ENDEIT

Standards · 1945

I Didn't Know About You chords & key

Duke Ellington

Key
F major
Form
AABA
Bars
32
Groove
Ballad
Time signature
4/4
Year
1945

“I Didn't Know About You” is a jazz standard by Duke Ellington from 1945. Most bands play it in F major, ballad; the tune runs 32 bars in AABA form. Harmonically it contains 7 major ii–V–I cadences and 1 minor ii–V–i, uses 18 different chords and moves between the key centres F major, B♭ major, A♭ major and G minor. In this atlas it appears on 4 album tracks.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — F major

A
Gm7C7
Fmaj7F6
B♭7A7
E♭9D7♭9
G7♯11
Gm7C7
1.
Am7
E♭7D7♭9
2.
F6
F6
B
Cm7F7
Cm7F7
B♭maj7
E♭7♯11
B♭m7E♭7
B♭m7E♭7
A♭maj7
Am7D7♭5
A
Gm7C7
Fmaj7F6
B♭7A7
E♭9D7♭9
G7♯11
Gm7C7
F6Gm7
Am7D7♭9

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

Harmonic analysis

7Major ii–V–I
1Minor ii–V–i
12ii–V moves
0Tritone substitutions
3Dominant chains
18Different chords

Most used chords

  • Gm7×7
  • C7×6
  • F6×6
  • D7♭9×5
  • Fmaj7×3
  • B♭7×3

Key centres reached by ii–V

F major, B♭ major, A♭ major and G minor

Characteristics

  • AABA song form

History

"I Didn't Know About You" is a song composed by Duke Ellington, with lyrics written by Bob Russell. Recorded in 1944 with vocal by Joya Sherrill, it was based on an instrumental first recorded by Ellington in 1942 under the title "Sentimental Lady", featuring Johnny Hodges on alto saxophone. The 1942 instrumental reached number one on the Harlem Hit Parade in 1943 and was the B-side to Duke Ellington's previous number one, "A Slip Of the Lip (Can Sink a Ship)", which had reached the top spot a week before. The recording by Count Basie & His Orchestra (vocal by Thelma Carpenter) briefly reached the No. 21 position on the Billboard charts in 1945 and other recordings available that year were by Duke Ellington, Mildred Bailey, Jo Stafford and Lena Horne.

Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Recorded on these albums

1957 Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book
Ella Fitzgerald · “I Didn’t Know About You”
1976 Fitzgerald and Pass… Again
Ella Fitzgerald & Joe Pass · “I Didn’t Know About You”
2014 In Gröna Lund 1963
Duke Ellington
2017 An Intimate Piano Session
Duke Ellington

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
Deed I Do 26% Hirsch-Rose C major AABA · 32 Medium swing
Tis Autumn 26% Henry Nemo E♭ major AABA · 32 Ballad
What'll I Do 25% Irving Berlin C major AABA · 32 Jazz waltz
Donna Lee 24% Charlie Parker A♭ major AB · 32 Up-tempo swing
September In The Rain 24% Harry Warren E♭ major AABA · 32 Medium swing
Sometimes I'm Happy 24% Vincent Youmans F major ABAB · 32 Medium swing
Cheers 23% Howard McGhee B♭ major AABA · 32 Medium swing
I Get A Kick Out Of You 23% Cole Porter E♭ major AAB · 48 Medium swing

Frequently asked questions

What key is I Didn't Know About You in?

I Didn't Know About You is usually played in F major. For B♭ instruments that is G major, for E♭ instruments D major.

Who wrote I Didn't Know About You?

I Didn't Know About You was written by Duke Ellington (1945).

What is the form of I Didn't Know About You?

I Didn't Know About You has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.

How fast is I Didn't Know About You played?

The usual groove is Ballad.

What are the chord changes to I Didn't Know About You?

The opening bars are Gm7 C7 | Fmaj7 F6 | Bb7 A7 | Eb9 D7b9. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.