Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play There Is A Light That Never Goes Out on piano
Written by Johnny Marr & Steven Morrissey
- C# minor
- 4/4
- 137 BPM
- bVI–bIII–bVII–i loop
- 1986
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn There Is A Light That Never Goes Out in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: A – E – B – C#m
How it goes
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out sits in C# minor: C# is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A is A, C# and E; E is E, G# and B; B is B, D# and F#; C#m is C#, E and G#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AVIEIIIBVIIC#mi- AA · C# · E
- EE · G# · B
- BB · D# · F#
- C#mC# · E · G#
- 2
Left hand: Gear-shift pulse
How it goes
Quick even notes that skip beat 3, like an engine changing gear. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 1& · 2 · 2& · 3& · 4 · 4& (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 181 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pop stabs
How it goes
Chord stabs in the 3-3-2 pop rhythm. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 137 BPM
How it goes
Put the two hands together over the loop. Start at half speed with the player's speed control, and bring it up once every change is easy.
- 5
Ending: A – B – C#m
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
ABC#m
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Questions about There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
What chords are in There Is A Light That Never Goes Out?
The loop is A – E – B – C#m (bVI – bIII – bVII – i) in C# minor, and the song ends on A – B – C#m.
What key is There Is A Light That Never Goes Out in?
C# minor, at about 137 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in There Is A Light That Never Goes Out?
Gear-shift pulse: root bass · 1 · 1& · 2 · 2& · 3& · 4 · 4&, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is There Is A Light That Never Goes Out easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.