Standards · 1947
But Beautiful chords & key
“But Beautiful” is a jazz standard by Jimmy Van-Heusen from 1947. Most bands play it in G major, ballad; the tune runs 32 bars in ABAC form. Harmonically it contains 3 major ii–V–I cadences and 4 minor ii–V–i, uses 18 different chords and moves between the key centres A minor, G major and E minor. In this atlas it appears on 7 album tracks.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — G major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- Am7×7
- D7×6
- Gmaj7×5
- A7×5
- Em7×5
- C7×4
Key centres reached by ii–V
A minor, G major and E minor
Characteristics
- ABAC song form
History
"But Beautiful" is a popular song with music written by Jimmy Van Heusen, the lyrics by Johnny Burke. The song was published in 1947. One of five songs written by Burke and Van Heusen featured in the Paramount Pictures movie Road to Rio (1947), it was introduced by Bing Crosby and is also associated with his leading lady Dorothy Lamour. The song was a hit in 1948 for Frank Sinatra (reaching the No. 14 spot), Bing Crosby (#20), Margaret Whiting (#21), and Art Lund (#25). The original key is G major and has the form A-B1-A-B2. Chick Corea recorded a piano solo version of it in the original key of G major, but it has been recorded in many different keys, including F major (later Sinatra), C major (Bill Evans and Stan Getz), D major (Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga), Billie Holiday (B-flat major), and Nat King Cole (E major). It is usually performed as a ballad.
Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Recorded on these albums
Historic 78 rpm recordings
- BUT BEAUTIFUL RAY BORDEN ORCHESTRA · Ginny Grey · Burke · Van Heusen · S. Giacco · 1948 archive.org ↗
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| Why Do I Love You? 32% | A♭ major |
| Try A Little Tenderness 28% | E♭ major |
| Days Of Wine And Roses 27% | F major |
| It Could Happen To You 27% | E♭ major |
| Oh, Lady Be Good 27% | G major |
| Too Young To Go Steady 27% | F major |
| I Got Rhythm 26% | B♭ major |
| All By Myself 25% | C major |
Frequently asked questions
What key is But Beautiful in?
But Beautiful is usually played in G major. For B♭ instruments that is A major, for E♭ instruments E major.
Who wrote But Beautiful?
But Beautiful was written by Jimmy Van-Heusen (1947).
What is the form of But Beautiful?
But Beautiful has 4 sections (ABAC) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is But Beautiful played?
The usual groove is Ballad.
What are the chord changes to But Beautiful?
The opening bars are Gmaj7 C7 | Bm7b5 E7b9 | Am7 | C#m7b5 F#7b9. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.