Chords of: The Living Years by: Mike + The Mechanics. (C#, Ab, C#maj7, Bbm7) are the main chords of the song. The chords are displayed instantly in real-time with a YouTube player, four synced views, instrument diagrams, loop practice and a built-in vocal-remover mixer.
“The Living Years” by Mike + The Mechanics is in Ab Major and runs at about 98 BPM, giving it a relaxed mid-tempo groove. Our analysis found 20 different chords across 92 chord changes; the ones that carry the song are C#, Ab, C#maj7, Bbm7.
Ab is the chord you will hold longest — roughly 48% of the 5:21 the chords were tracked for. The song opens with Ab → Gm → Bbm → Eb → Eb6 → Ab → Eb/Db → Ab. Play the timeline above to hear each change land in real time.
Difficulty: advanced — 6 main chords with 8 extended, altered or slash voicings. Guitar tip: put a capo on fret 1 and use G major shapes — the song stays in Ab Major but every chord becomes an open chord.
| Chord | Time held | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Ab | 2:34 | 48% |
| C#maj7 | 0:30 | 9% |
| Bbm7 | 0:23 | 7% |
| F#6 | 0:18 | 6% |
| C# | 0:17 | 5% |
| Eb | 0:15 | 5% |
| Eb6 | 0:12 | 4% |
| Bbm | 0:11 | 3% |
Ab – Gm – Bbm – Eb – Eb6 – Ab – Eb/Db – Ab – C#6 – C#maj7 – F#6 – Ab/Gb – F#6 – Ab/Gb – F#6 – Ab/Bb – Eb7 – Ab/Eb – Eb – Bbm7 – Eb – Ab – C#6 – C#maj7 – Ab – C#maj7 – Ab – F#6 – Ab/Bb – Bbm7 – Ab/Bb – Eb – C#/D# – Eb6 – Ab – C#maj7 – Bbm – Ab/Bb – Bbm7 – Eb6 – Ab – C#maj7 – Bbm7 – Eb6 – Ab – C#maj7 – C#6 – C#maj7 – …
