Standards
Black And Blue chords & key
- Key
- C major
- Form
- AABA
- Bars
- 32
- Groove
- Slow swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
“Black And Blue” is a jazz standard by Fats Waller. It is usually played in C major as a slow swing, and the 32-bar AABA form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 3 major ii–V–I cadences and 2 minor ii–V–i, uses 14 different chords and moves between the key centres C major and A minor. In this atlas it appears on 3 album tracks.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — C major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- C6×10
- Dm7×7
- Am7×6
- A♭7×4
- D7×3
- D♭7×3
Key centres reached by ii–V
C major and A minor
Characteristics
- AABA song form
Recorded on these albums
| 1955 | Satch Plays Fats: A Tribute to the Immortal Fats Waller Louis Armstrong · “(What Did I Do to Be So) Black and Blue” |
| 1990 | Satchmo Louis Armstrong · “(What Did I Do To Be So) Black And Blue” |
| 2005 | Rockin' in Rhythm Duke Ellington · “Black and Blue” |
Historic 78 rpm recordings
- BLACK AND BLUE JIMMY JAMES JAS BAND · GEORGE ZACK · Jimmy James · Freddie Flynn ·… archive.org ↗
- BLACK AND BLUE NAT JAFFE · Waller · Razaf · 1944 archive.org ↗
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| I'm Just A Lucky So-And-So 22% | G major |
| Fly Me To The Moon 20% | C major |
Frequently asked questions
What key is Black And Blue in?
Black And Blue is usually played in C major. For B♭ instruments that is D major, for E♭ instruments A major.
Who wrote Black And Blue?
Black And Blue was written by Fats Waller.
What is the form of Black And Blue?
Black And Blue has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is Black And Blue played?
The usual groove is Slow swing.
What are the chord changes to Black And Blue?
The opening bars are Am7 | Dm7 | Am7 | D7 Db7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.