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 Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You). I’ve used stem separation to extract the guitar while keeping the drums, bass, keys, horns, and vocals intact.
After studying the chords and TAB, use my backing tracks to prepare for playing this tune with a band.
Should you want to play along with the original recording instead, you need to tune your guitar sharp to 443Hz (MG) and 441Hz (JT). In the backing tracks, I’ve done this job for you by tuning them both to 440Hz.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
Let’s compare the two arrangements section by section, beginning with the chorus from Marvin Gaye’s original recording of 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, this version stays rooted in the key of C, with only a C7 slipped in to pull us neatly 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 opts for a slash chord. In bar four, the descent continues from the dominant 7 through to the 6, keeping the movement flowing.
To get TAB for both versions—look further down this guitar lesson.
Verse – Marvin Gaye (key of C)
Here the progression runs I – VI – V – IV:
||: C | Am Am7 | G7 | F :||
James Taylor (key of G)
The structure remains, though with extended chords and a dominant 7 on the IV:
||: G | Em7 | D7 | C7 C :||
Bridge – Marvin Gaye (simple I – IV movement)
||: C | F | C | F :||
James Taylor (reharmonised)
This is where Taylor diverges most boldly:
| G | C7 C | Em7 | C (C7) |
| G | C | G N.C | N.C (G F E D) |
The reharmonisation makes the bridge the key point of difference—it’s more than just a change of key, it’s a change of feel.
Solo Section
Taylor’s version doubles the length of the solo compared to Marvin’s, so you’ll want to keep an ear out—otherwise the singer risks coming back in too soon.
Here are full chord charts for both versions:
How Sweet It Is Chord Charts | PDF + iReal Pro Download
You can download the chord charts for How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) as static PDFs, or in the more flexible iReal Pro format.
The PDF gives you a fixed layout that’s ready to print or share, while iReal Pro lets you adjust the key, tempo, and layout to suit your needs.
- 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 (Marvin Gaye)
Let’s start with Marvin’s key and keep it simple!
Chorus
Let’s make sure we can play this classic tune with simple down strums. Add a muted strum every time you’re about to change chord. Starting with the C shape, the chorus looks like this:
If we start with an A shape instead, the chords line up like this (notice the G now has a 3rd):
Verse
Next, let’s move on to the verse and do the same thing again. We start with a G shape for the C chord, which is again without a 3rd:
Then, let’s play the verse using an E shape instead:
Bridge
Finally, the bridge—which is the easiest part—looks like this when starting with a G shape:
If we start with an E shape instead, it looks like this:
Using the chord chart and backing track above, play along with Marvin until you feel comfortable.
Next, let’s swap key and play with James instead!
How Sweet It Is | TAB (James Taylor)
For these TAB examples, I’ve added more licks and variation, but I only give one example per section. Let’s start with the chorus, which is in a new key and includes some new chords!
Chorus
This part is hugely different from the simple on-the-beat strumming we used for Marvin’s part. Perhaps you could combine both ideas once you’ve got this down:
Verse
The verse is similar to what we did for Marvin, with just a few differences. For example, the G and Em7 chords remain the same, so to add some variation, I sneak in an Em.
For the C chord, we play a double-stop chord fill—first in an A shape, then in an E shape—which leads into the next section:
Bridge
Finally, the bridge. Here, we play the same C chord fill between the different chords:
Once you can play all these examples—try. it with backing track above (2nd video in the playlist).
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’s on the same page—starting in different keys could lead to chaos!
Released in 1964, Marvin Gaye’s version reached No. 3 on the charts, becoming his most successful single 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 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 requested 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—start with the original!
How Sweet It Is Chords: Continue Learning
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