Standards

I Got It Bad chords & key

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

“I Got It Bad” is a jazz standard by Duke Ellington. It is usually played in G major as a ballad, and the 32-bar AABA form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 1 major ii–V–I cadence and 1 minor ii–V–i, uses 16 different chords and moves between the key centres C major and A minor. In this atlas it appears on 19 album tracks and in 1 transcribed solo.

Chord changes

to key

Showing in: Concert (C) — G major

G^dimG^maj7

B^7♭13E^m7

A⁷E^m7

A⁷

A^m7

B⁷E⁷A⁷D⁷

G⁶E^m7

A^m7D⁷

G⁶C♯^dim7

D^m7G⁷

C^maj7

F⁷

G^maj7

B^m7E⁷

A^m7

D⁷

G^dimG^maj7

B^7♭13E^m7

A⁷E^m7

A⁷

A^m7

B⁷E⁷A⁷D⁷

G⁶E^m7

A^m7D⁷

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

Harmonic analysis

1Major ii–V–I

1Minor ii–V–i

11ii–V moves

0Tritone substitutions

9Dominant chains

16Different chords

Most used chords

A⁷×9
E^m7×8
A^m7×6
D⁷×6
G^maj7×4
E⁷×4

Key centres reached by ii–V

C major and A minor

Characteristics

AABA song form

Recorded on these albums

1949	Souvenir Album Ella Fitzgerald · “I Got It Bad (and That Ain’t Good)”
1953	Oscar Peterson Plays Duke Ellington Oscar Peterson · “I Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good”
1956	At Newport Duke Ellington and The Buck Clayton All-Stars · “I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good”
1957	A Swingin’ Affair! Frank Sinatra · “I Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good”
1957	Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book Ella Fitzgerald · “I Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good”
1957	Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book, Volume 2 Ella Fitzgerald · “I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good”
1959	Oscar Peterson Plays the Duke Ellington Song Book Oscar Peterson · “I’ve Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good”
1961	Nat King Cole Sings / George Shearing Plays Nat King Cole & The George Shearing Quintet · “I Got It Bad (and That Ain’t Good)”
1962	Nina Simone Sings Ellington Nina Simone
1963	The Great Reunion Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington · “I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good”
1973	Songs & Conversations Billie Holiday · “I Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good”
1982	It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing Duke Ellington & Teresa Brewer · “I Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good”
1992	The Intimate Ellington Duke Ellington · “I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)”
1999	Reflections on Duke Duke Ellington; Jean‐Yves Thibaudet · “I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good”
2001	Caravan Duke Ellington · “I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good”
2012	Blue Note Jazz Inspiration Duke Ellington · “I Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good”
2021	In My Solitude: Solo Piano and Small Group Performances Duke Ellington, Sir Roland Hanna & Billy Strayhorn · “I Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good)”
2021	In My Solitude: Solo Piano and Small Group Performances Duke Ellington, Sir Roland Hanna & Billy Strayhorn · “I Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good)”
2026	Too Marvelous For Words Peggy Lee · “I Got It Bad (and That Ain’t Good)”

Transcribed solos on I Got It Bad

Benny Carter alto saxophone

68 BPM

Db-maj

1952-09-18

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

Title	Composer	Key	Form	Groove
Let's Fall In Love 27%	Harold Arlen	C major	AABA · 32	Medium swing
Don't Be That Way 24%	Edgar Sampson	D♭ major	AABA · 32	Medium swing
I Want To Be Happy 24%	Vincent Youmans	C major	AABA · 32	Medium-up swing
Try A Little Tenderness 24%	Harry Woods	E♭ major	AABA · 32	Ballad
You Are Too Beautiful 24%	Richard Rodgers	C major	AABA · 32	Ballad
But Not For Me 23%	George Gershwin	E♭ major	ABAC · 32	Medium-up swing
For Sentimental Reasons 23%	William Best	F major	AABA · 32	Slow swing
Love Is The Sweetest Thing 23%	Ray Noble	D major	AABA · 32	Medium swing

Frequently asked questions

What key is I Got It Bad in?

I Got It Bad is usually played in G major. For B♭ instruments that is A major, for E♭ instruments E major.

Who wrote I Got It Bad?

I Got It Bad was written by Duke Ellington.

What is the form of I Got It Bad?

I Got It Bad has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.

How fast is I Got It Bad played?

The usual groove is Ballad. Transcribed solos in our data were played at 68 BPM.

What are the chord changes to I Got It Bad?

The opening bars are Gdim Gmaj7 | B7b13 Em7 | A7 Em7 | A7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.