Mariah Carey - Hero - Chord

Key D major – B minor Chords E, B4, A, B, C, B/D#, D, E/G# … Easy key G (capo 7)

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Capo 0

E  B/D#  C#m  B  A  G#m  F#m   B4  

           E          E/D
There's a hero, if you look inside your heart
       A/C#                            B4    B
You don't have to be afraid of what you are
           E            D
There's an answer, if you reach into your soul
         C                             B4  
And the sorrow that you know will melt away

E                 B/D#     Dbm                 B      A
And then a hero comes along, with the strength to carry on
                   E/G#    Gbm           B4                 E
And you cast your fears aside, and you know you can survive
                        B/D#      Dbm                    B    A   
So, when you feel like hope is gone, look inside you and be strong
                    E/G#      Gbm          B4               E
And you'll finally see the truth, that a hero lives in you

E                       E/D
It's a long road when you face the world alone
        A/C#                        B4    B
No one reaches out a hand for you to hold
          E             D
You can find love if search within yourself
         C                        B4  
And the emptiness you felt will disapear

 C    G/B  G               D
Lord knows   dreams are hard to follow

C             G     G    D/F#  Em  D
But don't let anyone tear them away

C   G/B  G             D           C   G/B              B4  
Hold on   there will be tomorrow In time you'll find the way

E                 B/D#     Dbm                 B      A
And then a hero comes along, with the strength to carry on
                   E/G#    Gbm           B4                 E
And you cast your fears aside, and you know you can survive
                        B/D#      Dbm        Bm  E7             A   
So, when you feel like hope is gone, look inside you and be strong
                    E/G#      Gbm          B4               A  
And you'll finally see the truth, that a hero lives in you
E/G#  Gbm
  
    B4                    E
That a hero lives in you
       A      B4                  E
Mmm mmm, that a hero lives in you

End of song Play again?

Mariah Carey - Hero Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Mariah Carey – Hero: key and chord analysis

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

Major view

D major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

B minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = G (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = A (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the D major side because D is heard 6 times against 1 for Bm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from B minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to D or to Bm; 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 D major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	D	Tonic — home	D · F# · A	5×
I	D/F#	Tonic — home	D · F# · A	1×
ii	Em	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	E · G · B	1×
V/V	E	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Asecondary dominant	E · G# · B	12×
V/V	E/G#	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Asecondary dominant	E · G# · B	5×
V/V	E/D	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Asecondary dominant	E · G# · B	2×
V7/V	E7	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Asecondary dominant	E · G# · B · D	1×
iii	Gbm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	Gb · A · Db	5×
iii	F#m	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	F# · A · C#	1×
V/vi	F#	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bmsecondary dominant	F# · A# · C#	—
IV	G	Subdominant — moves away from home	G · B · D	4×
IV	G/B	Subdominant — moves away from home	G · B · D	3×
#iv	G#m	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	G# · B · D#	1×
V	A	Dominant — strongest pull home	A · C# · E	7×
V	A/C#	Dominant — strongest pull home	A · C# · E	2×
vi	Bm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	B · D · F#	1×
V/ii	B4	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	12×
V/ii	B	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	6×
V/ii	B/D#	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	5×
bVII	C	bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord	C · E · G	6×
vii°	C#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	C# · E · G	—
vii	Dbm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Db · Fb · Ab	4×
vii	C#m	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C# · E · G#	1×

Seen from B minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Bm	Tonic — home	B · D · F#	1×
V/iv	B4	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	12×
V/iv	B	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	6×
V/iv	B/D#	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	5×
bII	C	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	C · E · G	6×
ii°	C#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	C# · E · G	—
ii	Dbm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Db · Fb · Ab	4×
ii	C#m	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C# · E · G#	1×
III	D	Relative major — the bright side	D · F# · A	5×
III	D/F#	Relative major — the bright side	D · F# · A	1×
iv	Em	Subdominant — moves away from home	E · G · B	1×
IV	E	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	E · G# · B	12×
IV	E/G#	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	E · G# · B	5×
IV	E/D	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	E · G# · B	2×
IV7	E7	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	E · G# · B · D	1×
v	Gbm	Minor dominant — soft pull	Gb · A · Db	5×
v	F#m	Minor dominant — soft pull	F# · A · C#	1×
V	F#	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	F# · A# · C#	—
VI	G	Submediant — warm colour	G · B · D	4×
VI	G/B	Submediant — warm colour	G · B · D	3×
#vi	G#m	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	G# · B · D#	1×
VII	A	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	A · C# · E	7×
VII	A/C#	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	A · C# · E	2×

Analysis

The key pair is D major and its relative B minor (2 sharps). 21 different chords appear 85 times in total; 10 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. E, B4, B, B/D#, E/G#, E/D, E7 act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. C is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

G D DIV → Iplagal cadence BmVI → III ×2
G D/F# DIV → Iplagal cadence BmVI → III ×1
E7 A DV7/V → Vsecondary resolution BmIV7 → VII ×1

The move to watch is G → D, heard 2 times. From the D side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the Bm side it is VI → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

D major pentatonic and B minor pentatonic are the same five notes (D – E – F# – A – B): start from D for a brighter phrase, from B for a bluesier one.
Over E, land on E, G#, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over B4, 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.
On C, follow the chord's notes (C · E · G) 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 D major shapes

No capo — open D shapes
Capo 2 + C shapes
Capo 5 + A shapes

With B minor shapes

Capo 2 + Am shapes
Capo 7 + Em shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

5 semitones up · capo 7 keeps the original pitch
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, B4, A, B carry the song: V/V–V/ii–V–V/ii relative to D, IV–V/iv–VII–V/iv relative to Bm. E adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/V — leads to A. Keep an ear on G → D (IV → I in D, VI → III in Bm): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. It closes on E, letting the D 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.

Mariah Carey - Hero 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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