ENDEIT

Standards · 1925

Always chords & key

Irving Berlin · Lyrics: Irving Berlin

Key
F major
Form
ABCD
Bars
32
Groove
Jazz waltz
Time signature
3/4
Year
1925

“Always” is a jazz standard by Irving Berlin from 1925. Most bands play it in F major, jazz waltz; the tune runs 32 bars in ABCD form. Harmonically it contains 2 major ii–V–I cadences, uses 13 different chords. In this atlas it appears on 10 album tracks.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — F major

A
Fmaj7
F6
Fmaj7
F6
Gm7
C7
Fmaj7
C7
B
Fmaj7
F6
Amaj7
G♭m7
Bm7
E7
A7
C7
C
Fmaj7
F6
Fmaj7
F7E7E♭7
D7
D7
Gm7
Gm7
D
Gm7
E♭7
Fmaj7
G7
Gm7
C7
F6
C7

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

Harmonic analysis

2Major ii–V–I
0Minor ii–V–i
3ii–V moves
0Tritone substitutions
1Dominant chains
13Different chords

Most used chords

  • Fmaj7×7
  • F6×5
  • Gm7×5
  • C7×5
  • E7×2
  • E♭7×2

History

"Always" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin in 1925, as a wedding gift for his wife Ellin Mackay, whom he married in 1926, and to whom he presented the substantial royalties.

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

Recorded on these albums

1950 Dedicated to You
Frank Sinatra
1953 Oscar Peterson Plays Irving Berlin
Oscar Peterson
1957 Tony
Tony Bennett
1958 Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Song Book
Ella Fitzgerald
1958 Stay With Me
Billie Holiday
1959 Come Back to Sorrento
Frank Sinatra
1961 Sinatra’s Swingin’ Session!!!
Frank Sinatra
1962 At Carnegie Hall Recorded Live June 9, 1962
Tony Bennett with Ralph Sharon and His Orchestra
1987 Hello Young Lovers
Frank Sinatra
2026 I Need To Roam
Lucy Woodward

Historic 78 rpm recordings

  • "ALWAYS" RALPH FLANAGAN & ORCHESTRA · Irving Berlin archive.org ↗
  • Always Kurt Hohenberger und sein Bar-Ensemble · Kurt Hohenberger · E… archive.org ↗
  • Always George Hartman and his Orchestra · Frank Froeba · Irving Berlin ·… · 1944 archive.org ↗
  • ALWAYS ACE HARRIS and his QUARTET · A. Harris · Irving Berlin · 1947 archive.org ↗
  • ALWAYS RALPH FLANAGAN · BOBBY HACKETT · Irving Berlin · 1947 archive.org ↗
  • ALWAYS AL HAIG TRIO · Jimmy Rainey · Don Russo · Al Haig · Jimmy Rainey… · 1948 archive.org ↗
  • ALWAYS Reinhold Svensson & His Quintet · Reinhold Svensson · Irving Berlin · 1950 archive.org ↗
  • Always Johnny Miller and His Quintet · I. Berlin · 1954 archive.org ↗

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
Brazil (Aquarela Do Brasil) 28% Ary Barroso D major ABCD · 58 Samba
Bye Bye Blackbird 21% Ray Henderson F major AB · 32 Medium swing

Frequently asked questions

What key is Always in?

Always is usually played in F major. For B♭ instruments that is G major, for E♭ instruments D major.

Who wrote Always?

Always was written by Irving Berlin (1925).

What is the form of Always?

Always has 4 sections (ABCD) with 32 bars in total.

How fast is Always played?

The usual groove is Jazz waltz.

What are the chord changes to Always?

The opening bars are Fmaj7 | F6 | Fmaj7 | F6. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.