Justin Bieber - Never Say Never - Chord

Key G major – E minor Chords G, Am, C, F, D, Dm Easy key D (capo 5)

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Capo 0

Am  C  G  D

       Am                                      C
See i never thought that i could walk through fire
   G                                   D
I never thought that i could take the burn
   Am                                C
I never had the strength to take it higher
   G                               D
Until i reached the point of no return

             Am
And there's just no turning back
           F
When your hearts under attack
       G
Gonna give everything i have
Dm
It's my destiny

F        C           G
 I will never say never
F        C              G  Am
 I will fight till forever
F          C            G
 Whenever you knock me down
             Am          F
I will not stay on the ground

Pick it up
        Am
Pick it up

Pick it up
        G
Pick it up up up

And never say never

   Am                              C
I never thought i could feel this power
   G                                     D
I never thought that i could feel this free
       Am                               C
I'm strong enough to climb the highest tower
         G                             D
And i'm fast enough to run across the sea

             Am
And there's just no turning back
           F
When your hearts under attack
       G
Gonna give everything i have
        Dm
Cause this is my destiny

F        C           G
 I will never say never! 
F        C              G  Am
 I will fight till forever! 
F          C            G
 Whenever you knock me down
             Am          F
I will not stay on the ground

Pick it up
        Am
Pick it up

Pick it up
        G
Pick it up up up

And never say never

F        C            G
 I will never say never
F        C              G  Am
 I will fight till forever
F          C            G
 Whenever you knock me down
             Am          F
I will not stay on the ground

Pick it up
        Am
Pick it up

Pick it up

        G
Pick it up up up

And never say never

Am  C  G  D

End of song Play again?

Justin Bieber - Never Say Never Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Justin Bieber – Never Say Never: key and chord analysis

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

Major view

G major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

E minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

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

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the G major side because G is heard 20 times while Em never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from E minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to G or to Em; 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 G major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	G	Tonic — home	G · B · D	20×
ii	Am	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · E	17×
iii	Bm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	B · D · F#	—
III	B	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D# · F#	—
IV	C	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · E · G	15×
V	D	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	6×
v	Dm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	D · F · A	2×
vi	Em	Relative minor — the melancholy side	E · G · B	—
bVII	F	bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord	F · A · C	14×
vii°	F#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	F# · A · C	—

Seen from E minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Em	Tonic — home	E · G · B	—
bII	F	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	F · A · C	14×
ii°	F#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F# · A · C	—
III	G	Relative major — the bright side	G · B · D	20×
iv	Am	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C · E	17×
v	Bm	Minor dominant — soft pull	B · D · F#	—
V	B	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	B · D# · F#	—
VI	C	Submediant — warm colour	C · E · G	15×
VII	D	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	6×
vii	Dm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	D · F · A	2×

Analysis

The key pair is G major and its relative E minor (1 sharp). 6 different chords appear 74 times in total; 4 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. F is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

C G GIV → Iplagal cadence EmVI → III ×15
F G GbVII → IbVII → I EmbII → III ×2

The move to watch is C → G, heard 15 times. From the G side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the Em side it is VI → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

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

No capo — open G shapes
Capo 3 + E shapes
Capo 5 + D shapes

With E minor shapes

No capo — open Em shapes
Capo 2 + Dm shapes
Capo 7 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

Starting on Am, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. G, Am, C, F carry the song: I–ii–IV–bVII relative to G, III–iv–VI–bII relative to Em. F briefly darkens the picture: bvii — borrowed (mixolydian / parallel minor). Keep an ear on C → G (IV → I in G, VI → III in Em): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. It closes on D, letting the G 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.