How to Play love-me-tender-chords

“Love Me Tender” is one of the most popular and romantic songs by Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll. It was released in 1956 as the title track of his first movie, and it became a huge hit, reaching number one on the Billboard charts. The song is based on the Civil War ballad “Aura Lee”, which was written by W. W. Fosdick and George R. Poulton in 1861.

The song is a simple and beautiful melody that can be played on guitar with basic chords and strumming. In this article, we will show you how to play “Love Me Tender” by Elvis Presley on guitar, using different sources and methods. We will also provide some background information and trivia about the song and its history.

The Chords

The first thing you need to know to play “Love Me Tender” on guitar is the chords. The song is in the key of D major, and it uses seven chords: D, E7, A7, F#7, Bm, G, and Gm. You can find the chord diagrams and fingerings for these chords on various websites, such as Ultimate Guitar, E-Chords, or Cowboy Lyrics. Here are some examples of how the chords look like on the guitar fretboard:

Elvis Presley - Love Me Tender
(Presley/Matson)
4/4 - 72 bpm
 
/      : Break(s)
 
 
[Intro]
D
 
[Verse 1]
D               E7             A7           D
Love me tender, love me sweet, never let me go.
D                E7             A7             D
You have made my life complete, and I love you so.
 
[Chorus]
D       F#7     Bm      D7    G      Gm        D
Love me tender, love me true, all my dreams fulfill.
D      B7      E7          A7           D
For my darlin' I love you, and I always will.
 
[Verse 2]
D               E7            A7              D
Love me tender, love me long, take me to your heart.
D                   E7        A7              D
For it's there that I belong, and we'll never part.
 
[Chorus]
D       F#7     Bm      D7    G      Gm        D
Love me tender, love me true, all my dreams fulfill.
D      B7      E7          A7           D
For my darlin' I love you, and I always will.
 
[Verse 3]
D               E7            A7              D
Love me tender, love me dear, tell me you are mine.
D                     E7             A7              D
I'll be yours through all the years, till the end of time.
 
[Chorus/Outro]
D       F#7     Bm      D7    G      Gm        D
Love me tender, love me true, all my dreams fulfill.
 
                                 /      /
D      B7      E7          A7           D
For my darlin' I love you, and I always will.
 
                                      e|------5-5|2--------|
                                      B|---------|---------|
                                      G|----2----|---------|
                                      D|---------|---------|
                                      A|---------|---------|
                                      E|---------|---------|

Some of these chords are barre chords, which means you have to press down multiple strings with one finger across the fretboard. Barre chords can be challenging for beginners, but they are essential for playing many songs. To play barre chords, you need to have a good grip on the guitar neck, use your thumb as a support behind the neck, and apply enough pressure with your index finger to make all the strings ring clearly. You can practice barre chords by moving them up and down the fretboard, changing their shape according to the root note.

The Strumming

The next thing you need to know to play “Love Me Tender” on guitar is the strumming pattern. The song has a slow tempo of 72 beats per minute, and it has a 4/4 time signature, which means there are four beats in each measure. The strumming pattern is simple and consistent throughout the song. You can use a pick or your fingers to strum the strings.

The basic strumming pattern is down-down-up-up-down-up (D-D-U-U-D-U), which means you strum down on the first and second beats, up on the third and fourth beats, down on the first offbeat, and up on the second offbeat. You repeat this pattern for each measure. Here is how it looks like in tablature notation

You can also add some variations to the strumming pattern to make it more interesting and expressive. For example, you can skip some strums, add some accents (stronger strums), or use some palm muting (lightly touching the strings with your palm to create a muted sound). Here are some examples of how you can vary the strumming pattern

You can experiment with different strumming patterns and see what sounds good to you. The most important thing is to keep a steady rhythm and follow the melody of the song.

The Lyrics and Chords

The last thing you need to know to play “Love Me Tender” on guitar is the lyrics and chords. The song has three verses and a chorus that are repeated twice. The lyrics are simple and heartfelt, expressing love and devotion to someone special. The chords follow the same progression for each verse and chorus, except for the last line of each chorus, where there is a slight variation.

Conclusion

“Love Me Tender” is a classic song by Elvis Presley that can be easily played on guitar with basic chords and strumming. It is a beautiful and romantic song that has touched millions of hearts around the world. It is also a song that has a rich and fascinating history behind it. We hope this article has helped you learn how to play “Love Me Tender” by Elvis Presley on guitar, and also inspired you to explore more of his music and legacy. Thank you for reading.