Major view
C major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = B (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = F (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Ellie Goulding - How Long Will I Love You - Chord
Key C major – A minor Chords C, G, F, Dm, G/B Easy key D
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Key: C | Am
Capo: 0
C G How long will i love you F C Dm As long as stars are above you C G And longer if i can C G How long will i need you F C Dm As long as the seasons need to C G Follow their plan F Dm How long will i be with you G/B C F as long as the sea is bound to Dm G wash upon the sand C G How long will i want you F C Dm As long as you want me to C G And longer by far C G How long will i hold you F C Dm As long as your father told you C G As long as you can F Dm How long will i give to you G/B C F as long as i live through you Dm G and how ever long you say C G How long will i love you F C Dm As long as stars are above you C G And longer if i may. C G F C Dm C G C G How long will i love you F C Dm As long as stars are above you
End of song Play again?
Ellie Goulding - How Long Will I Love You Tabs
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Harmony analysis
Ellie Goulding – How Long Will I Love You: key and chord analysis
The song opens on C and ends on Dm. Its chords belong to both C major and Am, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
A minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = F (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = G (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the C major side because it opens on C and C is heard 22 times while Am never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from A minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to C or to Am; 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 | C | Tonic — home | C · E · G | 22× |
| ii | Dm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | D · F · A | 11× |
| iii | Em | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | E · G · B | — |
| III | E | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | E · G# · B | — |
| IV | F | Subdominant — moves away from home | F · A · C | 11× |
| V | G | Dominant — strongest pull home | G · B · D | 15× |
| V | G/B | Dominant — strongest pull home | G · B · D | 2× |
| vi | Am | Relative minor — the melancholy side | A · C · E | — |
| vii° | Bdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | B · D · F | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Am | Tonic — home | A · C · E | — |
| ii° | Bdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F | — |
| III | C | Relative major — the bright side | C · E · G | 22× |
| iv | Dm | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F · A | 11× |
| v | Em | Minor dominant — soft pull | E · G · B | — |
| V | E | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | E · G# · B | — |
| VI | F | Submediant — warm colour | F · A · C | 11× |
| VII | G | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | G · B · D | 15× |
| VII | G/B | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | G · B · D | 2× |
Analysis
The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 5 different chords appear 61 times in total; 5 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
- F C CIV → Iplagal cadence AmVI → III ×7
- G C CV → Iauthentic cadence AmVII → III ×6
- G/B C CV → Iauthentic cadence AmVII → III ×2
- Dm G/B Cii → Vii → V Amiv → VII ×2
- Dm G Cii → Vii → V Amiv → VII ×2
The move to watch is F → C, heard 7 times. From the C side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the Am side it is VI → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- C major pentatonic and A minor pentatonic are the same five notes (C – D – E – G – A): start from C for a brighter phrase, from A for a bluesier one.
- Over C, land on C, E, G — 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.
- Over F, land on F, A, C — 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 C major shapes
- No capo — open C shapes
- Capo 3 + A shapes
- Capo 5 + G shapes
With A minor shapes
- No capo — open Am shapes
- Capo 5 + Em shapes
- Capo 7 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 2 semitones up
- 5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
Starting on C, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The chords that keep coming back are C, G, F, Dm; read them as I–V–IV–ii in C or III–VII–VI–iv in Am. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on F → C (IV → I in C, VI → III in Am): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. Ending on Dm, the song seals C 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.
Ellie Goulding - How Long Will I Love 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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