Celine Dion - Alone - Chord

Key C major – A minor Chords F, C, G, Dm, Bb, Am, Em, E … Easy key D

Add to Repertoire

No ratings yet

or your user informations

Capo 0

Am         F              G
I hear the ticking of the clock 
    Em             Am               F  G  E
I'm lying here the room's pitch dark 
Am       F             G
I wonder where you are tonight 
   Em            Am           F  G  E
No answer on the telephone 

        F             C            F    C
And the night goes by so very slow 
     F            C              F  G  C
Oh I hope that it won't end though     alone 

Dm   Bb    F          C            Dm
Till now I always got by on my own 
Bb             F           C             Dm    Bb   Gbm
I never really cared until I met you 
           F               C
And now it chills me to the bone 
Dm        Bb       C
How do I get you alone 
Dm        Bb       C
How do I get you alone 

Am                  F                G
You don't know how long I have wanted 
   Em                        Am       F  G  E
to touch your lips and hold you tight 
Am                  F                 G
You don't know how long I have wanted 
      Em                Am          F  G    E
and I was going to tell you tonight  

        F               C      F    C
But the secret is still my own 
         F             F     C        G  C
and my love for you is still unknown     alone 

Dm   Bb    F          C            Dm
Till now I always got by on my own 
Bb             F           C             Dm    Bb   Gbm
I never really cared until I met you 
           F               C
And now it chills me to the bone 
Dm        Bb       C
How do I get you alone 
Dm        Bb       C
How do I get you alone

End of song Play again?

Celine Dion - Alone Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Celine Dion – Alone: key and chord analysis

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

Major view

C major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

A minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = F (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = G (natural-minor colour)
#7 = G# (harmonic-minor leading tone from the V chord)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: we can't honestly pick a side here — the song moves freely between C major and A minor because it comes to rest on C, it opens on Am, C is heard 18 times against 8 for Am and the major V chord points straight at Am. Try reading the chords both ways and see which feels more like home to you.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to C or to Am; 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 C major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	C	Tonic — home	C · E · G	18×
ii	Dm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · A	10×
iii	Em	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	E · G · B	4×
V/vi	E	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	4×
IV	F	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · A · C	22×
#iv	Gbm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Gb · A · Db	2×
V	G	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	10×
vi	Am	Relative minor — the melancholy side	A · C · E	8×
bVII	Bb	bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord	Bb · D · F	10×
vii°	Bdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	B · D · F	—

Seen from A minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Am	Tonic — home	A · C · E	8×
bII	Bb	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	Bb · D · F	10×
ii°	Bdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F	—
III	C	Relative major — the bright side	C · E · G	18×
iv	Dm	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F · A	10×
v	Em	Minor dominant — soft pull	E · G · B	4×
V	E	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	E · G# · B	4×
VI	F	Submediant — warm colour	F · A · C	22×
#vi	Gbm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Gb · A · Db	2×
VII	G	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D	10×

Analysis

The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 9 different chords appear 88 times in total; 6 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Am brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from C, the same E is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Am. Bb is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

F C CIV → Iplagal cadence AmVI → III ×12
F G CIV → VIV → V AmVI → VIIVI → VII ×9
Em Am Ciii → vi Amv → inatural-minor cadence ×4
Bb C CbVII → IbVII → I AmbII → III ×4
E Am CV/vi → vi AmV → iharmonic-minor cadence ×2
G C CV → Iauthentic cadence AmVII → III ×2

The move to watch is F → C, heard 12 times. From the C side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the Am side it is VI → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

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

No capo — open C shapes
Capo 3 + A shapes
Capo 5 + G shapes

With A minor shapes

No capo — open Am shapes
Capo 5 + Em shapes
Capo 7 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

2 semitones up
5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The first chord is Am; the ear learns where home is within a second. The chords that keep coming back are F, C, G, Dm; read them as IV–I–V–ii in C or VI–III–VII–iv in Am. E is the interesting twist: in C it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Am it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on F → C (IV → I in C, VI → III in Am): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. The final chord is C; the ear comes to rest in C.

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.

Celine Dion - Alone 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.

Find something to play next

Ready-made lists by difficulty and mood.

Report error for this content report.

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

🎤 Celine Dion Chords

View All →

🎲 Random Chords in the Key of C

View All →