Miley Cyrus - Don't Dream It's Over (feat. Ariana Grande) - Chord

Key Eb major – C minor Chords Eb, Ab, Cm7, Bb, G, Fm, Cm, C … Easy key G

Add to Repertoire

No ratings yet

or your user informations

Capo 0

Eb  Bbm

Eb                 Cm
There is freedom within, there is freedom without
Ab                                     G7  C
Try to catch the deluge in a paper cup
 Eb                      Cm
There's a battle ahead, many battles are lost
 Ab                                  
But you'll never see the end of the road
                   G          Gm
While you're traveling with me
Ab        Bb
Hey now, hey now
     Eb        Cm7
Don't dream it's over
Ab        Bb
Hey now, hey now
    Eb              Cm7
When the world comes in
 Fm          Bb
They come, they come
  Eb              Cm7
To build a wall between us
 Ab         Ab7        Bb7
We know they won't win
   Eb               Cm7
Now i'm towing my car, there's a hole in the roof
 Ab                                        G
My possessions are causing me suspicion but there's no proof
  Eb           Cm7                       Ab
In the paper today tales of war and of waste
                                   G 
But you turn right over to the tv page
 Ab        Bb
Hey now, hey now
 Eb            Cm7
Don't dream it's over
Ab          Bb
Hey now, hey now
Eb                   Cm7
When the world comes in
   Fm          Bb
They come, they come
  Eb                 Cm7
To build a wall between us
  Ab
We know they won't win
 Eb                    Cm7
Now i'm walking again to the beat of a drum
  Ab                                         G       C
And i'm counting the steps to the door of your heart
  Eb                    Cm7                          
Only shadows ahead barely clearing the roof
Ab                                        G    Gm  
Get to know the feeling of liberation and relief
  Ab        Bb   
Hey now, hey now
  Eb            Cm7
Don't dream it's over
  Ab       Bb
Hey now, hey now
  Eb                 Cm7
When the world comes in
   Fm           Bb
They come, they come
   Eb               Cm7
To build a wall between us
 Ab                    Bb  Eb  Cm7 
We know they won't win
 Ab        Bb     Eb    Cm7
Hey now, hey now dreams 
 Ab        Bb    Eb  Cm7
Hey now, hey now
 Ab        Bb  Eb
Hey now, hey

End of song Play again?

Miley Cyrus - Don't Dream It's Over (feat. Ariana Grande) Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Miley Cyrus – Don't Dream It's Over (feat. Ariana Grande): key and chord analysis

The song opens on Eb and ends on Eb. Its chords belong to both Eb major and Cm, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

Eb major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

C minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Ab (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = Bb (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 Eb major side because it both starts and finishes on Eb, Eb is heard 20 times against 18 for Cm and the major V chord points straight at Cm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from C minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to Eb or to Cm; 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 Eb major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Eb	Tonic — home	Eb · G · Bb	20×
ii	Fm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F · Ab · C	3×
iii	Gm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	G · Bb · D	2×
V/vi	G	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Cmsecondary dominant	G · B · D	5×
V7/vi	G7	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Cmsecondary dominant	G · B · D · F	1×
IV	Ab	Subdominant — moves away from home	Ab · C · Eb	18×
IV7	Ab7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · C · Eb · Gb	1×
V	Bb	Dominant — strongest pull home	Bb · D · F	13×
V7	Bb7	Dominant — strongest pull home	Bb · D · F · Ab	1×
v	Bbm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Bb · Db · F	1×
vi7	Cm7	Relative minor — the melancholy side	C · Eb · G · Bb	16×
vi	Cm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	C · Eb · G	2×
V/ii	C	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Fmsecondary dominant	C · E · G	2×
vii°	Ddim	Leading-tone chord — tension	D · F · Ab	—

Seen from C minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i7	Cm7	Tonic — home	C · Eb · G · Bb	16×
i	Cm	Tonic — home	C · Eb · G	2×
V/iv	C	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Fmsecondary dominant	C · E · G	2×
ii°	Ddim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · Ab	—
III	Eb	Relative major — the bright side	Eb · G · Bb	20×
iv	Fm	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · Ab · C	3×
v	Gm	Minor dominant — soft pull	G · Bb · D	2×
V	G	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	G · B · D	5×
V7	G7	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	G · B · D · F	1×
VI	Ab	Submediant — warm colour	Ab · C · Eb	18×
VI7	Ab7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · C · Eb · Gb	1×
VII	Bb	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Bb · D · F	13×
VII7	Bb7	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Bb · D · F · Ab	1×
vii	Bbm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Bb · Db · F	1×

Analysis

The key pair is Eb major and its relative C minor (3 flats). 13 different chords appear 85 times in total; 8 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Cm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from Eb, the same G / G7 is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Cm. C acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

Bb Eb EbV → Iauthentic cadence CmVII → III ×13
Ab Bb EbIV → VIV → V CmVI → VIIVI → VII ×10
Fm Bb Ebii → Vii → V Cmiv → VII ×3
Bb7 Eb EbV7 → Iauthentic cadence CmVII7 → III ×1
Ab Eb EbIV → Iplagal cadence CmVI → III ×1
G7 C EbV7/vi → V/iisecondary resolution CmV7 → V/iv ×1

The move to watch is Bb → Eb, heard 13 times. From the Eb side it reads V → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home); from the Cm side it is VII → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

Eb major pentatonic and C minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Eb – F – G – Bb – C): start from Eb for a brighter phrase, from C for a bluesier one.
Over Eb, land on Eb, G, Bb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Ab, land on Ab, C, Eb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Cm7, land on C, Eb, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When G7 comes, swap the scale's Bb 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 Eb major shapes

Capo 1 + D shapes
Capo 3 + C shapes
Capo 6 + A shapes

With C minor shapes

Capo 3 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

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

The song's harmonic story

Starting on Eb, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. Eb, Ab, Cm7, Bb carry the song: I–IV–vi7–V relative to Eb, III–VI–i7–VII relative to Cm. G is the interesting twist: in Eb it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Cm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Bb → Eb (V → I in Eb, VII → III in Cm): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. The final chord is Eb; the ear comes to rest in Eb.

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.