ENDEIT

Standards · 1931

I Surrender Dear chords & key

Harry Barris

Key
C major
Form
AABA
Bars
32
Groove
Ballad
Time signature
4/4
Year
1931

“I Surrender Dear” is a jazz standard by Harry Barris from 1931. Most bands play it in C major, ballad; the tune runs 32 bars in AABA form. Harmonically it contains 3 major ii–V–I cadences and 3 minor ii–V–i, uses 10 different chords and moves between the key centres D minor and C major. In this atlas it appears on 4 album tracks.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — C major

A
Dm7
Em7♭5A7♭9
Dm7E7
Am7D7
Cmaj7Am7
D7
Dm7G7
1.
Cmaj7A7
2.
Cmaj7
B
E7
Am7
E7
Am7
E7
Am7
D7
Dm7G7
A
Dm7F7
Em7♭5A7♭9
Dm7E7
Am7D7
Cmaj7Am7
D7
Dm7G7
Cmaj7A7

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

Harmonic analysis

3Major ii–V–I
3Minor ii–V–i
14ii–V moves
1Tritone substitutions
0Dominant chains
10Different chords

Most used chords

  • Dm7×10
  • Am7×9
  • D7×7
  • E7×6
  • Cmaj7×6
  • G7×4

Key centres reached by ii–V

D minor and C major

Characteristics

  • AABA song form

History

"I Surrender Dear" (sometimes written as "I Surrender, Dear") is a song composed by Harry Barris with lyrics by Gordon Clifford, first performed by Gus Arnheim and His Cocoanut Grove Orchestra with Bing Crosby in 1931, which became his first solo hit. This is the song that caught the attention of William Paley, president of CBS, who signed Crosby for $600 a week in the fall of 1931 (equivalent to $13,000 a week in 2025). In 1931, it was performed by Sam Lanin, as well as Ben Selvin, under the pseudonym "Mickie Alpert". It has been covered by many artists, making it a jazz and pop standard. The first jazz vocalist to record the song was Louis Armstrong in 1931. "I Surrender Dear" inspired two motion pictures bearing that title: a 1931 Bing Crosby musical short I Surrender Dear produced by Mack Sennett, and a 1948 feature film starring one of Crosby's co-stars, singer Gloria Jean.

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

Recorded on these albums

1957 The Great Ray Charles
Ray Charles
1962 Lovely & Alive
Lena Horne · “I Surrender, Dear”
2002 It’s Easy to Remember
Bing Crosby · “I Surrender, Dear”
— Please
Bing Crosby

Historic 78 rpm recordings

  • I Surrender Dear Bill Davison · Boyce Brown · Mel Henke · Joe Kahn · Walter Ross archive.org ↗
  • I SURRENDER, DEAR FRANKIE TRUMBAUER And His Orchestra · Gordon Clifford · Harry Borris archive.org ↗
  • "I SURRENDER DEAR" BILL DAVISON · BOYCE BROWN · MEL HENKE · JOE KAHN · WALTER ROSS archive.org ↗
  • I SURRENDER DEAR archive.org ↗
  • I SURRENDER, DEAR HARRY PARRY AND HIS RADIO SEXTET · Barris · 1944 archive.org ↗
  • I Surrender Dear The Charlie Venturo Qunitette · Arnold Ross · Dave Barbour · Artie… · 1945 archive.org ↗
  • I SURRENDER DEAR VIVIEN GARRY QUARTET · VIVIEN GARRY · Arvin Garrison · Vivien Garry… · 1946 archive.org ↗
  • I SURRENDER DEAR DON BYAS and his Orchestra · TYREE GLENN · BILLY TAYLOR · 1948 archive.org ↗

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
Fools Rush In 24% Rube Bloom C major ABAC · 32 Slow swing
Suddenly It's Spring 23% Jimmy Van-Heusen B♭ major ABCA · 32 Medium swing
All Of Me 21% Gerald Marks C major ABAC · 32 Medium swing
Manhattan 21% Richard Rodgers F major ABAC · 32 Medium swing
Young And Foolish 21% Albert Hague C major ABAC · 32 Ballad

Frequently asked questions

What key is I Surrender Dear in?

I Surrender Dear is usually played in C major. For B♭ instruments that is D major, for E♭ instruments A major.

Who wrote I Surrender Dear?

I Surrender Dear was written by Harry Barris (1931).

What is the form of I Surrender Dear?

I Surrender Dear has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.

How fast is I Surrender Dear played?

The usual groove is Ballad.

What are the chord changes to I Surrender Dear?

The opening bars are Dm7 | Em7b5 A7b9 | Dm7 E7 | Am7 D7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.