Chords + Lyrics | All I Want For Christmas Is You
Intro
| Gmaj7 | Am7 D |
Intro verse (slow)
| G | G | G/B | G/B |
I don’t want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need.
| C | C | Eb6 | Eb6 |
I don’t care about the presents, underneath the Christmas tree.
| G/D | G/D B7 | Em | Em Eb6 |
I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know.
| G/D | E7 | E7 | Am7 | D7b9 | D7b9 | D7b9 | D7b9 |
Make my wish come true, all I want for Christmas, is you.
Instrumental 1
| G | Em | C | D7 |
Yeah.
Verse 1 (a tempo)
| G | G | G | G |
I don’t want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need (and I).
| C | C | Eb6 | Eb6 |
Don’t care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree.
| G | G | G | G |
I don’t need to hang my stocking, there upon the fireplace.
| C | C | Eb6 | Eb6 |
Santa Claus won’t make me happy with a toy on Christmas Day.
| G/D | G B7 | Em | Em Eb6 |
I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know.
| G/D | E7 | Am7 | D7 |
Make my wish come true, all I want for Christmas is you.
Instrumental 2
| G | Em | C | D7 |
You, baby.
Verse 2
Oh, I won’t ask for much this Christmas, I won’t even wish for snow (and I).
I’m just gonna keep on waiting underneath the mistletoe.
I won’t make a list and send it, to the North Pole for Saint Nick.
I won’t even stay awake to hear those magic reindeer click.
‘Cause I just want you here tonight, holding on to me so tight.
What more can I do? Oh, baby, all I want for Christmas is you.
Instrumental 3
| G | Em | C | D7 |
You, baby.
Middle 8
| B7 | B7 | Em | Em |
Oh-oh, all the lights are shining so brightly everywhere (so brightly, baby).
| B7 | B7 | Em | Em |
And the sound of children’s laughter fills the air (oh, oh, yeah).
| Eb6 | Eb6 | G/D | E7 |
And everyone is singing (oh, yeah), I hear those sleigh bells ringing.
| Am9 | Am9 |
Santa, won’t you bring me the one I really need? (Yeah, oh).
| D7 | D7 |
Won’t you please bring my baby to me?
Verse 3 (shorter)
| G | G | G | G |
Oh, I don’t want a lot for Christmas, this is all I’m asking for.
| C | C | Eb6 | Eb6 |
I just wanna see my baby standing right outside my door.
| G/D | G B7 | Em | Em Eb6 |
Oh, I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know.
| G/D | E7 | Am7 | D7 |
Make my wish come true, oh baby, all I want for Christmas, is you.
Instrumental 4
| G | Em | C | D7 |
You, baby.
Outro
||: G | Em | Am7 | D6 D9 :||
All I want for Christmas is you, baby.
All I want for Christmas is you, baby.
All I want for Christmas is you, baby.
All I want for Christmas (all I really want) is you, baby.
All I want (I want) for Christmas (all I really want) is you, baby.
All I Want For Christmas Is You Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning All I Want For Christmas Is You. I’ve used stem separation to extract the guitar while keeping the drums, bass, keys, and vocals intact.
After studying the chords and TAB, use my backing tracks to prepare for playing this tune with a band.
Should you want to play along with the original recording instead, you need to tune your guitar sharp to 441Hz. In the backing tracks, I’ve done this job for you by tuning it to 440Hz.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
The chords for All I Want for Christmas Is You are brimming with classic movements. Let’s break them down section by section, starting with the intro.
Intro
Before the vocals come in, the progression follows I–II–V. To see exactly how this can be played on guitar, check out the TAB further down this guitar lesson.
Verse
The intro verse mirrors all subsequent verses, though it’s more drawn out in places. You can use the chords and lyrics above or refer to the chord chart below for precise details.
Here’s the first half of the verse chords, with Roman numeral analysis:
||: G (I) | G | G | G |
| C (IV) | C | Eb6 (titone sub) | Eb6 :||
- The progression begins with I–IV, followed by tension introduced by a tritone substitution.
- Instead of the tritone sub’s expected dominant 7 chord (Eb7), we play an Eb6, which adds a unique resolution.
- The Eb resolves beautifully to a G/D at the repeat.
The second half of the verse progresses as follows:
| G/D (I/5) | G (I) B7 (IIIx) | Em (VI) | Em Eb6 (tritone sube) |
| G/D (I/5) | E7 (VIx) | Am7 (II) | D7 (V) |
- The I chord with its 5th in the bass leads to the I–IIIx–VI progression, a classic move.
- This is followed by the same Eb6–G/D movement as earlier.
- The final three chords ascend using a VIx–II–V motion, a standard up-a-fourth progression.
Listen carefully to the IIIx and VIx chords as well as the II–V movement to capture the feel of the song.
Instrumental Section
After the verse, a quick instrumental section appears with a progression of I–VI–IV–V.
Bridge (Middle Eight)
I like calling this section the middle eight, as it only appears once in the song. Here are the chords:
||: B7 (IIIx) | B7 | Em (VI) | Em :||
| Eb6 | Eb6 | G/D | E7 |
| Am9 | Am9 | D7 | D7 |
- The middle 8 begins with a IIIx–VI loop, leading into the familiar chords from the verse.
- However, these chords are drawn out and extended for added depth.
Studying the TAB, you’ll learn how to comp this section using the closest possible chord shapes. Once mastered, a chord chart might come in handy—it’s easy to forget something you only play during the holiday season!
All I Want For Christmas Is You Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
While not the most compact chart I’ve ever created, I managed to fit all the chords for All I Want for Christmas Is You on a single page. You can download the chart here: All I Want for Christmas Is You chord chart PDF.
This chart was created with iRealPro. Here’s a link: All I Want for Christmas Is You iReal Pro. With the app, you can transpose the key—perfect for singers who may need a lower pitch after too many Christmas gigs!
All I Want For Christmas | TAB
Let’s go through all of All I Want for Christmas Is You using TAB so you can play it with a band.
You’ll notice that sometimes the chord written above the TAB doesn’t exactly match the voicing being played—this is because the TAB only picks out part of the full chord.
Here’s the intro, before the vocals begin.
As I explain more below, this impossibly big hit has faced a few copyright claims over the years. What does this intro remind you of? For me, it’s Mr. Sandman.
Here we have the slow first verse, and this section brings to mind American Pie and Don’t Stop Me Now.
What you’ve just seen is essentially the same as all the other verses—well, almost.
Before we launch into the main section (the verse at tempo), there’s an instrumental section that also returns after each verse. In the chords and lyrics lesson, I’ve notated this section both as a stand-alone part and as part of the verse within the chart.
During this instrumental, we establish the comping style. I should have put small dots above each quarter note—which means to “play short”. I could have notated them as eighth notes followed by rests, but that would have made the part look unnecessarily cluttered.
Make sure you spot how the chords repeat rhythmically, with a muted strum at the end to transition smoothly to the next chord. That mute could also be played as open strings—it’s up to you.
Now here’s the verse. Pay attention to how the rhythm is slightly different this time around. There are no muted strums when the chord stretches over two bars.
Next is the middle 8. Take note of how the chords have been recycled from the verse. That’s a key insight if you’re interested in how hit songs are written!
Lastly, we come to the outro. It’s similar to the instrumental section—but not exactly the same.
First, we play on strings 2–4, then move that shape up to strings 1–3. This naturally increases the intensity. The Am7 might look like the earlier C chord, but the bass has shifted, and when moved to the higher strings, it clearly becomes something else.
As nice as those subtle changes are, it’s the D chord that really stands out. First, it’s a D6, then a D9. That little slide really lifts the moment.
Paying attention to small details like the intro melody, the consistency of your comping, and that final D chord—that’s what separates the happy amateur from the dedicated pro.
You have to prove you’re the latter to every musician you play with—and the way you do that is by taking care of your parts, even if on the surface, it’s just a silly Christmas song!
A Christmas Controversy
A few years before Mariah Carey released her universal holiday hit, another band, Vince Vance & The Valiants, released a song with the same title.
The two compositions differ significantly, except for the title and the melody of the main hook. Some might argue that the boogie-woogie piano and chord progression share similarities, but it’s unlikely this would hold up in court.
Still, the melody and lyrics of the hook are undeniably close. Did Mariah “steal” Christmas? Perhaps inspiration struck, but a small percentage—5–10%, perhaps—might rightfully belong to Vince Vance & The Valiants. What do you think?
All I Want For Christmas Is You Chords: Continue Learning
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