“Love Story” is one of Taylor Swift’s most enduring songs and a wonderful project for any guitarist ready to step beyond the basic three-chord open-position vocabulary. The verse and chorus cycle through four chords — D, A, Bm, and G — repeating that same progression as the song builds. Bm is the trickiest of the four for new players (it’s a partial barre chord), but everything else is in standard open position.
Then there’s the famous key change. For the final “Marry me, Juliet” chorus, the song lifts up a whole step from D major to E major, bringing in three new chords: E, B, and C#m. This is what makes “Love Story” a slightly more advanced song than most of the others in this collection — but it’s also a perfect way to start exploring barre chord shapes. More on that below. This is the same arrangement I teach in my 30 Day Guitar Chord Fluency course. Let’s dive in!
The Chords You’ll Need
For most of the song
For the final key change
Chord Chart
Intro D A Bm G Verse 1 D We were both young when I first saw you G I close my eyes and the flashback starts Bm G I'm standing there on a balcony in the summer air D See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns G See you make your way through the crowd Bm And say "hello" A Little did I know Pre-chorus 1 G A That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles Bm D And my daddy said "Stay away from Juliet" G And I was crying on the staircase A Bm Begging you "Please don't go" and I said Chorus 1 D Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone A I'll be waiting, all that's left to do is run Bm You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess G A D It's a love story, baby, just say "Yes." Verse 2 D So I sneak out to the garden to see you G We keep quiet 'cause we're dead if they knew Bm So close your eyes A Escape this town for a little while... Oh, oh Pre-chorus 2 G A 'Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter Bm D And my daddy said "Stay away from Juliet" G But you were everything to me A Bm I was begging you "Please don't go", and I said Chorus 2 D Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone A I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run Bm You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess G A It's a love story, baby, just say "Yes." D Romeo save me, they're trying to tell me how to feel A This love is difficult, but it's real Bm Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess G A It's a love story, baby, just say "Yes." Solo / Bridge D A Bm G Oh, oh Bm G D A I got tired of waiting, wondering if you were ever coming around Bm G My faith in you was fading D A When I met you on the outskirts of town, and I said Chorus 3 D Romeo save me, I've been feeling so alone A I keep waiting for you but you never come Bm Is this in my head, I don't know what to think G A He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring and said Final Chorus (key change to E major) E Marry me, Juliet, you'll never have to be alone B I love you and that's all I really know C#m I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress A B E It's a love story, baby, just say "Yes." Outro E B C#m Oh, oh, oh A E 'Cause we were both young when I first saw you
About Bm (and the easier substitute)
Bm is the trickiest chord in the verse — it requires a small barre across the 2nd
fret. If your barre isn’t sounding clean yet, here’s a simpler substitute that
captures the same harmonic role:
Bm7Place finger 1 on the 2nd fret of the A string (5th string), finger 2 on the 2nd fret of the G string (3rd string), and finger 3 on the 2nd fret of the high E string (1st string). Strum from the A string down — avoid the low E. From low to high, you’ll be playing B, D, A, B, F# — all of the notes needed for Bm7. We cover Bm and other barre chords in Module 4 of the course.
Bm7Place finger 1 on the 2nd fret of the A string (5th string), finger 2 on the 2nd fret of the G string (3rd string), and finger 3 on the 2nd fret of the high E string (1st string). Strum from the A string down — avoid the low E. From low to high, you’ll be playing B, D, A, B, F# — all of the notes needed for Bm7. We cover Bm and other barre chords in Module 4 of the course.
About the key change
The final chorus lifts the song up a whole step — from D major to E major — and that
modulation is what makes the climax of “Love Story” feel like such a release. The
new chords (E, B, C#m, A) follow the same I–V–vi–IV pattern as the original chords
(D, A, Bm, G). E is an open chord you
likely already know. B is a barre chord you can substitute B7 for if needed.
About C#m: if you’ve never seen this chord before, it can look intimidating — but it’s actually just the familiar A minor open shape moved up the neck and turned into a barre chord. Lay your index finger across all six strings at the 4th fret, then build an Am shape on top with your other fingers. That’s it. And don’t be put off by the unfamiliar name: C#m is the vi chord in E major, meaning it’s one of the most common chords you’ll encounter in any song that lives in this key. Worth getting comfortable with.
About C#m: if you’ve never seen this chord before, it can look intimidating — but it’s actually just the familiar A minor open shape moved up the neck and turned into a barre chord. Lay your index finger across all six strings at the 4th fret, then build an Am shape on top with your other fingers. That’s it. And don’t be put off by the unfamiliar name: C#m is the vi chord in E major, meaning it’s one of the most common chords you’ll encounter in any song that lives in this key. Worth getting comfortable with.
Practice Tips
- Master the verse and chorus first. The progression D → G → Bm → A repeats throughout most of the song, so getting that loop smooth is most of the work.
- The Bm transition is what trips up most beginners. Drill the A-to-Bm and Bm-to-G changes on their own at slow tempo. Once your fingers know where to land, the chord shape itself becomes much easier. If your barre chords are already solid, then you’ll probably find it easier to play the A and G chords as barred E major shapes.
- Save the key change for last. There’s no shame in playing the whole song in D and stopping before the modulation — most people who hear you play it won’t even notice. But when you’re ready to tackle the full version, it’s an excellent introduction to barre chord shapes outside of Bm.
- Notice the I–V–vi–IV pattern. Both keys use the same chord progression structure (D-A-Bm-G in D major, E-B-C#m-A in E major). Recognizing this pattern is one of the most useful skills you can develop as a guitarist — it shows up in hundreds of pop songs across every key.