Mariah Carey - Against all Oods - Chord

Key Db major – Bb minor Chords Ebm, Ab, Bbm, Gb, Db, Ab7, Eb, Cm … Easy key G (capo 6)

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Capo 0

Ebm  Ab  Ebm  Ab

Bbm                   Cm
How can I just let you walk away, 
              Db              Ebm
just let you leave without a trace,
         Gb               Ab                Fm   Bbm
when I stand here taking every breath with you, ooh.
            Ebm          Gb                Ab
You're the only one who really knew me at all.
 Bbm                   Cm
How can you just walk away from me, 
         Db                     Ebm
when all I can do is watch you leave,
               Gb                 Ab                    
'cause we've shared the laughter and the pain, 
     Fm               Bbm
and even shared the tears.
            Ebm           Gb                Ab   Ab7
You're the only one who really knew me at all.
                      Db                          Eb
So take a look at me now, 'cause there's just an empty space,
                     Bbm             Gb
and there's nothing left here to remind me,
           Ebm             Ab
 just the memory of your face.
            Ab7        Db                          Eb
oh, take a look at me now, 'cause there's just an empty space,
                Bbm             Gb
and you coming back to me is against the odds,
             Ebm              Ab      Ab7
 and that's what I've got to face.
  Bbm                        Cm
I wish I could just make you turn around, 
 Db                     Ebm
turn around and see me cry,
            Gb             Ab
there's so much I need to say to you, 
   Fm            Bbm
so many reasons why.
           Ebm           Gb                Ab   Ab7
You're the only one who really knew me at all.
                      Db                          Eb
So take a look at me now, 'cause there's just an empty space,
                    Bbm             Gb
and there's nothing left here to remind me, 
          Ebm             Ab
just the memory of your face.
             Ab7        Db                          Eb
Now, take a look at me now, 'cause there's just an empty space,
       Bbm                        Gb
but to wait for you, well that's all I can do,
             Ebm              Ab
 and that's what I've got to face.
             Ab7        Db                         Eb
Take a good look at me now, 'cause I'll still be standing here,
                Bbm             Gb
and you coming back to me is against all odds,
           Ebm                Ab    Ab7   Ebm  Ab   Ebm  Ab
it's the chance I've got to take.
        Ab7        Ebm     Ab
Take a look at me now

End of song Play again?

Mariah Carey - Against all Oods Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Mariah Carey – Against all Oods: key and chord analysis

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

Major view

Db major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

Bb minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Gb (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = Ab (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the Bb minor side because Bbm is heard 11 times against 8 for Db. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Db 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 Db or to Bbm; 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 Db major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Db	Tonic — home	Db · F · Ab	8×
ii	Ebm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Eb · Gb · Bb	16×
V/V	Eb	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Absecondary dominant	Eb · G · Bb	5×
iii	Fm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	F · Ab · C	3×
V/vi	F	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant	F · A · C	—
IV	Gb	Subdominant — moves away from home	Gb · Bb · Db	11×
V	Ab	Dominant — strongest pull home	Ab · C · Eb	16×
V7	Ab7	Dominant — strongest pull home	Ab · C · Eb · Gb	8×
vi	Bbm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Bb · Db · F	11×
vii°	Cdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	C · Eb · Gb	—
vii	Cm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · Eb · G	3×

Seen from Bb minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Bbm	Tonic — home	Bb · Db · F	11×
ii°	Cdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	C · Eb · Gb	—
ii	Cm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · Eb · G	3×
III	Db	Relative major — the bright side	Db · F · Ab	8×
iv	Ebm	Subdominant — moves away from home	Eb · Gb · Bb	16×
IV	Eb	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	Eb · G · Bb	5×
v	Fm	Minor dominant — soft pull	F · Ab · C	3×
V	F	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	F · A · C	—
VI	Gb	Submediant — warm colour	Gb · Bb · Db	11×
VII	Ab	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Ab · C · Eb	16×
VII7	Ab7	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Ab · C · Eb · Gb	8×

Analysis

The key pair is Db major and its relative Bb minor (5 flats). 9 different chords appear 81 times in total; 7 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Eb acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

Ebm Ab Dbii → Vii → V Bbmiv → VII ×10
Gb Ab DbIV → VIV → V BbmVI → VIIVI → VII ×6
Ab7 Db DbV7 → Iauthentic cadence BbmVII7 → III ×5
Fm Bbm Dbiii → vi Bbmv → inatural-minor cadence ×3
Ab Bbm DbV → videceptive cadence BbmVII → iAeolian arrival ×2
Ab7 Bbm DbV7 → videceptive cadence BbmVII7 → iAeolian arrival ×1

The move to watch is Ebm → Ab, heard 10 times. From the Bbm side it is iv → VII; from the Db side it reads ii → V (ii → V: the classic preparation of the dominant). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

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

Capo 1 + C shapes
Capo 4 + A shapes
Capo 6 + G shapes

With Bb minor shapes

Capo 1 + Am shapes
Capo 6 + Em shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

6 semitones up · capo 6 keeps the original pitch
1 semitone down · capo 1 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The opening Ebm lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The chords that keep coming back are Ebm, Ab, Bbm, Gb; read them as ii–V–vi–IV in Db or iv–VII–i–VI in Bbm. Eb adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/V — leads to Ab. Keep an ear on Ebm → Ab (ii → V in Db, iv → VII in Bbm): ii → V — the classic preparation of the dominant. Ending on Ab, the song seals Db 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.