Celine Dion - My Heart Will Go On - Chord

Key E major – C# minor Chords B, A, E, C#m, Eb, Fm, Db, F# … Easy key G

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Capo 0

C#m  B  A  B
 
E              B
Every night in my dreams 
  A          E    B
I see you, I feel you
E             B           A  B
That is how I know you go on
 
E              B
Far Bcross the distance
    A        E     B
and spaces between us
E                B           A  B
you have come to show you go on
 
C#m   B        A        B
Near, far, wherever you are
    C#m            B             A  B
I believe that the heart does go on
 
C#m  B        A        B
Once more you open the door
           C#m        B
and you're here in my heart
       A             E  B   E
and my heart will go on and on
 
E                 B
Love can touch us one time
    A          E    B
and last for a life time
E             B             A    B
and never let go till we're gone

E               B
Love was when I loved you
    A           E    B
one true time I hold to
E                B         A  B
in my life we'll always go on

C#m   B        A        B
Near, far, wherever you are
    C#m            B             A  B
I believe that the heart does go on
 
C#m  B        A        B
Once more you open the door
           C#m        B
and you're here in my heart
       A             E  B   E
and my heart will go on and on
 
C#m  B  A  B  C#m  B  E  F#
 
Fm     Eb            Db        Eb
You're here, there's nothing I fear
      Fm           Eb            Db  Eb
anE I know that my heart will go on
Fm    Eb      Db        Eb
We'll stay forever this way
        Fm         Eb
you are safe in my heart
       Db            Eb     Ab
and my heart will go on and on

End of song Play again?

Celine Dion - My Heart Will Go On Tabs

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Harmony analysis

Celine Dion – My Heart Will Go On: key and chord analysis

The song opens on C#m and ends on Ab. Its chords belong to both E major and C#m, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

E major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = D# (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = A (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

C# minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = A (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = B (natural-minor colour)
#7 = B# (harmonic-minor leading tone from the V chord)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the C# minor side because it opens on C#m, E is heard 17 times against 11 for C#m and the major V chord points straight at C#m. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from E major, and switching between the two views is exactly where the practice value lies.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to E or to C#m; comparing both readings is a practice of its own.

Every chord of the key, listed 1 to 7 separately for each key. Chords played in the song show how often they appear; chords from outside the scale sit next to their own degree.

Seen from E major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	E	Tonic — home	E · G# · B	17×
bii	Fm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F · Ab · C	4×
ii	F#m	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F# · A · C#	—
V/V	F#	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Bsecondary dominant	F# · A# · C#	1×
iii	G#m	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	G# · B · D#	—
V/vi	Ab	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to C#msecondary dominant	Ab · C · Eb	1×
IV	A	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C# · E	18×
V	B	Dominant — strongest pull home	B · D# · F#	37×
vi	C#m	Relative minor — the melancholy side	C# · E · G#	11×
V/ii	Db	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to F#msecondary dominant	Db · F · Ab	4×
vii°	D#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	D# · F# · A	—
V/iii	Eb	Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Abmsecondary dominant	Eb · G · Bb	8×

Seen from C# minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	C#m	Tonic — home	C# · E · G#	11×
V/iv	Db	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to F#msecondary dominant	Db · F · Ab	4×
ii°	D#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D# · F# · A	—
V/v	Eb	Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Abmsecondary dominant	Eb · G · Bb	8×
III	E	Relative major — the bright side	E · G# · B	17×
#iii	Fm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F · Ab · C	4×
iv	F#m	Subdominant — moves away from home	F# · A · C#	—
IV	F#	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	F# · A# · C#	1×
v	G#m	Minor dominant — soft pull	G# · B · D#	—
V	Ab	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	Ab · C · Eb	1×
VI	A	Submediant — warm colour	A · C# · E	18×
VII	B	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	B · D# · F#	37×

Analysis

The key pair is E major and its relative C# minor (4 sharps). 9 different chords appear 101 times in total; 4 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of C#m brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from E, the same Ab is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for C#m. Eb, Db, F# act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

A B EIV → VIV → V C#mVI → VIIVI → VII ×12
B E EV → Iauthentic cadence C#mVII → III ×10
B C#m EV → videceptive cadence C#mVII → iAeolian arrival ×9
A E EIV → Iplagal cadence C#mVI → III ×6

The move to watch is A → B, heard 12 times. From the C#m side it is VI → VII (VI → VII: the rising step that heads for the tonic); from the E side it reads IV → V (IV → V: the lift that builds tension before home). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

E major pentatonic and C# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (E – F# – G# – B – C#): start from E for a brighter phrase, from C# for a bluesier one.
Over B, land on B, D#, F# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over A, land on A, C#, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over E, land on E, G#, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When Ab comes, swap the scale's B for B#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.

The song on the circle of fifths

Played in the song — chord of the key
Played — the minor's harmonic V or a secondary dominant
Played — borrowed or outside chord
Home region: IV–I–V and ii–vi–iii

Empty slices are chords the song doesn't use.

Capo and easier keys

With E major shapes

No capo — open E shapes
Capo 2 + D shapes
Capo 4 + C shapes

With C# minor shapes

Capo 4 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

3 semitones up
4 semitones down · capo 4 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The first chord is C#m; the ear learns where home is within a second. B, A, E, C#m carry the song: V–IV–I–vi relative to E, VII–VI–III–i relative to C#m. Eb is the interesting twist: in E it is a chromatic chord (V/iii), while in C#m it becomes the dominant (V/v) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on A → B (IV → V in E, VI → VII in C#m): VI → VII — the rising step that heads for the tonic. The final chord is Ab; the ear comes to rest in E.

This analysis is generated from the song's chords by akorculuk's harmony engine using consistent rules. When you change key, the degrees stay the same; only the chord names change.