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Adele - If It Hadn’t Been For Love Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsAm, F, E, C, G, Dm
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.

  • Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
  • Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
  • Guitar E chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-1-0-0Guitar E chord diagram
  • Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram

[Opening]
[Am]I never would have hitchhiked to Birmingham, if it hadn’t been for love
[Am]I never would have caught the train to Louisiana, if it [F]hadn’t been for love
[Am]Never would have run through the blinding rain, [F]without one dollar to my name
[F]If it hadn’t been, if it [E]hadn’t been for [Am]love, [Am]I never would have seen the trouble that I’m in

[verse 2]
[Am]If it hadn’t been for love, [Am]I would have been gone like a wayward wind
If it [F]hadn’t been for love, [Am]nobody knows it better than me
[F]I wouldn’t be wishing I was free, [F]if it hadn’t been, if it [E]hadn’t been for [Am]love

[chorus]
[C]Four cold [G]walls [Dm]against my [Am]will, at [C]least I [G]know he’s [Dm]lying [Am]still
[C]Four cold [G]walls [Dm]without [Am]parole, [C]Lord have [G]mercy [Dm]on my [Am]soul

[verse 3]
[Am]Never would have gone to that side of town, [Am]if it hadn’t been for love
[Am]Never would have took a mind to track him down, if it [F]hadn’t been for love.
[Am]I never would have loaded up a .44, [F]put myself behind a jail house door
If [F]it hadn’t been, if it [E]hadn’t been for [Am][(Riff)]love.

[chorus]
[C]Four cold [G]walls [Dm]against my [Am]will, at [C]least I [G]know he’s [Dm]lying [Am]still
[C]Four cold [G]walls [Dm]without [Am]parole, [C]Lord have [G]mercy [Dm]on my [Am]soul

[Closing]
[Am]I never would have hitchhiked to Birmingham, [Am]if it hadn’t been for love
[Am]I never would have caught the train to Louisiana, if it [F]hadn’t been for love
[Am]I never would have loaded up a .44, [F]put myself behind a jail house door
If it [F]hadn’t been, if it [E]hadn’t been for [Am]love
If it [F]hadn’t been, if it [E]hadn’t been for [Am]love
If it [F]hadn’t been, if it [E]hadn’t been for [Am]love

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SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookDiscover the most-used three-chord combinations in songs and build real command on guitar.
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?Master guitar today with the most repeated high-impact chord transitions.
ArtistAdele
Album21
GenresPop
Year2011
KeyAm

How to play If It Hadn't Been For Love on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Adele - If It Hadn't Been For Love on guitar requires 6 chords and 7 core chord transitions. You can find the full step-by-step guide below. Before you start, tune your instrument. The song uses the ↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑ pattern; practice it muted first, or simplify to downstrokes while you learn the changes.

If It Hadn't Been For Love uses these transitions most often: Am → F (10), Am → C (8), and C → G (8). These transitions may feel a little challenging at first, but with steady practice you can play this song quickly.When you are ready, begin with Am - F chord transition.

1. Am → F chord transition

Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram

To move from Am to F;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.
Am to F

2. F → E chord transition

Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar E chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-1-0-0Guitar E chord diagram

To move from F to E;

  1. While playing F, lift your pinky from D string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to A string fret 2.
  4. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 2.
F to E

3. E → Am chord transition

Guitar E chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-1-0-0Guitar E chord diagram
Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram

To move from E to Am;

  1. Lift your index finger from G string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from D string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
E to Am

4. Am → C chord transition

Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

To move from Am to C;

  1. Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
  2. Keep middle finger on D string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 3.
Am to C

5. C → G chord transition

To move from C to G;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.

6. G → Dm chord transition

To move from G to Dm;

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to G string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.

7. Dm → Am chord transition

To move from Dm to Am;

  1. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 2.

If It Hadn't Been For Love chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in If It Hadn't Been For Love.

  • If It Hadn't Been For Love includes 58 chord transitions, 7 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • If It Hadn't Been For Love contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how If It Hadn't Been For Love connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Am, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (26%), G (21%), and C (16%).
    • Am → F: 26%
    • Am → C: 16%
    After F, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
    • F → Am: 11%
    • F → E: 1%
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookThe 200 most popular three-chord chains from real songs. See which songs use each chain and expand your repertoire with patterns that actually matter.