Standards · 1954
Fly Me To The Moon chords & key
- Key
- C major
- Form
- AB
- Bars
- 32
- Groove
- Medium swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
- Year
- 1954
“Fly Me To The Moon” is a jazz standard by Bart Howard from 1954. It is usually played in C major as a medium swing, and the 32-bar AB form has 2 sections. Harmonically it contains 5 major ii–V–I cadences and 5 minor ii–V–i, uses 11 different chords and moves between the key centres C major, A minor and D minor. In this atlas it appears on 5 album tracks.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — C major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- Dm7×6
- G7×6
- Am7×4
- Cmaj7×4
- Bm7♭5×4
- E7♭9×4
Key centres reached by ii–V
C major, A minor and D minor
History
"Fly Me to the Moon", originally titled "In Other Words", is a song written in 1954 by Bart Howard. The first recording of the song was made in 1954 by Kaye Ballard. Frank Sinatra's 1964 version was closely associated with the Apollo missions to the Moon. In 1999, the Songwriters Hall of Fame honored "Fly Me to the Moon" by inducting it as a "Towering Song". In 2026, Ballard's version was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for its "cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation's recorded sound heritage." In June 2026, CBS News included the song in its list of the 250 essential American songs of the past 250 years.
Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Recorded on these albums
| 1961 | Nat King Cole Sings / George Shearing Plays Nat King Cole & The George Shearing Quintet · “In Other Words” |
| 1964 | It Might as Well Be Swing Frank Sinatra, Count Basie And His Orchestra · “Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)” |
| 1965 | A Man and His Music Frank Sinatra · “Fly Me to the Moon” |
| 1965 | If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set Tony Bennett · “Fly Me to the Moon” |
| 2026 | World Tour Oscar Peterson · “Fly Me to the Moon” |
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| I've Never Been In Love Before 38% | B♭ major |
| Alice In Wonderland 31% | C major |
| The Cool One 29% | G major |
| Oh, Lady Be Good 29% | G major |
| Billy Boy 28% | C major |
| I Should Care 28% | C major |
| In Love In Vain 28% | B♭ major |
| Our Love is Here to Stay 28% | F major |
Frequently asked questions
What key is Fly Me To The Moon in?
Fly Me To The Moon is usually played in C major. For B♭ instruments that is D major, for E♭ instruments A major.
Who wrote Fly Me To The Moon?
Fly Me To The Moon was written by Bart Howard (1954).
What is the form of Fly Me To The Moon?
Fly Me To The Moon has 2 sections (AB) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is Fly Me To The Moon played?
The usual groove is Medium swing.
What are the chord changes to Fly Me To The Moon?
The opening bars are Am7 | Dm7 | G7 | Cmaj7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.