ENDEIT

Standards

I Cover The Waterfront chords & key

Johnny Green

Key
G major
Form
AABA
Bars
32
Groove
Ballad
Time signature
4/4

“I Cover The Waterfront” is a jazz standard by Johnny Green. It is usually played in G major as a ballad, and the 32-bar AABA form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 5 major ii–V–I cadences and 3 minor ii–V–i, uses 14 different chords and moves between the key centres G major, A minor and A major. In this atlas it appears on 24 album tracks.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — G major

A
×2
Em7A7
Am7D7
Gmaj7Cmaj7
Bm7A♯dim7
Am7
D7susD7
Gmaj7
Bm7♭5E7♭9
B
Am7D7
Bm7E7
Am7D7
Gmaj7
Bm7E7
Amaj7F♯m7
Bm7E7
Am7D7
A
Em7A7
Am7D7
Gmaj7Cmaj7
Bm7A♯dim7
Am7
D7susD7
Gmaj7
Bm7♭5E7♭9

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

Harmonic analysis

5Major ii–V–I
3Minor ii–V–i
18ii–V moves
0Tritone substitutions
0Dominant chains
14Different chords

Most used chords

  • Am7×9
  • D7×9
  • Gmaj7×7
  • Bm7×6
  • Em7×3
  • A7×3

Key centres reached by ii–V

G major, A minor and A major

Characteristics

  • AABA song form

Recorded on these albums

1947 Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
1950 Art Tatum
Art Tatum · “I cover the waterfront”
1950 Art Tatum
Art Tatum
1951 Music Minus One, Vol. 2: A Rhythm Background Record for Any Musician or Vocalist
Don Abney, Jimmy Raney & Oscar Pettiford · “I Cover the Waterfront”
1953 Dizzy Gillespie Plays in Paris
Dizzy Gillespie · “I Cover the Waterfront”
1954 Billie and Stan
Billie Holiday and Stan Getz · “I Cover the Waterfront”
1955 My Kinda Love
Sarah Vaughan · “I Cover the Waterfront”
1955 Jam Session in Paris
Lionel Hampton · “I Cover the Waterfront”
1955 Julian Cannonball Adderley and Strings
Julian Cannonball Adderley and Strings · “I Cover the Waterfront”
1956 The Incredible Jimmy Smith at the Organ, Volume 3
Jimmy Smith · “I Cover the Waterfront”
1956 Flute 'N the Blues
James Moody · “I Cover the Waterfront”
1957 Where Are You?
Frank Sinatra with Gordon Jenkins and His Orchestra · “I Cover the Waterfront”
1957 Afternoon in Paris
John Lewis & Sacha Distel · “I Cover the Waterfront”
1957 Lucky Thompson
Lucky Thompson With Gérard Pochonet & His Quartet
1957 Ad Lib
Red Norvo
1958 It’s All Over but the Swingin’
Sammy Davis Jr. · “I Cover the Waterfront”
1958 The Herd Rides Again...In Stereo
Woody Herman
1958 'S Awful Nice
Ray Conniff · “I Cover the Waterfront”
1958 Imagination
Billy Eckstine · “I Cover the Waterfront”
1959 Hometown, My Town
Tony Bennett · “I Cover the Waterfront”
1959 Le Dernier Message de Lester Young
Lester Young · “I Cover the Water Front”
1959 Movin’!
Kay Starr · “I Cover the Waterfront”
1961 A Long Drink of the Blues
Jackie McLean · “I Cover the Waterfront”
1961 Gettin' Together!
Paul Gonsalves · “I Cover the Waterfront”

Historic 78 rpm recordings

  • I COVER THE WATERFRONT EDDIE HEYWOOD and his Orchestra · GREEN · HEYMAN archive.org ↗
  • I COVER THE WATERFRONT MARTHA RAYE · CHARLIE BARNET AND HIS ORCHESTRA · Green · Heyman · 1946 archive.org ↗
  • I Cover the Waterfront Sarah Vaughan · George Treadwell's Orchestra · Green · Heyman · 1947 archive.org ↗
  • I Cover the Waterfront James Moody · Roger Guerin · Raymond Foi · Pierre Michelot · Pierre… · 1951 archive.org ↗
  • I Cover the Waterfront The Hans Koller Quartet · C. W. Scholl · Hans Koller · Jutta Hipp ·… · 1952 archive.org ↗

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
The One I Love (Belongs To Somebody Else) 34% Isham Jones G major AB · 32 Medium swing
Tadd's Delight 30% Tadd Dameron A♭ major ABAC · 32 Medium-up swing
Let There Be Love 29% Rand-Grant E♭ major ABAC · 32 Medium swing
You Can Depend On Me 27% Carpenter-Dunlap-Hines F major AABA · 32 Medium-up swing
The Most Beautiful Girl In The World 26% Rodgers-Hart F major AAB · 60 Jazz waltz
Jeannie's Song 25% Marchel Ivery F major ABB · 24 Medium swing
My Little Suede Shoes 25% Charlie Parker E♭ major AABA · 32 Latin
I Should Care 24% Cahn-Stordahl-Weston C major ABAC · 32 Medium swing

Frequently asked questions

What key is I Cover The Waterfront in?

I Cover The Waterfront is usually played in G major. For B♭ instruments that is A major, for E♭ instruments E major.

Who wrote I Cover The Waterfront?

I Cover The Waterfront was written by Johnny Green.

What is the form of I Cover The Waterfront?

I Cover The Waterfront has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.

How fast is I Cover The Waterfront played?

The usual groove is Ballad.

What are the chord changes to I Cover The Waterfront?

The opening bars are Em7 A7 | Am7 D7 | Gmaj7 Cmaj7 | Bm7 A#dim7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.