Shawn Mendes - There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back - Chord

Key D major – B minor Chords D9, A, G, Bm Easy key G (capo 7)

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Capo 0

I wanna follow where she goes
I think about her and she knows it
I wanna let her take control
'Cause every time 
That she gets close, yeah
She pulls me in  enough 
To keep me guessing, mmm
Maybe I should stop 
                         A
And start confessing Confessing, yeah

G                   D9
  Oh, I've been shaking
   Bm                     D9
I love it when you go crazy
     A                      D9
You take all my inhibitions
 A                        D9
Baby, there's nothing holdin' me back
G                 D9
  You take me places 
      Bm                D9
That tear up my reputation
   A                    D9
Manipulate my decisions
 A                        D9
Baby, there's nothing holdin' me back

                    D9
There's nothing holdin' me back

                    D9
There's nothing holdin' me back

She says that she's never afraid
Just picture everybody naked
She really doesn't like to wait
Not really into hesitation

 G       D9  Bm
Pulls me in  enough 
     D9      A      D9    A  D9
To keep me guessing    whoa
 G    D9  Bm
Maybe I should stop 
      D9      A      D9     A
And start confessing    confessing, yeah

G                   D9
  Oh, I've been shaking
   Bm                     D9
I love it when you go crazy
     A                      D9
You take all my inhibitions
 A                        D9
Baby, there's nothing holdin' me back
G                 D9
  You take me places 
      Bm                D9
That tear up my reputation
   A                    D9
Manipulate my decisions
 A                        D9
Baby, there's nothing holdin' me back

                    D9
There's nothing holdin' me back

              G
'Cause if we lost our minds 
D9      Bm              D9
And we took it way too far
    A
I know we'd be alright 
  D9  A
Know we would be alright
D9          G
If you are by my side 
D9       Bm
And we stumbled in the dark
D9      A
I know we'd be alright
D9      A
I know we would be alright

              G
'Cause if we lost our minds
D9      Bm              D9
And we took it way too far
    A
I know we'd be alright 
D9      A
I know we would be alright
D9          G
If you are by my side 
D9       Bm
And we stumbled in the dark
D9      A
I know we'd be alright
D9  A
   We would be alright

G                   D9
  Oh, I've been shaking
   Bm                     D9
I love it when you go crazy
     A                      D9
You take all my inhibitions
 A                        D9
Baby, there's nothing holdin' me back
G                 D9
  You take me places 
      Bm                D9
That tear up my reputation
   A                    D9
Manipulate my decisions
 A                        D9
Baby, there's nothing holdin' me back

                    D9
There's nothing holdin' me back
G         D9   Bm
  I feel so free 
             D9   A       D9
When you're with me, baby
A
  Baby, there's nothing holdin' me back

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Shawn Mendes - There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back Tabs

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Harmony analysis

Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back: key and chord analysis

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

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)

Minor view

B minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = G (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = A (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the D major side because D is heard 52 times against 13 for 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.

Seen from D major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
V7/IV	D9	Secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Gsecondary dominant	D · F# · A · C · E	52×
ii	Em	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	E · G · B	—
iii	F#m	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	F# · A · C#	—
V/vi	F#	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bmsecondary dominant	F# · A# · C#	—
IV	G	Subdominant — moves away from home	G · B · D	13×
V	A	Dominant — strongest pull home	A · C# · E	27×
vi	Bm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	B · D · F#	13×
vii°	C#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	C# · E · G	—

Seen from B minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Bm	Tonic — home	B · D · F#	13×
ii°	C#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	C# · E · G	—
V7/VI	D9	Secondary dominant V/VI — leads to Gsecondary dominant	D · F# · A · C · E	52×
iv	Em	Subdominant — moves away from home	E · G · B	—
v	F#m	Minor dominant — soft pull	F# · A · C#	—
V	F#	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	F# · A# · C#	—
VI	G	Submediant — warm colour	G · B · D	13×
VII	A	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	A · C# · E	27×

Analysis

The key pair is D major and its relative B minor (2 sharps). 4 different chords appear 105 times in total; 3 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. D9 acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

A D9 DV → V7/IVauthentic cadence BmVII → V7/VI ×22
G D9 DIV → V7/IVplagal cadence BmVI → V7/VI ×13
D9 G DV7/IV → IVsecondary resolution BmV7/VI → VI ×9

The move to watch is A → D9, heard 22 times. From the D side it reads V → V7/IV (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home); from the Bm side it is VII → V7/VI. 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 D9, land on D, F#, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over A, land on A, C#, E — 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.

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

5 semitones up · capo 7 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The opening A lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The chords that keep coming back are D9, A, G, Bm; read them as V7/IV–V–IV–vi in D or V7/VI–VII–VI–i in Bm. D9 adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/IV — leads to G. Keep an ear on A → D9 (V → V7/IV in D, VII → V7/VI in Bm): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. It closes on A, 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.