Justin Bieber - Mistletoe - Chord

Key A major – F# minor Chords A, E, Gbm, D Easy key G (capo 2)

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Capo 0

A                                      E
 It's the most beautiful time of the year
                                            Gbm
Lights fill the streets spreading so much cheer
                                    D
I should be playing in the winter snow
                             A
But Imma be under the mistletoe
                                   E
I don't wanna miss out on the holiday
                                  Gbm
But i can't stop staring at your face
                                    D
I should be playing in the winter snow
            A
But Imma be under the mistletoe

A                        E
  With you, shawty with you
                       Gbm
With you, shawty with you
                     D
With you, under the mistletoe

A                                  E
  Everyone's gathering around the fire
                                 Gbm
Chestnuts roasting like a hot july
                                       D
I should be chillin' with my folks I know
                             A
But Imma be under the mistletoe

                                      E
Word on the streets santa's coming tonight
                                 Gbm
Reindeer flying thru the sky so high
                              D
I should be making a list I know
            A
But Imma be under the mistletoe

A                        E
  With you, shawty with you
                       Gbm
With you, shawty with you
                     D
With you, under the mistletoe

A                        E
  With you, shawty with you
                       Gbm
With you, shawty with you
                     D
With you, under the mistletoe

     A                             E
Hey love the wise men followed a star
                    Gbm
The way I followed my heart
        D
And it led me to a miracle

     A                     E
Hey love don't you buy me nothing
                    Gbm
'Cause i am feeling one thing
                 D
Your lips on my lips

That's a very merry christmas

A                                      E
  It's the most beautiful time of the year
                                            Gbm
Lights fill the streets spreading so much cheer
                                    D
I should be playing in the winter snow
                             A
But Imma be under the mistletoe
                                   E
I don't wanna miss out on the holiday
                                  Gbm
But i can't stop staring at your face
                                    D
I should be playing in the winter snow
            A
But Imma be under the mistletoe

A                        E
  With you, shawty with you
                       Gbm
With you, shawty with you
                     D
With you, under the mistletoe

A                        E
  With you, shawty with you
                       Gbm
With you, shawty with you
                     D
With you, under the mistletoe yeah

 A
Kiss me underneath the mistletoe
  E
Show me baby that you love me so
      Gbm       D
Oh oh oh, oh oh oh

 A
Kiss me underneath the mistletoe
  E
Show me baby that you love me so
      Gbm       D
Oh oh oh, oh oh oh

End of song Play again?

Justin Bieber - Mistletoe Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Justin Bieber – Mistletoe: key and chord analysis

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

Major view

A major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = G# (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = D (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

F# minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = D (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = E (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the A major side because it opens on A and A is heard 18 times against 15 for F#m. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from F# minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to A or to F#m; 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 A major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	A	Tonic — home	A · C# · E	18×
ii	Bm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F#	—
iii	C#m	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	C# · E · G#	—
V/vi	C#	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Gbmsecondary dominant	C# · E# · G#	—
IV	D	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F# · A	15×
V	E	Dominant — strongest pull home	E · G# · B	15×
vi	Gbm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Gb · A · Db	15×
vii°	G#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	G# · B · D	—

Seen from F# minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Gbm	Tonic — home	Gb · A · Db	15×
ii°	G#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G# · B · D	—
III	A	Relative major — the bright side	A · C# · E	18×
iv	Bm	Subdominant — moves away from home	B · D · F#	—
v	C#m	Minor dominant — soft pull	C# · E · G#	—
V	C#	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	C# · E# · G#	—
VI	D	Submediant — warm colour	D · F# · A	15×
VII	E	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	E · G# · B	15×

Analysis

The key pair is A major and its relative F# minor (3 sharps). 4 different chords appear 63 times in total; 4 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Everything stays inside one scale, which is why the song is easy to follow by ear.

Chord movement

E Gbm AV → videceptive cadence F#mVII → iAeolian arrival ×15
D A AIV → Iplagal cadence F#mVI → III ×14

The move to watch is E → Gbm, heard 15 times. From the A side it reads V → vi (deceptive cadence: expected A, lands on F#m); from the F#m side it is VII → i (Aeolian arrival: rises a whole tone into home). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

A major pentatonic and F# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (A – B – C# – E – F#): start from A for a brighter phrase, from F# for a bluesier one.
Over A, land on A, C#, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over E, land on E, G#, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Gbm, land on Gb, A, Db — 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 A major shapes

No capo — open A shapes
Capo 2 + G shapes
Capo 5 + E shapes

With F# minor shapes

Capo 2 + Em shapes
Capo 4 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

2 semitones down · capo 2 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 A, E, Gbm, D; read them as I–V–vi–IV in A or III–VII–i–VI in F#m. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on E → Gbm (V → vi in A, VII → i in F#m): deceptive cadence — expected A, lands on F#m. The final chord is D; the ear comes to rest in A.

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.