes, swap the scale's A for A#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
- On Gm6, follow the chord's notes (G · Bb · D · E) 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 D major shapes
- No capo — open D shapes
- Capo 2 + C shapes
- Capo 5 + A shapes
With B minor shapes
- Capo 2 + Am shapes
- Capo 7 + Em shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch
- 5 semitones up · capo 7 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is D; the ear learns where home is within a second. The chords that keep coming back are D, E7, A7, E/G#; read them as I–V7/V–V7–V/V in D or III–IV7–VII7–IV in Bm. Gb is the interesting twist: in D it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Bm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on A/C# → D (V → I in D, VII → III in Bm): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. It closes on D, letting the D 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.
Elvis Presley - Love Me Tender 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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