Standards · 1942
God Bless The Child chords & key
“God Bless The Child” is a jazz standard by Herzog-Holiday from 1942. Most bands play it in E♭ major, ballad; the tune runs 38 bars in AABA form. Harmonically it contains 8 major ii–V–I cadences and 6 minor ii–V–i, uses 18 different chords and moves between the key centres E♭ major, F minor, A♭ major and C minor. In this atlas it appears on 7 album tracks.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — E♭ major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- E♭7×12
- E♭×6
- A♭6×6
- B♭m7×6
- Fm7×6
- B♭7×6
Key centres reached by ii–V
E♭ major, F minor, A♭ major and C minor
Characteristics
- AABA song form
History
"God Bless the Child" is a song written by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog Jr. in 1939. It was first recorded on May 9, 1941, by Billie Holiday and released by Okeh Records in 1942. Holiday's version of the song was honored with the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1976. It was also included in the list of Songs of the Century, by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts. 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
| 1956 | Lady Sings the Blues Billie Holiday · “God Bless the Child” |
| 1982 | The Best Is Yet to Come Ella Fitzgerald · “God Bless the Child” |
| 1995 | Love Me or Leave Me Billie Holiday · “God Bless the Child” |
| 2001 | Billie Holiday: Star Power Billie Holiday · “God Bless the Child” |
| 2003 | Les Plus Beaux Moments Jazz Billie Holiday · “God bless the child” |
| 2005 | Romance in the Dark, Vol. 1 Billie Holiday |
| 2026 | Beneath Lifted Skies Linda May Han Oh & Melissa Aldana · “God Bless the Child” |
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| The Good Life 31% | A♭ major |
| A Tisket A Tasket 24% | E♭ major |
| Del Sasser 24% | E♭ major |
| The Glory Of Love 24% | G major |
| If I Should Lose You 24% | B♭ major |
| Too Young 24% | B♭ major |
| How Are Things In Glocca Morra 23% | F major |
| You've Changed 23% | E♭ major |
Frequently asked questions
What key is God Bless The Child in?
God Bless The Child is usually played in E♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is F major, for E♭ instruments C major.
Who wrote God Bless The Child?
God Bless The Child was written by Herzog-Holiday (1942).
What is the form of God Bless The Child?
God Bless The Child has 4 sections (AABA) with 38 bars in total.
How fast is God Bless The Child played?
The usual groove is Ballad.
What are the chord changes to God Bless The Child?
The opening bars are Eb Eb7 Ab6 | Eb Eb7 Ab6 | Bbm7 Eb7 | Bbm7 Eb7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.