Standards · 1934

Don't Fence Me In chords & key

Cole Porter · Lyrics: Cole Porter, Robert Fletcher

Key: F major
Form: ABCD
Bars: 32
Groove: Medium swing
Time signature: 4/4
Year: 1934

“Don't Fence Me In” is a jazz standard by Cole Porter from 1934. It is usually played in F major as a medium swing, and the 32-bar ABCD form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 2 major ii–V–I cadences, uses 15 different chords. In this atlas it appears on 7 album tracks.

Chord changes

to key

Showing in: Concert (C) — F major

FF^maj7

F⁶F^maj7

F⁶D^7♭13

G^m7C⁷

F⁶

F^maj7

F⁷F^7♯5

B♭⁶

B♭^maj7E♭⁹

D^7♭9B♭^m6

F^maj7C⁷

F⁶F^7♯5

B♭^maj7

FC⁷

F⁷

B♭^maj7

FG♭^dim7

G^m7C⁷

F^maj7

F⁷F^7♯5

B♭⁶

B♭^maj7E♭⁹

D⁷B♭^m6

F^maj7C⁷

F⁶G^m7C⁷

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

Harmonic analysis

2Major ii–V–I

0Minor ii–V–i

6ii–V moves

0Tritone substitutions

1Dominant chains

15Different chords

Most used chords

C⁷×9
F^maj7×6
G^m7×6
B♭^maj7×6
F×5
F⁶×5

History

"Don't Fence Me In" is a popular American song written in 1934, with music by Cole Porter and lyrics by Robert Fletcher and Cole Porter. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.

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

Recorded on these albums

1956	Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book Ella Fitzgerald · “Don’t Fence Me In”
2000	Don't Fence Me In Bing Crosby
2000	The Essential Collection Bing Crosby
2002	It’s Easy to Remember Bing Crosby · “Don’t Fence Me In”
2007	Sings Cole Porter Ella Fitzgerald · “Don’t Fence Me In”
—	Bing Bing Crosby
—	It’s Easy to Remember Bing Crosby · “Don’t Fence Me In”

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

Title	Composer	Key	Form	Groove
Mona Lisa 32%	Livingston-Evans	E♭ major	ABA · 24	Ballad
La Vie En Rose 31%	Guglielmi-Piaf-David	C major	ABC · 20	Ballad
If I Knew Then (What I Know Now) 30%	Jurgens-Howard	E♭ major	AB · 32	Medium swing
You Better Go Now 30%	Reichner-Graham	E♭ major	ABC · 24	Medium swing
A Blossom Fell 29%	Barnes-Cornelius	B♭ major	AB · 20	Ballad
In The Cool, Cool, Cool Of The Evening 28%	Hoagy Carmichael	F major	AB · 32	Medium swing
I Was Doing All Right 27%	George Gershwin	G major	AABA · 34	Medium swing
It's Only a Paper Moon 25%	Harold Arlen	G major	AABA · 32	Medium swing

Frequently asked questions

What key is Don't Fence Me In in?

Don't Fence Me In is usually played in F major. For B♭ instruments that is G major, for E♭ instruments D major.

Who wrote Don't Fence Me In?

Don't Fence Me In was written by Cole Porter (1934).

What is the form of Don't Fence Me In?

Don't Fence Me In has 4 sections (ABCD) with 32 bars in total.

How fast is Don't Fence Me In played?

The usual groove is Medium swing.

What are the chord changes to Don't Fence Me In?

The opening bars are F Fmaj7 | F6 Fmaj7 | F6 D7b13 | Gm7 C7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.