Skip to song content
Chordier homepage
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?The 100 most repeated chord transitions extracted from thousands of songs. Even the first 10 will transform your guitar practice routine.

Elvis Presley - Return to Sender Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, Am, Dm, G7, F, C7, D7
Strumming↓↑-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

CIgavealettertotheAmpostman,
DmheputinhisG7sack.
CBrightandearlynextAmmorning,
heDmbroughtmyG7letterCback.
Shewroteuponit:
FReturntoG7sender,Faddress G7unknown,
FnosuchG7number,CnosuchC7zone.
FWehadaG7quarrel,FaloversG7spat.
D7IwriteI’msorrybutmyletterkeepscomingG7back.
CSothenIdroppeditintheAmmailbox,
DmandsentitSpecialG7D.
CBrightandearlynextAmmorning,
itDmcamerightG7backtoCme
Shewroteuponit:
FReturntoG7sender,Faddress G7unknown,
FnosuchG7number,CnosuchC7zone.
FThistimeI’mgonnatakeitmyselfandputitrightinherChand.
AndD7ifitcomesbacktheverynextday,
G7ThenI’llunderstandthewritingonit.
FReturntoG7sender,Faddress G7unknown,
FnosuchG7number,Cnosuchzone.
CIgavealettertotheAmpostman,
DmheputinhisG7sack.
CBrightandearlynextAmmorning,
heDmbroughtmyG7letterCback.
Shewroteuponit:
FReturntoG7sender,Faddress G7unknown,
FnosuchG7number,CnosuchC7zone.
FWehadaG7quarrel,FaloversG7spat.
D7IwriteI’msorrybutmyletterkeepscomingG7back.
CSothenIdroppeditintheAmmailbox,
DmandsentitSpecialG7D.
CBrightandearlynextAmmorning,
itDmcamerightG7backtoCme
Shewroteuponit:
FReturntoG7sender,Faddress G7unknown,
FnosuchG7number,CnosuchC7zone.
FThistimeI’mgonnatakeitmyselfandputitrightinherChand.
AndD7ifitcomesbacktheverynextday,
G7ThenI’llunderstandthewritingonit.
FReturntoG7sender,Faddress G7unknown,
FnosuchG7number,Cnosuchzone.
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.
ArtistElvis Presley
AlbumGirls! Girls! Girls!
GenresPop, Pop Rock, Rock, Rock and roll
Year1962
KeyC
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play Return to Sender on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Elvis Presley - Return to Sender on guitar requires 7 chords and 10 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.

Return to Sender uses these transitions most often: F → G7 (22), G7 → C (16), and G7 → F (16). 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 C - Am chord transition.

1. C → Am chord transition

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

Switching from C to Am:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 8 times.

C to Am

2. Am → Dm chord transition

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

Here's how to move from Am to Dm:

  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 B string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 8 times.

Am to Dm

3. Dm → G7 chord transition

Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
Guitar G7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-1Guitar G7 chord diagram

Here's how to move from Dm to G7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 8 times.

Dm to G7

4. G7 → C chord transition

Guitar G7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-1Guitar G7 chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

Switching from G7 to C:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 16 times.

G7 to C

5. C → F chord transition

To move from C 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. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 4 times.

6. F → G7 chord transition

Switching from F to G7:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 22 times.

7. C → C7 chord transition

To move from C to C7:

  1. Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
  2. Keep middle finger on D string fret 2.
  3. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on G string fret 3.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 4 times.

8. C7 → F chord transition

To move from C7 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. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
  4. Lift your pinky from G string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 3.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 4 times.

9. G7 → D7 chord transition

Here's how to move from G7 to D7:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 2 times.

10. C → D7 chord transition

Switching from C to D7:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 2 times.

Return to Sender chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Return to Sender.

  • Return to Sender includes 100 chord transitions, 10 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Return to Sender contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Return to Sender connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After G7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (69%), C7 (5%), and F (5%).
    • G7 → C: 69%
    • G7 → F: 5%
    After F, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
    • F → C: 40%
    • F → G7: 3%
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.