Lady Gaga - Always Remember Us This Way - Chord

Key C major – A minor Chords F, G, C, Am, Bb Easy key G (capo 5)

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Capo 0

Am                  F
That Arizona sky burning in your eyes
      C                     
You look at me and, babe
                  G
I wanna catch on fire
                   Am   
It's buried in my soul
                 F
Like California gold 
     C                     
You found the light in me 
                 G
That I couldn't find

            F
So when I'm all choked up
                      C
But I can't find the words
       Am
Every time we say goodbye
          G
Baby, it hurts
          F   G    Am
When the sun goes down
         F    G      C
And the band won't play
     F         G              C
I'll always remember us this way

               Am
Lovers in the night
                  F
Poets trying to write
    C
We don't know how to rhyme
              G
But damn we try
                   Am
But all I really know
                      F
You're where I wanna go
    C                                 G
The part of me that's you will never die

            F
So when I'm all choked up
                      C
But I can't find the words
       Am
Every time we say goodbye
          G
Baby, it hurts
          F   G    Am
When the sun goes down
         F    G      C
And the band won't play
     F         G              Bb
I'll always remember us this way

Oh, yeah
F                                          
I don't wanna be just a memory

Baby, yeah

            F
So when I'm all choked up
                      C
But I can't find the words
       Am
Every time we say goodbye
          G
Baby, it hurts
          F   G    Am
When the sun goes down
         F    G      C
And the band won't play
     F         G        C
I'll always remember us   this way

           F  G   Am
When you look at me
          F    G     C
And the whole world fades
     F         G              F  
I'll always remember us this way

Bb  F  C

End of song Play again?

Lady Gaga - Always Remember Us This Way Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Lady Gaga – Always Remember Us This Way: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Am 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 comes to rest on C, it opens on Am and C is heard 14 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×
ii	Dm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · A	—
iii	Em	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	E · G · B	—
V/vi	E	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	—
IV	F	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · A · C	22×
V	G	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	19×
vi	Am	Relative minor — the melancholy side	A · C · E	11×
bVII	Bb	bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord	Bb · D · F	2×
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×
bII	Bb	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	Bb · D · F	2×
ii°	Bdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F	—
III	C	Relative major — the bright side	C · E · G	14×
iv	Dm	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F · A	—
v	Em	Minor dominant — soft pull	E · G · B	—
V	E	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	E · G# · B	—
VI	F	Submediant — warm colour	F · A · C	22×
VII	G	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D	19×

Analysis

The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 5 different chords appear 68 times in total; 4 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Bb is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

F G CIV → VIV → V AmVI → VIIVI → VII ×12
F C CIV → Iplagal cadence AmVI → III ×8
G C CV → Iauthentic cadence AmVII → III ×6
G Am CV → videceptive cadence AmVII → iAeolian arrival ×6

The move to watch is F → G, heard 12 times. From the C side it reads IV → V (IV → V: the lift that builds tension before home); from the Am side it is VI → VII (VI → VII: the rising step that heads for the tonic). 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 F, land on F, A, C — 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 C, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
On Bb, follow the chord's notes (Bb · D · F) 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
2 semitones up

The song's harmonic story

The opening Am lays a solid floor for everything that follows. F, G, C, Am carry the song: IV–V–I–vi relative to C, VI–VII–III–i relative to Am. Bb briefly darkens the picture: bvii — borrowed (mixolydian / parallel minor). Keep an ear on F → G (IV → V in C, VI → VII in Am): IV → V — the lift that builds tension before 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.