Major view
Ab major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = G (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Db (the note that leans on the 3rd)
The Chainsmokers - Closer - Chord
Key Ab major – F minor Chords Eb, Dbsus2, Fm7 Easy key G (capo 1)
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Key: Ab | Fm
Capo: 0
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
Hey, I was doing just fine before I met you
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
I drank too much and that's an issue but I'm okay
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
Hey, you tell your friends it was nice to meet them
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
But I hope I never see them again
Dbsus2 Eb
I know it breaks your heart
Fm7 Eb
Moved to the city in a broke down car and
Dbsus2 Eb
Four years, no calls
Fm7 Eb
Now you're looking pretty in a hotel bar and
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
I can't stop
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
No, I can't stop
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
So baby pull me closer in the backseat of your Rover
Dbsus2 Eb
That I know you can't afford
Fm7 Eb
Bite that tattoo on your shoulder
Dbsus2 Eb
Pull the sheets right off the corner
Fm7 Eb
Of the mattress that you stole
Dbsus2 Eb
From your roommate back in Boulder
Fm7 Eb
We ain't ever getting older
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
We ain't ever getting older
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
We ain't ever getting older
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
You, look as the good as the day as I met you
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
I forget just why I left you, I was insane
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
Stay, and play that Blink-182 song
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
That we beat to death in Tuscon, okay
Dbsus2 Eb
I know it breaks your heart
Fm7 Eb
Moved to the city in a broke down car and
Dbsus2 Eb
Four years, no calls
Fm7 Eb
Now I'm looking pretty in a hotel bar and
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
I can't stop
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
No, I can't stop
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
So baby pull me closer in the backseat of your Rover
Dbsus2 Eb
That I know you can't afford
Fm7 Eb
Bite that tattoo on your shoulder
Dbsus2 Eb
Pull the sheets right off the corner
Fm7 Eb
Of the mattress that you stole
Dbsus2 Eb
From your roommate back in Boulder
Fm7 Eb
We ain't ever getting older
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
We ain't ever getting older
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
We ain't ever getting older
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
So baby pull me closer in the backseat of your Rover
Dbsus2 Eb
That I know you can't afford
Fm7 Eb
Bite that tattoo on your shoulder
Dbsus2 Eb
Pull the sheets right off the corner
Fm7 Eb
Of the mattress that you stole
Dbsus2 Eb
From your roommate back in Boulder
Fm7 Eb
We ain't ever getting older
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
We ain't ever getting older (we ain't ever getting older)
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
We ain't ever getting older (we ain't ever getting older)
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
We ain't ever getting older (we ain't ever getting older)
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
We ain't ever getting older (we ain't ever getting older)
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
We ain't ever getting older
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
We ain't ever getting older
Dbsus2 Eb Fm7 Eb
End of song Play again?
The Chainsmokers - Closer Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
The Chainsmokers – Closer: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Dbsus2 and ends on Eb. Its chords belong to both Ab major and Fm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
F minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Db (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = Eb (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the F minor side because Fm is heard 46 times while Ab never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Ab major, and switching between the two views is exactly where the practice value lies.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to Ab or to Fm; 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 | Ab | Tonic — home | Ab · C · Eb | — |
| ii | Bbm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | Bb · Db · F | — |
| iii | Cm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | C · Eb · G | — |
| V/vi | C | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Fmsecondary dominant | C · E · G | — |
| IVsus2 | Dbsus2 | Subdominant — moves away from home | Db · Eb · Ab | 46× |
| IV | Db | Subdominant — moves away from home | Db · F · Ab | — |
| V | Eb | Dominant — strongest pull home | Eb · G · Bb | 92× |
| vi7 | Fm7 | Relative minor — the melancholy side | F · Ab · C · Eb | 46× |
| vii° | Gdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | G · Bb · Db | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i7 | Fm7 | Tonic — home | F · Ab · C · Eb | 46× |
| ii° | Gdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G · Bb · Db | — |
| III | Ab | Relative major — the bright side | Ab · C · Eb | — |
| iv | Bbm | Subdominant — moves away from home | Bb · Db · F | — |
| v | Cm | Minor dominant — soft pull | C · Eb · G | — |
| V | C | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | C · E · G | — |
| VIsus2 | Dbsus2 | Submediant — warm colour | Db · Eb · Ab | 46× |
| VI | Db | Submediant — warm colour | Db · F · Ab | — |
| VII | Eb | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | Eb · G · Bb | 92× |
Analysis
The key pair is Ab major and its relative F minor (4 flats). 3 different chords appear 184 times in total; 3 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
- Eb Fm7 AbV → vi7deceptive cadence FmVII → i7Aeolian arrival ×46
- Dbsus2 Eb AbIVsus2 → VIV → V FmVIsus2 → VIIVI → VII ×46
The move to watch is Eb → Fm7, heard 46 times. From the Fm side it is VII → i7 (Aeolian arrival: rises a whole tone into home); from the Ab side it reads V → vi7 (deceptive cadence: expected Ab, lands on Fm). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- Ab major pentatonic and F minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Ab – Bb – C – Eb – F): start from Ab for a brighter phrase, from F for a bluesier one.
- Over Eb, land on Eb, G, Bb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Dbsus2, land on Db, Eb, Ab — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Fm7, land on F, Ab, 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 Ab major shapes
- Capo 1 + G shapes
- Capo 4 + E shapes
- Capo 6 + D shapes
With F minor shapes
- Capo 1 + Em shapes
- Capo 3 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 1 semitone down · capo 1 keeps the original pitch
- 1 semitone up
The song's harmonic story
Starting on Dbsus2, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is Eb, Dbsus2, Fm7 — V–IVsus2–vi7 from the Ab side, VII–VIsus2–i7 from the Fm side. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Eb → Fm7 (V → vi7 in Ab, VII → i7 in Fm): Aeolian arrival — rises a whole tone into home. It closes on Eb, letting the Ab 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.
The Chainsmokers - Closer 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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