Love Will Keep Us Alive Chords & Guitar Lesson

Here's a song from the legendary 1994 Eagles album Hell Freezes Over.

Now the Eagles went through a lot.  

And after a 14-year hiatus of life beating them down, they came back and sang: 

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When we're hungry

Love will keep us alive 

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Below, I’m going to share some insider tips on the guitar style behind it. 

So grab your axe, and let’s dive into this “Love Will Keep Us Alive” chords and guitar lesson!

Who Wrote Love Will Keep Us Alive?

“Love Will Keep Us Alive” was actually written by 3 guys: Jim Capaldi, Paul Carrack, and Peter Vale. It was a cover. Jim Capaldi was a British songwriter and drummer, best known for his work with the band Traffic. Paul Carrack is a British singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He’s known for his work with Ace, Mike + The Mechanics, and Squeeze. Peter Vale is yet another songwriter and collaborator on this tune. 

“Love Will Keep Us Alive” was written in the ‘90s and pitched to a whole slew of artists before it eventually ended up being recorded by the Eagles. It’s a song about someone enduring pain and love getting them through.

As I mentioned, it was recorded for the Eagles’ Hell Freezes Over album in 1994. Timothy B. Schmit sang most of the lead, with Don Henley and Glenn Frey singing harmonies throughout. This tune has that classic Eagles sound featuring lush vocal harmonies, strumming acoustic guitar with light electrics, all coming together in a soothing sound. 

“Love Will Keep Us Alive” became a hit on the Adult Contemporary charts and reached the Top 10 in the States. It’s often cited as one of the standout tracks from this reunion album. 

Now, you may be wondering…

What is the tuning for Love Will Keep Us Alive?

The tuning for this lesson for "Love Will Keep Us Alive" is standard tuning. Standard tuning is spelled: E, A, D, G, B, and E. 

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)

All right! 

Now that you know the tuning for “Love Will Keep Us Alive”, let’s next talk about…

Love Will Keep Us Alive Chords

To play “Love Will Keep Us Alive”, as recorded by the Eagles, you’ll need to know 6 main chords they are A, F#m11, Dsus2, Esus4, E, and Bm11. These chords are a blend of open chords and bar chords. However, I like to do this trick where I take bar chord shapes and add open strings to make them ring out in a new way. If bar chords are giving you all kinds of aches and pains, and you haven’t yet discovered how to play them effortlessly, go here: https://www.jonmaclennan.com/7mistakes 

Let’s take a look at a few ways these shapes can be played on the fretboard.

A is played in the standard (campfire) open position like this:

F#m11 can be played from the 5th string down as an easier version, or alternatively place your fretting hand thumb on the 6th string like this:

Dsus2 is played in the standard (campfire) open position; however, I add in the open 1st string like this:

Esus4 is a big-sounding chord using all 6 strings like so:

E just changes one note from the previous chord like this:

Finally, Bm11 is played in 2nd position with an optional open high E string like this:

If you’ve struggled to understand the fretboard for RHYTHM and LEAD guitar, and want to discover the easiest and fastest way. Then get your hands on my free Fretboard Guide PDF right here now:  

Is Love Will Keep Us Alive hard to play on guitar?

I would say playing “Love Will Keep Us Alive” on guitar is going to require a solid intermediate skill level. The trickiest parts are getting the rhythm to flow and to nail the chord changes clean. The song only uses a couple of chords. But the player must be able to navigate the song and play with true clarity. So, take your time with this one. 

What key is Love Will Keep Us Alive in?

“Love Will Keep Us Alive,” as recorded by the Eagles, is in the key of A major. The primary scale used in the song is the A major scale, which is built with the notes A, B, C#, D, E, F#, and G#. 

Let’s take a look at how these chords relate in the key of A major.

A (A major)

Notes: A, C♯, E

Function: This is the I chord (tonic) in A major. It’s the tonal center and sounds like “home”. 

F#m11 (F# minor 11)

Notes: F#, A, C#, E, G#

Function: This is the vi11 chord in A major (F# minor is the vi chord). The added 7th (E) and 11th (B) add color and tension, making it rich and jazzy while still functioning as a minor chord that can lead to D or E.

Dsus2 (D suspended 2)

Notes: D, E, A

Function: This is the IV chord (subdominant) in A major, with a suspended 2nd instead of the major 3rd. It creates a feeling of openness. 

Esus4 (E suspended 4)

Notes: E, A, B

Function: This is the V chord (dominant) in A major, with the 4th (A) replacing the 3rd. It creates tension that wants to resolve to E major (the V chord proper), which then resolves to A. This is exactly what happens in “Love Will Keep Us Alive”.

E (E major)

Notes: E, G#, B

Function: This is the V chord (dominant) in A major. It creates tension and pulls naturally back to the tonic (A), completing cadences like Vsus4–V–I.

Bm11 (B minor 11)

Notes: B, D, F#, A, C#

Function: This is the ii11 chord (supertonic minor 11) in A major. Like F#m11, it adds extra color tones (in this case, add11) and is commonly used in ii–V–I progressions. It provides a jazzy, smooth movement toward E before resolving to A.

All right!

So that’s the theory. Next, let’s look at…

What is the strumming pattern for Love Will Keep Us Alive?

The main underlying feel for “Love Will Keep Us Alive” is a light 8th-note feel. The guitar can strum 8th notes throughout. In 4/4 time, 8th notes divide each beat into two equal parts, creating a driving, steady rhythm like this:

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

The numbers (1, 2, 3, 4) represent the main beats in the measure, while the "&" represents the offbeats that add energy and momentum.

When counted out loud, it sounds like:

"One-and, Two-and, Three-and, Four-and."

This gives the song a consistent forward motion. Here’s an example of an 8th-note driven “Love Will Keep Us Alive” style strumming pattern: 

Conclusion

Bottom line, “Love Will Keep Us Alive” is a beautiful song. And its inclusion on Hell Freezes Over marked an amazing point in time when the Eagles reunited after a 14-year hiatus.

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

Jon MacLennan