Standards · 1958
A Certain Smile chords & key
- Key
- F major
- Form
- ABAC
- Bars
- 32
- Groove
- Medium swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
- Year
- 1958
“A Certain Smile” is a jazz standard by Fain-Webster from 1958. Most bands play it in F major, medium swing; the tune runs 32 bars in ABAC form. Harmonically it contains 7 major ii–V–I cadences and 2 minor ii–V–i, uses 17 different chords and moves between the key centres F major, D minor, C major, B♭ major and G minor.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — F major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- Gm7×7
- C7×6
- Dm7×5
- F6×4
- Fmaj7×3
- G7×2
Key centres reached by ii–V
F major, D minor, C major, B♭ major and G minor
Characteristics
- ABAC song form
History
"A Certain Smile" is a popular song that was written by Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster for the 1958 film of the same name. Johnny Mathis performed the song in the film, and his recording reached the top 20 on the record charts in the US and the top five in the UK. The songwriters were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1959.
Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| Jeepers Creepers 39% | B♭ major |
| Fools Rush In 36% | C major |
| Young And Foolish 35% | C major |
| Little Girl Blue 32% | F major |
| I Like The Likes Of You 30% | E♭ major |
| I Guess I'll Have To Change My Plan 29% | C major |
| The Nearness Of You 27% | F major |
| Oh, Lady Be Good 27% | G major |
Frequently asked questions
What key is A Certain Smile in?
A Certain Smile is usually played in F major. For B♭ instruments that is G major, for E♭ instruments D major.
Who wrote A Certain Smile?
A Certain Smile was written by Fain-Webster (1958).
What is the form of A Certain Smile?
A Certain Smile has 4 sections (ABAC) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is A Certain Smile played?
The usual groove is Medium swing.
What are the chord changes to A Certain Smile?
The opening bars are Gm7 | C7 | F6 | Dm7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.