Happy Together Chords And Guitar Lesson (The Turtles)

Behold… one of the most iconic feel-good pop hits from the '60s.

It moved listeners then, and it’s still moving them now. 

In fact, check out what people are saying on YouTube:

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“This song feels like frolicking in a flower field with someone you love”

Or… 

“This is the song that plays in the heads of every Golden Retriever on the planet 24/7.”

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Those may be true.

In this post, I’m going to break down the guitar style behind this gem. So grab your axe, and let’s dive into this “Happy Together” chords and guitar lesson!

Who Wrote Happy Together?

"Happy Together" was written by Gary Bonner and Alan Gordon. Two blokes who were a part of the Brill Building songwriting community. The Brill Building songwriting community refers to a group of songwriters, producers, and music publishers who worked in and around the Brill Building, a famous office building located at 1619 Broadway in New York City, during the 1950s and 1960s. This building became a central hub for popular music during this era, particularly for pop and rock 'n' roll.

They were inspired to create a tune with an upbeat melody that evoked a sense of blissful togetherness. And I think they accomplished this. The song went on to be recorded by The Turtles and it became one of their most iconic hits. The recording took place at United Recording Studios in Hollywood, California and was produced by Chips Moman. "Happy Together" became a major hit for The Turtles, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in April 1967. It also did well internationally. The song has been featured in numerous movies, TV shows, and commercials. For example, The Birdcage (1996) and The Simpsons.

Now before we dive into the “Happy Together” chords, let’s answer the question of…

Does Happy Together use a capo?

Yes. These tips are going to apply to a guitar with a capo on the 2nd fret.

This allows you to play the song without having to use a truckload of bar chords. In fact, following this quick and easy “Happy Together” guitar lesson you’ll only need to learn 1 bar chord. (And I’ll show you a secret way to play it without a bar too, if you haven’t learned how to play effortless bar chords yet.) 

If you don’t have a capo, you can STILL play the song. It just will sound in a slightly lower key. You won’t be able to play along with the recording key. But, you can still play the song.

All right, let’s get into the…

Happy Together Chords

To play “Happy Together” on guitar then you only need to know 7 chords Em, D, C, B7, E, Bm7, and G.

It’s important to keep in mind these are the capo chords, not the actual concert pitch. If you want the concert pitch chords, then these need to be transposed up a whole step. This is because the capo is on the 2nd fret which would make them: F#m, E, D, C#7, F#, C#m7, and A (concert pitch).

But since this is a “Happy Together” guitar lesson, I’ll be referring to the capo’d guitar chords to keep it simple. Here are some examples of how these chords could be played on the fretboard.

Em is played using all 6 strings like this:

D is played from the 4th string down like this:

C is played from the 5th string down like this:

B7 is also played from the 5th string down like this:

These chords happen in the verse section. However, in the chorus, the song changes keys. Here we introduce 3 new chords.

E is played by making a simple one note adjustment to Em like this:

Bm7 is the one bar chord played in 2nd position like this:

As I mentioned above, if you have not learned to play effortless bar chords yet, then you can substitute this chord shape for Bm7 which negates the bar:

Finally, we have G which is played using all 6 strings like this:

If you struggled to understand chords on the neck and navigate the fretboard for rhythm and lead then get your hands on my free fretboard guide PDF right here:

All right, now that you know the “Happy Together” chords, let’s next answer the question of…

What is the tuning for Happy Together?

The tuning for “Happy Together" is standard tuning. 

Standard tuning for a guitar is spelled out as EADGBE. 

Here are the strings:

• E (6th string, lowest pitch)
• A (5th string)
• D (4th string)
• G (3rd string)
• B (2nd string)
• E (1st string, highest pitch)

If you want to fine-tune with a tuner. You can put the capo down on the 2nd fret, and then the strings are…

Transposed Tuning with Capo on 2nd Fret:

• F# (6th string, lowest pitch) – previously E
• B (5th string) – previously A
• E (4th string) – previously D
• A (3rd string) – previously G
• C# (2nd string) – previously B
• F# (1st string, highest pitch) – previously E

So the tuning with the capo on the 2nd fret becomes F#BEAC#F#. 

Now that you know the tuning, let’s take a look at the…

What key is Happy Together in?

“Happy Together” as recorded by The Turtles is in the key of F# minor concert pitch. But for this post, I’ll be examining this through the lens of guitar, which means I’ll call it Em. Remember the capo is on the 2nd fret, which creates an F#m chord. For guitar players, keep it simple and think Em. 

The other interesting thing about the key for “Happy Together” is this. During the verse section, it is clearly an Em descending chord progression. However, once the chorus hits, the song hints at a change to the parallel major key with the introduction of the E major chord.  

In music, parallel major and minor keys refer to two keys that share the same tonic (or root note) but have different qualities. Essentially, they have the same starting note but different scales and moods. 

Making this change from the verse to the chorus creates a completely different emotion in the song. Let’s take a look at the chords, and how they relate to the diatonic scale of E natural minor. 

Em (i chord)

Em (E–G–B) is the i chord (minor tonic) in E minor.

It serves as the tonic chord, giving a sense of home and stability in the key.

D (VII chord)

D major (D–F#–A) functions as the VII chord in E minor.

It’s a major chord a whole step below the i chord or root note. 

C (VI chord)

C major (C–E–G) is the VI chord in E minor.

This chord is two whole steps below the i chord. Note: the descending pattern.

B7 (V7 chord)

B7 (B–D#–F#–A) is the V7 chord in E minor.

This is the only chord not in the E natural minor scale or parallel major key. It comes from either an E melodic minor or harmonic minor scale. The V7 chord (dominant seventh) is crucial for creating tension that resolves back to the tonic minor chord (Em). It has a strong pull towards the tonic, making it a common choice for resolving progressions in minor keys.

The verse follows a common progression used in millions of songs:

Em – D – C – B7

Then once we get to the chorus, the tonality hints at a change to the parallel major with the introduction of the chord:

E (I chord)

E major (E–G#–B) is not diatonic to the natural minor key. It is the parallel major. In E natural minor, the diatonic tonic chord would be Em (E–G–B). However, E major can still function as a tonic chord. This creates an entirely new emotion. 

Bm7 (v7 chord)

Bm7 (B–D–F#–A) is the v7 chord in E natural minor.

In natural minor, Bm7 is the diatonic minor chord built on the 5th degree of the scale, but with an added seventh (A) making it a minor 7th chord. 

G (III chord)

G major (G–B–D) is the III chord in E natural minor. Also known as the relative major.

So that is the theory behind the chords. But remember – theory doesn’t mean a thing without a good…

Happy Together Strumming Pattern And Groove

The main underlying groove for “Happy Together” is a swing 8th-note feel. For swing 8th notes, each beat in a 4/4 time signature is divided into uneven parts, with the first 8th note being longer and the second one being shorter, creating a "swing" or "shuffle" feel. Here's how they can be counted and understood:

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +

1, 2, 3, 4: The downbeats (the main beats)

+: The second part of the beat, which is shorter than the downbeat

When counting out loud, it sounds like:

"One and, Two and, Three and, Four and"

In swing, the "and" is quick, giving the rhythm its characteristic bounce. Unlike straight 8th notes, where the division is equal, swing 8th notes feel more relaxed and syncopated.

Conclusion

Bottom line, there’s a lot guitar players can learn from studying a classic song like this. And, capturing the feel-good vibes of “Happy Together” is FUN!  

Keep practicing, and if you want to learn songs way faster, better understand the fretboard, and not waste years spinning your wheels with guitar, grab my free fretboard guide right here now:  

Jon MacLennan