Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas Is You - Chord

Key G major – E minor Chords G, C, Cm, Em, B7, E7, Am7, D … Difficulty already in its easiest key

Add to Repertoire

No ratings yet

or your user informations

Capo 0

G
I don't want a lot for Christmas

There's just one thing I need
C
I don't care about the presents
Cm
Underneath the Christmas tree
G                      B7
I just want you for my own
Em                       Cm
More than you could ever know
G                 E7
Make my wish come true
Am7            D7
All I want for Christmas is you...

G  Em  C  D

G
I don't want a lot for Christmas

There's just one thing I need
C
I don't care about the presents
Cm
Underneath the Christmas tree
G
I don't need to hang my stocking

There upon the fireplace
C
Santa Claus won't make me happy
Cm
With a toy on Christmas day


G                      B7
I just want you for my own
Em                       Cm
More than you could ever know
G                 E7
Make my wish come true
Am7            D7
All I want for Christmas is you
G   Em   C   D
You         baby

G
I won't ask for much this Christmas

I don't even wish for snow
C
I'm just gonna keep on waiting
Cm
Underneath the mistletoe
G
I won't make a list and send it

To the North Pole for Saint Nick
C
I won't even stay awake to
Cm
Hear those magic reindeers click

G                             B7
Cause I just want you here tonight
Em                  Cm
Holding on to me so tight
G               E7
What more can I do
Am7                 D7
Baby all I want for Christmas is 
G   Em   C   D
You         baby

B7
All the lights are shining
   Em
So brightly everywhere
B7
And the sound of children's
Em
Laughter fills the air
Cm
And everyone is singing
G            E7
I hear those sleigh bells ringing
Am7
Santa won't you bring me the one I really need
          C
Won't you please bring my baby to me

   G
Oh I don't want a lot for Christmas

This is all I'm asking for
C
I just want to see my baby
Cm
Standing right outside my door

G                         B7
Oh I just want you for my own
Em                       Cm
More than you could ever know
G                 E7
Make my wish come true
     Am7            D7      
Baby all I want for Christmas is
G   Em   C   D
You

G              Em           C     D
All I want for Christmas is you baby

End of song Play again?

Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas Is You Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas Is You: key and chord analysis

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

Major view

G major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

E minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = C (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = D (natural-minor colour)
#7 = D# (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 G major side because it opens on G, G is heard 20 times against 11 for Em and the major V chord points straight at Em. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from E minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to G or to Em; 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 G major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	G	Tonic — home	G · B · D	20×
ii7	Am7	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · E · G	5×
iii	Bm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	B · D · F#	—
V7/vi	B7	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F# · A	6×
IV	C	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · E · G	12×
iv	Cm	Minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	C · Eb · G	11×
V	D	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	5×
V7	D7	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A · C	4×
vi	Em	Relative minor — the melancholy side	E · G · B	11×
V7/ii	E7	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B · D	5×
vii°	F#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	F# · A · C	—

Seen from E minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Em	Tonic — home	E · G · B	11×
V7/iv	E7	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B · D	5×
ii°	F#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F# · A · C	—
III	G	Relative major — the bright side	G · B · D	20×
iv7	Am7	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C · E · G	5×
v	Bm	Minor dominant — soft pull	B · D · F#	—
V7	B7	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	B · D# · F# · A	6×
VI	C	Submediant — warm colour	C · E · G	12×
vi	Cm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · Eb · G	11×
VII	D	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	5×
VII7	D7	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A · C	4×

Analysis

The key pair is G major and its relative E minor (1 sharp). 9 different chords appear 79 times in total; 6 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Em brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from G, the same B7 is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Em. E7 acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. Cm is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

Cm G Giv → Iminor plagal Emvi → III ×11
B7 Em GV7/vi → visecondary resolution EmV7 → iharmonic-minor cadence ×6
E7 Am7 GV7/ii → ii7secondary resolution EmV7/iv → iv7 ×5
C D GIV → VIV → V EmVI → VIIVI → VII ×5
D7 G GV7 → Iauthentic cadence EmVII7 → III ×4
Am7 D7 Gii7 → V7ii → V Emiv7 → VII7 ×4

The move to watch is Cm → G, heard 11 times. From the G side it reads iv → I (minor plagal: a bittersweet arrival with a borrowed iv); from the Em side it is vi → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

G major pentatonic and E minor pentatonic are the same five notes (G – A – B – D – E): start from G for a brighter phrase, from E for a bluesier one.
Over G, land on G, B, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over C, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Cm, land on C, Eb, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When B7 comes, swap the scale's D for D#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
On Cm, follow the chord's notes (C · Eb · 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 G major shapes

No capo — open G shapes
Capo 3 + E shapes
Capo 5 + D shapes

With E minor shapes

No capo — open Em shapes
Capo 2 + Dm shapes
Capo 7 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.

The song's harmonic story

Starting on G, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is G, C, Cm, Em — I–IV–iv–vi from the G side, III–VI–vi–i from the Em side. B7 is the interesting twist: in G it is a chromatic chord (V7/vi), while in Em it becomes the dominant (V7) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Cm → G (iv → I in G, vi → III in Em): minor plagal — a bittersweet arrival with a borrowed iv. Ending on D, the song seals G 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.