Whitney Houston - I wanna dance with somebody - Chord

Key Gb major – Eb minor Chords Db, B, Gb, Ebm, Abm7, Bbm, Ebm7, Ab … Easy key G

Add to Repertoire

No ratings yet

or your user informations

Capo 0

Gb  Ebm  B  Gb

Db
  Clock strikes upon the hour
        Ebm7               Abm7
And the sun begins to fade
Db
  Still enough time to figure out
       Ebm7
How to chase my blues away

Abm7             Db
    I've done alright up to now
         Gb       Bbm            Gb  B
It's the light of day that shows me how
     Abm7                
And when the night falls
Ebm            B    Db
   Loneliness calls

Gb
 Oh I wanna dance with somebody

I wanna feel the heat with somebody
Ebm
   Yeah wanna dance with somebody
B
 With somebody who loves me

Ab
  Oh I wanna dance with somebody

I wanna feel the heat with somebody
Ebm
   Yeah wanna dance with somebody
B         Abm       B       Gb
 With somebody who loves me

Db
  I've been in love and lost my senses
 Ebm7                     Abm7
Spinning through the town
Db
  Sooner or later the fever ends
      Ebm
And I wind up feeling down

Abm7                     Db
    I need a man who'll take a chance
      Gb        Bbm        Gb       B
On a love that burns hot enough to last
   Abm7           Ebm
So when the night falls
                 B    Db
My lonely heart calls

Gb
 Oh I wanna dance with somebody

I wanna feel the heat with somebody
Ebm
   Yeah wanna dance with somebody
B
 With somebody who loves me

Ab
  Oh I wanna dance with somebody

I wanna feel the heat with somebody
Ebm
   Yeah wanna dance with somebody
B         Abm       B       
 With somebody who loves me 

Ebm                  Db
Somebody oo somebody oo
                            Abm7

Ebm                  Db
Somebody oo somebody oo

Abm7                     Db
    I need a man who'll take a chance
      Gb        Bbm        Gb       B
On a love that burns hot enough to last
   Abm7           Ebm
So when the night falls
                 B    Db
My lonely heart calls

Ab
 Oh I wanna dance with somebody

I wanna feel the heat with somebody
Fm
  Yeah wanna dance with somebody
Db
  With somebody who loves me

Bb
  Oh I wanna dance with somebody

I wanna feel the heat with somebody
Fm
  Yeah wanna dance with somebody
Db         Bbm       Eb     
  With somebody who loves me 

Db         Bbm       Eb     
  With somebody who loves me

Db            
  With somebody who loves me

End of song Play again?

Whitney Houston - I wanna dance with somebody Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Whitney Houston – I wanna dance with somebody: key and chord analysis

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

Major view

Gb major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

Eb minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Cb (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = Db (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 Eb minor side because it opens on Gb, Ebm is heard 14 times against 11 for Gb and the major V chord points straight at Ebm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Gb 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 Gb or to Ebm; 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 Gb major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Gb	Tonic — home	Gb · Bb · Db	11×
ii7	Abm7	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb	9×
ii	Abm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Ab · Cb · Eb	2×
V/V	Ab	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Dbsecondary dominant	Ab · C · Eb	3×
iii	Bbm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	Bb · Db · F	5×
V/vi	Bb	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Ebmsecondary dominant	Bb · D · F	1×
IV	B	Subdominant — moves away from home	B · D# · F#	13×
V	Db	Dominant — strongest pull home	Db · F · Ab	16×
vi	Ebm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Eb · Gb · Bb	11×
vi7	Ebm7	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Eb · Gb · Bb · Db	3×
V/ii	Eb	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Abmsecondary dominant	Eb · G · Bb	2×
vii°	Fdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	F · Ab · Cb	—
vii	Fm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F · Ab · C	2×

Seen from Eb minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Ebm	Tonic — home	Eb · Gb · Bb	11×
i7	Ebm7	Tonic — home	Eb · Gb · Bb · Db	3×
V/iv	Eb	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Abmsecondary dominant	Eb · G · Bb	2×
ii°	Fdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F · Ab · Cb	—
ii	Fm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F · Ab · C	2×
III	Gb	Relative major — the bright side	Gb · Bb · Db	11×
iv7	Abm7	Subdominant — moves away from home	Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb	9×
iv	Abm	Subdominant — moves away from home	Ab · Cb · Eb	2×
IV	Ab	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	Ab · C · Eb	3×
v	Bbm	Minor dominant — soft pull	Bb · Db · F	5×
V	Bb	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	Bb · D · F	1×
VI	B	Submediant — warm colour	B · D# · F#	13×
VII	Db	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Db · F · Ab	16×

Analysis

The key pair is Gb major and its relative Eb minor (6 flats). 12 different chords appear 78 times in total; 8 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Ebm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from Gb, the same Bb is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Ebm. Ab, Eb act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

Db Gb GbV → Iauthentic cadence EbmVII → III ×5
Abm7 Db Gbii7 → Vii → V Ebmiv7 → VII ×5
Abm7 Ebm Gbii7 → vi Ebmiv7 → iminor plagal ×4
Db Ebm7 GbV → vi7deceptive cadence EbmVII → i7Aeolian arrival ×3
B Db GbIV → VIV → V EbmVI → VIIVI → VII ×3
B Gb GbIV → Iplagal cadence EbmVI → III ×2

The move to watch is Db → Gb, heard 5 times. From the Ebm side it is VII → III; from the Gb side it reads V → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

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

Capo 2 + E shapes
Capo 4 + D shapes
Capo 6 + C shapes

With Eb minor shapes

Capo 1 + Dm shapes
Capo 6 + Am 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 chords that keep coming back are Db, B, Gb, Ebm; read them as V–IV–I–vi in Gb or VII–VI–III–i in Ebm. Eb is the interesting twist: in Gb it is a chromatic chord (V/ii), while in Ebm it becomes the dominant (V/iv) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Db → Gb (V → I in Gb, VII → III in Ebm): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. Ending on Db, the song seals Gb 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.

Whitney Houston - I wanna dance with somebody 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.

Repertoires with this song

Similar songs, ready to play: pick a list.

Report error for this content report.

All copyrights belong to their respective owners. If you think this content contains copyright infringement, please contact us.

🎤 Whitney Houston Chords

View All →

🎲 Random Chords in the Key of Gb

View All →