Standards · 1931
Dream A Little Dream Of Me chords & key
“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 10 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
- 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
| 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” |
| 1959 | Sleep Warm Dean Martin · “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” |
| 1989 | All That Jazz Ella Fitzgerald · “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” |
| 2026 | Spider-Noir: Prime Original Series Soundtrack Kris Bowers & Michael Dean Parsons · “Dream a Little Dream of Me” |
| — | Bing Crosby Bing Crosby · “Dream a Little Dream of Me” |
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| The Breeze And I 24% | E♭ major |
| Easy Living 24% | F major |
| Avalon 22% | B♭ major |
| The Best Thing For You Is Me 20% | C major |
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.