Chords + Lyrics | How Sweet It Is (Marvin Gaye)
Chorus 1
| F | Dm7 G7 | C C6 | C (C7) |
How sweet it is to be loved by you, yes baby, oh, oh, oh, oh.
| F | Dm7 G7 | C C6 | C Dm7 |
How sweet it is to be loved by you. Oh, baby.
Verse 1
||: C | Am Am7 | G7 | F :||
I needed the shelter of someone’s arms and there you were.
I needed someone to understand my ups and downs and there you were.
Bridge 1
||: C | F | C | F :||
With sweet love and devotion, deeply touching my emotions.
I wanna to stop (stop) and thank you baby. I wanna to stop (stop) and thank you baby.
Chorus 2
Hey now, how sweet it is to be loved by you, oh baby.
How sweet it is to be loved by you, yes it is.
Verse 2
I close my eyes at night, and wonder what would I be without you in my life.
Everything was just a bore, everything I did seems I’ve done there before.
Bridge 2
But you brightened up for my days, With a love so sweet in so many ways.
I wanna to stop (stop) and thank you baby. I’d wanna to stop (stop) and thank you baby.
Chorus 3
Hey, hey, how sweet it is to be loved by you, oh yes it is, baby.
How sweet it is to be loved by you, yes it is baby.
Solo
| C | Am Am7 | G7 | F |
Bridge 3
You were better to me than I’ve been to myself. For me there’s you and and nobody else.
Stop (stop) and thank you baby. I wanna to stop (stop) and thank you baby.
Chorus 4
||: F | Dm7 G7 | C C6 | C (C7) :||
Oh, oh, how sweet it is to be loved by you, tell the truth baby.
How sweet it is to be loved by you, well it’s like sugar in my soul.
How sweet it is to be loved by you, oh yes it is baby.
How Sweet It Is | Chords + Lyrics (James Taylor)
Chorus 1
| C | Am7 D7 | G (C/G) | G G7 G6 G |
How sweet it is to be loved by you.
| C | Am7 D7 | G (C/G) | G Am7 |
How sweet it is to be loved by you.
Verse 1
||: G | Em7 | D7 | C7 C :||
I needed the shelter of someone’s arms and there you were.
I needed someone to understand my ups and downs and there you were.
Bridge 1
| G | C7 C | Em7 | C (C7) |
With sweet love and devotion, deeply touching my emotion.
| G | C | G N.C | N.C (G F E D) |
I want to stop and thank you, baby. I wanna stop and thank you baby, yes I do.
Chorus 2
How sweet it is to be loved by you, feels so fine.
How sweet it is to be loved by you.
Verse 2
I close my eyes at night, wondering where would I be without you in my life.
Everything I did was just a bore, everywhere I went it seems I’d been there before.
Bridge 2
But you brighten up for me all of my days, with a love so sweet in so many ways.
I wanna stop and thank you, baby. I just wanna stop and thank you baby, oh yes.
Chorus 3
How sweet it is to be loved by you, it’s just like sugar sometimes.
How sweet it is to be loved by you.
Solo (as verse)
||: G | Em7 | D7 | C7 C :||
Woah, yeah.
Bridge 3
You were better to me than I was to myself. For me, there’s you and there ain’t nobody else.
I wanna stop and thank you, baby. I just wanna stop and thank you baby, oh yes.
Chorus 4
||: C | Am7 D7 | G (C/G) | G G7 G6 G :||
How sweet it is to be loved by you.
How sweet it is to be loved by you, oh now.
How sweet it is to be loved by you, It’s like jelly, baby, oh yeah.
How sweet it is to be loved by you, just like honey to the bee baby.
How sweet it is to be loved by you.
How sweet it is to be loved by you.
How Sweet It Is Chords: A Side-by-Side Breakdown of Two Iconic Versions
Let’s go through each section and compare the two versions, starting with the chorus of Marvin Gaye‘s original How Sweet It Is.
Chorus – Marvin Gaye (key of C)
| F | Dm7 G7 | C C6 | C (C7) |
| F | Dm7 G7 | C C6 | C Dm7 |
Starting on chord IV, we stay firmly in the key of C, with only a C7 added to pull us back to chord IV.
James Taylor (key of G)
| C | Am7 D7 | G (C/G) | G G7 G6 G |
| C | Am7 D7 | G (C/G) | G Am7 |
Instead of a 6-chord in bar three, Taylor uses a slash chord—otherwise, the structure is extremely similar. In bar four, he continues descending from the dominant 7 to the 6.
To get TAB for both these versions and all other sections, go here How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Verse – Marvin Gaye (key of C)
Here we go I – VI – V – IV:
||: C | Am Am7 | G7 | F :||
James Taylor (key of G)
Only the extensions vary with a dom7 for the IV chord:
||: G | Em7 | D7 | C7 C :||
Bridge – Marvin Gaye (simple I – IV movement)
||: C | F | C | F :||
James Taylor (reharmonised)
This is where James makes the biggest change.
| G | C7 C | Em7 | C (C7) |
| G | C | G N.C | N.C (G F E D) |
Clearly, the bridge is the most significant difference, making it essential to confirm which version you’re playing—it’s not just the key that changes.
Solo Section
Another key difference is the solo. James Taylor’s version extends the solo to twice the length of Marvin Gaye’s original, which could cause confusion if the singer re-enters too early.
Here are chord charts for each version.
How Sweet It Is Chord Charts | PDF + iReal Pro Download
You can download these chord charts as. static PDFs or in the more flexible iReal Pro format:
- How Sweet It Is chord charts PDF (Marvin Gaye)
- How Sweet It Is iReal Pro (Marvin Gaye)
- How Sweet It Is chord charts PDF (James Taylor)
- How Sweet It Is iReal Pro (James Taylor)
How Sweet It Is TAB | Course Preview
In the course, we use TAB to look at two ideas for each section of the original Marvin Gaye version. These will wet you up to improvise a rhythm part when you play this live with a band.
We then look at a more complex version for playing in the James Taylor key.
When you can play both, you can easily find a part that suits you and your bands version of How Sweet it Is (To Be Loved By You).
Here’s a preview, it’s the James Taylor version of the chorus!
The Perfect First Dance
A classic wedding song, How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) by Marvin Gaye is an ideal choice for a first dance. But if you’re performing it with a band, make sure everyone is on the same page—starting in different keys could lead to chaos!
Released in 1964, Marvin Gaye’s version reached #3 on the charts, becoming his most successful song at the time. Written and produced by Motown’s legendary team, Holland-Dozier-Holland, and performed by The Funk Brothers, it’s a Motown classic that every musician should know.
In 1975, James Taylor reworked the song, changing the key, adding stops, and extending the solo. His version became even more widely recognised, and in most cases, when this song is called at a gig, it’s Taylor’s version they mean.
As a true pro, it’s essential to know both versions. Study their differences carefully—starting with the original!
How Sweet It Is Chords | Related Pages
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) (Marvin Gaye + James Taylor) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
