Major view
C major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = B (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = F (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Sabrina Carpenter - Cindy Lou Who - Chord
Key C major – A minor Chords Dm, Am, G, C, F, Em, Fm Easy key G (capo 5)
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Key: C | Am
Capo: 0
C
I saw you laughin' in one of
His pictures
Em
Bet you'll be the one with his
Ring on your finger
F
There's red and green
Everywhere, but I'm so Blue
C
Cindy Lou, who
C
Maybe he met you somewhere in The desert
Em
While he was soul searchin', he Found someone better
F
Guess you make him happy like I Couldn't do
C
Cindy Lou, who
Dm Am
Ooh oh
G
With your hair so long, lips so
Red
Dm Am
Ooh oh
G
Maybe we met once, I forget
Dm Am
Ooh oh
G
Scrollin' five yеars back, I'm Obsessed
Dm Am
Breakin' my hеart, 'tis the
G
Season, I guess
Dm Am
Ooh oh
G
With your hair so long, lips so Red
Dm Am
Ooh oh
G
If you're wakin' up now in his Old bed
Dm Am
Ooh oh
G
At his family's house, know You're just
Dm Am
Breakin' my heart, 'tis the
G
Season, I guess
C
The snow's gonna fall and the Tree's gonna glisten
Em
And I'm gonna puke at the Thought of you kissin'
F
The boy who I love is now in Love with you
C
Cindy Lou, who
F
Told all my friends, they said
Fm
"It can't be true"
C
Cindy Lou, who
End of song Play again?
Sabrina Carpenter - Cindy Lou Who Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Sabrina Carpenter – Cindy Lou Who: key and chord analysis
The song opens on C and ends on C. Its chords belong to both C major and Am, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
A minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = F (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = G (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the C major side because it both starts and finishes on C and Am is heard 8 times against 7 for C. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from A minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to C or to Am; 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.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | C | Tonic — home | C · E · G | 7× |
| ii | Dm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | D · F · A | 8× |
| iii | Em | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | E · G · B | 3× |
| V/vi | E | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant | E · G# · B | — |
| IV | F | Subdominant — moves away from home | F · A · C | 4× |
| iv | Fm | Minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord | F · Ab · C | 1× |
| V | G | Dominant — strongest pull home | G · B · D | 8× |
| vi | Am | Relative minor — the melancholy side | A · C · E | 8× |
| vii° | Bdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | B · D · F | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Am | Tonic — home | A · C · E | 8× |
| ii° | Bdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F | — |
| III | C | Relative major — the bright side | C · E · G | 7× |
| iv | Dm | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F · A | 8× |
| v | Em | Minor dominant — soft pull | E · G · B | 3× |
| V | E | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | E · G# · B | — |
| VI | F | Submediant — warm colour | F · A · C | 4× |
| vi | Fm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | F · Ab · C | 1× |
| VII | G | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | G · B · D | 8× |
Analysis
The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 7 different chords appear 39 times in total; 6 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Fm is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
Chord movement
- Dm Am Cii → vi Amiv → iminor plagal ×8
- F C CIV → Iplagal cadence AmVI → III ×3
- G C CV → Iauthentic cadence AmVII → III ×1
- Fm C Civ → Iminor plagal Amvi → III ×1
The move to watch is Dm → Am, heard 8 times. From the C side it reads ii → vi; from the Am side it is iv → i (minor plagal: deep and melancholic). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- C major pentatonic and A minor pentatonic are the same five notes (C – D – E – G – A): start from C for a brighter phrase, from A for a bluesier one.
- Over Dm, land on D, F, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Am, land on A, C, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over G, land on G, B, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- On Fm, follow the chord's notes (F · Ab · C) rather than the key's scale — it's a borrowed colour.
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 C major shapes
- No capo — open C shapes
- Capo 3 + A shapes
- Capo 5 + G shapes
With A minor shapes
- No capo — open Am shapes
- Capo 5 + Em shapes
- Capo 7 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The opening C lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The backbone is Dm, Am, G, C — ii–vi–V–I from the C side, iv–i–VII–III from the Am side. Fm briefly darkens the picture: minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minor. Keep an ear on Dm → Am (ii → vi in C, iv → i in Am): minor plagal — deep and melancholic. Ending on C, the song seals C as home.
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.
Sabrina Carpenter - Cindy Lou Who Chords on Guitar, Ukulele and Piano
Hover over or tap a chord in the lyrics for its shapes, its degree in both keys and a listen button. Here you have every chord of the song side by side.
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