Standards · 1931

Dream A Little Dream Of Me chords & key

Key
G major
Form
ABA
Bars
26
Groove
Ballad
Time signature
4/4
Year
1931

“Dream A Little Dream Of Me” is a jazz standard by Schwendt-Andre-Kahn from 1931. Most bands play it in G major, ballad; the tune runs 26 bars in ABA form. Harmonically it contains 6 major ii–V–I cadences, uses 13 different chords and moves between the key centres E♭ major and G major. In this atlas it appears on 24 album tracks.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — G major

A
G6
D♯7D7
G6
E7♭9
Am7
Cm6F9
1.
Gmaj7Em7
Am7D7
·
Gmaj7D♯7D7
G6Fm7A♯7
B
D♯6Cm7
Fm7A♯7
D♯6Cm7
Fm7A♯7
D♯6Cm7
Fm7A♯7
D♯6Cm7
Am7D7
A
G6
D♯7D7
G6
E7♭9
Am7
Cm6F9
Gmaj7D♯7D7
G6D7

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

Harmonic analysis

6Major ii–V–I
0Minor ii–V–i
8ii–V moves
0Tritone substitutions
0Dominant chains
13Different chords

Most used chords

  • D7×7
  • G6×6
  • D♯7×4
  • Am7×4
  • Fm7×4
  • A♯7×4

Key centres reached by ii–V

E♭ major and G major

History

"Dream a Little Dream of Me" is a 1930 song with music by Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt and lyrics by Gus Kahn. It was first recorded in February 1931 by Ozzie Nelson and his Orchestra, soon followed by Wayne King and his Orchestra with vocals by Ernie Birchill. The song enjoyed its highest-charting success when it was covered in 1968 by Cass Elliot with the Mamas & the Papas, and followed the same year with a recording by Anita Harris. More than 400 other versions have been recorded, including by the Mills Brothers, Henry Mancini, the Beautiful South, Chicago, Anne Murray, Ella Fitzgerald, Erasure, and Michael Bublé. While published in 1931, the song's earliest copyright was registered on December 29, 1930, and thus it entered the public domain on January 1, 2026.

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

Recorded on these albums

1950 Frankie Laine Sings for Us: Songs for People Together
Frankie Laine · “Dream a Little Dream of Me”
1957 Bing With a Beat
Bing Crosby with Bob Scobey’s Frisco Jazz Band · “Dream a Little Dream of Me”
1957 Ella and Her Fellas
Ella Fitzgerald · “Dream a Little Dream of Me”
1958 Sax Gone Latin
Georgie Auld · “Dream a Little Dream of Me”
1959 Sleep Warm
Dean Martin · “Dream a Little Dream of Me”
1959 Reunion In Rhythm
Frankie Laine & Michel Legrand · “Dream a Little Dream of Me”
1963 Ella and Basie!
Ella Fitzgerald & The Count Basie Orchestra · “Dream a Little Dream of Me”
1968 What a Wonderful World
Louis Armstrong · “Dream a Little Dream of Me”
1968 Contemporary Sound of Nelson Riddle
Nelson Riddle · “Dream a Little Dream of Me”
1968 Warm, Wild & Wonderful
Tony Mottola · “Dream a Little Dream of Me”
1969 A Warm Shade of Ivory
Henry Mancini · “Dream a Little Dream of Me”
1970 Teddy Wilson meets Eiji Kitamura
Teddy Wilson meets Eiji Kitamura · “Dream a Little Dream of Me”
1974 Award Winning Hits, Volume 2
Henry Mancini · “Dream a Little Dream of Me”
1974 Award Winning Hits Vol. 2
Henry Mancini · “Dream a Little Dream of Me”
1989 All That Jazz
Ella Fitzgerald · “Dream a Little Dream of Me”
1991 Introducing Laura Fygi
Laura Fygi · “Dream a Little Dream”
1995 Night & Day: Big Band
Chicago · “Dream a Little Dream of Me”
2000 Port of Call
Silje Nergaard · “Dream a Little Dream”
2000 Dreaming
Greetje Kauffeld · “Dream a Little Dream of Me”
2001 The Queen, Vol.4: Dream A Little Dream Of Me
Maxine Sullivan
2002 A Wonderful World
Tony Bennett & k.d. lang · “Dream a Little Dream of Me”
2004 American Music Legends
Louis Armstrong · “Dream a Little Dream of Me”
2005 All My Life
Ella Fitzgerald · “Dream a Little Dream of Me”
2005 The Piano Men
Henry Mancini, Roger Williams, Floyd Cramer, Peter Nero

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
The Breeze And I 24% Ernesto Lecuona E♭ major AABC · 34 Latin
Easy Living 24% Ralph Rainger F major AABA · 32 Ballad
Avalon 22% Jolson-Sylva-Rose B♭ major AB · 32 Up-tempo swing
The Best Thing For You Is Me 20% Irving Berlin C major AABC · 36 Medium swing

Frequently asked questions

What key is Dream A Little Dream Of Me in?

Dream A Little Dream Of Me is usually played in G major. For B♭ instruments that is A major, for E♭ instruments E major.

Who wrote Dream A Little Dream Of Me?

Dream A Little Dream Of Me was written by Schwendt-Andre-Kahn (1931).

What is the form of Dream A Little Dream Of Me?

Dream A Little Dream Of Me has 3 sections (ABA) with 26 bars in total.

How fast is Dream A Little Dream Of Me played?

The usual groove is Ballad.

What are the chord changes to Dream A Little Dream Of Me?

The opening bars are G6 | D#7 D7 | G6 | E7b9. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.