Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton

Overview

Key: A major · Chords used: 16 · Sections: 14

Form: Transition → Verse → Bridge → Transition → Verse → Bridge → Transition → Interlude → Verse → Bridge → Transition → Verse → Bridge → Transition

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.

Key changes

• Interlude moves to G major.
• Verse 3 moves to A major.

Section by section

Transition 1

• A – E/G♯ – F♯m – A/E – D/F♯ – A/E – E – A
  I – V⁶ – vi – I⁶₄ – IV⁶ – I⁶₄ – V – I

Verse 1

• A – E/G♯ – F♯m – A/E – D/F♯ – A/E – E (×2)
  I – V⁶ – vi – I⁶₄ – IV⁶ – I⁶₄ – V

Bridge 1

• F♯m – C♯/E♯ – C♯m/E – F♯ – Bm7 – D/E
  vi – III⁶ – iii⁶ – VI – ii7 – IV (bass E)

Transition 2

Same chords as Transition 1.

Verse 2

Same chords as Verse 1.

Bridge 2

Same chords as Bridge 1.

Transition 3

Same chords as Transition 1.

Interlude

• C – Bm – Am – D/F♯ – G – D/F♯ – Em – D/F♯ – G – C – Bm – Am – D/F♯ – G – D/F♯ – E
  IV – iii – ii – V⁶ – I – V⁶ – vi – V⁶ – I – IV – iii – ii – V⁶ – I – V⁶ – VI

Verse 3

Same chords as Verse 1.

Bridge 3

Same chords as Bridge 1.

Transition 4

Same chords as Transition 1.

Verse 4

Same chords as Verse 1.

Bridge 4

Same chords as Bridge 1.

Transition 5

Same chords as Transition 1.

Chord vocabulary

Harmonic highlights

• F♯ acts as V/ii: it resolves to Bm7.

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 90% 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.