Standards · 1935
Goodbye chords & key
“Goodbye” is a jazz standard by Gordon Jenkins from 1935. Most bands play it in C major, ballad; the tune runs 32 bars in AAB form. Harmonically it contains 2 major ii–V–I cadences, uses 20 different chords and moves between the key centres C major and E♭ major. 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
- A♭7♯11×10
- G7♭13×6
- Dm7♭5×4
- Cm7×2
- Cm7/B♭×2
- Am7♭5×2
Key centres reached by ii–V
C major and E♭ major
History
"Goodbye" (sometimes written "Good-Bye") is a song by American composer and arranger Gordon Jenkins, published in 1935. It became well known as the closing theme song of the Benny Goodman orchestra. Jenkins had written the song when working with the Isham Jones orchestra, and Jones allegedly rejected it as it was "too sad". Music critic Alec Wilder described "Goodbye" as "as sad a song I know" and Leonard Feather called it among his "top ten songs it would be hardest to tire of hearing".
Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Recorded on these albums
| 1958 | Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely Frank Sinatra, orchestra conducted by Nelson Riddle · “Good‐Bye” |
| 1961 | Ray Charles and Betty Carter Ray Charles & Betty Carter · “Intro: Goodbye / We’ll Be Together Again” |
| 1963 | Oscar Peterson & Nelson Riddle Oscar Peterson |
| 1970 | Watertown Frank Sinatra · “Goodbye (She Quietly Says)” |
| 2026 | World Tour Oscar Peterson |
Frequently asked questions
What key is Goodbye in?
Goodbye is usually played in C major. For B♭ instruments that is D major, for E♭ instruments A major.
Who wrote Goodbye?
Goodbye was written by Gordon Jenkins (1935).
What is the form of Goodbye?
Goodbye has 3 sections (AAB) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is Goodbye played?
The usual groove is Ballad.
What are the chord changes to Goodbye?
The opening bars are Ab7#11 | Ab7#11 | G7b13 Ab7#11 | G7b13. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.