Standards

Glad To Be Unhappy chords & key

Key
F major
Form
ABC
Bars
24
Groove
Ballad
Time signature
4/4

“Glad To Be Unhappy” is a jazz standard by Rodgers-Hart. It is usually played in F major as a ballad, and the 24-bar ABC form has 3 sections. Harmonically it contains 3 major ii–V–I cadences and 4 minor ii–V–i, uses 10 different chords and moves between the key centres G minor, F major and A minor. In this atlas it appears on 22 album tracks.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — F major

A
Gm7
E♭7
C7
C7
Gm7
E♭7
C7
F6F7
B
B♭maj7C7
Am7D7
Gm7C7
F6
B♭maj7Bm7E7
Am7D7
Gm7C7
F6
C
Gm7
E♭7
C7
C7
Am7D7
Gm7C7
F6
F6

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

Harmonic analysis

3Major ii–V–I
4Minor ii–V–i
7ii–V moves
0Tritone substitutions
0Dominant chains
10Different chords

Most used chords

  • C7×9
  • Gm7×6
  • F6×5
  • E♭7×3
  • Am7×3
  • D7×3

Key centres reached by ii–V

G minor, F major and A minor

Recorded on these albums

1955 Starring Sammy Davis Jr.
Sammy Davis Jr. · “Glad to Be Unhappy”
1955 Sing And Swing With Buddy Rich
Buddy Rich
1958 Lady in Satin
Billie Holiday · “Glad to Be Unhappy”
1959 Sings Ballads of the Sad Cafe
Chris Connor · “Glad to Be Unhappy”
1960 Outward Bound
Eric Dolphy · “Glad to Be Unhappy”
1962 Snowbound
Sarah Vaughan · “Glad to Be Unhappy”
1965 Glad to Be Unhappy
Paul Desmond featuring Jim Hall · “Glad to Be Unhappy”
1966 Jazz Moments
Karin Krog · “Glad to Be Unhappy”
1973 Barbra Streisand … and Other Musical Instruments
Barbra Streisand · “Glad to Be Unhappy”
1989 At the Rendezvous, Volume I
Stan Kenton · “Glad to Be Unhappy”
1989 Eric Dolphy in Europe, Volume 1
Eric Dolphy · “Glad to Be Unhappy”
1989 Jazz Poet
Tommy Flanagan · “Glad to Be Unhappy”
1994 Alone Too Long
Tommy Flanagan · “Bilie Holiday Medley: Glad to Be Unhappy; No More; That Old Devil Called Love”
1996 The Carmen McRae and Betty Carter Duets
Carmen McRae & Betty Carter · “Glad to Be Unhappy / Where or When”
1996 Say It Isn't So
Herb Jeffries · “Glad to Be Unhappy”
1998 Standard Time, Volume 5: The Midnight Blues
Wynton Marsalis · “Glad to Be Unhappy”
2002 Cool Imagination
Paul Desmond · “Glad to be Unhappy”
2009 In Boston
Chris Botti · “Glad to Be Unhappy”
2012 In Europe. The Complete 1961 Copenhagen Concerts
Eric Dolphy · “Glad to Be Unhappy”
2016 Lovers
Nels Cline · “Glad to Be Unhappy”
2019 The Complete Atlantic and FM Albums
Chris Connor · “Glad to Be Unhappy”
2021 Comes Love: Lost Session 1960
Sheila Jordan · “Glad to Be Unhappy”

Historic 78 rpm recordings

  • GLAD TO BE UNHAPPY LENA HORNE · Rogers · Hart · PHIL MOORE · 1946 archive.org ↗

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
Ceora 26% Lee Morgan A♭ major ABAC · 32 Bossa nova
Line For Lyons 26% Gerry Mulligan G major AABA · 32 Medium swing
My Little Suede Shoes 25% Charlie Parker E♭ major AABA · 32 Latin
Just Squeeze Me 23% Duke Ellington F major AABA · 32 Medium swing
Little Willie Leaps 23% Charlie Parker F major AA · 32 Up-tempo swing
Old Cape Cod 23% Rothrock-Vakus-Jeffrey E♭ major AABA · 32 Ballad
A Fine Romance 21% Jerome Kern C major ABAC · 32 Medium swing
Honeysuckle Rose 21% Fats Waller F major AABA · 32 Up-tempo swing

Frequently asked questions

What key is Glad To Be Unhappy in?

Glad To Be Unhappy is usually played in F major. For B♭ instruments that is G major, for E♭ instruments D major.

Who wrote Glad To Be Unhappy?

Glad To Be Unhappy was written by Rodgers-Hart.

What is the form of Glad To Be Unhappy?

Glad To Be Unhappy has 3 sections (ABC) with 24 bars in total.

How fast is Glad To Be Unhappy played?

The usual groove is Ballad.

What are the chord changes to Glad To Be Unhappy?

The opening bars are Gm7 | Eb7 | C7 | C7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.