Standards · 1946
Blue Skies chords & key
- Key
- C major
- Form
- AABA
- Bars
- 32
- Groove
- Medium-up swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
- Year
- 1946
“Blue Skies” is a jazz standard by Irving Berlin from 1946. It is usually played in C major as a medium-up 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 12 different chords and moves between the key centres C major and A minor. In this atlas it appears on 7 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
- Cmaj7×9
- C6×5
- G7×4
- Fm6×4
- Am×3
- Ammaj7/A♭×3
Key centres reached by ii–V
C major and A minor
Characteristics
- AABA song form
History
Blue Skies is a 1946 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Stuart Heisler and starring Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, and Joan Caulfield. Based on a story by Irving Berlin, the film is about a dancer who loves a chorus girl, who in turn loves a compulsive nightclub-opener who cannot stay committed to anything in life for very long. Produced by Sol C. Siegel, Blue Skies was filmed in Technicolor and released by Paramount Pictures. The music, lyrics, and story were written by Berlin, with most of the songs recycled from earlier works. As in Holiday Inn (1942), the film is designed to showcase Berlin's songs. The plot, which is presented in a series of flashbacks with Astaire as narrator, follows a similar formula of Crosby beating Astaire for the affections of a leading lady. Comedy is principally provided by Billy De Wolfe, and several musical numbers are performed by Olga San Juan.
Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Recorded on these albums
Historic 78 rpm recordings
- BLUE SKIES THE FOUR STAR RHYTHM SECTION · Stan Wrightsman · George Van Eps ·… archive.org ↗
- Blue Skies Larry Adler · Otto Francker · Helge Jacobsen · Willy Sørensen · I… archive.org ↗
- BLUE SKIES MORTON DOWNEY · Irving Berlin archive.org ↗
- BLUE SKIES JOHN KIRBY & HIS ORCHESTRA · Berlin · 1940 archive.org ↗
- Blue Skies MARY LOU WILLIAMS TRIO · Mary Lou Williams · Bill Coleman · Al Hall… · 1944 archive.org ↗
- BLUE SKIES SID CATLETT and the REGIS ALL STARS · Sid Catlett · Oscar Pettiford… · 1944 archive.org ↗
- BLUE SKIES JAZZ CLUB MYSTERY JIVERS · Irving Berlin · 1945 archive.org ↗
- BLUE SKIES MAURICE ROCCO · COZY COLE & MACK STUART · IRVING BERLIN · 1945 archive.org ↗
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| S'posin' 29% | B♭ major |
| In Walked Bud 26% | A♭ major |
| For Sentimental Reasons 24% | F major |
| The Good Life 23% | A♭ major |
| Bright Mississippi 21% | A♭ major |
| It's Impossible 21% | G major |
| Lullaby Of Birdland 21% | A♭ major |
| Stars Fell On Alabama 21% | C major |
Frequently asked questions
What key is Blue Skies in?
Blue Skies is usually played in C major. For B♭ instruments that is D major, for E♭ instruments A major.
Who wrote Blue Skies?
Blue Skies was written by Irving Berlin (1946).
What is the form of Blue Skies?
Blue Skies has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is Blue Skies played?
The usual groove is Medium-up swing.
What are the chord changes to Blue Skies?
The opening bars are Am | Ammaj7/Ab | Am7/G | Am6/Gb. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.