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)
Whitney Houston - Where Do Broken Hearts Go - Chord
Key D major – B minor Chords D, A, Bm, G, B, Gbm, Gb Easy key G (capo 7)
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Key: D | Bm
Capo: 0
D A Bm D G A D A
D A
I know it's been some time
Bm D
But there's something on my mind
G A
You see, I haven't been the same
D A
Since that cold November day
We said we needed space
But all we found was an empty place
And the only thing I learned
Is that I need you desperately
Bm A
So here I am
D A
And can you please tell me, oh
D A
Where do broken hearts go
Bm D
Can they find their way home
G D
Back to the open arms
A
Of a love that's waiting there
D A
And if somebody loves you
Bm D
Won't they always love you
G D
I look in your eyes
A D
And I know that you still care, for me
I've been around enough to know
That dreams don't turn to gold
And that there is no easy way
No you just can't run away
And what we have is so much more
Than we ever had before
And no matter how I try
You're always on my mind
Bm A
So here I am
D A
And can you please tell me, oh
D A
Where do broken hearts go
Bm D
Can they find their way home
G D
Back to the open arms
A
Of a love that's waiting there
D A
And if somebody loves you
Bm D
Won't they always love you
G D
I look in your eyes
A D
And I know that you still care, for me
Bm A
And now that I am here with you
G D
I'll never let you go
B Gbm
I look into your eyes
Gb
And now I know, now I know
D A
Where do broken hearts go
Bm D
Can they find their way home
G D
Back to the open arms
A
Of a love that's waiting there
D A
And if somebody loves you
Bm D
Won't they always love you
G D
I look in your eyes
A D
And I know that you still care, for me
End of song Play again?
Whitney Houston - Where Do Broken Hearts Go Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Whitney Houston – Where Do Broken Hearts Go: key and chord analysis
The song opens on D and ends on D. Its chords belong to both D major and Bm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
B minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = G (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = A (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = A# (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 D major side because it both starts and finishes on D, D is heard 30 times against 11 for Bm and the major V chord points straight at 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.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | D | Tonic — home | D · F# · A | 30× |
| ii | Em | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | E · G · B | — |
| iii | Gbm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | Gb · A · Db | 1× |
| V/vi | Gb | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bmsecondary dominant | Gb · Bb · Db | 1× |
| IV | G | Subdominant — moves away from home | G · B · D | 9× |
| V | A | Dominant — strongest pull home | A · C# · E | 23× |
| vi | Bm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | B · D · F# | 11× |
| VI | B | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | B · D# · F# | 1× |
| vii° | C#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | C# · E · G | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Bm | Tonic — home | B · D · F# | 11× |
| I | B | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | B · D# · F# | 1× |
| ii° | C#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | C# · E · G | — |
| III | D | Relative major — the bright side | D · F# · A | 30× |
| iv | Em | Subdominant — moves away from home | E · G · B | — |
| v | Gbm | Minor dominant — soft pull | Gb · A · Db | 1× |
| V | Gb | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | Gb · Bb · Db | 1× |
| VI | G | Submediant — warm colour | G · B · D | 9× |
| VII | A | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | A · C# · E | 23× |
Analysis
The key pair is D major and its relative B minor (2 sharps). 7 different chords appear 76 times in total; 5 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Bm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from D, the same Gb is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Bm. B step outside the scale as colour chords.
Chord movement
- A D DV → Iauthentic cadence BmVII → III ×13
- A Bm DV → videceptive cadence BmVII → iAeolian arrival ×9
- G D DIV → Iplagal cadence BmVI → III ×7
- G A DIV → VIV → V BmVI → VIIVI → VII ×2
The move to watch is A → D, heard 13 times. From the D side it reads V → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home); from the Bm side it is VII → 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 D, land on D, F#, A — 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.
- Over Bm, land on B, D, F# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When Gb comes, swap the scale's A for A#: 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 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
Starting on D, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The chords that keep coming back are D, A, Bm, G; read them as I–V–vi–IV in D or III–VII–i–VI in Bm. Gb is the interesting twist: in D it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Bm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on A → D (V → I in D, VII → III in Bm): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. The final chord is D; the ear comes to rest in D.
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 - Where Do Broken Hearts Go 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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