ENDEIT

Standards · 1929

Ain't Misbehavin' chords & key

Fats Waller · Lyrics: Andy Razaf

Key
C major
Form
AABA
Bars
32
Groove
Medium swing
Time signature
4/4
Year
1929

“Ain't Misbehavin'” is a jazz standard by Fats Waller from 1929. Most bands play it in C major, medium swing; the tune runs 32 bars in AABA form. Harmonically it contains 6 major ii–V–I cadences, uses 14 different chords and moves between the key centres C major and G major. In this atlas it appears on 24 album tracks.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — C major

A
C6A7
Dm7G7
C6C7/E
F6Fm6
C6/EA7
Dm7G7
1.
E7A7
D7G7
2.
C6Fm6
C6E7
B
Am
F7
D7
A7
G6E7
Am7D7
G6A7
D7G7
A
C6A7
Dm7G7
C6C7/E
F6Fm6
C6/EA7
Dm7G7
C6Am7
Dm7G7

Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.

Harmonic analysis

6Major ii–V–I
0Minor ii–V–i
8ii–V moves
0Tritone substitutions
5Dominant chains
14Different chords

Most used chords

  • C6×9
  • A7×9
  • G7×9
  • Dm7×7
  • Fm6×4
  • D7×4

Key centres reached by ii–V

C major and G major

Characteristics

  • AABA song form

History

"Ain't Misbehavin'" is a 1929 song in the stride piano and early swing style. Andy Razaf wrote the lyrics to a score by Thomas "Fats" Waller and Harry Brooks for the Broadway musical comedy play Connie's Hot Chocolates. It was published by Mills Music. As a work from 1929 with its copyright renewed, it entered the American public domain on January 1, 2025. In June 2026, CBS News included the song in its list of the 250 essential American songs of the past 250 years.

Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Recorded on these albums

1946 Fats Waller Favorites
James P. Johnson · “Ain't Misbehavin' (I'm Savin' My Love for You)”
1950 Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Vaughan · “Ain’t Misbehavin’”
1952 Dizzy, Volume 2
Dizzy Gillespie
1952 Favorites, Volume 1
Sonny Stitt
1953 Earl Bostic and his Alto Sax
Earl Bostic
1955 Satch Plays Fats: A Tribute to the Immortal Fats Waller
Louis Armstrong
1956 Fatha Plays Fats
Earl Hines
1956 Songs From the Heart
Johnny Hartman · “Ain't Misbehavin' (I'm Savin' My Love For You)”
1957 Love Is the Thing
The Voice of Nat “King” Cole with The Orchestra of Gordon Jenkins · “Ain’t Misbehavin’”
1957 Dizzy at Home and Abroad
Dizzy Gillespie
1957 Hi-Fi in Focus
Chet Atkins
1957 Red Allen Meets Kid Ory
Red Allen / Kid Ory
1957 Kaleidoscope
Sonny Stitt · “Ain't Misbehaving”
1957 Dance Time
Earl Bostic And His Alto Sax
1957 The Fourmost Guitars
Jimmy Raney, Chuck Wayne, Joe Puma, Dick Garcia
1958 Stay With Me
Billie Holiday
1958 André Previn Plays Fats Waller
André Previn
1958 "Les Classiques Du Jazz", Vol. 2
Lafitte, Persiany · “Ain't Misbehavin”
1959 When You're Away
Carmen McRae
1959 This Game of Love
Vic Damone · “Ain’t Misbehavin’”
1960 Mr. New Orleans Meets Mr. Honky Tonk
Pete Fountain & "Big" Tiny Little · “Ain't Misbehavin' (I'm Savin' My Love for You)”
1960 Buck Jumpin'
Al Casey
1961 The Genius After Hours
Ray Charles · “Ain’t Misbehavin’”
1961 'Spoon
Jimmy Witherspoon

Historic 78 rpm recordings

  • Ain't Misbehavin' Teddy Wilson's Quartet · Teddy Wilson · Harry James · John Simmons ·… archive.org ↗
  • AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' THE FOUR STAR RHYTHM SECTION · Stan Wrightsman · George Van Eps ·… archive.org ↗
  • AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' archive.org ↗
  • AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' GERRY MOORE · Razaf · Waller · Brooks archive.org ↗
  • Ain't Misbehavin' Bobby Hackett and His Orch. · Razaf · Waller · Brooks · Master… · 1923 archive.org ↗
  • AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' FREDDIE JOHNSON et son ORCHESTRE · Louis Bacon · Aline Contbelle ·… · 1939 archive.org ↗
  • Ain't Misbehavin' Pat Flowers · Razaf · Waller · 1944 archive.org ↗
  • Ain't Misbehavin' Eddie Miller · George Van Eps · Stanley Wrightsman · Razaf · Waller… · 1945 archive.org ↗

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
For Sentimental Reasons 38% William Best F major AABA · 32 Slow swing
I Don't Want To Miss Mississippi 30% Serger Ellis G major AAB · 48 Medium swing
Among My Souvenirs 29% Horatio Nicholls E♭ major AABA · 33 Ballad
Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love) 29% Cole Porter B♭ major AABA · 32 Medium swing
Two Not One 29% Lennie Tristano A♭ major AABA · 32 Up-tempo swing
Don't Be That Way 27% Edgar Sampson D♭ major AABA · 32 Medium swing
Put On A Happy Face 27% Charles Strouse E♭ major ABCD · 32 Medium swing
Across The Alley From The Alamo 24% Joe Greene F major AABA · 32 Medium swing

Frequently asked questions

What key is Ain't Misbehavin' in?

Ain't Misbehavin' is usually played in C major. For B♭ instruments that is D major, for E♭ instruments A major.

Who wrote Ain't Misbehavin'?

Ain't Misbehavin' was written by Fats Waller (1929).

What is the form of Ain't Misbehavin'?

Ain't Misbehavin' has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.

How fast is Ain't Misbehavin' played?

The usual groove is Medium swing.

What are the chord changes to Ain't Misbehavin'?

The opening bars are C6 A7 | Dm7 G7 | C6 C7/E | F6 Fm6. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.