Standards
A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening chords & key
“A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening” is a jazz standard by Jimmy McHugh. Most bands play it in F major, ballad; the tune runs 32 bars in AABA form. Harmonically it contains 7 major ii–V–I cadences and 1 minor ii–V–i, uses 13 different chords and moves between the key centres F major, B♭ major and D minor. In this atlas it appears on 2 album tracks.
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
- C7×8
- Gm7×7
- Dm7×5
- B♭maj7×4
- Am7×4
- Cm7×4
Key centres reached by ii–V
F major, B♭ major and D minor
Characteristics
- AABA song form
Recorded on these albums
| 2015 | The Complete Hits 1943-62 Frank Sinatra · “A Lovely Way to Spend An Evening” |
| 2026 | World Tour Oscar Peterson · “A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening” |
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
Frequently asked questions
What key is A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening in?
A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening is usually played in F major. For B♭ instruments that is G major, for E♭ instruments D major.
Who wrote A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening?
A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening was written by Jimmy McHugh.
What is the form of A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening?
A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening played?
The usual groove is Ballad.
What are the chord changes to A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening?
The opening bars are Bbmaj7 | Gm7 C7 | Am7 | Dm7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.