Whitney Houston - I Look To You - Chord

Key E major – C# minor Chords E/G#, E/D#, E, E/C#, A, B, Gbm7, Dbm … Easy key G

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Capo 0

E             E/D#
  As I lay me down
E/C#               E/G#
  Heaven hear me now
Gbm7                  E/G#
  Im lost without a cause
A                    B
  After giving it my all
E                    E/D#
  Winter storms have come
E/C#              E/G#
  And darkened my sun
Gbm7                         E/G#
  After all that I've been through
A                         B
  Who on earth can I turn to

   E    E/D#
I look to you
          E/C#  E/G#
I look to you
Gbm7                       E/G#
  After all my strength is gone
A                  B
  In you I can be strong
   E    E/D#
I look to you
          E/C#  E/G#
I look to you      Yeah

Gbm7                    E/G#
  And when melodies are gone
A                 B
  In you I hear a song
          E   E/D# E/C# E/D#
I look to you

E                 E/D#
  After losing my breath
E/C#                       E/G#
  There's no more fighting left
Gbm7                   E/G#
  Sinking to rise no more
A                         B
  Searching for that open door
E                          E/D#
  And every road that I've taken
E/C#           E/G#
  Lead to my regret
Gbm7                           E/G#
  And I don't know if Im gonna make it
A                           B
  Nothing to do but lift my head

   E    E/D#
I look to you
          E/C#  E/G#
I look to you      Yeah
Gbm7                    E/G#
  And when all my strength is gone
A                  B
  In you I can be strong

   E    E/D#
I look to you
          E/C#  E/G#
I look to you      Oh yeah
Gbm7                    E/G#
  And when melodies are gone
A                 B
  In you I hear a song
          Dbm
I look to you

  Dbm/B                      A

Coming down on me

                 Dbm
  
All the rain is falling

     Dbm/B              A

Set me free
                       Gbm

        E/G#                    A
Take me far away from the battle

       B
I need you
Shine on me
    E    E/D#
I look to you
          E/C#  E/G#
I look to you

Gbm7                       E/G#
  After all my strength is gone
A                  B
  In you I can be strong
   E    E/D#
I look to you
     E/C#  E/G#
I look to you      Yeah

Gbm7                     E/G#
  And when melodies are gone
A                 B
  In you I hear a song

          E   E/D# E/C# E/D#
I look to you
Yeah
          E   E/D# E/C# E/D#
I look to you
Oooooooh
E
  I look to you

End of song Play again?

Whitney Houston - I Look To You Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Whitney Houston – I Look To You: key and chord analysis

The song opens on E and ends on E. 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)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the E major side because it both starts and finishes on E and E is heard 64 times against 4 for C#m. 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 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/G#	Tonic — home	E · G# · B	21×
I	E/D#	Tonic — home	E · G# · B	16×
I	E	Tonic — home	E · G# · B	14×
I	E/C#	Tonic — home	E · G# · B	13×
ii7	Gbm7	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Gb · A · Db · Fb	10×
ii	Gbm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Gb · A · Db	1×
iii	G#m	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	G# · B · D#	—
V/vi	G#	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dbmsecondary dominant	G# · B# · D#	—
IV	A	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C# · E	13×
V	B	Dominant — strongest pull home	B · D# · F#	11×
vi	Dbm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Db · Fb · Ab	2×
vi	Dbm/B	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Db · Fb · Ab	2×
vii°	D#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	D# · F# · A	—

Seen from C# minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Dbm	Tonic — home	Db · Fb · Ab	2×
i	Dbm/B	Tonic — home	Db · Fb · Ab	2×
ii°	D#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D# · F# · A	—
III	E/G#	Relative major — the bright side	E · G# · B	21×
III	E/D#	Relative major — the bright side	E · G# · B	16×
III	E	Relative major — the bright side	E · G# · B	14×
III	E/C#	Relative major — the bright side	E · G# · B	13×
iv7	Gbm7	Subdominant — moves away from home	Gb · A · Db · Fb	10×
iv	Gbm	Subdominant — moves away from home	Gb · A · Db	1×
v	G#m	Minor dominant — soft pull	G# · B · D#	—
V	G#	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	G# · B# · D#	—
VI	A	Submediant — warm colour	A · C# · E	13×
VII	B	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	B · D# · F#	11×

Analysis

The key pair is E major and its relative C# minor (4 sharps). 10 different chords appear 103 times in total; 10 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Everything stays inside one scale, which is why the song is easy to follow by ear.

Chord movement

A B EIV → VIV → V C#mVI → VIIVI → VII ×11
B E EV → Iauthentic cadence C#mVII → III ×10
B Dbm EV → videceptive cadence C#mVII → iAeolian arrival ×1
A Dbm EIV → vi C#mVI → iVI → i ×1

The move to watch is A → B, heard 11 times. From the E side it reads IV → V (IV → V: the lift that builds tension before home); from the C#m side it is VI → VII (VI → VII: the rising step that heads for the tonic). 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 E/G#, land on E, G#, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over E/D#, land on E, G#, B — 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.

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
2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The first chord is E; the ear learns where home is within a second. E/G#, E/D#, E, E/C# carry the song: I–I–I–I relative to E, III–III–III–III relative to C#m. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on A → B (IV → V in E, VI → VII in C#m): IV → V — the lift that builds tension before home. It closes on E, letting the E side have the last word.

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.

Whitney Houston - I Look To You 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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