Let's Stay Together by Al Green

Overview

Key: F major · Chords used: 13 · Sections: 10

Form: Intro → Verse → Pre-Chorus → Verse → Pre-Chorus → Chorus → Bridge → Verse → Pre-Chorus → Chorus

Where these chords come from: an expert transcription of the original recording made for the Rock Corpus RS 200 (de Clercq & Temperley, 2011), analysis by Trevor de Clercq. This page shows that transcription as-is: the analysis below is generated directly from it by code, not written by AI. Consecutive repeats of a chord are shown once, and the piano voicings are our playable arrangement of each chord symbol, not a note-for-note transcription.

Section by section

Intro

• Gm – Am (×3)
  ii – iii
• Gm – C
  ii – V

Verse 1

• F – Dm9 – B♭ – B♭m/D♭
  I – vi9 – IV – iv⁶

Pre-Chorus 1

• Am – Gm – F – Em – D9 – Am – Gm – F – Am – D9
  iii – ii – I – vii – VI9 – iii – ii – I – iii – VI9

Verse 2

Same chords as Verse 1.

Pre-Chorus 2

Same chords as Pre-Chorus 1.

Chorus 1

• Gm9 – Am7 – Gm – B♭ – Am – Dm – C
  ii9 – iii7 – ii – IV – iii – vi – V

Bridge

• Gm9 – A♭ (×2)
  ii9 – bIII
• B♭ – Am – Dm – C
  IV – iii – vi – V

Verse 3

Same chords as Verse 1.

Pre-Chorus 3

Same chords as Pre-Chorus 1.

Chorus 2

• Gm9 – Am7 – Gm – B♭ – Am – Gm – C
  ii9 – iii7 – ii – IV – iii – ii – V

Chord vocabulary

Harmonic highlights

• B♭m/D♭ (iv⁶) is borrowed from the parallel key, F minor.
• A♭ (bIII) is borrowed from the parallel key, F minor.

Sources & accuracy

• Chords and sections: the Rock Corpus RS 200 (de Clercq & Temperley, 2011), analysis by Trevor de Clercq. Expert by-ear harmonic analysis of the original recording, shown on this page.
• Cross-check: the Rock Corpus RS 200 (de Clercq & Temperley, 2011), analysis by David Temperley. Independent by-ear analysis of the same recording. The two analysts agree on the chord (root and major/minor) for 83% of the song.
• Not verified: the two RS 200 analysts differ in places (see their agreement above).
• Rhythm and chord durations aren't shown; each step is one chord change.