Major view
F major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = E (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Bb (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Taylor Swift - The Way I Loved You - Chord
Key F major – D minor Chords A, D, G, Em, Gm Difficulty already in its easiest key
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Key: F | Dm
Capo: 0
A
D A
He is sensible and so incredible
Em G
And all my single friends are jealous
D A
He says everything I need to hear and it's like
Em G
I couldn't ask for anything better
D A
He opens up my door and I get into his car
Em Gm
And he says you look beautiful tonight
G
And I feel perfectly fine
D
But I miss screaming and fighting and kissing in the rain
A
And it's 2am and I'm cursing your name
Em
You're so in love that you act insane
G A
And that's the way I loved you
D
Breakin' down and coming undone
A
It's a roller coaster kinda rush
Em
And I never knew I could feel that much
G D A Em G A
And that's the way I loved you
D
He respects my space
A
And never makes me wait
Em G
And he calls exactly when he says he will
D
He's close to my mother
A
Talks business with my father
Em
He's charming and endearing
G
And I'm comfortable
D
But I miss screaming and fighting and kissing in the rain
A
And it's 2am and I'm cursing your name
Em
You're so in love that you act insane
G A
And that's the way I loved you
D
Breakin' down and coming undone
A
It's a roller coaster kinda rush
Em
And I never knew I could feel that much
G D A Em G
And that's the way I loved you
Em G
He can't see the smile I'm faking
D
And my heart's not breaking
A
'Cause I'm not feeling anything at all
Em
And you were wild and crazy
G D
Just so frustrating, intoxicating, complicated
A G
Got away by some mistake and now
D
But I miss screaming and fighting and kissing in the rain
A
And it's 2am and I'm cursing your name
Em
I'm so in love that I acted insane
G A
And that's the way I loved you
D
Breakin' down and coming undone
A
It's a roller coaster kinda rush
Em
And I never knew I could feel that much
G A D A Em
And that's the way I loved you, oh
G A D A
And that's the way I loved you, oh
Em
Never knew I could feel that much
G Gm D
And that's the way I loved you
End of song Play again?
Taylor Swift - The Way I Loved You Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Taylor Swift – The Way I Loved You: key and chord analysis
The song opens on A and ends on D. Its chords belong to both F major and Dm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
D minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Bb (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = C (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = C# (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 minor side because the major V chord points straight at Dm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from F 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 F or to Dm; 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 | F | Tonic — home | F · A · C | — |
| ii | Gm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G · Bb · D | 2× |
| II | G | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | G · B · D | 18× |
| iii | Am | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | A · C · E | — |
| V/vi | A | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dmsecondary dominant | A · C# · E | 24× |
| IV | Bb | Subdominant — moves away from home | Bb · D · F | — |
| V | C | Dominant — strongest pull home | C · E · G | — |
| vi | Dm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | D · F · A | — |
| V/ii | D | Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Gmsecondary dominant | D · F# · A | 18× |
| vii° | Edim | Leading-tone chord — tension | E · G · Bb | — |
| vii | Em | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | E · G · B | 17× |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Dm | Tonic — home | D · F · A | — |
| V/iv | D | Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Gmsecondary dominant | D · F# · A | 18× |
| ii° | Edim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | E · G · Bb | — |
| ii | Em | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | E · G · B | 17× |
| III | F | Relative major — the bright side | F · A · C | — |
| iv | Gm | Subdominant — moves away from home | G · Bb · D | 2× |
| IV | G | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | G · B · D | 18× |
| v | Am | Minor dominant — soft pull | A · C · E | — |
| V | A | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | A · C# · E | 24× |
| VI | Bb | Submediant — warm colour | Bb · D · F | — |
| VII | C | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | C · E · G | — |
Analysis
The key pair is F major and its relative D minor (1 flat). 5 different chords appear 79 times in total; 1 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Dm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from F, the same A is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Dm. D acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.
Chord movement
There's no textbook cadence here; the chords circle around each other in a loop, so the song feels more like a groove than a series of arrivals.
Improvisation tips
- F major pentatonic and D minor pentatonic are the same five notes (F – G – A – C – D): start from F for a brighter phrase, from D for a bluesier one.
- Over A, land on A, C#, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over D, land on D, F#, A — 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.
- When A comes, swap the scale's C for C#: 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 F major shapes
- Capo 1 + E shapes
- Capo 3 + D shapes
- Capo 5 + C shapes
With D minor shapes
- No capo — open Dm shapes
- Capo 5 + Am shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is A; the ear learns where home is within a second. The chords that keep coming back are A, D, G, Em; read them as V/vi–V/ii–II–vii in F or V–V/iv–IV–ii in Dm. A is the interesting twist: in F it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Dm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Ending on D, the song seals F 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.
Taylor Swift - The Way I Loved You 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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