Standards
Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe chords & key
- Key
- F major
- Form
- ABAC
- Bars
- 32
- Groove
- Medium swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
“Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe” is a jazz standard by Harold Arlen. It is usually played in F major as a medium swing, and the 32-bar ABAC form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 5 major ii–V–I cadences and 4 minor ii–V–i, uses 13 different chords and moves between the key centres F major, G minor, A minor and B♭ major. In this atlas it appears on 3 album tracks.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — F major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- Gm7×14
- C7×9
- F6×8
- Am7×7
- D7×4
- B♭maj7×3
Key centres reached by ii–V
F major, G minor, A minor and B♭ major
Characteristics
- ABAC song form
Recorded on these albums
| 1959 | Oscar Peterson Plays the Harold Arlen Song Book Oscar Peterson · “Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe” |
| 1961 | Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Harold Arlen Song Book Ella Fitzgerald · “Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe” |
| 1961 | Tony Bennett Sings for Two Tony Bennett · “Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe” |
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| I See Your Face Before Me 41% | E♭ major |
| Ol' Man River 30% | E♭ major |
| My Secret Love 26% | E♭ major |
| This I Dig Of You 26% | B♭ major |
| You've Changed 26% | E♭ major |
| If I Knew Then (What I Know Now) 25% | E♭ major |
| A Tisket A Tasket 24% | E♭ major |
| Billy Boy 24% | C major |
Frequently asked questions
What key is Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe in?
Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe is usually played in F major. For B♭ instruments that is G major, for E♭ instruments D major.
Who wrote Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe?
Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe was written by Harold Arlen.
What is the form of Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe?
Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe has 4 sections (ABAC) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe played?
The usual groove is Medium swing.
What are the chord changes to Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe?
The opening bars are F6 Gm7 | Am7 Gm7 | F6 Gm7 | Am7 Gm7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.