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Whitney Houston - Didn't We Almost Have It All - Chord

Key Ab major – F minor Chords Bb, Dm7, G, F/Eb, Gm7, Cm7, Eb/F, Ebmaj7 … Easy key Bb

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Capo 0 
Bb               Fm/Ab          G7sus
Remember when we held on in the rain
     G               Cm
The nights we almost lost it
G/B   Cm   F               Bb    F/A  Gm    Ebmaj7 F/Eb
Once again we can take the night in   to tomorrow
          Dm7      Gm7 Cm7
Living on feelings
               Eb/F          Bb  C/D D
Touching you I feel it all again

G         D/C    C       Bm7 Em7
Didn't we almost have it all
Am7           D7sus            G       C D/F#
When love was all we had worth giving
G              D/C    C         Bm7      Em7
The ride with you was worth the fall my friend
Am7    Dsus                 G       Eb/F F
Loving you makes life worth living
Bb        F/Eb   Eb      Dm7  Gm7
Didn't we almost have it all
Cm7           Eb/F             Bb      Eb/Bb F/Bb
The nights we held on till the morning
Bb              F/Eb  Eb        Dm7  Gm7
You know you'll never love that way again
Cm7       Eb/F           Bb   Eb/Bb F/Bb
Didn't we almost have it all

Bb                  Fm/Ab           G7sus
The way you used to touch me felt so fine
   G                 Cm   G/B        Cm
We kept our hearts together down the line
  F             Bb   F/A Gm      Ebmaj7 F/Eb
A moment in the soul can last forever
            Dm7     Gm7
Comfort and keep us
Cm7               Eb/F          Bb   C/D D
Help me bring the feeling back again

G         D/C    C       Bm7 Em7
Didn't we almost have it all
Am7           D7sus            G       C D/F#
When love was all we had worth giving
G              D/C    C         Bm7      Em7
The ride with you was worth the fall my friend
Am7    Dsus                 G       Eb/F F
Loving you makes life worth living
Bb        F/Eb   Eb      Dm7  Gm7
Didn't we almost have it all
Cm7           Eb/F             Bb      Eb/Bb F/Bb
The nights we held on till the morning
Bb              F/Eb  Eb        Dm7  Gm7
You know you'll never love that way again
Cm7       Eb/F           Ebmaj7
Didn't we almost have it all

Dm7
Didn't we have the best of times
     F/G      Gm/F      Ebmaj7
When love was young and new
                             Dm7
Couldn't we reach inside and find
    F/G    Gm/F    Ebmaj7 F/Eb
The love of me and you
     Ebmaj7 Dm7       Gm7
We'll never lose it again
      Cm7                Bb/D           Ebmaj7       F7sus
Cause once you know what love is you'll never let it end

Bb        F/Eb   Eb      Dm7  Gm7
Didn't we almost have it all
Cm7           Eb/F             Bb      Eb/Bb F/Bb
The nights we held on till the morning
Bb              F/Eb  Eb        Dm7  Gm7
You know you'll never love that way again
Cm7       Eb/F           Bb   F/Eb Eb Dm7 Gm7
Didn't we almost have it all
Cm7       F7sus   F      Bb
Didn't we almost have it all

End of song Play again?

Whitney Houston - Didn't We Almost Have It All Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Whitney Houston – Didn't We Almost Have It All: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Bb and ends on Bb. Its chords belong to both Ab major and Fm, so every chord below is read both ways.

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)

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 Fm is heard 2 times while Ab never appears and 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.

Seen from Ab major
Degree Chord Role Notes In song
I Ab Tonic — home Ab · C · Eb —
bii7 Am7 Chromatic colour chordoutside the key A · C · E · G 4×
ii Bbm Supertonic — prepares the dominant Bb · Db · F —
V/V Bb Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Ebsecondary dominant Bb · D · F 18×
V/V Bb/D Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Ebsecondary dominant Bb · D · F 1×
biii7 Bm7 Chromatic colour chordoutside the key B · D · F# · A 4×
iii7 Cm7 Mediant — a tonic-family shade C · Eb · G · Bb 10×
iii Cm Mediant — a tonic-family shade C · Eb · G 4×
V/vi C Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Fmsecondary dominant C · E · G 6×
V/vi C/D Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Fmsecondary dominant C · E · G 2×
IV Db Subdominant — moves away from home Db · F · Ab —
#iv7 Dm7 Chromatic colour chordoutside the key D · F · A · C 12×
#IV D/C Chromatic colour chordoutside the key D · F# · A 4×
#IV D Chromatic colour chordoutside the key D · F# · A 2×
#IV7sus4 D7sus Chromatic colour chordoutside the key D · G · A · C 2×
#IV D/F# Chromatic colour chordoutside the key D · F# · A 2×
#IVsus4 Dsus Chromatic colour chordoutside the key D · G · A 2×
V Eb/F Dominant — strongest pull home Eb · G · Bb 10×
V Eb Dominant — strongest pull home Eb · G · Bb 7×
V Eb/Bb Dominant — strongest pull home Eb · G · Bb 4×
Vmaj7 Ebmaj7 Chromatic colour chordoutside the key Eb · G · Bb · D 7×
bvi7 Em7 Chromatic colour chordoutside the key E · G · B · D 4×
vi Fm/Ab Relative minor — the melancholy side F · Ab · C 2×
V/ii F/Eb Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant F · A · C 10×
V/ii F Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant F · A · C 5×
V/ii F/Bb Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant F · A · C 4×
V/ii F/A Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant F · A · C 2×
V/ii F/G Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant F · A · C 2×
V7/ii F7sus Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant F · Bb · C · Eb 2×
vii° Gdim Leading-tone chord — tension G · Bb · Db —
V/iii G Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Cmsecondary dominant G · B · D 10×
vii7 Gm7 Chromatic colour chordoutside the key G · Bb · D · F 10×
V7/iii G7sus Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Cmsecondary dominant G · C · D · F 2×
V/iii G/B Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Cmsecondary dominant G · B · D 2×
vii Gm Chromatic colour chordoutside the key G · Bb · D 2×
vii Gm/F Chromatic colour chordoutside the key G · Bb · D 2×
Seen from F minor
Degree Chord Role Notes In song
i Fm/Ab Tonic — home F · Ab · C 2×
V/iv F/Eb Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant F · A · C 10×
V/iv F Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant F · A · C 5×
V/iv F/Bb Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant F · A · C 4×
V/iv F/A Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant F · A · C 2×
V/iv F/G Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant F · A · C 2×
V7/iv F7sus Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant F · Bb · C · Eb 2×
ii° Gdim Supertonic — prepares the dominant G · Bb · Db —
V/v G Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Cmsecondary dominant G · B · D 10×
ii7 Gm7 Chromatic colour chordoutside the key G · Bb · D · F 10×
V7/v G7sus Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Cmsecondary dominant G · C · D · F 2×
V/v G/B Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Cmsecondary dominant G · B · D 2×
ii Gm Chromatic colour chordoutside the key G · Bb · D 2×
ii Gm/F Chromatic colour chordoutside the key G · Bb · D 2×
III Ab Relative major — the bright side Ab · C · Eb —
#iii7 Am7 Chromatic colour chordoutside the key A · C · E · G 4×
iv Bbm Subdominant — moves away from home Bb · Db · F —
IV Bb Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour Bb · D · F 18×
IV Bb/D Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour Bb · D · F 1×
#iv7 Bm7 Chromatic colour chordoutside the key B · D · F# · A 4×
v7 Cm7 Minor dominant — soft pull C · Eb · G · Bb 10×
v Cm Minor dominant — soft pull C · Eb · G 4×
V C Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor C · E · G 6×
V C/D Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor C · E · G 2×
VI Db Submediant — warm colour Db · F · Ab —
#vi7 Dm7 Chromatic colour chordoutside the key D · F · A · C 12×
#VI D/C Chromatic colour chordoutside the key D · F# · A 4×
#VI D Chromatic colour chordoutside the key D · F# · A 2×
#VI7sus4 D7sus Chromatic colour chordoutside the key D · G · A · C 2×
#VI D/F# Chromatic colour chordoutside the key D · F# · A 2×
#VIsus4 Dsus Chromatic colour chordoutside the key D · G · A 2×
VII Eb/F Subtonic — steps back to the tonic Eb · G · Bb 10×
VII Eb Subtonic — steps back to the tonic Eb · G · Bb 7×
VII Eb/Bb Subtonic — steps back to the tonic Eb · G · Bb 4×
VIImaj7 Ebmaj7 Chromatic colour chordoutside the key Eb · G · Bb · D 7×
#vii7 Em7 Chromatic colour chordoutside the key E · G · B · D 4×

Analysis

The key pair is Ab major and its relative F minor (4 flats). 32 different chords appear 160 times in total; 6 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 / C/D is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Fm. Bb, G, F/Eb, F, F/Bb, G7sus, G/B, F/A, F/G, F7sus, Bb/D act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

  1. D7sus G Ab#IV7sus4 → V/iiisecondary resolution Fm#VI7sus4 → V/v ×2
  2. F7sus Bb AbV7/ii → V/Vsecondary resolution FmV7/iv → IV ×1

The move to watch is D7sus → G, heard 2 times. From the Fm side it is #VI7sus4 → V/v; from the Ab side it reads #IV7sus4 → V/iii (secondary resolution: D7sus resolves a fourth up to G). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

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 Bb, land on Bb, D, F — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
  • Over Dm7, land on D, F, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
  • Over G, land on G, B, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
  • When C/D comes, swap the scale's Eb for E: 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 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

    • 2 semitones up
    • 3 semitones down · capo 3 keeps the original pitch

    The song's harmonic story

    The opening Bb lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The backbone is Bb, Dm7, G, F/Eb — V/V–#iv7–V/iii–V/ii from the Ab side, IV–#vi7–V/v–V/iv from the Fm side. G is the interesting twist: in Ab it is a chromatic chord (V/iii), while in Fm it becomes the dominant (V/v) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on D7sus → G (#IV7sus4 → V/iii in Ab, #VI7sus4 → V/v in Fm): secondary resolution — D7sus resolves a fourth up to G. The final chord is Bb; 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.

    Whitney Houston - Didn't We Almost Have It All 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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