Adele - Strangers By Nature - Chord

Key F major – D minor Chords Gm, F, D7, Am7, D4, C, Bbmaj7, D/F# … Easy key C (capo 5)

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Capo 0

F

F              Am7     Am6
I'll be taking flowers
       Bbmaj7           D/F#  D7/F#
To the cemetery of my heart
Gm            C7
For all of my lovers
Bb     Am7                D4  D7
In the present and in the dark
Gm        Bbm
Every anniversary
     Am/C             D4   D7
I'll pay respects and say I'm sorry
Gm             C
For they never stood
Am7b5                D4  D7
A chance, as if they could
Gm                Gm/C           C     F
When no one knows what it's like to be us

F          A7  A6   Bbmaj7              D/F#  D7/F#
I've never seen the sky this colour before
     Gm           C4  Gm/Bb  Am7
It's like I'm noticin' everythin'
  F/A        Dm7
A little bit more
Gm               Bbm
Now that all the dust has settled
Am/C        D4  D7
I rebut all my rebuttals
Gm           Gm/C           C     F
No one knows what it's like to bе us

E/F   F    Bbm6/F  F6  Am7  Gm7  Bbm/C
Strangers by nature
E/F   F    Bbm6/F  F6  Am7  Bbm6/Db
Strangers by naturе

           F/C
Will I ever get there
                D7
Oh, I hope that someday I’ll learn
   Gm7     Bb/C  C7   F
To nurture what I've done

Am7  Am6  Bbmaj7  D/F#  D7/F#
Gm  C7  Bb  Am7  D4  D7
Gm  Bbm  Am/C  D4  D7
Gm  C  Am7b5  D4  D7
Gm  Gm/C  C

F
Alright then, I'm ready

End of song Play again?

Adele - Strangers By Nature Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Adele – Strangers By Nature: key and chord analysis

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

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)

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 F major side because it both starts and finishes on F, F is heard 13 times against 1 for Dm and the major V chord points straight at Dm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from D minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

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.

Seen from F major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	F	Tonic — home	F · A · C	9×
I6	F6	Tonic — home	F · A · C · D	2×
I	F/A	Tonic — home	F · A · C	1×
I	F/C	Tonic — home	F · A · C	1×
ii	Gm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G · Bb · D	11×
ii	Gm/C	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G · Bb · D	3×
ii7	Gm7	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G · Bb · D · F	2×
ii	Gm/Bb	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G · Bb · D	1×
iii7	Am7	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	A · C · E · G	7×
iii	Am/C	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	A · C · E	3×
iii6	Am6	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	A · C · E · F#	2×
viiø7/IV	Am7b5	Secondary leading-tone chord viiø7/IV — leads to Bbsecondary dominant	A · C · Eb · G	2×
V7/vi	A7	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dmsecondary dominant	A · C# · E · G	1×
V/vi	A6	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dmsecondary dominant	A · C# · E · F#	1×
IVmaj7	Bbmaj7	Subdominant — moves away from home	Bb · D · F · A	3×
IV	Bb	Subdominant — moves away from home	Bb · D · F	2×
IV	Bb/C	Subdominant — moves away from home	Bb · D · F	1×
iv	Bbm	Minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	Bb · Db · F	3×
iv6	Bbm6/F	Minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	Bb · Db · F · G	2×
iv	Bbm/C	Minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	Bb · Db · F	1×
iv6	Bbm6/Db	Minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	Bb · Db · F · G	1×
V	C	Dominant — strongest pull home	C · E · G	5×
V7	C7	Dominant — strongest pull home	C · E · G · Bb	3×
V	C4	Dominant — strongest pull home	C · E · G	1×
vi7	Dm7	Relative minor — the melancholy side	D · F · A · C	1×
V7/ii	D7	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Gmsecondary dominant	D · F# · A · C	8×
V/ii	D4	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Gmsecondary dominant	D · F# · A	7×
V/ii	D/F#	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Gmsecondary dominant	D · F# · A	3×
V7/ii	D7/F#	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Gmsecondary dominant	D · F# · A · C	3×
vii°	Edim	Leading-tone chord — tension	E · G · Bb	—
V/iii	E/F	Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	2×

Seen from D minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i7	Dm7	Tonic — home	D · F · A · C	1×
V7/iv	D7	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Gmsecondary dominant	D · F# · A · C	8×
V/iv	D4	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Gmsecondary dominant	D · F# · A	7×
V/iv	D/F#	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Gmsecondary dominant	D · F# · A	3×
V7/iv	D7/F#	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Gmsecondary dominant	D · F# · A · C	3×
ii°	Edim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	E · G · Bb	—
V/v	E/F	Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	2×
III	F	Relative major — the bright side	F · A · C	9×
III6	F6	Relative major — the bright side	F · A · C · D	2×
III	F/A	Relative major — the bright side	F · A · C	1×
III	F/C	Relative major — the bright side	F · A · C	1×
iv	Gm	Subdominant — moves away from home	G · Bb · D	11×
iv	Gm/C	Subdominant — moves away from home	G · Bb · D	3×
iv7	Gm7	Subdominant — moves away from home	G · Bb · D · F	2×
iv	Gm/Bb	Subdominant — moves away from home	G · Bb · D	1×
v7	Am7	Minor dominant — soft pull	A · C · E · G	7×
v	Am/C	Minor dominant — soft pull	A · C · E	3×
v6	Am6	Minor dominant — soft pull	A · C · E · F#	2×
viiø7/VI	Am7b5	Secondary leading-tone chord viiø7/VI — leads to Bbsecondary dominant	A · C · Eb · G	2×
V7	A7	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	A · C# · E · G	1×
V6	A6	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	A · C# · E · F#	1×
VImaj7	Bbmaj7	Submediant — warm colour	Bb · D · F · A	3×
VI	Bb	Submediant — warm colour	Bb · D · F	2×
VI	Bb/C	Submediant — warm colour	Bb · D · F	1×
vi	Bbm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Bb · Db · F	3×
vi6	Bbm6/F	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Bb · Db · F · G	2×
vi	Bbm/C	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Bb · Db · F	1×
vi6	Bbm6/Db	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Bb · Db · F · G	1×
VII	C	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	C · E · G	5×
VII7	C7	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	C · E · G · Bb	3×
VII	C4	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	C · E · G	1×

Analysis

The key pair is F major and its relative D minor (1 flat). 30 different chords appear 92 times in total; 18 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 A7 / A6 is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Dm. D7, D4, D/F#, D7/F#, Am7b5, E/F act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. Bbm, Bbm6/F, Bbm/C, Bbm6/Db are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

D7 Gm FV7/ii → iisecondary resolution DmV7/iv → iv ×7
C F FV → Iauthentic cadence DmVII → III ×3
D7/F# Gm FV7/ii → iisecondary resolution DmV7/iv → iv ×3
Gm/C C Fii → Vii → V Dmiv → VII ×3
Bbm6/F F6 Fiv6 → I6minor plagal Dmvi6 → III6 ×2
Gm C7 Fii → V7ii → V Dmiv → VII7 ×2

The move to watch is D7 → Gm, heard 7 times. From the F side it reads V7/ii → ii (secondary resolution: D7 resolves a fourth up to Gm); from the Dm side it is V7/iv → iv. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

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 Gm, land on G, Bb, D — 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 D7, land on D, F#, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When A7 comes, swap the scale's C for C#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
On Bbm, follow the chord's notes (Bb · Db · 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 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

5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch
2 semitones up

The song's harmonic story

The opening F lays a solid floor for everything that follows. Gm, F, D7, Am7 carry the song: ii–I–V7/ii–iii7 relative to F, iv–III–V7/iv–v7 relative to Dm. D7 is the interesting twist: in F it is a chromatic chord (V7/ii), while in Dm it becomes the dominant (V7/iv) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on D7 → Gm (V7/ii → ii in F, V7/iv → iv in Dm): secondary resolution — D7 resolves a fourth up to Gm. Ending on F, 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.