Standards · 1954
A Sleepin' Bee chords & key
- Key
- A♭ major
- Form
- ABAC
- Bars
- 36
- Groove
- Medium swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
- Year
- 1954
“A Sleepin' Bee” is a jazz standard by Harold Arlen from 1954. Most bands play it in A♭ major, medium swing; the tune runs 36 bars in ABAC form. In this atlas it appears on 7 album tracks.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — A♭ major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- A♭maj7×9
- E♭7sus×6
- D♭7×5
- E♭7×5
- C7×4
- F7×4
Characteristics
- ABAC song form
History
"A Sleepin' Bee" is a popular song composed by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Arlen and Truman Capote. It was introduced in the musical House of Flowers (1954) and performed by Diahann Carroll. While House of Flowers was a flop, "A Sleepin' Bee" became a standard of the American songbook. Barbra Streisand referred to it as her favorite song, recorded it several times, and performed it in her national television debut in April 1961 on the "Jack Paar Show". Mel Tormé's performance of the song in Mel Tormé Swings Shubert Alley was called "definitive" in The Penguin Guide to Jazz.
Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Recorded on these albums
| 1956 | This Is How I Feel About Jazz Quincy Jones |
| 1961 | Tony Bennett Sings for Two Tony Bennett · “A Sleepin’ Bee” |
| 1963 | The Barbra Streisand Album Barbra Streisand · “A Sleepin’ Bee” |
| 1963 | Oscar Peterson & Nelson Riddle Oscar Peterson · “A Sleeping Bee” |
| 2000 | Timeless: Live in Concert Barbra Streisand · “A Sleepin’ Bee” |
| 2022 | Rose Of New York City: Barbra, 1961-1962 Live Recordings (Remastered) Barbra Streisand · “A Sleepin' Bee (The Tonight Show, April 1961) (Remastered)” |
| 2022 | Live at the Bon Soir Barbra Streisand · “A Sleepin’ Bee” |
Frequently asked questions
What key is A Sleepin' Bee in?
A Sleepin' Bee is usually played in A♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is B♭ major, for E♭ instruments F major.
Who wrote A Sleepin' Bee?
A Sleepin' Bee was written by Harold Arlen (1954).
What is the form of A Sleepin' Bee?
A Sleepin' Bee has 4 sections (ABAC) with 36 bars in total.
How fast is A Sleepin' Bee played?
The usual groove is Medium swing.
What are the chord changes to A Sleepin' Bee?
The opening bars are Abmaj7 Eb7sus | Abmaj7 Eb7sus | Abmaj7 D7 | Dbmaj7 Gb7sus. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.