Major view
Ab major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = G (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Db (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Mariah Carey - I Want To Know What Love Is - Chord
Key Ab major – F minor Chords Db, Abm, B, Gb, Ebm, C, F, Gm … Easy key A
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Key: Ab | Fm
Capo: 0
Gb Db Ebm7 B Abm
Gb Ebm
I've got take a little time
B Ebm Db Ebm
A little time to think things over
Gb
I'd better read between the lines
B Ebm Db Ebm
In case I need it when I'm older, oh
Abm Db Abm
In my life there's been heartache and pain
B Abm Db Abm
I don't know if I can face it again
B Abm Db Abm
Can't stop now I've traveled so far
B Gb Abm B Gb
To change this lonely life
Db Abm
I want to know what love is
Db
I want you to show me
Gb Db Abm
I want to feel what love is
Db Db4 Db
I know you can show me
Gb Ebm
I'm gonna take a little time
B Ebm Db Ebm
A little time to look around me
Gb
I've got nowhere left to hide
B Ebm Db Ebm
It looks like love has finally found me
Abm Db Abm
In my life there's been heartache and pain
B Abm Db Abm
I don't know if I can face it again
B Abm Db Abm
Can't stop now I've traveled so far
B Gb Abm B Gb
To change this lonely life
Db Abm
I want to know what love is
Db
I want you to show me
Gb Db Abm
I want to feel what love is
Db C F
I know you can show me
C Gm
I want to know what love is
C
I want you to show me
F C Gm
I want to feel what love is
C
I know you can show me
End of song Play again?
Mariah Carey - I Want To Know What Love Is Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Mariah Carey – I Want To Know What Love Is: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Gb and ends on C. Its chords belong to both Ab major and Fm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
F minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Db (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = Eb (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = E (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 F minor side because the major V chord points straight at Fm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Ab 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 Ab or to Fm; 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 | Ab | Tonic — home | Ab · C · Eb | — |
| i | Abm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Ab · Cb · Eb | 19× |
| ii | Bbm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | Bb · Db · F | — |
| bIII | B | Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord | B · D# · F# | 13× |
| iii | Cm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | C · Eb · G | — |
| V/vi | C | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Fmsecondary dominant | C · E · G | 5× |
| IV | Db | Subdominant — moves away from home | Db · F · Ab | 20× |
| IV | Db4 | Subdominant — moves away from home | Db · F · Ab | 1× |
| V | Eb | Dominant — strongest pull home | Eb · G · Bb | — |
| v | Ebm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Eb · Gb · Bb | 10× |
| v7 | Ebm7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Eb · Gb · Bb · Db | 1× |
| vi | Fm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | F · Ab · C | — |
| VI | F | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | F · A · C | 2× |
| bVII | Gb | bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord | Gb · Bb · Db | 11× |
| vii° | Gdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | G · Bb · Db | — |
| vii | Gm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | G · Bb · D | 2× |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Fm | Tonic — home | F · Ab · C | — |
| I | F | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | F · A · C | 2× |
| bII | Gb | Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord | Gb · Bb · Db | 11× |
| ii° | Gdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G · Bb · Db | — |
| ii | Gm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | G · Bb · D | 2× |
| III | Ab | Relative major — the bright side | Ab · C · Eb | — |
| iii | Abm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Ab · Cb · Eb | 19× |
| iv | Bbm | Subdominant — moves away from home | Bb · Db · F | — |
| #IV | B | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | B · D# · F# | 13× |
| v | Cm | Minor dominant — soft pull | C · Eb · G | — |
| V | C | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | C · E · G | 5× |
| VI | Db | Submediant — warm colour | Db · F · Ab | 20× |
| VI | Db4 | Submediant — warm colour | Db · F · Ab | 1× |
| VII | Eb | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | Eb · G · Bb | — |
| vii | Ebm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Eb · Gb · Bb | 10× |
| vii7 | Ebm7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Eb · Gb · Bb · Db | 1× |
Analysis
The key pair is Ab major and its relative F minor (4 flats). 10 different chords appear 84 times in total; 2 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Fm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from Ab, the same C is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Fm. B, Gb are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
Chord movement
There's no textbook cadence here; the chords circle around each other in a loop, so the song feels more like a groove than a series of arrivals.
Improvisation tips
- Ab major pentatonic and F minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Ab – Bb – C – Eb – F): start from Ab for a brighter phrase, from F for a bluesier one.
- Over Db, land on Db, F, Ab — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Abm, land on Ab, Cb, Eb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over B, land on B, D#, F# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When C comes, swap the scale's Eb for E: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
- On B, follow the chord's notes (B · D# · F#) 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 Ab major shapes
- Capo 1 + G shapes
- Capo 4 + E shapes
- Capo 6 + D shapes
With F minor shapes
- Capo 1 + Em shapes
- Capo 3 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 1 semitone up
- 6 semitones up · capo 6 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is Gb; the ear learns where home is within a second. The backbone is Db, Abm, B, Gb — IV–i–bIII–bVII from the Ab side, VI–iii–#IV–bII from the Fm side. C is the interesting twist: in Ab it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Fm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. The final chord is C; the ear comes to rest in Ab.
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 - I Want To Know What Love Is 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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