Standards · 1932

Don't Blame Me chords & key

Jimmy McHugh · Lyrics: Dorothy Fields

Key: C major
Form: AABA
Bars: 32
Groove: Ballad
Time signature: 4/4
Year: 1932

“Don't Blame Me” is a jazz standard by Jimmy McHugh from 1932. It is usually played in C major as a ballad, and the 32-bar AABA form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 3 major ii–V–I cadences and 9 minor ii–V–i, uses 14 different chords and moves between the key centres D minor, C minor and C major. In this atlas it appears on 3 album tracks and in 1 transcribed solo.

Chord changes

to key

Showing in: Concert (C) — C major

C^maj7E^m7♭5

A^7♭13

D^m7♭5G^13♭9

C^maj7A^m7

D^m7♭5G^13♭9

E^m7♭5A^7♭13

D^m7G⁷

C^maj7G⁷

C⁶C⁷

F^maj7

E⁷

A^m7

D⁷

D^m7A♭^7♯11

G⁷

C^maj7E^m7♭5

A^7♭13

D^m7♭5G^13♭9

C^maj7A^m7

D^m7♭5G^13♭9

E^m7♭5A^7♭13

D^m7G⁷

C⁶G⁷

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

Harmonic analysis

3Major ii–V–I

9Minor ii–V–i

16ii–V moves

0Tritone substitutions

0Dominant chains

14Different chords

Most used chords

C^maj7×7
E^m7♭5×6
A^7♭13×6
D^m7♭5×6
G^13♭9×6
G⁷×6

Key centres reached by ii–V

D minor, C minor and C major

Characteristics

AABA song form

History

"Don't Blame Me" is a popular song with music by Jimmy McHugh and lyrics by Dorothy Fields. The song was part of the 1932 show Clowns in Clover and was published in 1933. Popular versions that year were recorded by: Ethel Waters (US No. 6), Guy Lombardo, and Charles Agnew.

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

Recorded on these albums

1955	Oscar Peterson Plays Jimmy McHugh Oscar Peterson
1959	Oscar Peterson Plays the Jimmy McHugh Song Book Oscar Peterson · “Don’t Blame Me”
1975	There’s One in Every Crowd Eric Clapton · “Don’t Blame Me”

Transcribed solos on Don't Blame Me

Charlie Parker alto saxophone

64 BPM

C-maj

1947-11-04

Historic 78 rpm recordings

DON'T BLAME ME COLEMAN HAWKINS ALL AMERICAN FOUR · TEDDY WILSON · Coleman Hawkins ·… · 1944 archive.org ↗
DON'T BLAME ME COLEMAN HAWKINS ALL AMERICAN FOUR · TEDDY WILSON · Coleman Hawkins ·… · 1944 archive.org ↗
DON'T BLAME ME COLEMAN HAWKINS ALL AMERICAN FOUR · TEDDY WILSON · Coleman Hawkins ·… · 1944 archive.org ↗
Don't Blame Me Tab Smith And His Orchestra · Tab Smith · McHugh · Fields · 1947 archive.org ↗
Don't Blame Me Sarah Vaughan · George Treadwell's Orchestra · Fields · McHugh · 1947 archive.org ↗
DON'T BLAME ME ERROLL GARNER · Fields · McHugh · 1950 archive.org ↗
DON'T BLAME ME ERROLL GARNER · Field · McHugh · 1950 archive.org ↗

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

Title	Composer	Key	Form	Groove
Emily 26%	Johnny Mandel	G major	ABAC · 40	Jazz waltz
Don't Know Why 25%	Jesse Harris	B♭ major	AAABAA · 50	Ballad
Bye Bye Blackbird 23%	Ray Henderson	F major	AB · 32	Medium swing
St. Thomas 23%	Sonny Rollins	C major	A · 16	Latin
It Could Happen To You 22%	Jimmy Van-Heusen	E♭ major	ABAC · 32	Medium swing
52nd Street Theme 21%	Thelonious Monk	C major	AABA · 32	Up-tempo swing
Falling In Love Again 21%	Frederick Hollander	C major	AABA · 32	Jazz waltz

Frequently asked questions

What key is Don't Blame Me in?

Don't Blame Me is usually played in C major. For B♭ instruments that is D major, for E♭ instruments A major.

Who wrote Don't Blame Me?

Don't Blame Me was written by Jimmy McHugh (1932).

What is the form of Don't Blame Me?

Don't Blame Me has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.

How fast is Don't Blame Me played?

The usual groove is Ballad. Transcribed solos in our data were played at 64 BPM.

What are the chord changes to Don't Blame Me?

The opening bars are Cmaj7 Em7b5 | A7b13 | Dm7b5 G13b9 | Cmaj7 Am7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.