Nov62020

Don McLean – Perfect Love Chords on Piano & Ukulele

Updated January 8, 2026

KeyKeyCapo

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INTRO
   C     Am   C    Am 
  C     Am  C    Am

VERSE
    C                  Am
If something had been different
    C                  Am
If something had gone right
    C                  Am
If something had been better,
             C              C7
I might not sing my song tonight

CHORUS
    F                G
If all my plans had come to past
    Am                F
And fit like hand in glove
      C             Am
Then I'd of lost my only chance
    G              C
To know a perfect love
   C      Am       C  Am

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VERSE
C                      Am
If all my wrongs were righted
 C                    Am
And all the dreams I planned
     C               Am
Had worked out as I thought they should
     C               C7
And not turned into sand

CHORUS
      F                 
Then we'd of walked down 
 G
different paths
     Am           F
Not guided from above
         C            
For the greatest dream 
   Am
I ever dreamed
       G              C   C7
Is to know a perfect love

   F               G             
A perfect love is sometimes found 
       E                 Am
with just one right mistake
      F                  C    
That brings the perfect couple
         D                    G
 to the crossroads that they make
     C               E       
And now that I have found her 
     F                  C
I changed my point of view
       Am                       
And I learned that old regretful 
       Dm                     G
paths can lead to something new
G       C   E     F     
 C    Am  
 C    G     C    
Am   C     Am

Feel free to use our free Chord Shape Generator to see every chord in this song on guitar, ukulele and piano.

VERSE
C                        Am
So if you think there's nothing left
    C                    Am
And if you think you're through
    C                 Am      
And if you've written off your 
          C          C7
life as many people do

CHORUS
    F                    G
And if your plans don't come to past
    Am                F
And fit like hand in glove
    C               Am
Perhaps it means tomorrow
          G              C  C7
You will find a perfect love

OUTRO
F                    G
If your plans don't come to past
    Am                F
And fit like hand in glove
 C                  Am
Perhaps it means tomorrow
          Dm     G       C
You will find a perfect love
   C    Am   G    C

How to play Perfect Love: key, chords and progression

These are the chords for Perfect Love by Don McLean on Piano, Ukulele, Guitar, and Keyboard.

To play Perfect Love by Don McLean, think in C major (no sharps or flats). It takes 8 chords: C, Am, C7, F, G, E, D and Dm.

Listen for C – C7 – F – G (I – I7 – IV – V in C major): the song comes back to it again and again. In solfa, that is doh – doh – fah – soh. Once these 4 changes are comfortable, most of the song is done.

Beginner-friendly: almost every chord here is an open shape on guitar: no capo, no barre chords needed.