Celine Dion - That's The Way It Is - Chord

Key D major – B minor Chords E, A, B, Dbm, Gbm, D, Bm, Em … Easy key G (capo 7)

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Capo 0

E                           A         B
I can read your mind and I know your story
  E                A       Dbm      B
I see what you're going through
      E                           A     B
It's an uphill climb, and I'm feeling sorry
       E             Dbm     B
But I know it will come to you

     Gbm          A           B
Don't surrender 'cause you can win
     Gbm             B
In this thing called love
        E               A           Dbm        B
When you want it the most there's no easy way out
       E                 A          Dbm          B
When you're ready to go and your heart's left in doubt
      E                 A
Don't give up on your faith
       Dbm           B      Gbm
Love comes to those who believe it
    A            B         E
And that's the way it is

      E                      A       B
When you question me for a simple answer
      E          A   Dbm     B
I don't know what to say, no
       E                        A      B
But it's plain to see, if you stick together
          E          Dbm     B
You're gonna find a way, yeah

  Em                   Bm
When life is empty with no tomorrow
   Am                G
And loneliness starts to call
   Em                 Bm
Baby, don't worry, forget your sorrow
  Am                        G      D
'Cause love's gonna conquer it all, all

        A               D           Gbm       E
When you want it the most there's no easy way out
      A              D             Gbm           E
When you're ready to go and your heart's left in doubt
      E               D
Don't give up on your faith
       Gbm           E      Bm
Love comes to those who believe it
    D            E         A
And that's the way it is

End of song Play again?

Celine Dion - That's The Way It Is Tabs

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Harmony analysis

Celine Dion – That's The Way It Is: key and chord analysis

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

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)

Minor view

B minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = G (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = A (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the D major side because D is heard 5 times against 3 for 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.

Seen from D major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	D	Tonic — home	D · F# · A	5×
ii	Em	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	E · G · B	2×
V/V	E	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Asecondary dominant	E · G# · B	17×
iii	Gbm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	Gb · A · Db	6×
V/vi	F#	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bmsecondary dominant	F# · A# · C#	—
IV	G	Subdominant — moves away from home	G · B · D	2×
V	A	Dominant — strongest pull home	A · C# · E	14×
v	Am	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C · E	2×
vi	Bm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	B · D · F#	3×
V/ii	B	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	14×
vii°	C#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	C# · E · G	—
vii	Dbm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Db · Fb · Ab	7×

Seen from B minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Bm	Tonic — home	B · D · F#	3×
V/iv	B	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	14×
ii°	C#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	C# · E · G	—
ii	Dbm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Db · Fb · Ab	7×
III	D	Relative major — the bright side	D · F# · A	5×
iv	Em	Subdominant — moves away from home	E · G · B	2×
IV	E	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	E · G# · B	17×
v	Gbm	Minor dominant — soft pull	Gb · A · Db	6×
V	F#	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	F# · A# · C#	—
VI	G	Submediant — warm colour	G · B · D	2×
VII	A	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	A · C# · E	14×
vii	Am	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C · E	2×

Analysis

The key pair is D major and its relative B minor (2 sharps). 10 different chords appear 72 times in total; 6 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. E, B act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

A D DV → Iauthentic cadence BmVII → III ×2
Em Bm Dii → vi Bmiv → iminor plagal ×2
G D DIV → Iplagal cadence BmVI → III ×1

The move to watch is A → D, heard 2 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 E, land on E, G#, B — 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 B, land on B, D#, F# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.

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

The first chord is E; the ear learns where home is within a second. The chords that keep coming back are E, A, B, Dbm; read them as V/V–V–V/ii–vii in D or IV–VII–V/iv–ii in Bm. E adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/V — leads to A. Keep an ear on A → D (V → I in D, VII → III in Bm): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. Ending on A, the song seals D 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.