It Must Be Love | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
||: Am | Amadd9/E :||
Verse 1
| Am | Amadd9/E | Am | Amadd9/E | G | Gsus4 | G | G G# |
I never thought I’d miss you, half as much as I do.
| Am | Amadd9/E | Am | Amadd9/E | G | Gsus4 | G | C D |
And I never thought I’d feel this way, the way I feel, about you.
Bridge 1
| Em | Am | Dm7 | E |
As soon as I wake up, every night, every day.
| Am | Am7 | Am6 | D7 (D E F# G A B) |
I know that it’s you I need, to take the blues away
Chorus 1
| G | Bm C | C D |
It must be love, love, love.
| G | Bm C | C D |
It must be love, love, love.
| C C/D | C/E | 2/4 C/E |
Nothing more, nothing less, love is the best.
Verse 2
| Am | Amadd9/E | Am | Amadd9/E | G | Gsus4 | G | Gsus4 |
How can it be that we can, say so much without words?
| Am | Amadd9/E | Am | Amadd9/E | G | Gsus4 | G | Gsus4 C D |
Bless you and bless me, bless the bees, and the birds.
Bridge 2
I’ve got to be near you, every night, every day.
I couldn’t be happy, any other way.
Chorus 2
It must be love, love, love.
It must be love, love, love.
Nothing more, nothing less, love is the best.
Solo
| Am | Amadd9/E | Am | Amadd9/E | G | Gsus4 | G | Gsus4 |
| Am | Amadd9/E | Am | Amadd9/E | G | Gsus4 | G | Gsus4 C D |
Bridge 3
As soon as I wake up, every night, every day.
I know that it’s you I need, to take the blues away.
Chorus 3
It must be love, love, love.
It must be love, love, love.
Nothing more, nothing less, love is the best.
Chorus 4
|:| G | Bm C | C D :||
It must be love, love, love.
It must be love, love, love.
It must be love, love, love.
It must be love, love, love.
| C C/D | C/E | C/E | C/E |
Nothing more, nothing less, love is the best.
It Must Be Love Chords: Mastering the Progressions and Rhythm
The chords in It Must Be Love by Madness are simpler than you might expect, but it’s the rhythm that really challenges players. Let’s break down the chords first, and then we’ll dive into the rhythmic intricacies.
The intro is identical to the start of the verse and solo, featuring a movement from Am to Amadd9/E. When the verse begins, we transition to G, which is then extended to Gsus4. From here, things get a little more unpredictable.
The first time we go to G#, it doesn’t occur again in the song. As we approach the first bridge, we play C – D, which also doesn’t repeat later, but instead shifts to Gsus4 – C – D. The C – D progression suggests that these are the IV – V chords, meaning G is the tonic (I), and the previous Am is the II chord.
In verse 2 and the solo, the chords mirror the first verse, but this time we begin with Gsus4 before resolving in the same way as verse 1. Here are the full chords for Verse 2/Solo:
| Am | Amadd9/E | Am | Amadd9/E | G | Gsus4 | G | Gsus4 |
| Am | Amadd9/E | Am | Amadd9/E | G | Gsus4 | G | Gsus4 C D |
The bridge starts with a modal interchange, introducing Em – Am – Dm7. This section shifts away from the key of G and enters the key of C.
The following E chord replaces Em, which can be interpreted as IIIx in C or VIx in G:
| Em | Am | Dm7 | E |
The second half of the bridge features a progression similar to Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, which I’ve written as Am – Am7 – Am6, though it could also be Am – Am/G – Am/F#. We return to G key here:
| Am | Am7 | Am6 | D7 (D E F# G A B) |
The final bar of the bridge consists of two sets of quarter-note triplets, moving up the D Mixolydian scale, with D7 acting as the dominant (V).
The chorus follows a I – III – IV – V pattern, like this:
| G | Bm C | C D |
| G | Bm C | C |
| C C/D | C/E | 2/4 C/E |
The rhythm is where It Must Be Love really stands out. The first two bars feature rhythmic variations, from straight rhythms to triplets, with the last beat of bar 2 landing on a C chord—a detail that often gets overlooked.
The final C chords, with varying bass notes, are played as half-note triplets. This rhythm is quite unusual and is a defining feature of the track.
Here’s a chord chart.
It Must Be Love Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
To download my chord chart can be done as a PDF, or in the iReal Pro format:
It Must Be Love Chords | Related Pages
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
