Diana | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
||: G | Em | C | D7 :||
Verse 1
||: G | Em | C | D7 :||
I’m so young and you’re so old, this my darling, I’ve been told.
I don’t care just what they say, ’cause forever I will pray.
You and I will be as free, as the birds up in the trees.
Oh, please, stay by me, Diana.
Instrumental 1
| G | Em | C | D7 |
Verse 2
Thrills I get when you hold me close. Oh, my darling, you’re the most.
I love you but do you love me. Oh, Diana, can’t you see.
I love you with all my heart, and I hope we will never part.
Oh, please, stay by me, Diana.
Instrumental 2
| G | Em | C | D7 G7 (F E D B) |
Bridge
| C | Cm |
Oh, my darlin’, oh, my lover.
| G | G7 |
Tell me that there is no other.
| C | Cm |
I love you, with my heart.
| N.C D7 | D7 |
Oh-oh, oh-oh, and don’t you know I love you, love you so.
Verse 3
And only you can take my heart, only you can tear it apart
When you hold me in your loving arms, I can feel you giving all your charms.
Hold me darling, hold me tight, squeeze me baby with all your might.
Oh, please, stay by me, Diana.
End
||: G | Em | C | D7 :|| to fade
Oh, please, Diana. Oh, please, Diana.
Diana Chords: Learn the progressions
For the beginner guitarist, theory student, and budding songwriter, Diana has several classic tricks up its sleeve that you simply must know.
The verse is the classic early pop progression using the minor fall and the IV – V. In the key of G that becomes:
||: G (I) | Em (VI) | C (IV) | D7 (V) :||
This is also used in Stand By Me (key of A) and has become known as the Stand By Me changes even though Diana was released four years earlier.
Another super common movement is to take the IV chord and make it minor, this is what happens in the bridge, like this:
| C (IV) | Cm (IVm) | G (I) | G7 (I7) |
| C | Cm | N.C D7 (V) | D7 |
Once you’ve heard it and named it, you’ll recognize it in other tunes. Notice also the use of a dom7 chords pointing up a 4th, this is borrowing from the blues.
To learn more about the chords, the progression, that classic chord variation, the bass line, and how the melody builds to a climax, all using TAB to guide you, check this part of the lesson: Diana – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Once you absorbed that, a simple chord chart to bring to the gig will be enough, here’s one I made for you.
Diana Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
There’s a problem with this chord chart which I realised before publishing it but decided to keep in order to hammer home an important point.
The issue is found at the end of the instrumental section. I’ve indicated that the bass line goes F – E – D – B. This is correct but it would have been better to write it as intervals of the G chord: b7 – 6 – 5 – 3.
That last B leads perfectly to the C chord of the bridge.
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Diana Chord Chart PDF.
This chart was created using iRealPro, here’s a link to that file: Diana iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
The problem I mentioned earlier will occur when you change the key. As the bass notes are written using text, they won’t change with the key.
To be annoying and prove that it’s always about the intervals, I decided to not fix this but let you do it when you download the iReal Pro version of the file. This way, you will do it in the future to other tunes, and so will I.
Diana is a perfect example of early popular music!
Paul Anka‘s classic Diana was released all the way back in 1957 and in many ways epitomizes the era where they mixed doo-wop, rock n’ roll, and early pop, giving birth to popular music.
With sales of over 10 million copies worldwide, Diana was #1 in several countries and will forever be known as Mr. Anka’s signature song.
It wasn’t his only hit though, Paul Anka went on to pen 900 tunes!
Here’s a small selection, you’ve probably heard all of them: Lonely Boy, Put Your Head On My Shoulder, Puppy Love, and You Are My Destiny.
Diana Chords | Related Pages
Diana | Guitar Lesson + TAB
In this guitar lesson, you’ll get TAB for the chords, bass line and vocal melody of Diana. The TAB for the chords is an exercise, the melody is a lesson in hit writing.
| G | Em | C | D7 |
I’m so young and you’re so old, this my darling, I’ve been told…
Five Similar Tunes | Chords + Lyrics
- I’m A Believer chords by The Monkees
- She Loves You chords by The Beatles
- Under The Boardwalk chords by The Drifters
- Wonderful World chords by Sam Cooke
- You Never Can Tell chords by Chuck Berry
Paul Anka tunes
After his first single Diana hit the charts back in 1958, Paul Anka has had an incredible career mainly based on his writing.
Credits include My Way, She’s A Lady, You Are My Destiny, Love Never Felt So Good, Put Your Head On My Shoulder, and Puppy Love.
Paul Anka on the web
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was a guitar lesson about Diana chords, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and how you can learn guitar with Spytunes.
Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not practising scales, and studying theory in isolation.
