Standards
As Long As I Live chords & key
- Key
- F major
- Form
- AABA
- Bars
- 32
- Groove
- Medium swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
“As Long As I Live” is a jazz standard by Harold Arlen. Most bands play it in F major, medium swing; the tune runs 32 bars in AABA form. Harmonically it contains 6 major ii–V–I cadences, uses 16 different chords and moves between the key centres F major and B♭ major. In this atlas it appears on 4 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
- Fmaj7×7
- D7×6
- C7×6
- Gm7×5
- G7×4
- Em7♭5×3
Key centres reached by ii–V
F major and B♭ major
Characteristics
- AABA song form
Recorded on these albums
| 1945 | One Night Stand Duke Ellington · “As Long as I Live” |
| 1959 | Ella Swings Lightly Ella Fitzgerald · “As Long as I Live” |
| 1959 | Oscar Peterson Plays the Harold Arlen Song Book Oscar Peterson · “As Long as I Live” |
| 1961 | Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Harold Arlen Song Book Ella Fitzgerald · “As Long as I Live” |
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| Ballade 59% | F major |
| Oh, Lady Be Good 36% | G major |
| My Shining Hour 30% | C major |
| Just Friends 29% | G major |
| Love Is The Sweetest Thing 29% | D major |
| Smoke Rings 29% | F major |
| Alone Too Long 28% | G major |
| Easy Street 27% | E♭ major |
Frequently asked questions
What key is As Long As I Live in?
As Long As I Live is usually played in F major. For B♭ instruments that is G major, for E♭ instruments D major.
Who wrote As Long As I Live?
As Long As I Live was written by Harold Arlen.
What is the form of As Long As I Live?
As Long As I Live has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is As Long As I Live played?
The usual groove is Medium swing.
What are the chord changes to As Long As I Live?
The opening bars are Fmaj7 | Em7b5 A7b9 | D7 | D7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.